carl
.327 Meteor
Posts: 546
|
Post by carl on Sept 10, 2011 9:12:10 GMT -5
Askins was a southpaw? The reference to Ruger .44 s/n X-2 prods me into posting a "companion" article, Lee. The Ruger is s/n X-3. Carl
|
|
|
Post by Ken O'Neill on Sept 10, 2011 12:54:26 GMT -5
Yes, he was a lefty. Note that the above article was written by "Judge" Don Martin. Cool!
|
|
|
Post by jayhawker on Sept 10, 2011 13:15:13 GMT -5
The Judge was a close friend of Elmer.
|
|
akray
.30 Stingray
"Alaska is what the Wild West was"
Posts: 388
|
Post by akray on Sept 10, 2011 14:04:08 GMT -5
Gun Digests from this era are great. The most impressive part of this article is that Askins is shooting that big iron without hearing protection. He had manly man ears for sure.
|
|
Sarge
.30 Stingray
Posts: 348
|
Post by Sarge on Sept 10, 2011 14:54:27 GMT -5
Lee, that is great. Thanks for posting it!
|
|
olddoc
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 98
|
Post by olddoc on Sept 13, 2011 13:04:35 GMT -5
Hate to be a dissenting voice here or to speak ill of the dead but I remember sending a letter of complaint, years ago, to Cameron Hopkins , editor of American Handgunner, after reading one of their articles written by the Colonel, recounting his personal heroics. To my way of thinking, he seemed to take a perverse pride in recounting in grisly detail, how many lives he had taken in one skirmish or another. In my experience, the real heroes don't talk much about their that sort of thing.
|
|
robl
.375 Atomic
These were the good ole days!
Posts: 1,415
|
Post by robl on Sept 13, 2011 14:28:30 GMT -5
To each his own. l I rather enjoyed Col Askins' candor, rather than dancing around the subject, he spoke of it directly. As for "real heroes", they come in every stripe; I have some real heroes as close friends and they are great folks, well adjusted and I am proud to count them as friends. But I have heard more than one speak in glowing terms about killing their opponents in combat. There is glory & honor in achieving victory over one's enemies. they are not ashamed of what they have done and shouldn't be.
|
|
|
Post by CraigC on Sept 13, 2011 15:04:28 GMT -5
Hate to be a dissenting voice here or to speak ill of the dead but I remember sending a letter of complaint, years ago, to Cameron Hopkins , editor of American Handgunner, after reading one of their articles written by the Colonel, recounting his personal heroics. To my way of thinking, he seemed to take a perverse pride in recounting in grisly detail, how many lives he had taken in one skirmish or another. In my experience, the real heroes don't talk much about their that sort of thing. I agree with Rob, "heroes" (a vastly over utilized term these days) come in every flavor. Askins was a gunfighter and a gunwriter. How are we to learn how to survive gunfights if no one talks about them???
|
|
dmize
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,825
|
Post by dmize on Sept 13, 2011 15:17:11 GMT -5
And he did it without wearing a black ninja suit and body armor and the words "tactical" and "operator" never appeared once.
|
|
|
Post by Fiveshooter on Sept 15, 2011 18:15:31 GMT -5
I enjoy reading the Colonel's writings. I've read his book Unrepentent Sinner. I don't recall him bragging about being a hero. He was what he was. Cool Under Fire and Utterly Fear less. He was from a different time. We could use some men like him today. As Elmer use to say Things was different in those Days. Mark
|
|
|
Post by blacktalon on Sept 16, 2011 9:10:58 GMT -5
What issue/date is this article from? It also appears truncated. Are there more pages that should be included other than the 4 that are currently posted?
|
|
|
Post by Frank V on Sept 16, 2011 18:46:09 GMT -5
Those are great, thanks for posting. I used to read Askins a lot when he was writing. Frank
|
|
|
Post by ddixie884 on Mar 12, 2013 1:31:26 GMT -5
Great Thread, thanks for posting. Does anyone have a picture of Col. Askins' .44-40 that he used in the border patrol? His New Service .38spl is in the Autry collection. It can be viewed on line, and is a very representative sample of a fighting revolver from the 50s.
|
|
bobl44
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 80
|
Post by bobl44 on Mar 12, 2013 9:18:52 GMT -5
Great read I miss reading those old guys.
|
|
akray
.30 Stingray
"Alaska is what the Wild West was"
Posts: 388
|
Post by akray on Mar 12, 2013 15:14:57 GMT -5
"Word reaches me that some joes, probably with lace on their panties, are putting on gloves to shoot it." I first read those words when I was an impressionable teenager and I've enjoyed reading Col. Chas. Askins' writings from the first time I found him. Still, I had to wonder what kind of man could write those words, knowing the effect it would have on his readers. Remember, this article came from the late 50s, when America was still very polite in public. Judging from his life experiences and his body of work, he must have been a true life alpha male, who the lesser males would only be able to cower and slink around while in his presence. Be glad that most of us never had the chance to meet him in real life to shake his hand or ask for his autograph, because I think he was the kind of man who could make other guys piss in their pants once they realized what they were standing next to.
|
|