So, my local gunshop had this thing. He knew I would freak out over it. I did of course.














In any case the history is all there above. I will say that the King Front/Rear Sight and Action Job are amazing. The holes drilled in the hammer are to lighten it up, it's awesome. Seems they also cut it for .45ACP. It looks like it should shoot .45ACP or .45LC without problem. It came with a couple half moon clips.

From everything I have ever read Askins was one mean ***. That revolver sure is purty by the way and the history makes it even more so.

Wow, that is definitely a find. Congrats!

I thought that J.A Estudillo, DS was a person, but Askins seems to have known the hamlet of Estudillo.

I met him a few times, and he impressed me as being about like he seemed in print. The address and phone number on the G&A letterhead are correct. The letter seems genuine.

A most interesting gun...and event.

I asked Charlie once why he adopted the Colt NS .38 when he was BP firearms instructor. He had to turn the barrels on almost all of those guns to bring the sights in proper alignment, a common problem on DA Colts.

He replied candidly that the Colt men got along with him well, but that the S&W salesmen were snobs who ticked him off. I believe it.

I did once own a .45 Colt NS with 5.5-inch bbl. made about 1935 that did have the sights aligned right. It was scary accurate at 25 yds. with Remington 250 grain factory ammo.
But maybe a prior owner had had the barrel turned slightly to achieve that accuracy.

Thanks for this account. It was inspiring to know how Bill Keim triumphed over multiple assailants, despite his wounds.

If you have Bill Jordan's, No Second Place Winner, look at the gunfight near the first , where the wounded agent had to move his vehicle to get radio reception. Another brave man.

In Mexico, "DF" means Federal District, Distrito Federal, like our Washington, DC. I don't think the term, DF, is otherwise used. I wondered if this might be Distrito de Sonora, but that's on the wrong side of the US border. And it'd probably be Estado de Sonora, not Distrito.

A most intriguing inscription... Most men who'd know about this case are deceased, inc. Askins. I hope that some good answer turns up.

Congrats! That's a real find.

That is a very cool piece and yes, Col. Askins was indeed one mean ***. His autobiography, "Unrepentant Sinner," although horribly edited, is an interesting read.

A very fine acquisition; that's a unique gun with a unique history.

__________________
John

The phrase "you and whose army" certainly applies to Charles Askins if anyone were to try to take him out. The last time I met him he was very elderly, and yet, I still would not have wanted to get into an altercation with him. If anything, he would have been more dangerous. He never had any regrets about dropping the hammer on someone who deserved it, and as an elderly man, he would have even less regret, given that time would, by definition, be short at his advanced age. Right before he died, he and Bill Jordan had planned a trip to Africa for a safari. Both of them were tough as nails. One of them, despite similar gun fighting experience, was far nicer than the other.

Goodness, Askins and Jordan, a couple of real blasts from the past. Throw in their old pal Elmer Keith and you have the Great Triumvirate!

In addition to the gun being such an interesting piece, I was looking at the dates on the letters.

Considering the travel/delivery time of the letter to Askins, it looks as if he replied almost immediately. I doubt we'd get that level of personal attention and courtesy in this day and age.

New old grips arrived.





They are awesome, they fit almost perfectly, I took the pictures at an angle to see that there is just a little edge showing.

Edit: playing around with the camera a bit:

Since the gun had some terrible warped and broken plastic stocks on it when I purchased it, and I would never be able to find the real stocks that go on this gun, I had set my sights on a set of nice Wolf and Klar Ivory Steerheads, but I've never found a set. When these Jigged Bone popped up I thought... yeah, lets do it.

I took a little gamble that these would fit, but they do perfectly, are really the best set of Jigged Bone I own, heavy, expertly carved. I'm kind of over the moon about them actually.

Wow. Those are beautiful grips on an amazing piece. Congratulations.

Old thread or not; beautiful revolver.

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

Yes Askins was scary bad news. I think in his prime if the Devil was missing a body part one could insert Askins and the Devil wouldn't miss a beat.

IT sounds like Keim was one reaL bad fella also.

That the type of gun I like to collect; a gun with history. If I had seen that gun, I would have pulled my wallet/check book/cash out of my pants so fast that I would have been standing there in my underpants.

Yeah, that's how I was. Although we had a hard time figuring out a price. We finally arrived at something with a promise that if I sell it I have to sell it back to him for that price. Which isn't really a problem, I can't imagine ever selling it.

The more I go the more I am interested in storied guns, either stories that I can find like A new Pre-29, once owned by W. A. Orick and Irresistible Safety Hammerless

Or stories that I buy like A 1911 that was Elmer Keith's

Stories I luck into like Update: 1920 Colt Factory Modified "Keith No. 5" for C.M. McCutcheon

Or stuff that *has* a story.. I just know it! I'll probably never know what that story is with these ones: Colt Fitzed Roscoe and Model 3, modified in 1943?

Does it really matter though? When a gun is pleasing enough in and of itself it hardly matters to me what exactly the story is. Actual provenance is awesome, and a lot of fun to try to track down, but I find I enjoy some guns that I know have a story even if that story forever remains a mystery.

I just spent a wonderful hour reading all the linked posts above. Thank you, Sir!

Glad you enjoyed them!

I've been incredibly fortunate to have quite a few hits on my guns with the S&W Historical Foundation (an organization everyone really should be supporting). Adding immensely pleasurable hand written letters, and information about past owners of the guns adds a dimension to collecting old used guns that I think will become increasingly more popular. The wonderful people in the SWCA and the SWHF have enhanced collecting old S&Ws to a level that I think people are only just starting to realize. I really look forward to what people come up with in the coming years.

If you enjoyed those other threads there are a few more which showcase how amazing the SWHF is:

Update: Boston (Dorchester) PD gun + SWHF Docs!

Increasingly more Interesting Triple Lock *update*

Half Target M&P, Update: Another Police Gun!

and one which continues to be at the top of my favorites list, this gun was the catalyst for me learning so much about old S&Ws from this amazing forum:

My Beater Registered Magnum - Done!

In conclusion: Everyone should join the SWCA, the SWHF, and support this forum (which I see as I type this I haven't sent my money off for the support of the forum! I need to go make that happen)

I know this is an old thread but it appears I missed it first time around. Fascinating gun and history.

For an imagined "what might have been", find a copy of "Pale Horse Rising" by Stephen Hunter. Late in the book are fictionalized characters based on Askins, Jordan and Keith, as well as Ed McGivern, Jack O'Connor and even Audie Murphy. It's a hoot to read. Here's an interview with Hunter that appeared in American Handgunner in 2003: Make mine a Thompson: gun-guy and novelist Stephen Hunter on guns, gangsters and America. - Free Online Library


From the interview: "I began Pale Horse with the idea of a posse of those great gunwriters riding to the rescue. My homage to the Good Old Days that never were! (Editor's Note: The posse referred to includes revolver legend "Ed Mc Griffin," ex-Border Patrolman "Charlie Hatchison," author of Second Place is No Place "Bill Jennings," war hero and movie star "Audie Ryan," Winchester ace "Jack O'Brian and, of course, "Elmer Kaye" and his legendary hotted-up 44 Special.)"

The Border was a rough place back then, if Charlie wasn't the way he was he wouldn't have survived to write about it.

I don't think is bothered by (or should be bothered by) ancient threads getting bumped.

I've learned more from old threads on this forum then pretty much anywhere else. This thing is an astonishing wealth of valuable information. I feel it's important to add as much as I can to it in my own meager way. Hopefully this one has amused you a bit.

The only thing that really causes me regret regarding the gun is that I only have copies of the original letter. A photo copy, and of all things, a mimeograph copy. Still, I'm grateful to John McDonald writing to Askins 4 years before I was born to get the story on the gun.