Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters So...how bout Charles Askins, Jr.?

The American involvement in Viet Nam began in 1961. President Kennedy formed the Special Forces, who were in country after that time. Before that, the French Army was involved I don't know when Askins was in Viet Nam, however, didn't read his book, only his articles.

Based on his autobiography, the last man he killed was in 1957. Charlie was a U.S. military advisor in Vietnam. While hunting in the jungle one day, he ran across a Viet Minh soldier. Askins was carrying a Savage .358 lever action rifle (with which he had blown away a couple of other Viet Minh who interrupted his hunting on another occasion) but chose to draw his new Smith & Wesson Model 29 and fire it left hand only.

"I let the ambusher have the first 240 gr. slug right through the ribs on the left side. It was probably the first man ever killed with the .44 because it was quite new in those days," Askins observed casually. He finished the man with a second shot to the throat.

Askins served in World War II as a battlefield recovery officer. He wrote of his exploits in his autobiography, Unrepentant Sinner. He was a military advisor in Vietnam where he trained South Vietnamese troops