Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Col. Askins

I just read THE HUNTER'S RIFLE by Charles Askins. I found it to be an excellent read and I was really surprised at the amount of game Askins killed. But I wonder if he really believed 8mm was better than .30 cal or if that was just his shtick?

Man, what a memory exercise. The answers to come will be interesting. I just can't remember, other than he liked the 8 mm mag.

My guess is, because no one else was even looking at it, stateside, at least. No one else wanted on that bandwagon, so he jumped.
What the hell, there was plenty of room on that wagon...........

A bit eccentric, he had a number of various cases necked up or down to 8mm and wrote articles praising each, ad nauseum.
For a very sobering look at Askins, the man, read his "Unrepentant Sinner". Keep in mind that it took place in a very different world than ours.

A line from James H.L. Hunt seems fitting at this juncture:
"... I pray thee, then, write me as one that loves his fellow men..."

A very good read.

He was a good writer who knew how to capture and hold the reader's attention. He liked to throw bombs of controversy, that was his shtick, which he used with skill. He was quite controversial in life, as well.

Unrepentant Sinner is a good read, a glimpse into the man with lots of history and period info.

It was a different time, an era that pre-dated Political Correctness. Ole Charlie would have a real hard time in today's P.C. world.

DF

No he would not. He'd just tell the idiots to F-off and if they took exception he would take care of business just like the Kraut taking a dump found out.

Larry Root aka "Stool Research".

Rick must be out of town.

DF

Yeah, he is. Last time I heard from Rick he was in Florida fishing.

A local friend was a young Army officer when Askins was still alive and knew him well, even going on a safari with Askins in Angola. My friend does some writing (he's working on a book about his Vietnam experiences) but I keep after him to write the story of that safari--and others, since he was stationed in Africa for a number of years. He's planning on it--eventually.

Askins necked about everything to 8mm....then took it to Africa and knocked off all kinds of animals with it. he did a lot of hunting and killed a LOT of game...at least it seems that way from his writings.

I believe he was the first to use the newly introduced 338 Win Mag on Brown Bear in Alaska, and also had some smith convert M70's to LH for him.

He also killed a lot of Asian game like banteng, tigers, etc. rare stuff today.

Unrepentant Sinner was a great book and pulled few punches. I get the impression he didn't suffer fools;and was no stranger to the use of lethal force.

I liked Askins.

Bill Jordan lived much the same life and also killed people in the line of work. He never bragged about it. He said it was a distasteful part of his job as a Marine and a lawman.

Askins seemed to really enjoy killing,men or animals. He was also an off the chart racist. Witness the fact he only kept count of the number of whites and asians he killed. He did not include blacks and hispanics in his headcount.

I know we can't judge him by todays standards,but he seems like a homicidal nut in a uniform to me.

Yeah Brit he was pretty bad!

Unrepentent Sinner seemed to pretty much confirm that it is possible to possess neither a conscience nor a soul.

Sometimes fear is the only thing that keeps some people in line.Most of The "Wild Wests Lawmen" knew this and applied force accordingly.That would include The Earps,Frank Hammer,The Pinkertons,Bill Hickock and down the line.

On the other hand, Bob, if you were in a fox hole, pinned down by hostile fire, Ole Charlie would be a pretty good companion.

DF

DF: No doubt about it.

I agree with the fact he was pretty bad under contemporary standards of political correctness. But in his era, he was what the doctor ordered.

I'm not so sure sometimes that we have so many problems today, because we don't have more like him.

It's ironic that the existence of civilization depends in large part on the existence of the Warrior Cllass. This is irrefutable and proved by history.

We all know he wasn't PC and enjoyed killing people when the situation presented itself. However he makes a real case for .323 trumping .308 diameter in effectiveness. Did he really drink that Kool-Aid or was he just trying to sell it?

I remember seeing him at the 1970 NRA Convention in New Orleans. He was of average height and statue but definitely had a presence about him. I watched as he left the Hilton, headed from Poydras to Canal and the French Quarter, alone and after dark.

I was a bit concerned, thinking he may not know the area; I sure wouldn't take that walk alone at night.

That was before I read Unrepentant Sinner. That old dude was for sure packing and don't ya know, NOPD would be sorting, bagging and transporting perp or perps who would have acosted him.

DF