Was Charlie Askins Right?

Charlie’s Challenge

I’ve read Askins’ articles for some 50 years, met him several times, always enjoyed his company and had him autograph several books. Especially in later years he seemed to make a career out of controversy, attacking old favorites such as revolvers or the .30-’06 cartridge. Such attacks were always good for inspiring reader response. Still, in this early article he makes some good points.

“There is an awful lot of talk in this country about the bolt action rifle, a gun that was invented by a German almost a hundred years ago and not materially improved for a half-century. A lot of hunters swear by the Mauser-type bolt action; a lot of others swear at it. I belong with the latter crowd.

“How can any shooting iron, if indeed any mechanism, be otherwise than badly antiquated when it has been kicking around for 58 years with scarcely any facelifting at all … bolt-operated rifles are about as novel as mukluks in White Horse.

“The action is too heavy, too bulky, too long and too broad. It is as ugly as a West Texas horned toad, and has about the equivalent number of warty-like projection, angles, corners and other blemishes.”

Askins listed several shortcomings of the bolt action. The typical hunter had no training in rapid bolt operation — he says for many shooters, the bolt action might as well be a single shot. With a low-mounted scope access to a top-loading magazine was restricted making it slow to recharge the magazine. And as a southpaw himself, Askins was critical of the lack of bolt actions designed for left-handers.

Remember at the time the bolt-action was by no means dominant. The two best known bolt actions were the Winchester 70 and the Remington 721/722. Savage and Winchester made low-priced bolt guns for moderately powerful cartridges such as .22 Hornet and .30-30 Win. Imports? Much of Europe was still rebuilding after WWII — and besides, no patriotic American wanted to be seen with a dang furrin’-made rifle. Don’t want to be taken for a Nazi or a Commie!