My understanding is that part of the justification for the "guttersnipe" is that it avoided the need for a front sight blade, eliminating yet another potential place the gun might snag on when being drawn quickly.
I think you're right actually, in 3 separate occasions when I was drawing my piece, it snagged on the cottons I was wearing. I still managed to get my shots in first though but was a close call on all 3 occasions.
@@infamoushokage7697 Seems like the gun was made for more sneaky, spy-like uses. Like say, you're an undercover cop and you're keeping your gun in a purse. Maybe the front sight will get caught on an inside pouch or the lip of the purse. 1970 police and CIA seemed to be wearing suits and those detective trench jackets and slacks. Ties and such were still in. It would probably be snagged on say, suits, jackets, bags, possibly ties, the back of the pants where one might tuck the gun into, etc. I also feel that fat people wouldn't have as much of a problem. From what I've noticed, a lot more fat people wear clothing thats too small for them (possibly from denial), and tighter clothing would result in less snagging. Thats just my opinion though.
@@ksm1985 Yeah, those paper targets at the gun range sure can draw quick, gotta watch it or they'll pop you before you can even get your Dirty Harry "Do you feel lucky, Punk" out from behind your teeth.
That is correct, these guns were meant for deep concealment, often a pocket. Today many pocket guns have very small rounded sights for the same reason. Also the Sig P365 SAS is a modern take on the ASP. That is why it has no traditional Front sight and the takedown lever/slide stop changed to be snag free
When the ASP was new I wanted but could not afford it. Fast forward forty years- still want it still cannot afford it. Still great for Ian to give a demo and history on a ground breaking pistol.
@Wet Johnny I was about to jump the gun and say "implying that e-begging is bad", before I realized that you didn't actually imply that. The message I finally decided on putting in this awfully long-winded comment is as follows: "And...?"
One of the reasons I love seeing Ian at Shot Show is his smirk when someone says "first time it's been done" or "this radical new idea we're implementing." Because you know he has seen it before on some random firearm from 40-100 years ago. That guttersnipe sight reminded me of the new sig xray sights.
That is not true in the slightest. .32 ACP (European ammo, not the stupid downloaded American target ammo) is an extremely viable round, .380 ACP even more so. All bullets can kill you.
John Gardner's James Bond novels where I first heard of this pistol. Of all the forgotten weapons in the world, the ASP is my all time favorite. Like the Bren Ten from the television series Miami Vice, the ASP saw very few media appearances in movies and television. Apart from Commando (1985) and I also understand that one was going to be used in Cobra (1986), but the scenes were it appeared were deleted.
As a proud second generation James Bond fan, I really enjoyed reading Carte Blanche. It was a nice touch by author Jeffery Dever, to arm 007 with the Walther PPS in .40 S&W. If you have not read the John Gardner books (published from 1981-1996), I highly recommend them. Bond begins using the ASP 9 in the fourth book, Role Of Honor (published in 1984) and uses all the way thought to the last book in the series Cold Fall.
Ian, I really enjoy Forgotten Weapons. You get me interested in firearms that I previously thought I could care less about. While it's not good for my pocket book, I do love the information and history of these guns. Please keep it up. You do a real service for all gun enthusiasts.
Tell me about it every time i see a cool rifle or something i go out and try and find it lol i had 2 guns before i subscribed now i have 8 :p thanks Ian, sorry bank account
Those sights are very interesting. Like 'one-point-perspective' drawings. I can see how in a pinch, with adrenaline at the max, there are sensible, instinctive, common-sense features that maximise deployment speed with the best grip. Love the book title too!
Sheesh. I once passed up a chance to get one of those for under $500. Came from a probate sale and sat on the shelf at a local gun shop for a long time because nobody could find the right spare magazines that would fit it.
will pugh wish it was that easy. the sights are available, but from what I can tell usually a special order [read: long wait time] only. what would help is a giant billboard showing that their are more options than plain blade and notch
I remember seeing this gun back in video games (cod black ops 1) and actually fell in love with the design and smooth characteristics and can not wait to get one myself
I once saw one of these at a gun show in Hickory. NC. The friend I was with recognized it instantly and was stunned to find it there. For me, it was the first time I ever heard of it, and I still wish I'd had the cash to pay the shockingly low asking price.
I remember reading about the ASP pistol back in the 70's and wishing I could buy one. Back then I was still in college and it was way outside my budget. As you say, nowadays there are better carry guns available but I would still love to own an example of the old ASP.
Back in the 80's I worked with a Cop who loved oddball guns...he carried an ASP off duty in his pocket & he even bought one of the original Bren Ten's...he was never able to get a magazine for it...or any ammo...(the company went put of business almost immediately) ...but he had the pistol....no telling what his collection was worth...
I have been watching your content for a couple of years now, i can not explain but there is something extremely soothing in your videos, always calms me down, when i feel any disturbance or overexcitement i just go and watch how weapons work. Thank you your channel is definitely unique in a special way.
@ Spleen Arrow, Indeed he did. Beginning in the 1984 novel, Role Of Honor and continuing up to the 1996 novel Coldfall, James Bond was armed with an ASP. Gardner also had 007 load his ASP with Glaser Safety Slugs (an early frangible bullet) for greater stopping power. If I had the money, I would defiantly get an ASP for my James Bond collection. Something that might interest you, from 2002-2007 gun smith Jonathan Deval produced the ASP 2000. It is a tribute pistol based Paris Theodore's original blueprints. Like the ASP, which is a customized Smith & Wesson 39, the ASP 2000 is a customized Smith & Wesson 3913 pistol. The pistol is custom modified for fast instinct shooting. The standard sights are replaced with a 'guttersnipe' which is for fast reflex shooting, the grips have a transparent window to check how many rounds are left and various edges are burnished and a cut out for left or right handed shooting are cut into the trigger guard.
@@user-si9fx4xb6vbrother I just met his son. I'm with Siad Theodore now and he has all the info about him in writing a book about Paris. Im from Ohio and I went to NYC and I met with Paris's son. He created the ASP it was his company Armaments, Systems, and procedures. He also created the quell system. That's why he's called q like the real James Bond he really is and he created all modern spy weaponry and the briefcase and the appendix holster and the ankle holster etc. reach out if you want to know more. I'm with the family now
Watching this videos 7 years after it was uploaded, and it's really interesting that there is a 1970's gun with that kind of sights, today there is a pocket 9mm pistol with a similar sight system. That's the Sig Sauer P 365 SAS.
I remember learning about the ASP in the 1970s when I carried a S&W 39-2. At that time the pistol cost around $135 but the custom work would cost you almost $375 as I recall. That was "obscene" - to think of a nearly $525 compact carry gun. The Devel conversion came along around the same time with a bit less extravagance. In 1990, S&W released a commercialized version based on the 3900-series pistols in production. The first gun was the Model 3913 Ladysmith. There was also a model 3913NL and 3914NL which were the same gun without the "Ladysmith" logo. The 3913 was a stainless gray alloy frame while the 3914 was black anodized alloy. I have a well used 3914NL that has been an excellent carry gun and it's easily as quick & accurate as you'd want a small 9mm to be.
ahahah how can people honestly think a gun made in the 70s could be in any way equal to something modern, what a bunch of dummies **still considers the 1911 to be the best handgun of all times, looks up to the sky every time he mentions Browning**
+Mikhail Blagodarov I think most people think of AK 47 when mentioning AK in general. Probably due to its reputation for reliably firing even when covered in mud.
Funniest shit ever, to run out of ammo after killing one guy and have another mag in by the time you can Click at someone else. And then you have run out
Lucas Hagg that was the era my gramps bought his Colt Commander. I asked him what he paid for it, and he said "less than $200", if I remember correctly. That was a good price even then for either a model 39 or a commander.
(Apologies if I duplicate a previous comment....) Since we're all quarantined, I've been binge watching your previous episodes. S&W liked this idea and ran with it producing the S&W model 3913, single stack 9mm 8 round mag. Still have mine from the '90s and it's the most accurate 9mm I own. The only problem with the S&W autos of this time is that due to the rather high bore axis they are susceptible to return to battery issues due to "Limp Wristing."
I read awhile back that this is the gun used by Sully (played by David Patrick Kelly) in the movie "Commando" when he was escaping from Matrix in the shopping mall scene.
On the off chance you read this, (thousands of comments, emails, dms, tweets, etc) First of all, Thank you for everything. I'd never have a passion for firearms that I do if it wasn't for you. Amazing set up, how you explain history, detailed disassembly. With you every set of the way Secondly, FAVORITE sub compact pistol, beautiful sights. Modern take on it using illuminated fiberglass
9:04 Ive never seen a sight like that on a commercial pistol, prove me wrong. Also great idea having the mag and handle clear lexan. I know its not extremely useful but ya never know when you need that feature
i have a SW 469.....SW got smart and made their own mass produced ASP...."borrowing" most of the ASP technology ...as a former LEO this 469 was my favorite plainclothes (undercover) weapon...still carry it....
I've wanted one of these ever since I read an article about in a gun magazine. Not only are they priced out of my range, their magazine are out of my price range too. I've even hoped that someone would make clear plastic grips for the Makarov so I could have a pseudo ASP :-( The saddest part is that if I ever actually did own one of these I'd absolutely never carry it.
@Toupee Ron and subsequently have it confiscated by the police until all of the details were worked out if you ever had to use it. say bye bye to it for at least a couple years until that happens. would be stupid to carry something so valuable today when there are far cheaper options to have get tied up in red tape.
This weapon is a marvel in its own right. Everything about it is well thought out and quite a bit is extremely well engineered. I was first introduced to it in Call of Duty: Black Ops, with its weird sights and slim, smooth profile I was intrigued. After quite a bit of research, I was shocked that the also-known-as Trench Sights hadn't caught on! They seemed to be rather effective in a few cases cited out in the real world, and the no-catch-ever design is something that continues to impress me, years later. There are a lot of good concealed carry weapons on the market, but honestly? Were I to ever have the luxury of choosing, precisely, what sidearm I wanted to be there in case I needed it, the ASP is absolutely my number one choice.
Check out a used S&W model 3913, single stack 9mm 8 round mag. S&W liked this idea and ran with it. Still have mine from the '90s and it's the most accurate 9mm I own.
I nearly bought a Devel back in the late 70s, but went Detonics instead... Keeoing track of how many rounds fired was one of the motivations behind USAAF air crews using pieces of shot out windows and cockpits to make grips for their issue 45s. German Luftwaffe may have done the same thing because I have seen both an old Luger and an old P38 with plexiglas grip panels.
Very handy in a bomber jacket in the late 70’s early 80’s dark ally somewhere tight !! Many got Bank loans to buy one as back up or if really tight primary !! Many used in dirty places !
Just to note, the two pistols in this vid are both set up for right-handers, there's a relief cut on the trigger guard to allow the trigger finger to rest against the guard. You could also order the pistol with a left-hand/trigger finger relief cut.
My 2nd carry gun was a S&W 39-2. Competed, carried it. Came within ounces of using it. Then it started doubling. Timer caught rapid double taps. As multiple Officers, couple .gov involved it was “suggested” I get it fixed. Must admit the thought of 2 rd burst with 8+1 sounded good back then. It never did 3 (or more)
Such a cool weapon. I remember fondly a photo piece done on an extensive ASP collection by Ichiro Nagata many years ago in one of the gun magazines. The company that made those in Wisconsin is the same company famous for the ASP telescoping baton in use by virtually every cop in the US.
Great video. This is really a cool early subcompact pistol. An I bet that is it made of good quality because it is Smith Wesson made originally. Very cool story behind this Pistol.
"1970's" , " sneaky things in dark places" * scene fades in on the NYC skyline at nighttime* My imagination leads me to believe that back in 1970, this gun was carried concealed into a nightclub in Manhattan by undercover CIA operative Michael T. Dawson posing as a Soviet nationalist. His mission was to infiltrate the underbelly of New York City's suspected Soviet spy ring to gather intel on their secret sleeper agent operations inside the United States. The meeting inside the club quickly went south as the Russian crime lord Nikolai Novikov who Dawson was there to meet did not recognize him or the dialect of Russian that agent Dawson was speaking, as he caimed to hail from the same region of the Motherland as Novikov. He called Dawson out on his phony Russian accent and he knew at that moment that they had made him. His cover was blown. He instinctively grabs the bottle of Vodka sitting on the desk in the meeting room, smashes it over the head of the henchmen sitting adjacent to him, as the other henchmen in the room realize whats happened, they fumble to draw their weapons on Dawson but its too late. Dawson quickly draws his concealed .9mm ASP pistol. Before Novikov can react, he puts two rounds in his head from across the desk. A firefight ensues...* scene fades out* .you decide how the movie ends....
Three years later, but shouldn't he be FBI, operating on domestic soil? CIA charter forbids them from working inside the U.S. but the FBI have counter-espionage as part of their mandate.
These were mentioned in the novel 19 Purchase Street a rather good novel about old line financial families taking financial control of the Mafia,It surprisingly does a fine job of on description and use of guns, as of course, your site does splendidly. The heroes use a matched pair of ASPS ( I'm into matched pistols and revolvers) to good very effect.
I have a 70's (almost sub-)compact in .45cal ACP - a Spanish Star PD. Tiny gun, alloy frame, horrible kick but interesting piece of hardware. Perhaps you could compare one to a standard Colt 1911a1 on a video one day?
@@gosonegr Even Ian in his video on the Star 1920 acknowledges that Star copied the JMB design of the 1911, albeit with the simplified Eibar style lockwork!
A friend of mine had one back in the 70s from Mr. Theodor's shop. It didn't work right and was plagued with feeding issues. My friend got Mr. Theodor on the phone and was told, "That's impossible! I worked those guns over to where they'd feed empty cases." My friend took a moment to try a magazine full of empty cases, and just as advertised, the empties did feed. Too bad he explained to Mr. Theodor that they would not feed live ammo. The gun went back and the feeding issues were resolved.
4:40 I can personally vouch for the smooth finish. I've had times where the friction from the checkering messed my shot up or my draw or whatever I was doing
In the mid 90's, I had and used an eclectic gun collection. Here are a few opinions, based on use. ASP-I owned a Quest For Excellence edition. It was a neat collectible and interesting custom gun. The Teflon finish was a head of its time. The trigger and action were the best of any S&W 39/59 derivative. The guttersnipe system was a brilliant idea, that failed in execution, and the reason I never carried or relied on the weapon. Devel's- The other major 39/59 custom option. I owned a F&R 59, and full house custom 39 and 59 conversions. These were really good guns, and wish I still owned them. The major drawback was the crappy factory sights. Charley Kelsey even stated if Novaks had been around, he would have used those. 10-8's or Ledge sights would have been even better.
I think the Guttersnipe was a good CQB sight, but it was weird enough not to catch on (some things are just ahead of their time). I had a buddy of mine who had an ASP and I remember being really impressed with it. I believe he paid 900 for it in 81 or 82. Too much for me back then. I was carrying a Detonics Combat Master off-duty, which cost half of that, but weighed quite a bit more.
This is by far one of my favorite guns you have ever showed. I can understand the comment that this was the pinnacle of development for compact guns with full size power because so many advancements were made in a short period of time. While, all the modern sub-compact handguns we can purchase now are probably way better in nearly every respect they are merely refinements of the originals like the ASP. Very few major breakthroughs in designs have been made since these first ones the most recent being Sig's P365 10 round magazine in a slim sub-compact pistol. While this may have been the pinnacle for development it was not necessarily the pinnacle of the sub-compact pistol.
I ACTUALLY think that this is cool. The see-through, clear handle so you can how many rounds you have left(ALL self-defense pistols SHOULD have these!) and the smooth grip actually makes me WANT one of these! MOST gun fights are going to be at close to shirt-medium range so those sights ARE PERFECT for self defense in a close quarters situation. WHY this NEVER caught on for close range self-defense pistols IS BEYOND ME. It LOOKS a LOT easier than taking PRECIOUS milliseconds to line up those dots. That gutter sight is SO cool!
Well on the theory of it being smooth to make it easier to get a hold of I have heard of it before with Jerry Miculek and his completion grips so it must have merit. Great vid!!!
Took a couple years, but we finally got one, and we scored pretty good. The pistol, in excellent condition... The grips, the rare grips, and the ultra-rare grips... Spare sight... 5 magazines... Ken Null holster and two of the magnetic retention mag pouches... All the original documentation and box, including advertising from the time.
I love the ASP. I am working on a build for a Bulgarian Makarov as an ASP. not DAO, but fast aquisition sights (not the snipe channel, xs), poly grips, bobbed hammer, and the stock open side mags
Really neat designer, who anticipated modern "Carry melt" stuff by decades. I think Colt went to the Guttersnipe sight system as an inspiration with their "New Agent" pistol.
Lovely little gun. I had the big brother, a Mod 59 Smith for some time, hated the trigger on it! Also found a Star PD that I carried off duty for a few years before letting her go at a gun show. Now I carry a Citadel M1911A1 in the officers model cut which is about the size of the Star PD, but weighs in at over the weight of a full size M1911A1 for some reason, I guess it is the cast frame or something. I like little full caliber guns for off duty, and the Citadel is about the same size as a large 380.
Doubt Ian will ever see this, but I designed a 3d printed copy of the guttersnipe sight, compatible with glock subcompact pistols such as G26. This vid helped out a lot
My understanding is that part of the justification for the "guttersnipe" is that it avoided the need for a front sight blade, eliminating yet another potential place the gun might snag on when being drawn quickly.
I think you're right actually, in 3 separate occasions when I was drawing my piece, it snagged on the cottons I was wearing. I still managed to get my shots in first though but was a close call on all 3 occasions.
Only fat people habe that problem
@@infamoushokage7697
Seems like the gun was made for more sneaky, spy-like uses. Like say, you're an undercover cop and you're keeping your gun in a purse. Maybe the front sight will get caught on an inside pouch or the lip of the purse. 1970 police and CIA seemed to be wearing suits and those detective trench jackets and slacks. Ties and such were still in. It would probably be snagged on say, suits, jackets, bags, possibly ties, the back of the pants where one might tuck the gun into, etc.
I also feel that fat people wouldn't have as much of a problem. From what I've noticed, a lot more fat people wear clothing thats too small for them (possibly from denial), and tighter clothing would result in less snagging.
Thats just my opinion though.
@@ksm1985 Yeah, those paper targets at the gun range sure can draw quick, gotta watch it or they'll pop you before you can even get your Dirty Harry "Do you feel lucky, Punk" out from behind your teeth.
That is correct, these guns were meant for deep concealment, often a pocket. Today many pocket guns have very small rounded sights for the same reason. Also the Sig P365 SAS is a modern take on the ASP. That is why it has no traditional Front sight and the takedown lever/slide stop changed to be snag free
When the ASP was new I wanted but could not afford it. Fast forward forty years- still want it still cannot afford it. Still great for Ian to give a demo and history on a ground breaking pistol.
Make a GoFondMe page and hope some folks help you own one.
Good luck and godspeed you getting one.
Interesting video.
@Wet Johnny e-begging is the way of the future
@Wet Johnny I was about to jump the gun and say "implying that e-begging is bad", before I realized that you didn't actually imply that.
The message I finally decided on putting in this awfully long-winded comment is as follows: "And...?"
@Wet Johnny if you can't even afford essentials the best thing to do is commit and stop living off other people
Now you can buy a SIG SAS and it will have night sights. You probably already bought it since this video is old.
One of the reasons I love seeing Ian at Shot Show is his smirk when someone says "first time it's been done" or "this radical new idea we're implementing." Because you know he has seen it before on some random firearm from 40-100 years ago. That guttersnipe sight reminded me of the new sig xray sights.
James Bond in the 'newer' novels (not written by Ian Fleming) used the ASP for almost as long as the PPK.
The PPK is a peashooter, anyway.
That is not true in the slightest. .32 ACP (European ammo, not the stupid downloaded American target ammo) is an extremely viable round, .380 ACP even more so. All bullets can kill you.
Red McCloud aren’t those rounds made specifically for self defence
John Gardner's James Bond novels where I first heard of this pistol. Of all the forgotten weapons in the world, the ASP is my all time favorite. Like the Bren Ten from the television series Miami Vice, the ASP saw very few media appearances in movies and television. Apart from Commando (1985) and I also understand that one was going to be used in Cobra (1986), but the scenes were it appeared were deleted.
As a proud second generation James Bond fan, I really enjoyed reading Carte Blanche. It was a nice touch by author Jeffery Dever, to arm 007 with the Walther PPS in .40 S&W. If you have not read the John Gardner books (published from 1981-1996), I highly recommend them. Bond begins using the ASP 9 in the fourth book, Role Of Honor (published in 1984) and uses all the way thought to the last book in the series Cold Fall.
That sight makes me think I should be shooting into a thermal exhaust port because it looks kinda like the sight used in that star wars scene.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that lol
+Cameron Jenkins
"Stay on target."
+Sam Buffington
"Stay on target!!"
+Cameron Jenkins you switched off your targeting computer, whats wrong?!
Use the aimbot, Luke.
Ian, I really enjoy Forgotten Weapons. You get me interested in firearms that I previously thought I could care less about. While it's not good for my pocket book, I do love the information and history of these guns. Please keep it up. You do a real service for all gun enthusiasts.
Thanks!
Tell me about it every time i see a cool rifle or something i go out and try and find it lol i had 2 guns before i subscribed now i have 8 :p thanks Ian, sorry bank account
Daniel Bruce
will pugh
couldn't care less about you mean. Lol
Those sights are very interesting. Like 'one-point-perspective' drawings. I can see how in a pinch, with adrenaline at the max, there are sensible, instinctive, common-sense features that maximise deployment speed with the best grip. Love the book title too!
Would probably be great for a scenario where you had to arm someone with little experience as well.
first time I heard of this gun was in Call of Duty, it's cool to see such a rare gun in person.
yeah me too. I thought it was a really cool gun in that game. Wasn't sure if it was a real gun or not because I hadn't heard about it.
+Filipe Amaral I just rekt everyone with the makarov honestly.
+UserUnknown
And the CZ75 blew it and every other gun out of the water.
You sure? Dual python was pretty legit.
Clone Trooper Two words. Full. Auto.
Sheesh. I once passed up a chance to get one of those for under $500. Came from a probate sale and sat on the shelf at a local gun shop for a long time because nobody could find the right spare magazines that would fit it.
8digitPDX I wonder if the regular S&W 39 magazines would work with it?
I was just thinking the same thing
.. and it sold at auction for $6000 ...
Aye but even from the other side of Atlantic I can see you are buying HISTORY.
+Vincent Lok Yeah, but it was a presentation set. That's a big deal in this kind of thing.
ASP: A Sneaky Pistol, A Stealthy Pistol, A Small Pistol, A Smelly Peacock, etc. Take your pick.
A Smelly Peacock
A smoll pp
@@tronalddrump1193 A Small Penis
Active Self Protection
A Suboptimal Pie
im surprised the gutter sights arent more popular, id love this on my sks or a shot gun
will pugh I was hoping to get a set on whatever carry gun I chose, but sadly they aren't as popular they probably should be. no front sight to snag.
River Styx Armory lets get some investors and start this bad boy up!
will pugh wish it was that easy. the sights are available, but from what I can tell usually a special order [read: long wait time] only. what would help is a giant billboard showing that their are more options than plain blade and notch
River Styx Armory why would anyone want something besides plain edge. Serrations are for lazy people that have no clue about sharpening a knife.
Frank Stadelmann are you being serious? it's a discussion about handgun sights, not knives.
Shout-out to all the people who know this pistol from Call Of Duty Black Ops 1.
Lol that game was fun
+The Ghost of the Flying Dutchman RIGHT!?
I don't remember it in Snake Eater.
Brap Brap or those who know it from its parent, the smith and Wesson model 39.
um, you dummy
Operation 40, bay of pigs. Remember, Mason.
7-15-1-2-19-7-25-6-13-6-7-15-14-0
@@labmanatlarge "the Rusalka. where Castro gifted me to Dragovich"
Dragunov, craftchencho, Steiner all must die
The numbersss
I remember seeing this gun back in video games (cod black ops 1) and actually fell in love with the design and smooth characteristics and can not wait to get one myself
Good luck getting one.
I once saw one of these at a gun show in Hickory. NC. The friend I was with recognized it instantly and was stunned to find it there. For me, it was the first time I ever heard of it, and I still wish I'd had the cash to pay the shockingly low asking price.
I remember reading about the ASP pistol back in the 70's and wishing I could buy one. Back then I was still in college and it was way outside my budget. As you say, nowadays there are better carry guns available but I would still love to own an example of the old ASP.
Back in the 80's I worked with a Cop who loved oddball guns...he carried an ASP off duty in his pocket & he even bought one of the original Bren Ten's...he was never able to get a magazine for it...or any ammo...(the company went put of business almost immediately) ...but he had the pistol....no telling what his collection was worth...
DEA, CIA ...RIA...
John Ratko The plot thickens...
Tep, why
RIC, RUC, CPD, B.I.G., NYC, J-M-Z...
DMV... YMCA... BLT with cheese
DMX... Jay-Z... LL Cool J... Mickey D...
I have been watching your content for a couple of years now, i can not explain but there is something extremely soothing in your videos, always calms me down, when i feel any disturbance or overexcitement i just go and watch how weapons work. Thank you your channel is definitely unique in a special way.
James Bond himself actually used one in the John Gardner continuation of Fleming's novels.
@ Spleen Arrow, Indeed he did. Beginning in the 1984 novel, Role Of Honor and continuing up to the 1996 novel Coldfall, James Bond was armed with an ASP. Gardner also had 007 load his ASP with Glaser Safety Slugs (an early frangible bullet) for greater stopping power. If I had the money, I would defiantly get an ASP for my James Bond collection.
Something that might interest you, from 2002-2007 gun smith Jonathan Deval produced the ASP 2000. It is a tribute pistol based Paris Theodore's original blueprints. Like the ASP, which is a customized Smith & Wesson 39, the ASP 2000 is a customized Smith & Wesson 3913 pistol. The pistol is custom modified for fast instinct shooting. The standard sights are replaced with a 'guttersnipe' which is for fast reflex shooting, the grips have a transparent window to check how many rounds are left and various edges are burnished and a cut out for left or right handed shooting are cut into the trigger guard.
@@user-si9fx4xb6vbrother I just met his son. I'm with Siad Theodore now and he has all the info about him in writing a book about Paris. Im from Ohio and I went to NYC and I met with Paris's son. He created the ASP it was his company Armaments, Systems, and procedures. He also created the quell system. That's why he's called q like the real James Bond he really is and he created all modern spy weaponry and the briefcase and the appendix holster and the ankle holster etc. reach out if you want to know more. I'm with the family now
Watching this videos 7 years after it was uploaded, and it's really interesting that there is a 1970's gun with that kind of sights, today there is a pocket 9mm pistol with a similar sight system. That's the Sig Sauer P 365 SAS.
I remember learning about the ASP in the 1970s when I carried a S&W 39-2. At that time the pistol cost around $135 but the custom work would cost you almost $375 as I recall. That was "obscene" - to think of a nearly $525 compact carry gun. The Devel conversion came along around the same time with a bit less extravagance.
In 1990, S&W released a commercialized version based on the 3900-series pistols in production. The first gun was the Model 3913 Ladysmith.
There was also a model 3913NL and 3914NL which were the same gun without the "Ladysmith" logo. The 3913 was a stainless gray alloy frame while the 3914 was black anodized alloy.
I have a well used 3914NL that has been an excellent carry gun and it's easily as quick & accurate as you'd want a small 9mm to be.
ahahah how can people honestly think a gun made in the 70s could be in any way equal to something modern, what a bunch of dummies
**still considers the 1911 to be the best handgun of all times, looks up to the sky every time he mentions Browning**
tehgreatvak lol, so true
+tehgreatvak Cz 75 was designed in the 70s, that pistol is not only held in high regard, but is also still very good.
I know, I was poking fun at my own cognitive dissonance.
+WVgregWV depends on the model. The AKM is a fantastic weapon but is by far not the best.
+Mikhail Blagodarov I think most people think of AK 47 when mentioning AK in general. Probably due to its reputation for reliably firing even when covered in mud.
Blops 1 quickest reload ever
Mackenzie Ross +plus sleight of hand, and either spamming with middle finger or mouse spam
In all honesty if you knew how to use it, quite over powered lol
Funniest shit ever, to run out of ammo after killing one guy and have another mag in by the time you can Click at someone else. And then you have run out
Fastest shooting with an auto clicker or modded controller
In real life, reloading is difficult, but the fire rate is slightly fast
The algorithm fed me this gem from the past, was really happy to view it!
I have a copy of the Shooters Bible from 1973. The cost of a blued Model 39 is $173.50. So in total, the customer would be spending around $473.50.
Lucas Hagg that was the era my gramps bought his Colt Commander. I asked him what he paid for it, and he said "less than $200", if I remember correctly. That was a good price even then for either a model 39 or a commander.
He mentions the collector kit was actually $875 in contemporary money.
I’m sorry $1875 in the 1980s...wow. Like Les Baer for compact 9mm.
(Apologies if I duplicate a previous comment....) Since we're all quarantined, I've been binge watching your previous episodes. S&W liked this idea and ran with it producing the S&W model 3913, single stack 9mm 8 round mag. Still have mine from the '90s and it's the most accurate 9mm I own. The only problem with the S&W autos of this time is that due to the rather high bore axis they are susceptible to return to battery issues due to "Limp Wristing."
I read awhile back that this is the gun used by Sully (played by David Patrick Kelly) in the movie "Commando" when he was escaping from Matrix in the shopping mall scene.
im not even a gun enthusiast, but i really enjoy these videos. keep it up man
i really wish these were still made it seems like the best ccw ever made.
On the off chance you read this, (thousands of comments, emails, dms, tweets, etc)
First of all, Thank you for everything. I'd never have a passion for firearms that I do if it wasn't for you. Amazing set up, how you explain history, detailed disassembly. With you every set of the way
Secondly, FAVORITE sub compact pistol, beautiful sights. Modern take on it using illuminated fiberglass
The title is clever
ASP stands for An early sub-compact 9mm pistol for, Sneaky, People
JugularSpeed 77 wow they even included the word "early" even tho at the time it was perfectly modern? What a company with vision!
This is 100% false.
@@wollsmoth69 shocker
@@woah5546 Indeed
Tunasub bruh I was tryna be clever when I was 14. Go away
9:04 Ive never seen a sight like that on a commercial pistol, prove me wrong. Also great idea having the mag and handle clear lexan. I know its not extremely useful but ya never know when you need that feature
I love guttersnipe or trench sights, especially on the Colt New Agent.
There were also magnetic holsters and magnetic magazine hangers for my belt, with rare earth magnets. STILL HAVE GREAT RETENTION!
so getting your normal pistol turned into an ASP was like pack-a-punching it, you had to give them a gun and money and they upgrade it
Communism and peace XD
uh yeah thats how it works almost everywhere. you buy a gun, send it to someone and pay them money to trick it out.
LMFAO
great vid. I saw a video recently with Jerry Mitchulek where he said he likes smooth grips for same reason. The asp was ahead of its time
shout out to all my black ops 1 players who assassinated fidel castros body double.
i have a SW 469.....SW got smart and made their own mass produced ASP...."borrowing" most of the ASP technology ...as a former LEO this 469 was my favorite plainclothes (undercover) weapon...still carry it....
I've wanted one of these ever since I read an article about in a gun magazine. Not only are they priced out of my range, their magazine are out of my price range too. I've even hoped that someone would make clear plastic grips for the Makarov so I could have a pseudo ASP :-(
The saddest part is that if I ever actually did own one of these I'd absolutely never carry it.
@Toupee Ron and subsequently have it confiscated by the police until all of the details were worked out if you ever had to use it. say bye bye to it for at least a couple years until that happens. would be stupid to carry something so valuable today when there are far cheaper options to have get tied up in red tape.
I had the pleasure of meeting Paris Theodore in the mid 90's. The ASP was the inspiration for the S&W 3913!
This weapon is a marvel in its own right. Everything about it is well thought out and quite a bit is extremely well engineered. I was first introduced to it in Call of Duty: Black Ops, with its weird sights and slim, smooth profile I was intrigued. After quite a bit of research, I was shocked that the also-known-as Trench Sights hadn't caught on! They seemed to be rather effective in a few cases cited out in the real world, and the no-catch-ever design is something that continues to impress me, years later.
There are a lot of good concealed carry weapons on the market, but honestly?
Were I to ever have the luxury of choosing, precisely, what sidearm I wanted to be there in case I needed it, the ASP is absolutely my number one choice.
GREAT video. This is a really neat historical item, for sure. Thanks for the effort you put into this production.
This has to be my favorite sub compact 9mm, I wish someone made reproductions.
got a link?
Check out a used S&W model 3913, single stack 9mm 8 round mag. S&W liked this idea and ran with it. Still have mine from the '90s and it's the most accurate 9mm I own.
That's a beautiful collector's piece.
I nearly bought a Devel back in the late 70s, but went Detonics instead... Keeoing track of how many rounds fired was one of the motivations behind USAAF air crews using pieces of shot out windows and cockpits to make grips for their issue 45s. German Luftwaffe may have done the same thing because I have seen both an old Luger and an old P38 with plexiglas grip panels.
Very handy in a bomber jacket in the late 70’s early 80’s dark ally somewhere tight !!
Many got Bank loans to buy one as back up or if really tight primary !! Many used in dirty places !
Finally. A gun you can take to the library.
NAA guardian
Neat video. I carried a Detonics .45 at one time. Finest centerfire pistol I ever used.
"Hold on, sir! I must retrieve my comically huge book. But it is in no way hiding a weapon."
Funny thing about that is it was mostly empty space inside
That's one cool weapon. I wish all guns had a clear window like those. Thanks.
Best channel for the coolest firearms along with TFB...
Oh man, I am so jealous. Ian, you must have the coolest job in the world being able to show these off.
Now that's an interesting piece of design and history O_o Thanks, Ian.
This pistol truly inspires. I remember I wrote an article about it just because I was so excited about the ASP.
I'm with the son of the father, Paris Theodore who created the company ASP armaments systems and procedures now
It kinda looks like a walther p88 compact.
Other 70's notable 9mm compact firearm is the HK P7. I would like to see a review on this one.
Just to note, the two pistols in this vid are both set up for right-handers, there's a relief cut on the trigger guard to allow the trigger finger to rest against the guard. You could also order the pistol with a left-hand/trigger finger relief cut.
Did this give birth to the 3913 series then the later CS guns by S&W? I remember these from wasted youth reading gun magazines.
+KNiteshft Yes, S&W tried to cater to that market, especially after Theodore's business went bankrupt.
My 2nd carry gun was a S&W 39-2. Competed, carried it. Came within ounces of using it. Then it started doubling. Timer caught rapid double taps. As multiple Officers, couple .gov involved it was “suggested” I get it fixed. Must admit the thought of 2 rd burst with 8+1 sounded good back then. It never did 3 (or more)
Wow 7 extra magazines with that gun, that particular guy was literally prepared for the worst case scenario.
Such a cool weapon. I remember fondly a photo piece done on an extensive ASP collection by Ichiro Nagata many years ago in one of the gun magazines. The company that made those in Wisconsin is the same company famous for the ASP telescoping baton in use by virtually every cop in the US.
Those sights somehow remind me of the trapezoid sights on Steyr pistols. Dont know if the idea is in any way similar though.
Great video. This is really a cool early subcompact pistol. An I bet that is it made of good quality because it is Smith Wesson made originally. Very cool story behind this Pistol.
I wish S&W would make DA/SA autos out of metal again.
Not everyone wants a Faux Glock.
ASP+duel weld+steady aim= the same power as every other pistol in black ops one haha
RJ McKinney asp+ slight of hand pro + good trigger finger = best pistol in the game
Steampunx facts
So true. Dual wield on those was an absolute waste.
ua-cam.com/video/ritkrrfUK3M/v-deo.html
It shot so fast in BO1.
I remember reading about these in the gun magazines back in the early 1970s.
"1970's" , " sneaky things in dark places"
* scene fades in on the NYC skyline at nighttime*
My imagination leads me to believe that back in 1970, this gun was carried concealed into a nightclub in Manhattan by undercover CIA operative Michael T. Dawson posing as a Soviet nationalist. His mission was to infiltrate the underbelly of New York City's suspected Soviet spy ring to gather intel on their secret sleeper agent operations inside the United States.
The meeting inside the club quickly went south as the Russian crime lord Nikolai Novikov who Dawson was there to meet did not recognize him or the dialect of Russian that agent Dawson was speaking, as he caimed to hail from the same region of the Motherland as Novikov. He called Dawson out on his phony Russian accent and he knew at that moment that they had made him. His cover was blown.
He instinctively grabs the bottle of Vodka sitting on the desk in the meeting room, smashes it over the head of the henchmen sitting adjacent to him, as the other henchmen in the room realize whats happened, they fumble to draw their weapons on Dawson but its too late. Dawson quickly draws his concealed .9mm ASP pistol. Before Novikov can react, he puts two rounds in his head from across the desk. A firefight ensues...* scene fades out* .you decide how the movie ends....
This comment deserves more likes. Excellent scriptwriting.
Soviet Nationalist? Communism is the opposite of nationalism, lol.
@@StoopidAnimul Yeah, a little research gap right there. "Дружба народов" was like, the hottest thing going in SSR.
Three years later, but shouldn't he be FBI, operating on domestic soil? CIA charter forbids them from working inside the U.S. but the FBI have counter-espionage as part of their mandate.
Finally, another video of this gun. If I had the money I'd buy one in an instant.
The ASP was way ahead of its time.
I'd really like to try something with that sighting system. Do any modern weapons have something similar?
SIG has the P365 SAS, which has their new "X-Ray" sight which is similar.
It would be cool if someone applied the ASP concept to a Glock 26.
I love stuff like this-you can tell how much thought went into all the features.
Honestly that's not too obscene a cost for a boutique custom handgun. COUGHwilsoncombatCOUGH
These were mentioned in the novel 19 Purchase Street a rather good novel about old line financial families taking financial control of the Mafia,It surprisingly does a fine job of on description and use of guns, as of course, your site does splendidly. The heroes use a matched pair of ASPS ( I'm into matched pistols and revolvers) to good very effect.
I have a 70's (almost sub-)compact in .45cal ACP - a Spanish Star PD. Tiny gun, alloy frame, horrible kick but interesting piece of hardware. Perhaps you could compare one to a standard Colt 1911a1 on a video one day?
Literally has nothing to do with a 1911, besides kinda looks like one
@@gosonegr Even Ian in his video on the Star 1920 acknowledges that Star copied the JMB design of the 1911, albeit with the simplified Eibar style lockwork!
A friend of mine had one back in the 70s from Mr. Theodor's shop. It didn't work right and was plagued with feeding issues. My friend got Mr. Theodor on the phone and was told, "That's impossible! I worked those guns over to where they'd feed empty cases." My friend took a moment to try a magazine full of empty cases, and just as advertised, the empties did feed. Too bad he explained to Mr. Theodor that they would not feed live ammo. The gun went back and the feeding issues were resolved.
It’s right there in the name:
Aneasilyconcealed9mmfor
Sneaky
People
4:40 I can personally vouch for the smooth finish. I've had times where the friction from the checkering messed my shot up or my draw or whatever I was doing
this gun is satisfying
In the mid 90's, I had and used an eclectic gun collection. Here are a few opinions, based on use.
ASP-I owned a Quest For Excellence edition. It was a neat collectible and interesting custom gun. The Teflon finish was a head of its time. The trigger and action were the best of any S&W 39/59 derivative. The guttersnipe system was a brilliant idea, that failed in execution, and the reason I never carried or relied on the weapon.
Devel's- The other major 39/59 custom option. I owned a F&R 59, and full house custom 39 and 59 conversions. These were really good guns, and wish I still owned them. The major drawback was the crappy factory sights. Charley Kelsey even stated if Novaks had been around, he would have used those. 10-8's or Ledge sights would have been even better.
Because on paper ideas typically are that. On paper ideas.
There has been allot of great ideas on paper, that sadly fail when brought into reality.
I think the Guttersnipe was a good CQB sight, but it was weird enough not to catch on (some things are just ahead of their time). I had a buddy of mine who had an ASP and I remember being really impressed with it. I believe he paid 900 for it in 81 or 82. Too much for me back then. I was carrying a Detonics Combat Master off-duty, which cost half of that, but weighed quite a bit more.
This gun reminds me of Call of duty: Black ops 1
It is
first pistol you unlock
Derpy Aura Same gun, albeit a decade too soon. Still a cool piece for sneaky people.
This is by far one of my favorite guns you have ever showed. I can understand the comment that this was the pinnacle of development for compact guns with full size power because so many advancements were made in a short period of time. While, all the modern sub-compact handguns we can purchase now are probably way better in nearly every respect they are merely refinements of the originals like the ASP. Very few major breakthroughs in designs have been made since these first ones the most recent being Sig's P365 10 round magazine in a slim sub-compact pistol. While this may have been the pinnacle for development it was not necessarily the pinnacle of the sub-compact pistol.
I thought it would be pronounced A-S-P
I knew sooner or later you'd uncover one of these!! Glad to finally see it.
007 uses an ASP in at least one of the John Gardner written James Bond novels.
Role of Honor 👍🏻
@@Ryan-lz8zm Everything from Role of Honour until his last: Cold. Mike Grell's late-'80s 007 graphic novels also used the ASP.
I ACTUALLY think that this is cool. The see-through, clear handle so you can how many rounds you have left(ALL self-defense pistols SHOULD have these!) and the smooth grip actually makes me WANT one of these! MOST gun fights are going to be at close to shirt-medium range so those sights ARE PERFECT for self defense in a close quarters situation. WHY this NEVER caught on for close range self-defense pistols IS BEYOND ME. It LOOKS a LOT easier than taking PRECIOUS milliseconds to line up those dots. That gutter sight is SO cool!
Sterling Archer *always* remembers how many rounds were fired in a firefight
Pretty sure he's used an ASP as well, just can't recall which series/episode.
The sights: "Use the force, Luke. Use the force." - Ingenious gun. Really. Love it.
What does ASP stand for?
+Rusty Shackleford A Sneaky Pistol.
+Forgotten Weapons I know but is it an acronym?
+Rusty Shackleford He said in the video!
+Steven Boelke He might have ,but I did not watch it to the end.
7:00
Well on the theory of it being smooth to make it easier to get a hold of I have heard of it before with Jerry Miculek and his completion grips so it must have merit. Great vid!!!
Anyone else getting kids toys for related videos?
This Guy I got a couple of those and some videos on learning the alphabet and shapes. What's up with that?
***** Kids gotta stay strapped 'nah mean?
I think it has something to do with the education category.
no, I did get an attack helicopter one though...oh bby
Yep thinking it something with the wording of the title but can't figure out what.
I have often wondered about the ASP. Thanks for doing a video on it.
Profession: Sneaky Person
Took a couple years, but we finally got one, and we scored pretty good. The pistol, in excellent condition... The grips, the rare grips, and the ultra-rare grips... Spare sight... 5 magazines... Ken Null holster and two of the magnetic retention mag pouches... All the original documentation and box, including advertising from the time.
6 grand for this handgun is a flaming joke .
I can understand you don’t have control over the advertisement. I do like your show. I Drool every time you present a broom hand Mauser.
Black Ops anyone?
I love the ASP. I am working on a build for a Bulgarian Makarov as an ASP. not DAO, but fast aquisition sights (not the snipe channel, xs), poly grips, bobbed hammer, and the stock open side mags
Really neat designer, who anticipated modern "Carry melt" stuff by decades. I think Colt went to the Guttersnipe sight system as an inspiration with their "New Agent" pistol.
Lovely little gun. I had the big brother, a Mod 59 Smith for some time, hated the trigger on it! Also found a Star PD that I carried off duty for a few years before letting her go at a gun show. Now I carry a Citadel M1911A1 in the officers model cut which is about the size of the Star PD, but weighs in at over the weight of a full size M1911A1 for some reason, I guess it is the cast frame or something. I like little full caliber guns for off duty, and the Citadel is about the same size as a large 380.
i love the look of the sights on that gun.
Doubt Ian will ever see this, but I designed a 3d printed copy of the guttersnipe sight, compatible with glock subcompact pistols such as G26. This vid helped out a lot
I've never seen sights like this before. They look pretty cool and they do seem to be effective for a quick reaction.