Odd info found while researching

[Dr.Rob]

So I was trying to find info on the Colt Asp 9mm auto when I came across this:

http://www.hmss.com/qbranch/qb0101.htm

I read about this pistol in a Gardner book, but discounted it as "Bond would never carry a Smith and Wesson".

So what would YOU arm James Bond with?

One of the neat ideas back in the days of gaming was to make a Q-Branch multi-barreled pistol, basically an HK-4 that could fire 380 or 9mm makarov by changing the barrel and/or magazine. Other conversions to smaller calibers could be had as well, depending on the mission at hand. The angent could train with the same manual of arms regardless of caliber.

For some reason I like the idea of Bond carrying the P-7.

Carrying a 1911 pretty much pegs you as an American, but I see Felix Lieter packing a stainless Colt Commander.

What would you choose?

[Sleuth]

The same gun I carry (and I make no claims to being "Bond-like")!

LaFrance NOVA 9mm. Smaller than a PPK/s, full 9mm, can be fitted with a supressor. Now out of print.

P.S. I don't know of a Colt ASP - there was a cut down 9mm S&W M39 called the ASP. It is bigger than the NOVA, but it was DA, the NOVA is SA.

[gbelleh]

Sleuth,

What is this LaFrance NOVA 9mm?

[Dr.Rob]

Well as I recall in the early 70's Colt was prototyping the ASP (at the time Colt revolvers were named after dangerous snakes) which later became the SSP, which was submitted to the XM9 trials. However, the Colt never made it to market, while the short stroke DA action did, in the form of the Double Eagle.

The link above is to the SW modified ASP, created for US Gov't service.

As far as I can tell the Nova is a heavily reworked Star Model B.

[Majic]

The ASP was indeed a modified Smith & Wesson M39. It was never commercially produced.
Hollywood claimed to have made the PPK a highly reconized pistol, but in fact it had been the pistol carried by many European police and civilian shooters since it hit the market in 1931. James Bond was late jumping on the bandwagon as he started out with a .25 caliber Berretta.
The ASP came into the picture as it was specifically built for covert operations.
You would think that Bond would carry some type of English designed pistol, because he drove Austin Martins and there were much better cars in Europe to choose from.

[Majic]

The Colt ASP was a revolver wasn't it?

[Sisco]

Since Bond is English, it would be proper to outfit him with only a whistle & a nightstick. Can't have him harming the criminals can we now?

[Majic]

And don't forget the damn Umbrella Sisco. :D :D :D

[tiberius]

Except James Bond DID Carry a S&W. In the book "Dr. No" when M took away his berreta .25, Bond not only got the .32 Walther, like he did in the movie, but he was also issued a .38SPL S&W "Centennial Airweight" for when .32 wasn't enough gun.

[themic]

absolutely fascinating, that ASP. especially the sight system.

i want one.

[Dorrin79]

seriously, is it possible to get an ASP?

that is the coolest gun I've seen in a long time

[prisoner6]

It is possible to get an ASP, though not particularly cheap. I have one, and it would be the last gun I would give up, even though it may be the least practical of the ones I own.

[gbelleh]

prisoner6,

Do you have pictures of your ASP you could post? It would be interesting to see it alongside some other more familiar guns for comparison...

[Sleuth]

gbella, the NOVA is a STAR BKM, with a short butt and barrel. LaFrance is retired now, but I have one of the first guns he made, which started with an extended, threaded barrel (gee, I wonder what that was for???). He bought so many STAR's that STAR bought 2 NOVA's, and later came out with the Firestar as competition (I have one of those also). But the Firestar had to use a steel frame to be imported, while the NOVA is alloy, and thus much lighter.

I understand a certain U.S. Agency bought some NOVA's with the longer, threaded barrels, so, perhaps an American "Bond" carried (or carries) a NOVA today......Hmmmmm. I carried mine for years as a Federal Investigator, it was very comforting. Unfortunitly, we became "retroactivly incompetent" and had to go to DA/SA pistols. I carry it a lot now that I have retired.

The sight on the ASP was the "Guttersnipe", developed by Paris Theodor. I have a 1911 slide with the sight on it - it was a waste! It worked fine on indoor ranges with even, overhead light. Take it outdoors, and there is a strong tendancy to want to tilt the gun toward the sun to get the even outline the stight requires. And groups tend toward the sun. Anyone want to buy this slide? I took it off the frame years ago

[gbelleh]

Thanks Sleuth,
Interesting. Sounds like a very nice little gun. I love learning about guns I've never heard of!

[Dorrin79]

Prisoner -

if you don't mind me asking, how much would an ASP set me back, if I could find one?

Thanks,
J

[Lord Grey Boots]

I saw an ASP in a Canadian gun store about 10 years ago. Transparent grips, gutter site, obviously based off a single stack S&W semi-auto 9mm. They were made, but not many I assume.

Its obvious Gardner doesnt know anything about guns.

[Majic]

website says the Smith ASP was only made for US govenment usage as a covert pistol. Maybe the few that has got on the market are ones sold by the LEO's who possibly purchased the ones they carried .

[prisoner6]

I have pics of my ASP, but nowhere to host currently, so I can't place them here. Prices on ASPs that I have seen are all over the board. There were a few made to go in a collector packet with one of the Gardner Bond books called "Quest for Excellence" or something like that. Those generally are priced at $4,000 to $5,000. Notice I said priced, not sold. The ASPs that saw use will be in varying levels of condition, and since they are fairly rare and have a solid fan base they are priced all over the place. I've seen beaten up ones with lots of finish wear priced from $1,500 up. I've heard of stored selling them for as low as $400-500 because they didn't know what they were. Mine came with much of the documentation of the original owner. Another company, Devel, made similar conversions as well, though without the guttersnipe sight. The sighting system isn't for everyone, that's for sure. It's supposed to be instinctive, so handgun shooters who practice often with traditional sights often have difficulty with letting go of traditional training. It's not really a target gun anyway.

The ASPs are S&W 39 or 439 that has been shortened in both slide and frame dimensions, sights removed and replaced with the guttersnipe, clear grips to allow sight of remaining rounds, recontoured and rounded and lightened slide, magazine shortened and end cap replaced, Teflon coating on all gun surfaces, reliability and trigger work.

Along with the guns themselves, magazines are a custom item and are hard to come by, as well as other assorted accessories from ASP.

A nice package for sure, and a truly custom gun, but largely obsolete today with the advances in gun design of the last 30 years. Although I like to imagine there's still one or two seeing some active service.

[Spackler]

There's a nice picture of an ASP in one of Josh Bulman's fine holsters at his homepage:
www.bulmangunleather.com

There was a dicussion on another forum about what the current day equivalent to the ASP is. Most though it was the Kahr K9.

[4v50 Gary]

The ASP was written up in SoF many years ago when it was first being made. You didn't need to be the gubmint to get one. Just pony up the $. I think S&W looked at it (and if I'm not mistaken hired the gunsmith as a consultant) and incorporated some of its concepts into their 3rd Generation.

[prisoner6]

That was true, anyone could order the conversion. Unfortunately they stopped doing these several moons ago. Price was high for the time, would seem like nothing now.

Paris Theodore took the idea to Smith, but they told him they weren't interested in small, lightweight concealable autos, and neither was the public. Then they made the 3913 which incorporated many of the design ideas.

[Archie]

John Gardner (who took over the Bond series) didn't know much about guns.

A friend of mine who lives in Portland, Oregon, turned Gardner onto the ASP as 007's "issue" weapon. Gardner didn't know much about guns. He said several people had told him that whatever gun Bond had (at one time a VP70Z, saints preserve us) was wrong, but no one gave him much postive information.
My friend sent Gardner some information on the ASP and 007 carried an ASP for a while.
The ASP was a perfect gun for James Bond. Sleek, customized, small, chambered for 9x19 and "sexy".

Beats the heck out of that Colt Police Positive with the "sawn barrel" 007 slept with.