Just got it - S&W 39 pictures say it all!!! MADE IN 1960
But what is it?
Fred
But what is it?
Fred
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f you look at the pictures of the ASP 2000. You will notice that the front sight blade is missing. Look at the rear sight. Looks very strange? It is a Guttersnipe sight (an Advanced Sighting Plane sight). The tapering bottom and two sides of the gutter appear fore-shortened to the shooter as three triangles. When the gun is aimed straight at a target the three triangles all appear the symmetrical. The eye and the brain achieve this instinctively. Armed Forces all over the world rely on a similar principle with the rear peep sight and tall front sight post on the M-16. The eye and brain line things up without conscious effort, allowing you to sight with both eyes open. No need to match up a front sight post within a V notch rear sight while also adjusting for height. And the lack of front sight let's you view what you are trying to hit, which is excellent if the target is a moving one. The 'Quell'system that Paris Theodore developed focused on the dominant use of the left eye, which gave a more accurate and faster acquisition on target. This has been proven as being effective by many psychologists since.
The original ASP was hand made to very high standards in extremely small numbers exclusively for men who live the dangerous side, and it went by the slogan "Unseen in the best places"! It was discontinued from manufacture in the late 1980's, due in the main to the influx of cut-down S&W 39's flooding the market, and eventually Smith and Wessons own version of the ASP, the venerable and much under-rated 3913.
It was upon this design, after numerous makes and models were tested then neglected, that we finally decided would be the perfect 'base' gun to modify for the ASP 2000 project. Using Paris Theodores original blue prints, we stuck close to the original concepts that he patented. It was truly a remarkable innovative combat firearm in the past, and improving on this design was very difficult and very near impossible. This project was more of an update than anything else.
Fred, of all the shooters I know, you Sir have the coolest firearms.
It looks like an ASP. The rear sight is called a guttersnipe.
For the complete article check out: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/jdarkcrown/myhomepage/gadget.html
BIGDADDY THANK YOU THATS ALL I NEEDED!!!!
GOOGLED PARIS THEODORE AND ITS ALL THERE. THE GUN IS WORTH UPWARDS OF $2000 !!!!!
AGAIN THANK YOU
FRED
This does bring back memories of the old days when ASP and PPS were common fodder for gunwriters looking for the gun de jour to cover when they weren't writing the ever present "Revolver vs. Semi-Auto, which is better for defense?" article. But, when you dig a bit about some of the players involved, it gets rather interesting and even has a local connection.
The logo on the box - PPS - as belongs (or belonged) to Aron S. Lipman, president of Personal Protection Systems which was located at 101 Pittston Avenue, Scranton PA 18505 back in 1985. Aron was an FFL dealer, trainer and Class III vendor who was also involved in some exotics - I remember he showed me a laser sighted Colt revolver he was trying to rent to gun shops as a training aid for $200/month (back in 1985, laser sights were large and exotic). He also hawked various specialty ammo in the small calibers packages of 6 rounds or so with claims of packing the power of full scale calibers into 25acp rounds - which gives rise to some interesting opinions on the net. Those may be some of Aron's 9mm magic rounds in the presentation case - if so, you've got something he no doubt would claim to have the stopping power of a 44mag.
A googling for "Personal Protection Systems" shows a company founded in the 90's that does not appear to have any relation. Googling "Aron Lipman" gets even more interesting - there are numerous references to him doing federal time for some sort of silencer bust. One internet article at The Gun Zone
claims that his encounter with the ATF was included in the classic tome Unintended Consequences. (see, I told you - the more you dig, the more interesting this gets, but I'm not done yet).
Googling proceeds to get more interesting, and even relates to the previous "Are there any dealers in Natick" thread, when you go to http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=1st&navby=docket&no=012384
and check out the 2002 case of Aron S. Lipman vs. David Dye d/b/a The Arms Merchant (the shop that used to be in the basement in downtown Natick) involving a dispute over payments for guns placed on consignment with the Arms Merchant.