Miami's Cocaine Wars

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Apone

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I watched a documentary recently on the cocaine wars of the 1980s in Miami, FL. Criminals were murdering rival gang members in broad daylight with military weapons. A Miami detective said that they went to a scene of a shooting and recovered an M1 carbine and a few other full auto weapons and he felt under-equipped with his department issued .38 special revolver. He and several other officers went out that day and bought Browning Hi-Power 9mm pistols.

Had you been the detective in question, what pistol would you have chosen with respect to available handguns of the era?
 
I think Sony Had the only Magazine produced for the Bren 10:D

The BHP would have been a good choice for a combat gun at that time. In the Late 70's/ early 80's(Pre-Glock) You did not have choices of Hi-Cap SA pistols we have today. If you were to go with a 9mm you could do worse with than a BHP. The BHP is a proven design and a good shooter.

Serpico had a S&W M59 I believe and so did Starsky. The MAB was a semi- popular 15 shooter. The Beretta M92S(It had the Mag release at the bottom of the Grip) was another option. CZ's were still behind the Iron Curtain, but you could get them at PX's in Germany sometimes. I picked one up when I was over there for training. Not sure about Hi-Cap SIGs but I cannot remember seeing them all that much. The Star 30M was around also but you did not see them very much either. So for a Hi-Cap 9mm it was a BHP or a M59.

I like the BHP and I would feel very comfortable with it as my Duty gun if I was a cop. I would want to get rid of the Mag safety, smooth the trigger a little and maybe an extended Thumb safety but they are good guns. I am suprised they did not go out and get 1911's in 45 or 38 super. That would have given them from 2-4 more rounds and a more powerful cartridge. As it was they chose round count over effectiveness.
 
I would start with a SIG P220 in a shoulder rig, and a Detonics Combat Master in an ankle holster. A sawed-off Ithaca shotgun and S&W .38 snub for my partner. After one year I would swap out the SIG P220 for a Bren Ten. In two more years I would swap out the Bren for a S&W 645, followed by a 4506.

"Sony" is a large Japanese electronics and media company.
"Sonny" is a good nickname for a Miami cop.
 
If I was a cop in the 80s (WAIT, I WAS A COP IN THE 80s), I'd have stuck to my Model 28 Smith. In fact if I was to ever get back into police work I'd want to carry my Model 28.
 
Sam06:...Serpico had a S&W M59 I believe and so did Starsky...
Click to expand...

I believe Frank Serpico actually used the BHP. At least he did in the movie. Serpico left NYPD in 1971, the S&W 59 was introduced a year earlier.

And yes, Starsky had a 59, Hutch a Python. Loved that show.:D
 
I'd pick exactly what I did pick back then, a Colt Python .357 Mag with a 4" Mag-Na-Ported barrel or a S&W Model 65. Never felt under-equipped, especially with an AR15 and an 870 in the car.
RE: Serpico, Frank carried a BHP in Condition 3 with ball ammo.
 
+1 for the Crockett love.

sorta OT I just bought a 645 on gunbroker and am waiting for delivery.
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Let see:
In the 80's my secondary carry was a Detonics Mark VI, setup for 451 Detonics levels, read 200 grain flying ashtrays at 1200 fps.

If I was LEO, I would have grabbed one of the cobray shoulder rigs, that did such a good job of concealing the Mac 10/.380. 32 rounds, and a couple extra clips. It was concealable, yet put lead out at an incredible rate, with minute of bad guy accuracy.

The above being politically incorrect, I would have bought a Full sized or Detonics streetmaster, set it up for 451 Detonics, maybe the 185 flying ashtrays at 1350 fps, rather then the Bren Ten. See no reason to go to 10mm when I can get the same, or better ballistics from .451 Detonics, with heavier, and bigger bullets. Plus, I could use my primary magazines in the Combatmaster, if need be.

For nasty work, the shoulder rigged, 45 ACP mac 10s would have been much better then any shot gun with a pistol grip...
 
Miami in the 80s

I'm from the area and era. I always kept my BHP handy. Matter of Fact, the reason I bought the BHP was Serpico carried one. (true-read the book) The Mayor of Miami carried a Browning .380 BDA, until it was STOLEN out of his car. Only in Florida.
 
The mayor?

Guess if it was stolen from his car, he didn't really carry it. At least not that day. Back then I bet he could go into any .Gov building without any metal detector to walk through.

The BHP would have been a good choice. Carrying it mostly unloaded (Condition 3 means no round in the chamber, right?) would not have been a good choice.

S&W Model 39 would have been my choice. Fits the hand so much better than a 59, and only one year after the 59 came on the market, I rather think it would have been hard to find magazines and holsters for the 59. And the 39 conceals better.

Bart Noir
 
All the cops I knew back in the eighties carried the S&W M65 and the Model 36 as their BUG. For more intense situations they had the Remington 870 and Ruger Mini-14.
 
The Sig P226 had come out in 1983 and I would have gone with that in a shoulder holster with a S&W 10-7 as a BUG. I think a 870 would go good right next to a scoped mini 14 in the trunk.
 
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