revolvers
When I first started with the Park Service in the early 80's, you were not issued a handgun at the academy, as they do now. Sidearms, all revolvers of course, were held at the Park(s) where one was posted, and what was available was a broad mix, and you took what you were issued. The .38spl +P+ 110 gr JHP was standard up until about 1990, when the .357/125/110 with mag loads was adopted for a few years, before auto pistols began issuing from the academy. Eventually, everybody got an academy issue auto pistol, which you then retained from post to post. I'll not go into the details of locations, but here's a list of what I encountered as I stumbled through my career.
My first, duty gun, happily enough, was a S&W M15. I purchased a set of square butt Pachmyer grips, which I screwed on and off all my issue revolvers for the rest of my employment. Though the finish on the M15 was rough, the gun was in good shape mechanically.
Next came a heavy barrel Model 10. Interestingly, that second Park was in the process of returning their aged revolvers to S&W for a reblue and factory tune up. When that was complete, they went off to Trijicon for a set of night sights. My Model 10 looked and handled factory new, the trigger was a delight, and the night sights were a tech wonder, but I did not care for the fixed sights, regardless.
Third posting yielded a S&W M66 and the stainless steel was a welcome change, as it cut maintenance down a bit. The stainless withstood a bit of carelessness if one left the gun in a soaked leather holster 'till next shift, whereas a blued gun would typically rust if so neglected. We still shot .38+P+ even though the guns of course, were magnum chambered. The M66's had night sights upon my arrival.
My last revolver was a M686, also with night sights. During that same period, the NPS had some shootings with the .38 +P+ ammo that did not yield good stops, so the switch was made to magnum loads. The 125gr was standard, , but 110 was also authorized if the 125's were too hot for a marginal shooter. Compared to the .38's, magnum blast and muzzle flash were terrific. Pachmyer grips became common. I never felt undergunned with the M686/.357/125 combo, something I could not say about the various .38's.
In the early 90's, the NPS went to SIGS, initially a P228 during the transition process, then an elective program, and I selected P220. That's worth another post someday.
