what revolver did police use to carry?
- Thread starter revolverrandy
- Start date
CajunBass - that early post-war .38/44 is just... beautiful!
alaskabushman Those old Safety-Speed clamshell holsters were borderline hazardous in the view of a lot of officers. Initially they seemed like a good idea. But they required you to put your finger inside the trigger guard to release the gun (gee, what could possibly go wrong with that idea?). Worse yet, lots of guys with them who ended up in a wrestling match on the ground often found their gun laying several feet away because pressure & movement on the outer panel could pop the latch mechanism.
I knew one officer who shed his holster after being pinned to a wall and unable to extract his Model 19 while his assailant was trying to stab him with a knife. Fortunately his vest shielded him enough until a civilian whopped the assailant on the head with a socket wrench.
This should look familiar to your Grandfather.
alaskabushman Those old Safety-Speed clamshell holsters were borderline hazardous in the view of a lot of officers. Initially they seemed like a good idea. But they required you to put your finger inside the trigger guard to release the gun (gee, what could possibly go wrong with that idea?). Worse yet, lots of guys with them who ended up in a wrestling match on the ground often found their gun laying several feet away because pressure & movement on the outer panel could pop the latch mechanism.
I knew one officer who shed his holster after being pinned to a wall and unable to extract his Model 19 while his assailant was trying to stab him with a knife. Fortunately his vest shielded him enough until a civilian whopped the assailant on the head with a socket wrench.
This should look familiar to your Grandfather.
Thanks Bill. It turned up at my favorite dealer, with it's original box (no papers). I can't find any evidence it's been fired outside the factory, so if it has, it wasn't very often. It does have a turn line, which I haven't helped any.
It's almost too nice for me to keep. My logical side tells me I never should have bought it. It's a collector grade gun, and I'm not a collector. I should sell it to someone who'll appreciate it for what it is. There is nothing it will do that a Model 28 won't do, and do a little better, for about half what I paid for it...blah...blah...blah...
BUT...the other side of me says "Keep it. Everybody needs ONE safe queen."
royal barnes
New member
Started in '73 with a well worn Colt Trooper that had spent it's previous life on the departmental pistol team and was slick as glass. Had to turn it in for a Trooper MKIII. Eventually went with the Smith 66 which I carried until the department switched to the Smith 1076.
I started at the PD in 1985, at that time we all carried the Smith and Wesson model 686 with a 4 inch barrel. This was a department issued side arm. We were issued Winchester silver tips, in 38 special plus P if I remember correctly, I think it was a 124 grain bullet.There were a few of us that also carried some magnum loads in our cars just in case. I retired after 22 years and we were carring the Glock 40 calibar when I left.
alaskabushman
New member
Early in my grandfathers career there was the shooting of an officer who was approaching a vehicle when the driver stepped out with a handgun and shot and killed the officer. The cop had reached for his gun and tried to draw it but was unable to get it into his hands fast enough. This had a huge impression on a then-fresh cop, and he vowed it would never happen to him. So my grandpa did a lot of research and tried multiple holster designs before settling on the one he did. He practiced many hundreds of hours in both dry-fire and live fire drills. He competed in many state and shooting competitions and we was very very fast. His den has a very large collection of trophies he won during the 70's 80's and into the 90's when he was competing against semi-autos and still winning.
He was fully aware of the drawbacks of the clam-shell design but during that time there was not anything better for what he wanted. He was shot 5 times in the line of duty during a hostage situation, but still managed to subdue the criminal and was awarded a purple heart.
He still carries today, but packs a Kahr 9mm in a modern IWB holster.
We had a woman down the street when I was a kid, who was one of the first woman detectives on a local department, and she carried a nickel S&W 19 4", and her husband, who was on another local department, had a well worn S&W 28, also 4". For some reason, the worn blue on that gun was very attractive to an 8 year old me. They let several of us hold them one day, and I remember the heaviness of the all steel guns. I wonder if that's why I still like an all steel gun so much all these years later?
When I started in '84 I carried a S & W 19. A few years later I purchased a model 686 (4") and carried that until we transitioned to 9mm's.
Off-duty gun was a 3" Model 13 that I wish I still had!
We were initially issued .38 special lead round nose but switched to .38 + p jacketed soft points after an ineffective shooting....of a loose bull from a local slaughter house! I'm pretty sure neither round would have been effective in this case but at least the + p round was a huge step up! .357 was not allowed!
Off-duty gun was a 3" Model 13 that I wish I still had!
We were initially issued .38 special lead round nose but switched to .38 + p jacketed soft points after an ineffective shooting....of a loose bull from a local slaughter house! I'm pretty sure neither round would have been effective in this case but at least the + p round was a huge step up! .357 was not allowed!
Ruger 3" .357 Police Service Six.
Mostly a back-up or off-duty gun. Comes out fast and points well, plus it'll run magnum loads all day, every day, 365, without shaking loose. The trigger is what I'd call a 'tweener: not-great/not-horrible.
But the mission of this police snubby was never to be a 25-yard target gun; it was purpose-built to put snarly a-holes face-down on the urban concrete.
Mostly a back-up or off-duty gun. Comes out fast and points well, plus it'll run magnum loads all day, every day, 365, without shaking loose. The trigger is what I'd call a 'tweener: not-great/not-horrible.
But the mission of this police snubby was never to be a 25-yard target gun; it was purpose-built to put snarly a-holes face-down on the urban concrete.
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TheGuyOfSouthamerica
Moderator
Good luck with Shooting an gotten wild bull or even heifer.
Unless you sling 'em and tie 'em down the d**n animal will just not die.
Even an 200 ft/lbs bullet (380 acp or 38 spl) will kill the animal (render it immobil by dropping to it's knees) when shot to the brain (in that case even an 22 LR does the Job).
An cow or Beef ox will only drop instantly when shot a tad lower between the horns where the brain is. The brain is at most as big as a Tennis ball.
I can imagine how those Police officers must have run at least one hour chasing to get that bull down just to see the animal had taken multiple shots.
Even with an 357 Magnum of about 450 ft/lbs of energy I guess it would have been hopeless trying to drop the wild running bull.
So even the 38 spl +P would not have done any difference unless shot Placement was on the brain.
Even 12 ga 7/8 Lee drive key slugs must hit on the head on the right spot. It can take hours to hunt down an wild running bull and by then the meat is not very soft anymore.
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When my Dad was growing up in Ashland, IL, before WWII, his uncle was the town constable and the janitor at the grade school! He carried an Iver Johnson .32, like the one pictured. My Dad still has it.
In the mid-70's, I worked as store detective and security guard on various gigs around the St. Louis area and got to know a lot of the cops. St. Louis City cops carried Model 10s in flap holsters, with 158gr. LRN rounds. They would rely on their shotguns a lot if things got hinky. In two-man cars in the 'hood, there was only one shotgun, so it was not uncommon for one of the officers to slip another long gun in the trunk, either another shotgun, or something like an M1 Carbine. They could get put on report for using an non-issued gun, but they figured it was well worth the risk.
IIRC St. Louis County, State Highway Patrol and most of the towns in the county carried Model 19 .357s, although my town had an ex-Marine, Korean vet Assistant Chief who carried a 4" Model 29 .44.
In the mid-70's, I worked as store detective and security guard on various gigs around the St. Louis area and got to know a lot of the cops. St. Louis City cops carried Model 10s in flap holsters, with 158gr. LRN rounds. They would rely on their shotguns a lot if things got hinky. In two-man cars in the 'hood, there was only one shotgun, so it was not uncommon for one of the officers to slip another long gun in the trunk, either another shotgun, or something like an M1 Carbine. They could get put on report for using an non-issued gun, but they figured it was well worth the risk.
IIRC St. Louis County, State Highway Patrol and most of the towns in the county carried Model 19 .357s, although my town had an ex-Marine, Korean vet Assistant Chief who carried a 4" Model 29 .44.
Attachments
Dead-Nuts-Zero
New member
Mid to late 70's S&W 64 then to S&W 686 & S&W 60 as BUG. Mid 90's retired when they went to Glock 40's.
Still have lopsided left gut just above gun belt area where my round speed loader holders restricted my expanding mid girth. Thought sure I would outgrow it after another 50 - 60 lbs in retirement!
Still have lopsided left gut just above gun belt area where my round speed loader holders restricted my expanding mid girth. Thought sure I would outgrow it after another 50 - 60 lbs in retirement!
Sonja glenn
Inactive
S & W 32 long ctg
My dad gave me an old gun last night, it is a Smith and Wesson 32 long ctg, nickle plated. The serial # is stamped in the bottom of handle. #125285. Can anyone tell me an about year on the ma make of this gun. Not looking for $$ just curious of the guns age.
My dad gave me an old gun last night, it is a Smith and Wesson 32 long ctg, nickle plated. The serial # is stamped in the bottom of handle. #125285. Can anyone tell me an about year on the ma make of this gun. Not looking for $$ just curious of the guns age.