Of Interest To Old Time L.E.O.s---Back In The Day

[Der Gebirgsjager]

167838167839

I'll bet there are a lot of old time L.E.O.s that remember these. Both are pre-Model 10 S&W Military & Police .38 specials. Now days the title M&P will get you something entirely different. Not necessarily bad--just different. A couple of generations of L.E.O.s cut their teeth on these M&Ps and carried them throughout their service.

The top revolver is stamped "WM. W. HAVERTY" on the left side, along with a five pointed star and 838. The second is engraved with "ADOLPH GARY" and the number 3760. A Google on Mr. Haverty yielded no results, but one on Mr. Gary turned up a 2014 obituary of a Chicago P.D. Homicide Detective. Not a positive I.D., because his badge number wasn't included. The first was acquired from The Old Sacramento Armory, Sacto., CA, in the mid '80s, and the second just two years ago from a pawn shop in Banning, CA. via an internet auction. If they could talk I imagine they would tell some interesting stories. I acquired them because both have had action jobs and are very smooooth... a real pleasure to shoot.

Perhaps someone personally knew, or knows about one of these officers, and I'd love to hear the story. Have you got anything similar in your collections? Post them on this thread!

[garym1a2]

Some 15 years ago myself and 2 brothers brought WVA hyway surplus 686's 4 inch. They are very accurate.

[marlin39a]

Those are beautiful revolvers to have in a collection. I went into Law Enforcement in 1977, and trained under WW-2 vets. The toughest, bravest men I had ever met. It would be an honor to own those guns.

[FergusonTO35]

My 1967 10-5 came from the estate of a longtime Lexington, KY cop. It has lots of honest holster wear but is mechanically excellent, one of the most accurate handguns I've ever owned. I can't imagine the stories that one could tell. On the other end of the arc, I have a 10-10 previously owned by the California Dept. of Corrections that somehow escaped and made it's way east. I *think* it dates to 1993. It must have been one of the last ones they ordered and spent most of it's life in an arsenal. Doesn't even have holster wear, and only the faintest turn line on the cylinder is visible. Believe it or not the 10-10 has almost as good a trigger pull as the 10-5 but feels different, more linear with less feedback when the cylinder indexes fully. My gun collection turns over quite a bit but these two aren't going anywhere.

[ReloaderFred]

I never carried the Model 10, but when I started in Law Enforcement in 1971, I carried a 38/44 Heavy Duty, the Model 10's big brother. I sold it to a guy from another department just before we graduated from the academy and bought myself a brand new 6" Model 19. I carried the Model 19 until we finally got a Sheriff who was a "gun guy", and allowed us to carry pretty much what we wanted, within certain parameters.

I carried my Model 57 until 1993, when some young puppy who didn't know squat convinced the Sheriff we had at the time that we all needed to carry the same gun and caliber (like I'd give someone who wasted all their ammo some of mine...). I was forced to carry a G-22 for the last year and half before I retired. Turned in the G-22 the last day, and haven't touched one since...

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Scharfschuetze]

Don't forget the Colt Official Police revolver. My favorite was the Model 65 that I bought in 1977, but for my last years before retiring and returning to the Army, I carried a Model 58.

I owned and kept the revolvers that I used over the years with the exception of a Model 15 that was the obligatory issue. It was so worn out and battered that I never carried it and I was glad to turn it in on my departure.

[dubber123]

One of my favorites is a 4" M&P .38 Spl made in 1947 that is engraved with a doctors name inside the frame window. I guess you knew what to expect if this particular doc determined you were beyond saving ;)

[StrawHat]

My Department issued the S&W M19 with 38 Special +P ammunition. After I finished probation, I was made an Assistant Range Officer and permitted to carry anything approved by the Senior RO. I opted to carry a Model 10 for a while and a Model 15 for much of my career. Both served me well and perhaps I should have kept them when I left LE work. I still have the revolver I wore to Academy graduation and my swearing in, but that is for another thread.

M&P would be the Meat & Potatoes of the S&W line!

Kevin

[9.3X62AL]

I carried a 4" Model 64 S&W (stainless heavy-barrel 38 Special M&P variant) as primary sideiron during the years prior to my shop's autopistol adoption, and had occasion to use it as felon repellent in August 1981. I wouldn't mind buying it out of my agency's inventory, but don't know if they would allow such a thing. Our present Sheriff is a pretty enthusiastic gun guy, but between him and I exist a number of ranking shot-callers with varying skill levels and firearms knowledge/involvement. Probably a longshot bet that I would get a successful outcome, given that a stroll through the ocean of our County Counsel office's courage or imagination would scarcely wet your ankles. No trailblazers in that lot.

S&W M&P revolvers with 5" barrels seem to like my gun safe's confines somehow. There now reside examples in 32/20 WCF--38 S&W--and 38 Special, and they all get periodic range and field trips. They are too darn useful to just let them sit in a safe.

A Colt Army Special/5"/32-20 WCF sneaked in also, no doubt attracted by the Officer's Model Target x 6" that has lived here for 12 years or so. An incorrigible bunch, these medium-frame rollerpistols.

[ole 5 hole group]

I always thought the 38/44 was the sought after one, if you wore that Sam Brown without the strap and a lot of keepers.:wink:

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Say there, StrawHat, go ahead and post a photo. This thread wasn't meant to limit posts to Model 10s--that just happened to be what I wanted to show because of the names associated with them, thinking that someone might just have known one of these officers. Love to see your graduation gun!

Scharf--that's a nice collection. No, I haven't forgotten the Official Police. My father was a police Sgt. and that was his weapon of choice. His was a 4", and one of his friends who carried a Model 10 and he used to have amicable arguments about the merits of both. Here's a photo of his battery. I took this photo several years ago for a magazine article I authored, but still have all of these items which are now family heirlooms. The knife belonged to a burglar who attempted to stab him, and got his ticket punched with the Detective Special as was his just due. Later it was used to skin a number of deer and eventually a bit of the point broke off and it was resharpened. Mr. Burglar had good taste in knives--it's a Boker.

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The department I worked for insisted that everyone carry either a Smith or Colt 6" revolver. It could be a .357 mag., but had to be loaded with the pathetic 158 gr. copper clad ammo. Over the years the policy eventually changed with the end result being that one could carry .357 ammo if they qualified with it, they had to supply the practice and carry ammo at their own expense, barrel could be a 4" and Ruger and Dan Wesson double actions were acceptable. The issue round became the .38 Spec. +P+ 110 gr. round. I wasn't out of the Academy very long when I purchased my own Colt O.P. 4" which I carried in a Safariland shoulder holster when off duty or going to court. Still have it, and still one of my favorites.

167896

Funky-looking grips, you might say. One of the oddities of life. Numrich was having a big sale on them for various models of Colts and Smiths, at just too good of a price for a gunsmith to pass up. I bought several pairs and tried a set on my O.P. They are amazing in that the gun will not move in your hand because of the staghorn plastic pattern grooves. I like what works, so I kept them on the gun, and have come to even kind of like their appearance.

I rotate my guns in and out of storage for safekeeping and maintenance, and at the moment most of my L.E.O. guns are stored and not readily available for photos. But a written version of my revolver journey would be that I was issued a S&W Mod. 14 6" .38. Almost immediately replaced it with a Colt Trooper 6" (the original model) in .357. Found it to be not quite as accurate as the S&W so returned to that for awhile. As the dept.'s policy changed I went to a 6" S&W Mod. 19, then a 6" Colt Trooper Mk. III, then a 4" S&W Mod. 19, and ended up with what I felt was the very best choice, a S&W Mod. 66 4". Because I worked a lot of night shifts and it was often chilly I carried a S&W Mod. 19 2 1/2" under my jacket in and upside down shoulder holster as a backup weapon. Everything was right for that combination when carrying one of the other Smiths with a commonality of ammo and speed loaders. For me, and just my opinion, I think that S&W reached the pinnacle of police revolvers with the Mod. 66.
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This one is never in storage!

[ReloaderFred]

ole 5 hole group,

Being young and dumb, so to speak, and with small mouths to feed at home, I had a burning desire to have one of the rather new Model 19's. I had worked as a Reserve Deputy for almost two years prior to getting hired full-time, and we worked the street after being hired until an academy started up in those days. I had carried that old .38/44 during that time, and it was just an "old gun" to me.

It had been a suicide gun that one of the Sergeants had purchased from the widow, as she just wanted it out of the house. I paid him $50.00 for it, and sold it during the academy for $65.00. The new Model 19 cost me $119.50, police price, and even at that I had to make payments on the remaining balance. Pay for a cop wasn't real great in 1971, especially considering we had to furnish all our uniforms and safety equipment, etc.

I still have the 6" Model 19, and wish I had the old .38/44. The guy I sold it to was from a really small department, and I heard later that he didn't last long before he took a better paying job in the oil fields, so I have no idea where that .38/44 ended up......

We didn't use the strap on our Sam Browns, but did use lots of keepers. My 6" Model 57 rode in a Hoyt High Ride Front Break holster for many years, and even though the big N Frame would be considered heavy by today's standards, it was easy to carry in that great old holster. Too bad Hoyt went out of business, since they made the best duty holsters of anyone in the business. When I ordered my holster from them, they asked if I'd like to buy a holster business, as they were wanting to retire at the time. One of the things they did was put your name on the back of the holster when you ordered it, so my name and badge number are stamped on the back of mine, along with my rank at the time, which was Sergeant. As I progressed up through the ranks, I never changed the stamping.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[9.3X62AL]

"What Fred said" about Hoyt gunleather. SUPERB gear in all respects, they got it right.

I think very highly of the 41 Magnum, though I got away from the caliber about 4 years ago. The S&W Model 58 (another M&P) might be the single-best police revolver ever created, though a S&W Model 25-5 or Colt New Service (both 45 Colts) would be a close race. I like my felon repellent's decimal dimensional descriptor to begin with a ".4--", because while a 357 bullet might expand some, the 40/41/44/45 darn sure won't CONTRACT ON CONTACT. Call me "unevolved".

[buckwheatpaul]

When I started we could carry what we wanted....I graduated and carried a 1911.....then a S&W 29, 57, 27, and 66....the City supplied the ammo so most carried what they wanted.....like marlin39a our trainers and teachers were WWII vets and very hard on us....but they molded us and loved the job....thanks for the post....love the old guns!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Fred and 9.3X62AL--so very, very true about the Hoyt holsters. They were definitely the best of the front break breed. I went on in 1969 and they were in such demand that there was a 6 month waiting list to get one. I ended up buying a Safety Speed front break. It didn't look quite as nice as the Hoyt, but worked as well and in my opinion was better than the Bianchi version. I stayed with Safety Speed through my entire career, be it the 6" or 4" version. I do remember the Hoyts being personalized with the name and badge no. on the back. Nice touch!

Fred-I see that you're located on the Oregon Coast. I'm over in Brownsville, and my son-in-law is a deputy for Linn Co. Maybe our paths will cross someday. Skeeter Skelton thought highly of the .38/44 and wrote about it quite a bit. I've never owned one, and only seen a couple. Yeah--the Sam Browne shoulder straps were long gone by the time I signed on--made too good of a handle for the bad guys to grab. They weren't a bad idea engineering-wise though, because they helped support the weight of all that stuff on the belt. I think having the belt only contributed to a lot of bad backs.

9.3X62AL--I can't disagree with your opinions on bigger is better. I carried the .357 because that was the most the dept. would allow. My first choice would have been a 1911 .45 ACP. but since you like the .41 Mag. so much, here's a photo for you of the only one I own. Of course there's a story with it: The former owner was a Canadian fellow I met in gunsmithing school who had previously been a geologist and had traveled the world looking for mineral wealth. He might have found a little, but was, and remains very close mouthed about his findings. This .41 was his only sidearm which he carried when he could to ward off threats both animal and human. We became life long friends, as I was an amateur geologist and we both liked guns, gunshows, and taking a wee drop now and then. When he returned home he started a metal finishing/refinishing business of which guns were only a part--he did industrial stuff as well. But the gun laws put him out of business when they started a registry of long guns. People quit bringing in their guns for him to work on because they didn't have any intention of registering them and didn't want to create a paper trail. Just a few years later the anti-gun politicians decided to re-define what handguns were legal to own, and as is sometimes the case the rumor is worse than the actual fact; but at the time he thought that any barrel longer that 4" would be illegal to own, no matter the type of caliber of handgun. The result was that he offered to sell me his .41 Mag. and a 1851 Colt Navy replica for $1 each. I didn't really have a passion for either, but knew that he wanted them in a safe place possibly to reclaim in the future. I actually had to jump through the hoops and formally import the pistols into the U.S. Interestingly, the S&W came in duty free as "US Goods Returned", and the Navy came in duty free as an antique. I had them for several years, and he came down to visit. I had loaded up a couple of boxes of ammo and we went over to the range and he got to shoot his old .41 Mag. I shot it quite well, but he couldn't hit the target. Kind of embarrassing. But eventually it became clear that although he could have retained ownership under the new laws it would be almost impossible to re-import to Canada, so I paid him the going market rate for each and am now the permanent owner. Because he was in the metal finishing business and kind of had it in his mind that someday he might visit remote locations with inclement weather he refinished the gun with Teflon. It has proven very durable except that it burned off in rings around the front of the cylinder. A great and cherished item in my collection, but nothing that I ever desired to own. The frame on the Navy is brass, but he silver plated it, as he also did plating as part of the business.

167900167901

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Paul--thanks for sharing your handgun odyssey. Seems like you were/are also of the "bigger is better" persuasion. Interesting that you started where I always wanted to be, with a 1911; but ended up as I did with the 66. Have any photos?


DG

[Battis]

Not to hijack this thread, but when I started as a cop in the mid 80s, we carried the S&W .357. A few of the old timers still had ammo loops on their gunbelts (no speed loaders). Anyone remember those looped belts? I can't remember where the loops were located on the belt and how many loops there were.
I recently traded a Colt Official Police, and I wish I hadn't.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, we never had loops--we were issued dump pouches before speed loaders were invented. But I do recall that some of the old timers did have loops. A very few of them. Seemed like most of them were motorcycle officers, and their brass cased ammo would turn green, which is why the nickel plated stuff was invented. There were several years there when things began evolving at a rapid pace. Don't worry about hijacking any of my threads. I post them for wherever they may lead!

[Battis]

I bought a set of mammoth ivory grips in an antique shop for $15, then set out to see what they fit - it was a Colt Official Police. I sold the grips (they were terrible for shooting), then traded the Colt for a S&W Airweight .38.
Nice Colt.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/DSCF4698_zpsda11d7ed.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/DSCF4726_zpsfe92ad3c.jpg

[FergusonTO35]

If I had wanted to make LE a career I never would have had the chance to carry a wheelie on the job as most agencies here were married to Glock by the time I turned 21 (1999). Well, that and my near complete inability to run or jump. Fortunately I can carry whatever I want as a CCW licensee and my S&W 637 is one of my favorites. If S&W would make an Airweight K-frame with six shots of .38 Special I would definitely buy one and carry it, even at the exclusion of my Glock 26.[smilie=s:

I have suggested to Ruger that they stretch the SP-101 a bit to allow a sixth round, which would produce quite possibly the perfect carry wheelgun. *crickets*

[9.3X62AL]

I like the 357 Magnum, and it goes along for back-country ramblings. Otherwise, the 40 S&W or 45 ACP get the nod these days. Before HR-218 took effect, I was reputed to have dragged along a 10mm pistol or a 44 Magnum from time to time. Post-218, we got restricted to the same regs as active-duty personnel, so my creativity got stymied to a degree--thanks to those same soulless wonks at the County Counsel's office I spoke of earlier. If those cats could be bought at actual value and then sold at perceived worth, the profit potential would be substantial.

I do think highly of the Ruger SP-101, for darn sure.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, 9.3X62AL, you have my deepest sympathy. I've been thinking about you wanting to liberate that one particular revolver that served you well from the Sheriff's arsenal. What about a letter sent directly to the top explaining the circumstances? Since he's a "gun guy" you might get results. Sometimes it pays to go right to the top. As for the HR-218 thing--I'm a retired CA L.E.O., but moved up to Oregon some 28 years ago. At the time the laws here were very reasonable, but Calif. is moving up this way and now we have a Demo-Rat controlled legislature and a peculiar Governor.
The trickle of anti-gun legislation is increasing. But, as for 218, I was notified that I needed to turn in my lifetime carry retirement card and requalify to be good to go for 5 years. I decided not to do so because I have an Oregon CC permit. Easy to get, just show proof of training (originally a Honorable Discharge was considered proof--don't know about today) and pay the fee. Good for 4 years. Nothing will ever lure me south of the border again, so I'm not concerned about getting arrested for non-compliance with 218. In fact, haven't been back for at least 20 years now. Your desire, tempered by reluctance to get caught carrying one of the larger calibers afield may be justified. I get the annual booklet from the CRPA, of which I have a Life Membership acquired from the bad old days when I lived and served there, that enumerates all of the CA gun laws, and it's gotten to where I can't make head or tails out of them any more. Seems like you can get arrested for carrying openly, even in an unincorporated area. Time to move, my friend.

[ole 5 hole group]

When it's all said and done - a well set up 1911 can be your best friend. I think you need to qualify yearly, meaning each year to carry under 218.

[9.3X62AL]

Der G--I wish it was as simple as just moving. CA makes no secret of its stern antipathy for anything firearms-related. HR-218 does require annual quals, which I do anyway. Our County Counsel got scared of any hint of Federal oversight on any element of local LE activity, and that office's concerns have proven to be unfounded so far--but regs for retired personnel got tightened up when HR-218 came on stream. I don't make the rules, and try not to break them either.

[superc]

I am too durned old. I started with an agency which in my area only issued Colts. I didn't even get to see one of us with an issued Smith for almost 3 or 4 years. This was before +P and in the days of RNL or WC being the only choices. What that meant was my issued Service pistol for a long time was a little Colt Police Positive Special. One bad day while handling more than 2, not having anything else handy I had to use it like a slap jack (any one else remember those?) and being TDY far from home got a purchase approval letter for a second pistol while the PP was being repaired and I went for the (then) new Ruger Service Six. Eventually +P+ and JHPs became official and we all went to Smith & Wesson. A few agencies later in the birth days of Wonder 9 I went Sig 228. I kept the Ruger and it still works just fine.
I do miss those little Colt PPs though. Nicest 38 I ever saw was a lanyard looped WWII 'Battle of Britain' 4" parkerized New Service that had somehow returned to the US. Broad Arrow stamp and all those markings but it looked and felt brand new in my hand. The owner had put T-grips on it and it felt perfect. Shot sweet too.. Hated to give it back. :)

[ReloaderFred]

Der Gebirgsjager,

I shoot at ARPC on occasion, and headed down to Merlin for their annual SASS match this weekend. Just for information, and the information of all ex-LEO's, Oregon doesn't require a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) for any retired Peace Officer, no matter where you retired from. All you need is your retired (or active) ID card. It's covered under ORS 166.260.

As for HR-218 qualifications, they have to be done annually. I've been conducting them since Dec., 2004, right after the law was signed. Oregon DPSST, the equivalent of POST, came out right away with standards and the wording for the cards, which I issue at the time of qualification. In fact, I've got another HR-218 qualification coming up on Tuesday, June 7th, at the Siuslaw Rod & Gun Club. I get an average of about 30 shooters at the quarterly qualifications, some of whom drive long distances to get here.

I chair a group of retired LEO's, mostly from down south, that meets for quarterly luncheons. I've got over 150 people on my e-mail list. We average about 35 to 50 people for the luncheons.

Anyway, back to the original subject. I didn't own a Model 10 until about 4 years ago, when a fellow Cowboy shooter down in Roseburg said his brother was a retired cop in Calif. and wanted to get rid of some of his guns, but wanted them to go out of state, where they would be more appreciated. One was a 2" Model 10, and he wanted $225.00 for it, plus shipping to an FFL, so I said I'd take it, sight unseen. When it arrived, it was in great condition, and had probably been carried more than shot, but not carried much. It now rests in a special hiding place near the front door, since that's where my wife said she wanted it.

My second Model 10 arrived via the UPS man a couple of years ago. My regular UPS driver was retiring, and since he had delivered so many firearm related packages to me, he knew where my interests lie. A few days before his last day on the job, he came to my door, and I knew I didn't have any packages due. He had a towel in his hand and asked if I'd be interested in an old gun his father-in-law had given him? Inside the towel was a 90%+ 4" Model 10, in a nice Bianchi holster. He said he'd like to get $250.00 for it, and since I just happened to have that in my "gun money stash", we quickly made the trade. He is a shooter, but only shoots bottom feeders, so he had no interest in that "old gun".......

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Dutchman]

Mfg 1927. This direct scan shows how thin the bluing is.

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,ftwwtwwfqqqkwqxwfqbfsgtwfb,vi/gddkfwdbrxrrrbwbrsq/2/28344/3347807/q08correctstocks-vi.jpg

Engraved not stamped: J.P.D. date is 1933. Since I bought this at a gunshow in Indianapolis I figured a good guess might be Joliet Police Dept (Illinois).

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,ftwqfwgrtbwsgkxwfqbfsgtwfb,vi/wfdsddbbbxbsdqbskwr/2/28344/3347807/q05backstrap-vi.jpg

Been back to the factory 4 or 5 times:
April 1962
Sept 1927
Nov 1947
July 1965

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,ftwqfwssrkwwgbxwfqbfsgtwfb,vi/wfkffrrrrxrkgkfkkgs/2/28344/3347807/q01-vi.jpg

And possibly 5th time for factory re-blue. The bluing on the gun is very thin so it may have been reblued more than once judging from the markings.

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,ftwqfwfqtsbkqtxwfqbfsgtwfb,vi/wfwktkfdfxbsfgbftkk/2/28344/3347807/q04butt-vi.jpg

The action is superb and the bore is bright sharp and shiny. Carried a lot but shot little. It has one fault.. the barrel rotates by hand but is stopped by the barrel pin. Eventually I'll take the pin out and probably peen the barrel threads and locktight in place. I bought this as a holster gun not a showpiece.

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,fdkksfqfffbqkgxwfqbfsgtwfb,vi/wfkffrrrrxrkgkfkkgs/2/28344/3347807/jpd3-vi.jpg

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Fred--I live 8 mi. and 12 min. travel time from ARPC. I've been a member since 2005. My caregiving duties only let me get away to go over there for a day about 4 times a year, but when I do go I take a lunch and thermos and stay all day. Mostly shoot on the rifle range, but before I go home I drift over to the pistol bays just to keep my hand in. Great club. You sure have great luck with the nice guns coming to you. I have to look for them, and they're not often a bargain.

PB--great looking old Police Positive Special. That's one revolver that I've come to appreciate more with the passing of time. Well, coincidentally, that just happens to be one of my current projects. I have two that I'm working on. Originally I had four. The story is that a fellow gun dealer (I used to be--no longer) was going to sell an unfired Interarms Mk X 7mm Mauser with butter knife handle, Mannlicher stock, and double set triggers for me on consignment. After a while, when it was time to give it back, he didn't want to part with it and offered me 4 very used Police Positive Specials returned from Columbia, South America. I didn't waiver too long before taking him up on it. The best one went into my collection, but it looks a lot like Dutchman's revolver as the blue is about gone. The second best was actually stamped "Federal Policia De Columbia", but the finish was poor and about the time I got it reblued a lady came into the shop and had to have it. That left two. Bad finish, some rust and pitting, but good bores. I reblued them, but then moved and after 11 years they just recently got unpacked. So I'm currently going through them on the kitchen table whenever the urge to be mechanical strikes, and just about have them working right except the locking bolt doesn't always pop up on time to catch the cylinder notch. Both will pretty much work all the time single action, but on double action sometimes the cylinder turns past the bolt. I'm about to take them apart again and take another look at the tiny spring that powers the bolt and also the bolt and hammer relationships. They all had UGLY hard rubber grips with thumb rests which I put in a big cigar box I have full of other ugly grips, and I ordered these replacements from the Philippines. Supposed to be checkered rosewood, but one set took some work to fit properly and the other never will, having a gap between the rounded top of the grip and the frame. Anyway, they don't look too bad, but I had to buff certain areas heavily to get rid of the rust and pits, and would much rather have yours! Beware of Philippine grips!
167948
The one on the top is in the 300,000 serial no. range, and the one on the bottom is in the 600,000 range. Notice the difference in the frame machining.

Dutchman--nice revolver. Joliet might be a good guess. Isn't there a big prison there also? I like the grip adapter.

For those following this thread from the beginning, I got a message from member DoubleAdobe who believes that he found William W. Haverty using a graves registration search. The one he found was a San Francisco P.D. motorcycle officer who died in 1943. I'll try to follow up on that information and post it when I know anything more.

[StrawHat]

...Say there, StrawHat, go ahead and post a photo...

Okay. Here is the revolver I carried at graduation from the Academy, I also qualified with it. It was a bit of fun as speedloaders for the 32 WCF are not available. This S&W M&P is chambered for the 32-20 and was a gift from my Pop. The ivories came from an acquaintance.

167953

Here is the M15 I carried.

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Here is a M28-2 I reworked to handle the 45 ACP cartridge and carried for a short while, long story.

167955

And if I were to return to LEO work, here is the revolver I would carry, a 22-4.

167956

Yes, I still like and prefer revolvers but also respect the 45 ACP cartridge.

Kevin

[Battis]

There were 28 of us in the Academy (80s). 2 of us had .357s - everyone else had .38s. At the range the first day that we fired live ammo, it sounded like this going down the line: pop pop pop pop BOOM BOOM pop pop, etc. The .357s really stood out. At the end of the two weeks on the range, many many rounds later, my hand bled, arms ached, head was rattled. 6 of the cops (from one city north of Boston) all had .38s with barrels that spun with finger pressure. They were quickly replaced (guns, not the cops).
A few years later my department switched to 9mm Sig Sauer (Sig Sauer is about 1/2 hr away).

[FergusonTO35]

I was surprised to find out that the Police Positive Special was made into the 90's. I've never seen one for sale around here, I think S&W had Kentucky pretty well wrapped up.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

StrawHat--thanks for showing your treasures. Some very nice and unusual revolvers there. If a fellow likes revolvers and likes the .45 ACP cartridge, then your converted M28 was certainly an attempt at having the best of both worlds.

Battis--what brand of revolvers were those which developed loose barrels? Colts? Prior to a certain time all S&Ws had pinned barrels, and if they did loosen they couldn't turn more than a smidgen.

FergusonTO35--They did indeed continue the Police Positive Special into the '90s, but as I recall they looked a bit different. I haven't seen one for awhile, so can't quite put my finger on what it was. Maybe a rib on the barrel or ejector rod housing.

[Ithaca Gunner]

We're they MkIII with an ejector rod housing?

[9.3X62AL]

I adore the old-line Colt Police Positive/Specials, though they fit my hands poorly. They are still little lewels. I have a 1901 New Police in 32 NP (SWL) x 6" in original nickel, about 75% but still shoots well. Roughly 6 years ago I stumbled onto a PP x 4" in 38 S&W in 95%+ shape, and this one gets quite a bit of range and field time, #358477 @ .359" shoots right to the sights at 25 and 50 yards atop 3.0 grains of Unique or 3.3 grains of Herco. A tackdriver.

[buckwheatpaul]

Paul--thanks for sharing your handgun odyssey. Seems like you were/are also of the "bigger is better" persuasion. Interesting that you started where I always wanted to be, with a 1911; but ended up as I did with the 66. Have any photos?


DG

My wife became L.E. and she whipped me and took the 66 away...went back to the 27 or 29 because 1911's were outlawed and wheelguns were in......while sheriff I carried 1911 and still do......Paul