357 Magnum revolvers used for law enforcement duty include (from top): Python, Trooper and the. Such guidelines insured only high-quality handguns were carried.Ĭolt L-frame double-action. Agencies often required personally owned handguns, usually revolvers from Colt, Smith & Wesson or later, Ruger. 38 Special, but perhaps a lesser caliber was permitted for off-duty carry. The minimum (or sometimes the only) cartridge chambering was the. Some guns were department-issued, while others were individually owned. I don’t recall hearing of injuries from the mishaps however, as they probably went unreported.ĭuring this time, many agency handgun policies were very liberal, making for quite a variety of sidearms. A few large dents in steel locker doors in the old Dallas PD basement locker room blatantly evidenced careless loading or unloading practices. 45 was very safe in the hands of a trained officer, it could be just the opposite for those unfamiliar with it. Though an excellent handgun and among the very best for law enforcement work, it required a greater degree of training than the simpler revolver. The most popular semi-auto was the Colt 1911-type pistol in. However, the percentage of officers who carried semi-autos of any type was never high, even in the departments that permitted them. Ultra-conservatism and resistance to change have long been recognized traits of law enforcement agencies, and yet some personnel carried semi-auto pistols long before the term “transition” had anything to do with law enforcement handguns. All were popular for plainclothes, undercover and off-duty law enforcement use. 38 Special snubnose revolvers (clockwise from top left): alloy-framed Cobra, Detective Special with factory installed hammer shroud and alloy-framed Agent. However, there is some evidence American law enforcement was already sluggishly progressing toward semi-autos.Ĭolt.
Influencing factors leading to law enforcement’s adoption of the semi-auto include the 1986 FBI Miami shootout, the US military’s transition to the Beretta 9mm and increased violence by drug traffickers. Also, the small, lightweight and easily concealed snubnosed revolvers are still used by undercover officers as backup guns, as well as by off-duty cops. The sight of a holstered revolver on the hip of a uniformed police officer today usually indicates great seniority. This isn’t to infer revolvers were no longer employed, and indeed, revolvers continue to be carried daily by a grandfathered few - those who trained in revolver use as rookies. Yet they faced them anyway.īy the early 1990s, most US law enforcement agencies had transitioned from revolvers to semi-autos. Yet, fewer than 30 years ago, most American law enforcement personnel carried double-action revolvers - facing many of the same threats cops face today - but armed with 18 shots on their duty belts. Today, cops only feel adequately armed if they have a polymer, high-cap auto on their hip, with 50 rounds of ammo on-hand in magazines. Our history is a part of us, and to ignore our beginnings is to ignore our foundation.
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