[VingThorr]

Hello all,

I'm curious about the history of the service-issued weapons used by the US Border Patrol. Which weapons preceded the beretta? when did they switch from revolver to pistol, etc.

H&K P2000 2007-present
Beretta 96 ??-2007
?
?
?


thanks,
Jesse

[VingThorr]

doing a little research i found this article, apparently they carried the Colt New Service Pistol in .38 special until sometime in the 50's

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_/ai_112685772

[Line Rider]

Skeeter Shelton wrote about Ruger making a BP model of the Security - Six.

[VingThorr]

and i guess bill jordan favored a S&W Model 66, but i have no idea if the Patrol ever issued these

[rcmodel]

Bill Jordan more or less invented the S&W Model 19 .357 in the early 50's while he served on the Border Patrol. I believe it, and later Model 66 was standard issue for years.

Further back then that, the Colt New Service .38 Spl. was standard issue, with some agents opting for the Officers Model Match they purchased with their own money.

I believe I recall Charlie Askins mentioning that some carried the 1917 S&W or Colt .45 ACP revolvers even further back before that.

rcmodel

[VingThorr]

so were looking at:

Colt & S&W .45ACP revolver
Colt New Service Pistol .38 spc
S&W model 66
???
beretta 96
H&K P2000

[Jim K]

I think now they are armed with whistles and told to call the police if they have a problem. We can't allow them to hurt any of those nice drug smugglers, terrorists, coyotes and Mexican soldiers invading the U.S.

Jim

[rcmodel]

so were looking at:
Colt & S&W .45ACP revolver
Colt New Service Pistol .38 spc
S&W model 66Don't leave out the blued Model 19.
I think it was the standard issue revolver far longer then the Stainless Model 66.

Pretty sure the Model 66 was the last of the revolvers, and it was replaced by the Beretta 92.

And +1 to Jim Keenan.
Whistles sounds about right nowadays!
They get throwed in the slammer if they shoot a drug smuggler.

Jordan & Askins & Harlin Carter must be spinning in their graves!

rcmodel

[GRIZ22]

I worked on the border in the late 70s early 80s. The only issue BP gun I saw was the 4" S&W M19. Never saw an issued M66. There may have been Agents that crried their own M66s. There was a Ruger Security Six issued in the early 80s but I'm not sure if it completely replaced the S&W. To my observation it was:

Model 19
Ruger
Beretta

PS I helped test the Model 66 vs the Rugers and at that time the S&Ws failed miserably.

[Line Rider]

I was at Fort Mc Clellan AL in 1989 when the USBP ran an academy there. USBP was supposed to have been there for 3 years, but BRAC had other ideas. So, they only ran one recruit class.

The USBP agents were armed all the time. Which was a shock to the troops on post, because half the time even the MP's didn't have ammo in their guns. Most of the USBP guy carried Model 19's. I met a few that had 681's or 686's. But, the coolest guy I met was one agent who had just left BP pistol team. He was carrying a SIG P-220 in .38 Super.

And, yes it is true that one MP shot a hole in the 1st Sgt's NEW patol car. But, I don't know ANYthing about the WEB Louge.