Help create a list of Police and Military revolvers

[storm shadow]

I am a newbie to Police and Military revolvers.

I am interested in these revolvers mainly because they are usually built better with much closer tolerances than civilian revolvers.

I was wanting to start a list of U.S. makes and models of both Police and Military revolvers that were produced from World War II onward (1941 and later.... please do not add revolvers made before the war. Also, please indicate if the revolver you are listing was a Police or Military model. Some were used by both interchangeably.).

I am hoping (with everyone's help) to make as complete of a list as possible. I will start the list off with makes and models that I am currently aware of and everyone else can add to the list as they see fit.

Police
Colt Trooper
Colt Trooper Mark III (was there a Mark II?)
Ruger Police Service Six Model 707
Ruger Security Six
Ruger Speed Six
Ruger GP-100
Smith & Wesson M66-2
Smith & Wesson Model 686SSR

Miltary
Ruger Model SS-84L .38 Caliber Special
Ruger M108 .38 Caliber Special Military Police Revolver
Smith & Wesson .38 S&W CTG 38/200
Colt New Service .45 Colt
Smith & Wesson "Military and Police" M10 and other K-frame revolvers
Smith & Wesson .38 Special M&P Model/Pre-Victory Model
Smith & Wesson .38 Special Victory Model
Smith & Wesson .38 S&W CTG Victory Model
Smith & Wesson .38 Special Victory Model "U.S. NAVY"
Smith & Wesson .38 S&W CTG Victory 38/200 British Service Revolver "United States Property"
Smith & Wesson .38 Special Victory Model- Army-Navy Issue
Smith & Wesson .38 S&W CTG Victory Model "United States Property"
Smith & Wesson Model 10 Military and Police Revolver

 

[Piedmont Plinker]

MANY PDs issued the K-Frame
Model 10
Model 64
Model 15
Model 19
Model 13
Model 65
Model 67

 

[oceansands]

Smith model 58 in .41 MAg was a police gun for a short while.

 

[Jim Watson]

I am interested in these revolvers mainly because they are usually built better with much closer tolerances than civilian revolvers.

I have never before heard it claimed that the major manufacturers make better guns for the cops than for commercial sales. Who told you so?

You may add Colt revolvers Police Positive, Detective Special, Agent, Marshall, Commando*, Official Police, both real and Mk III, and the Lawman Mk III to extend your list. A few prosperous cops have carried Pythons.
*Military contract version of Official Police.

The FBI used a lot of S&W .357 Magnums, later designated Model 27, and they did not call the Model 28 the Highway Patrolman for nothing. I know one deputy who carries a Model 29 .44 Magnum and another with a S&W Model 581, if you count single examples.



Would you count the H&R Bobby .38 which was made during WW II to arm police and defense plant guards while S&W and Colt were occupied with military contracts?

Dan Wesson made a number of .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers, surely there was some police use of them.

 

[Old Fuff]

I am interested in these revolvers mainly because they are usually built better with much closer tolerances than civilian revolvers.

Not always so.

I know of an instance during the 1960's when a mid-sized midwestern police department purchased a substantial number of Colt revolvers directly from the company. They were 100% inspected by the department's armorer, who was Colt trained. He rejected over 2/3's and returned them. Colt either repaired, adjusted, or replaced the rejected guns, but when they were returned to the police department about 1/3 of those was rejected a second time. When they were sent back they were right.

Sometimes a law enforcement order got special attention from all three makers (Smith & Wesson, Colt and Ruger), but this wasn't always so.

Sales to the government on military contracts might be subject to in-house inspection by military inspectors prior to acceptance, but on other occasions Uncle Sam bought a commercial product with government ownership markings.

 

[Old Fuff]

Deleated - Double Post.

 

[Boats]

If there is a GP-100 out there better made than mine was, I haven't seen it.

I doubt any extra effort is put into general issue buys from governmental agencies. It seems to me that a reputable manufacturer wouldn't ever have won a contract if their general reputation had not preceded them.

From the auto pistol world, Berettas for the military and the general public come off the same machines and are run through the same quality checks. If anything, the Beretta 92FS I owned as a civilian were better than the M9s I saw at the beginning of their adoption. Main difference is that the civvie models had better sights.

At Springfield Armory, where they build the "Professional" custom 1911A1 spec'd for the FBI HRT, you can have the same gun out of the same runs after contractual obligations are filled. In that case, they do not know in advance which ones the FBI will claim and which ones will go OTD to the rest of us because procurement requirements can and do change.

So I very much doubt there are two different firearms experiences out there. As a matter of fact, some governmental buyers will insist on random procurement of samples or buy them off of the shelf with their own T&E funds to ensure they do not get heavily juiced lab rats that might outperform their average brethren.

 

[kmrcstintn]

former PA State Police revolver...Ruger Security Six ? 4" barrel ?; .357 magnum

former Air Force Security revolver...Smith & Wesson 15 Combat Masterpiece 4" barrel; .38 spl

former U.S. military revolvers...Smith & Wesson 1917 & Colt 1917; .45 acp

 

[Shawn Michael]

Well

When I purchased my model 327 Military and Police/TRR8 I asked the smith and wesson factory rep what the name was about and he said they are used by entry teams who use shields and have had failures with autos when the slides bumped the shields...they needed lights/laser mounting and a lot of fire power in a light package with something that could be butted right up against the shields.