Prison Guards on Strike Over Antique Guns

[p35]

Ever wonder where all the SAAs ended up after the Army went to the 1911 .45 auto?

Prison Guards on Strike Over Antique Guns

Thu Mar 17, 9:27 AM ET



ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek prison guards will go on strike next week demanding a change of their American-made weapons that date back to the U.S. wars in central America almost a century ago.



While antique shops would be eager to get their hands on them, prison guards just want to get rid of their obsolete 1911 U.S. Cavalry revolvers. The guns do not scare inmates any more as safety experts have advised guards not to fire them.


"We have more and more escape attempts and prisoners just say 'I'll try it because they won't shoot me with these guns anyway'," Exterior Prison Guards union president Giorgos Kostikas told Reuters Thursday.


The guards will go on strike and demand new weapons and more staff to secure the country's growing prison population.


"We need 2,800 guards but we currently have only 1,200 armed with completely inappropriate weapons to secure the perimeter of the prisons," Kostikas said.

 

[HiWayMan]

Is this a lead in for the next group buy??

 

[Onmilo]

I believe the revolvers in question are actually 1896 Colt double action revolvers chambered for .38 long colt ammunition.
They were junk when the US troops had them and I can only imagine what kind of shape they are in now.

I was under the impression that the Greek Criminal Justice Department made a large purchase of caliber .38 special Smith and Wesson model 10 revolvers in the late 1970s, I wonder where these ended up?
Cyprus maybe??

 

[HiWayMan]

Damn! I was hoping these were old .45LC SAA. Well phooee.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

obsolete 1911 U.S. Cavalry revolvers

A very rare item indeed.

I believe the revolvers in question are actually 1896 Colt double action

I'd guess Colt 1911 semiautos. Wouldn't it be nice if writers did research and editors checked facts?

 

[jeff-10]

I vacationed in Greece about a year ago. Didn't see the prison guards but the cops had some kind of antique looking revolver that looked like it never left holster. The cops on the islands weren't even armed.

 

[Sharpdogs]

I was in Greece last summer. The firearms carried by the police were in a very sad state. Those that did carry guns did not have spare magazines or speedloaders. I saw one MP-5 but the finish was almost completely gone.

 

[larry starling]

I was under the impression that the greeks produced and used the hk p7?

 

[chaim]

I was under the impression that the greeks produced and used the hk p7?

I don't know if the Greeks use the HK P7 for anything, but HK is a German maker. They may have factories elsewhere (don't know) but I haven't heard of any HK factories in Greece (of course I am far from an expert on HK).

 

[Onmilo]

Hellenic Arms does license produce P7 pistols along with other H&K products.

US FMAP program has been supplying Greek military needs for at least 100 years so both 1896 and 1911 pistols have been provided and either or both can or may still be in use.

By the way, I'm not a writer, but I did stay at a Holiday Express last night,,,,,

 

[Zach S]

The range I frequent has a Springfield Armory SAR-8 on consignment with somewhere, Greece in the rollmark, so greek HKs dont surprise me.

I hate to sound like I'm stoopid, but what's the story with the Holiday Express reference?

 

[BluesBear]

The guns do not scare inmates any more as safety experts have advised guards not to fire them.
"We have more and more escape attempts and prisoners just say 'I'll try it because they won't shoot me with these guns anyway',"

Get some proper ammo, shoot a few inmates and you'll nip that attitude right in the bud.

 

[deputy tom]

Cry Babies! tom.

 

[chaim]

Hellenic Arms does license produce P7 pistols along with other H&K products.

The range I frequent has a Springfield Armory SAR-8 on consignment with somewhere, Greece in the rollmark, so greek HKs dont surprise me.

Opps, I guess I was wrong. Like I said, I am far from an HK expert. I usually avoid this kind of situation by keeping my mouth shut about things I don't really know- I should have kept to it in this case

 

[Zach S]

I usually avoid this kind of situation by keeping my mouth shut about things I don't really know- I should have kept to it in this case

Through a few years of research I've learned posting the wrong (or somewhat wrong) info is a great way to learn stuff, and you're more likely to remember it due to the humilitation factor, well, I am anyway...

 

[chaim]

Through a few years of research I've learned posting the wrong (or somewhat wrong) info is a great way to learn stuff, and you're more likely to remember it due to the humilitation factor, well, I am anyway...

As they say "a wise man learns from his mistakes"


However, "a wiser man learns from the other guys' mistakes"

 

[BluesBear]

However, "a wiser man learns from the other guys' mistakes"

Then I must have created a few geniuses along the way.

 

[PCRCCW]

"Then I must have created a few geniuses along the way"

Man......do I hear that one!

Shoot well.......

 

[Red Tornado]

It sounds like Greece really needed to keep and redistribute all of the M1's that the CMP has now. But I'm glad we got them back home.
RT

 

[CAS700850]

Anyone else hear that sound? Glock Co. drooling at the prospect of another government contract...

 

[Seraph]

BluesBear is correct. As Fife would say, every popular book on the subject of inmate psychology espouses budnippin'.

 

[Penman]

When I was there in '93, I saw a Naval patrol boat that was guarded by a sailor with a very nice M1. IIRC, that's what the guards at their Tomb of the Unknown soldier were carrying as well.

 

[White Horseradish]

Maybe they just left the "pre" out and they are really pre-1911 revolvers...

 

[Krag]

The Greek army bought large numbers of Colt revolvers before WW1. During the war the Austro-Hungarians captured so many from the Greeks that they issued them to their 2nd line units and Sellier & Bellot manufactured the .38 Special ("9mm Colt-Revolverpatrone" or "S&W Spezial 38 Revolverpatrone") with FMJ bullets.

Oopah!

 

[Bear Gulch]

Well, we now know what Century International will be peddling next year!