More Articles Like This
Looking for more articles on the history of firearms? Be sure to check out Gun Digest 2010.

Click here to read part two.

Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series.



I want all of you readers under the age of 30 to sit down before we go any further. I want you seated because I don’t want anyone getting dizzy and falling down when I tell you that:

There was a time when American police officers DID NOT carry semi-auto pistols!

Yes, children, it’s true. From the 1870s until the last decade and a half of the twentieth century, the weapon in the holster of the vast majority of American cops was a revolver. I know some of you are having trouble visualizing this concept, but that’s not the end of the story. Not only did the guardians of law and order carry revolvers, but the weapon in question was usually a “plain Jane” blue steel revolver with a barrel of four to six inches, fitted with wooden grips and fixed sights.



I can hear the gasps of disbelief emanating from the readership. “No stainless steel? No adjustable sights? No recoil absorbing, synthetic grips? How could they possibly function with such primitive equipment?” Well, the answer to that question consists of two words: Damn well!

Those of us who are “experienced” shooters remember when the choice of centerfire handguns available to the public was limited. In fact, until 1954 there was only one (!) American-made, centerfire pistol capable of firing a serious cartridge: the .45-caliber Colt M1911. But even this well-respected icon received little notice from the average civilian shooter or police officer. To us Americans, when the word “handgun” was mentioned, the image that immediately came to mind was the revolver.



During the latter half of the nineteenth century, most American police forces did not issue handguns. Officers were usually supplied with a truncheon and a set of handcuffs, and those desiring to carry firearms were required to buy their own. Standards, when they existed at all, were usually limited to what were acceptable calibers and size. Period photos show these nineteenth-century constables wearing long coats and tall hats but nary a holster in sight. This was because most urban agencies required that the handgun be carried out of sight, which was why small, .32-caliber, top-break designs predominated.

The situation began to change in the 1890s as urban police departments became better trained, organized and armed. One of the first was the NYPD, whose new commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, equipped all officers with a standard handgun, the Colt .32 New Police revolver – and insisted they receive marksmanship training. This also signified an important technological change as the New Police was a swing-out cylinder revolver. Even then the NYPD was a trendsetting agency and many departments followed suit and adopted the new Colt.

That same year S&W introduced their first swing-out cylinder revolver, the .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1896, which was taken into service by the Philadelphia PD, among others. The race was now on, as these two titans of the American handgun industry began a non-stop, no holds barred competition to see who could capture the lion’s share of the U.S. police market.

The year 1899 saw S&W’s introduction of the .38 Hand Ejector Military & Police revolver. This medium frame (K-frame), swing-out cylinder revolver was their attempt to garner a military contract. And while the government purchased several thousand, Colt’s .38-caliber New Model Army & Navy revolvers remained the standard military sidearm.

The next big step occurred during the first decade of the new century. As is the case today, American police tended to ape the army when it came to sidearms, and the military’s acceptance of the .38 Colt revolver convinced many that an upgrading of equipment was called for. While the .32 revolver’s popularity with police would continue for a few more decades, the writing was on the wall for all to see: the .38 revolver would be THE next American police handgun of choice. The timing was opportune as the army was getting ready to ditch the .38 wheelgun in favor of one of the new fangled semi-auto pistols. With military sales drying up, Colt began to court police departments and their rivals from Springfield were not far behind!

Can't wait for the next two parts? Click here to read this entire article and much more in this 3-DVD set.