In the early years of my cop career it was a real financial struggle to support a family and pay the basic bills. Like most other young cops of that time period (1971-1975) I worked every part time job that I could manage to scarf up to assist our very modest family budget. During these years I managed to pull together enough money to purchase my first .357 for duty use. Mr. Bill Ruger, of Ruger Firearms, had guys like me in mind when he designed and produced his Security-Six .357. It had just come out and I managed to purchase one of the first blue steel 4-inch 150-series Security-Six Models. I later added Herrett Shooting Star Grips to accent the grip and improve the looks. Those Herretts were/are beautiful grips and I carried my Ruger on-duty fitted out with those Shooting Stars. The Security-Six is one rough and tumble six-gun, perfectly suited for cop work and was priced within the reach of the poorest of rookie cops, like I was! There was absolutely no money, then, for a off-duty snubbie for me so I compromised and started using my "beloved" Official Police for those chores. I removed the Herrett Shooting Star Grips that I had previously put on it for the same reasons as I did for the Security-Six and put the small walnut Colt Service Grips back on to reduce the grip size. For off-duty purposes the small service grips were better suited for the shoulder holster I had and with a loose fitting coat on it wasn't too bad a fit. I shortly replaced the shoulder holster with a homemade inside-the-pants holster I jury-rigged for carrying my Colt off-duty. The shoulder holster would have been perfect had I ever made it to plain clothes duty but alas, my forte was in patrol and in uniform.
Recently Doug.38 had a post on the shoulder holster for his Official Police and his well-written piece brought back a flood of great memories, a nostalgia assault big-time for me. My Official Police was my go everywhere do everything sixgun in those wonderful years of my youth. I wanted a Python about as bad as any young cop could want but had too many obligations to take care of ahead of a "want" for David. I later obtained my prize when those obligations grew up and moved away and my better-half and accountant gave her permission. By the time I got my Python my knowledge in firearms had improved to the point that I came to realize my old friend and partner, my OP, was the "best" I had ever had as a service revolver. It is so much more than Sergeant Abney's service revolver! My OP is a symbolic representation of my career, the long years of public service to man, having a .38 six-gun that required the "best" in gunsmithing craftsmanship to make. Steadfastly staying with my Colt in the face of adversity from well-meaning, but totally unknowing, superiors who were hell-bent on getting an old mans sixgun out of his duty holster for something polymer made. The many years of firearms practice was to reap me a harvest later when qualification scores, obtained with my Colt, took away most concerns from these people-in-authority. Later, I was to find out that there was a major-boss with soft spot for an old cop he knew as a kid and later, when he himself was a cop, saw this seasoned veteran out-shoot other officers at the range with that "same" Colt that some of his colleagues wanted to take away. He knew he loved that Colt and was skilled with it and permitted him to carry-on with it. For the nay-sayers, the sun came up the next morning and the sun set that afternoon, the same time. The sky did not fall and the old cop still has his Colt, and his, much appreciated, friend in a high place. Thank you my friends and sorry for the length and my obvious short-comings.
David
Recently Doug.38 had a post on the shoulder holster for his Official Police and his well-written piece brought back a flood of great memories, a nostalgia assault big-time for me. My Official Police was my go everywhere do everything sixgun in those wonderful years of my youth. I wanted a Python about as bad as any young cop could want but had too many obligations to take care of ahead of a "want" for David. I later obtained my prize when those obligations grew up and moved away and my better-half and accountant gave her permission. By the time I got my Python my knowledge in firearms had improved to the point that I came to realize my old friend and partner, my OP, was the "best" I had ever had as a service revolver. It is so much more than Sergeant Abney's service revolver! My OP is a symbolic representation of my career, the long years of public service to man, having a .38 six-gun that required the "best" in gunsmithing craftsmanship to make. Steadfastly staying with my Colt in the face of adversity from well-meaning, but totally unknowing, superiors who were hell-bent on getting an old mans sixgun out of his duty holster for something polymer made. The many years of firearms practice was to reap me a harvest later when qualification scores, obtained with my Colt, took away most concerns from these people-in-authority. Later, I was to find out that there was a major-boss with soft spot for an old cop he knew as a kid and later, when he himself was a cop, saw this seasoned veteran out-shoot other officers at the range with that "same" Colt that some of his colleagues wanted to take away. He knew he loved that Colt and was skilled with it and permitted him to carry-on with it. For the nay-sayers, the sun came up the next morning and the sun set that afternoon, the same time. The sky did not fall and the old cop still has his Colt, and his, much appreciated, friend in a high place. Thank you my friends and sorry for the length and my obvious short-comings.
David
