# Police Departments issued .41 magnums



## zorro (Apr 15, 2009)

hi , does anyone know what Police Departments issued .41 magnums in the god ole days of revolvers ???


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## Dave James (May 15, 2007)

Boy talk about knocking the cob webs out,, only one I can think of as a major department was I believe Dallas or maybe Fort Worth, and it was the Model-58


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Some of the state highway patrol's had them. I can't remember whose exactly anymore.


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## wheelgunnerfla (Oct 21, 2009)

I'd love to have one of those.


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## TheReaper (Nov 14, 2008)

The Mobile County Sheriff's Dept. Issued them in the Mid 1970's. It was the largest caliber that they were allowed to carry. You had a choice of 41 or 357.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

According to this article by Clint Smith, San Antonio PD issued them for a while:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_4_51/ai_n11840297/


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

The first to issue them was the Amarillo, Texas police department, in the mid '60's. I grew up there, and although I was probably only about 14 at the time, I remember the controversy because I was a gun nut, even then, and my dad and I kept up with the story and discussed it frequently.

To the best of my memory, the police department had been asking to have their .38's replaced for several years, but a stingy city commission would not accomodate them. There was an incident, in which a couple of reform school escapees stole a pickup and a an M-1 carbine and 'shot it out' with police in a running gun battle that took place right through the middle of town. A policeman was killed, and it eventually took a highway patrolman, armed with a deer rifle, to stop the vehicle.

As a result, the public outcry was such that the commissioners bought .41 magnums and 12 gauge riot guns for the city police, and I think they used them until Glocks became popular.


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## Cherokee Slim (Sep 23, 2009)

zorro said:


> hi , does anyone know what Police Departments issued .41 magnums in the god ole days of revolvers ???


In 1972 the THP issued me a S&W Model 10 heavy barrel. I worked in a very rural country (McNairy) so I took to carrying a Model 39 since brass was seldom around. Then the district captain caught me with it and threatened to suspend me if he ever found me with a non-issue weapon. So I switched the Model 10 for the .41 mag. They looked a lot alike. Sure enough I got caught again and just knew it would cost me some days off. He looked at it and told me good job, make sure you always carry the state issued gun.

There was actually some consideration in Tennessee of changing to the .357 or .41, but that "magnum" word scarred off the politicians.

Cherokee Slim


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