I am doing a little research to determine exactly when the Dallas P.D. first issued revolvers to their officers instead of requiring them to provide their own. The practice began sometime after WWII and the earliest evidence I've found is a newspaper article dated Feb. 1, 1954, noting that the department was buying 60 "38 revolvers" for newly hired officers from Padgitt Bros.

If you have one, I would like to see a picture, especially if you know when and where it shipped. Pictured is an example of what the marking looks like. It is the earliest example I have personally seen and is on a Combat Masterpiece issued to me in the academy.

It shipped to Dave's Pawn Shop on September 20, 1956. Other possible shipping destinations might be Padgitt Bros., Huey & Philp or Betts & Majors.

In addition to the Combat Masterpiece, the Department also issued the M-15, M-10, M-64 and the Colt Trooper. There might also be a scattering of Highway Patrolmen and Chief's Specials.

Marking locations are usually on the butt and backstrap except for the M-64s which are marked on the left side of the frame.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

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Ol,
I recently lettered a .38 Combat Masterpiece that shipped to the Dallas PD on April 2, 1952. It was sold thru Huey & Philip Hardware Company, Inc., Dallas, Texas. It was carried by Dallas Police Officer J. D. Tippitt when he was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963. I did the letter for his grandson, J. D. Tippitt. The DPD stamp is stamped on the butt just like yours.

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Don Mundell

Great research project! I currently have guns issued and marked by San Antonio (SAPD), Austin (APD) and Houston (HPD) but not Dallas. I'll keep looking. Good luck with your data collection. Are there any 'blue' cards out there from Dallas?

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Thanks, Don. That's great info and very quick...that's why I like this forum. I've often wondered where J.D.'s pistol ended up. If I can contact his grandson and get a picture, I'll post it.

As far as I know there is no central file of "blue cards" for DPD guns. For a few of mine, I have a copy of the "Weapons Inventory" card that was given to officers who bought their issued gun. It notes when the department bought the gun and how much it paid. A few, but not all, list previous officers the gun had been issued to and when they turned it in.

I have a DPD Model 15 (no dash), SN is K34212x, stamped on the butt. I have not lettered it (and don't intend to), so I cannot provide any additional information regarding its provenance. But the SN would place its manufacture in late 1958 and its shipment in the 1958-59 period. It was in fairly sad cosmetic condition when I bought it, and the service grips on it were especially heavily worn. I gave them to a friend as they were much too far gone to do anything with them. I added a pair of S&W smooth presentation target grips I had. As usual, it was in mechanically very good condition. I gave it the Oxypho cold blue treatment, and it now looks fairly good.



My grandson shooting paraffin bullets in my back yard with it several years ago.

Ray's Hardware & Sporting Goods might be of assistance. They've been around a long, long time.

Ray's Sporting Goods

(c) Gearfire

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Come and take it!!

One problem is that DPD does not have to be Dallas. I know of at least two Colt Commando 38s of WW II vintage with DPD stamped on the butt; I kept a photo of one, which lettered to the US Maritime Commission but then apparently had a second career with a “DPD”, impossible to determine.

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Great project and information...

I graduated the academy in May 1977, #3944. Was issued and qualified with a Model 64 that I never carried on duty as I always carried personally owned firearms.

Later I found out that there was some Model 15s and was able to trade the 64 in for a one of them. Left the department in December of 1987 and didn't find out till after I had handed the gun back in that because I had more than 10 years of service I could have purchased the gun...so it was lost to history...

Hope you get lots of response....Bob

It is great that folks here are afraid to share information.

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Don Mundell

Sorry for a late response. I am in process of purchasing Colt Commando 4” that is DPD marked and factory letter says shipped to Dallas PD in April, 1944. It is within the US Military serial number range. Also, part of a 16 gun shipment. Should be a very rare bird, but may also be the first issue guns.

I think I was in the bidding on that gun or one like it. If it is the same, I'm glad someone here on the forum got it and I would really like to see a picture.

It is indeed the earliest DPD gun I have been able to identify and was probably procured through the Defense Dept. I know New York, Chicago, San Antonio and several other PDs took shipments.

The earliest non-government purchases I have identified so far are Combat Masterpieces shipped early in 1952. Congratulations on your find!

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Texas By God!

Wow! How did you come across that gun? I would have thought the city took back the revolvers of fallen officers. I guess if the cop paid for it himself then it would have went to his family.

I wonder what the value would be for that?

Ray's has been around a long time and they are just outside of downtown Dallas on Singleton. I went there around 30 years ago. Ray was still living and he sat in a very tall chair that looked over the entire store. Several DPD officers were in there as usual. I think if you were a DPD officer you got an automatic discount from Ray. Their prices have always been high so my purchases have never been huge.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

This is based on memory, and may or not be of interest.

About 5 years ago I was prowling the pawns shops in Irving Texas, on Irving Blvd, slightly west of the Dallas city limits and saw a Model 10-1 that was marked DPD on the butt similar to the photos above, except each letter was Xed out with a tool similar to a cold chisel. Does anyone know if this was a DPD practice before the department firearms were disposed of ?

The piece was rough, and I remember thinking that it may have ridden in a Dallas PD holster November 22,1963. I made an offer, which was rejected, the shop wanted too much for a rough specimen like that.

The Grandson contacted me.

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Don Mundell

I have a picture of J.D. Tippit's Combat Masterpiece but, for some reason, the forum will only let me post a quick reply without pictures. I will try again later.

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Texas By God!

Relevant only to the 64 DPD's
I have one of these marked DPD. There is a video on you tube from a local DFW news story commenting on the Dallas PD complete retirement of the revolver. Looks identical to mine. Ill post a pic when I get home

Picked up my Colt Commando today. It letters to Dallas PD and there is a clear DPD stamp on the butt.

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The Detroit Michigan Police Department. Also Marked their weapons with the DPD letters.

Outstanding find on the Commando! I think you now hold the record for the earliest Dallas P.D. issued handgun, beating the one issued to J.D. Tippit by eight years.

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Texas By God!

I am surprised that the letters are so uneven. You would think, if they stamped every one of their guns, they would have a stamp made,
or a tray to hold all of the letters.

I'm willing to cut them some slack on that. Until they got the Commandos from the DOD the department had never before issued handguns to their officers and had no reason to have proper stamps or experience using them.

Also, there was a war going on and they were operating with a skeleton crew. I suspect neatness was not a high priority. Once they started issuing guns regularly in 1952 they got much better.

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Texas By God!