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
no le hace

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