As most here probably know, my dad and I collect LEO guns from around the country. We have folks emailing, texting, or calling with leads on possible new acquisitions. Recently, I was on terminal hold while at work, and was perusing a local gun board when I came across this:

It is a 19-2, with Texas Department of Public Safety markings. With the help of Roy Jinks, and some forum friends, I have to come to know that it is a very early 3 screw gun, and that the 4" Model 19's were reserved for the Texas Rangers. This gun looks nearly unused which further lends credence to the idea that it might have been issued to a Texas Ranger. The Rangers were given leeway to carry pretty much anything that they could qualify with, and in many cases, they already owned a few guns and did not need, or want to carry a model 19. It seems their tastes and traditions swayed more towards 1911's of some flavor or another.

Here she is, 19-2, shipped in December of 1962. The letter is pending. Also shown are a DPS shoulder patch, and badge.







Feel free to share any comments with regards to the TX DPS and Rangers. If you have a TX DPS gun, please feel free to post some photos here.

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On the Oak Savannah

......... great job Scott. You probably know about the property card system DPS had in place for years with sign ins & outs by various Officers who were issued the weapon. The cards may have been disposed of when the weapon was sold.

There is a chance copies may exist in their records.

Good luck.

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LEX ET ORDO

That's my boy!

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Randy
Provenance nerd

I love 19-2's and being a lifelong Texas boy myself, a DPS 19-2 is the bomb. Very jealous.

That is one great find. I also collect Tx LEO firearms and have several DPS handguns also. Fun and expensive to collect , but also fun to shoot.

I associated Model 28's with DPS for decades.Rangers had M-19's but most had .44's or Colt .45 autos that they actually wore.

I think SIG P-226's in .357 are now the norm, but Rangers may still have options. The Texas Liquor Control Board also issued M-19's to their agents.

The Rangers date to 1835 I think and are the oldest LE force in North America. What is now the RCMP wasn't born until after Canada became a Dominion in 1867.

The TX state crime lab is pretty much state of the art.

Very cool Model 19..
This .44 is not marked but looks
like it may have belonged to a Trooper.

XFUZZ, I believe you have a winner there. I also believe the letter provides as much documentation as you would need.

Don't let the USMS and Postal Inspectors hear that talk....

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

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Jorge

There were also a number of 19's in the Criminal Law Enforcement Division, particularly Narcotics. In the Narcotics Service, most of these were the 2.5 inch version. Many were sold when they were retired from service. Often these were priced around $175 and bought by the officers themselves. As the earlier post stated, there was a"blue card" which was part of inventory control and signed for by whomever had the gun issued to them.

Just to clarify the oldest law enforcement agency question. The U.S. Customs Service was founded July 31, 1789. The Marshall's service came along in September 1789. Marshalls had to report to Customs to get paid.

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fun meter pegged

Way cool. Love the pictures and all your accessories.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.