FBI RM

[DARE]

Have been trying to establish provenance for my RM.
You guys have been a lot of help with this, so am calling on you again.
The gun is .357 Magnum REG 657, SN 47138.
Have my factory letter that says the gun appears to have been owned by an FBI agent in the San Antonio, TX area.
Have a document from S&WHF that says gun is property of Jomer C White c/o The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
One of our members has a wife that is an FBI agent. She emailed Dr. John Fox (the FBI historian) for me. There was not an agent named Jomer C White.
I did a FOIA request on James C White and got about 800 pages of documents, but nothing that tied the gun to the agent.
I have a document from the FOIA request that I have included a photo of. It lists a .45 Auto, I assume a Colt and a .38 Detective Special. I assume these were agent White's duty weapons. Stamped Oct 18, 1947, which is about the date agent White retired.
No other documents that mentioned specific firearms.
Hoping you guys can come up with a helpful document or a suggestion for what I should do next.
Thinking maybe I could email Dr. Fox (I would need an email address). Or perhaps do another FOIA request that was more specific. Any help appreciated.

 

[ispcapt]

Nothing about any of his personal firearms but a bit of info on James White.
historicalgmen.squarespace.com/agents-of-the-30s-biographie/

 

[22hipower]

"Have my factory letter that says the gun appears to have been owned by an FBI agent in the San Antonio, TX area.
Have a document from S&WHF that says gun is property of Jomer C White c/o The Federal Bureau of Investigation."

I think you've probably gotten all the information you need to conclude that the gun was owned by the FBI agent James C White and that the S&W document is simply a typo of the first name.

Nice gun, enjoy.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[biku324]

I was hoping this thread was going to have info on the FBI 50th Anniversay Model 27-3. Only learned of these recently.

 

[Summersteel]

Since the gun is a 30's gun, and the info you have is from the mid-late forties, I would see if James White had employment elsewhere before the FBI. If so, perhaps there are contacts there that may be able to shed some light on the gun. You might also pursue finding out if he had a partner or work team at the FBI and try to pursue information through those sources.
Also, have you tried Ancestry.com? If you could find any living family members, perhaps they could help as well.
Good Luck!

 

[sigp220.45]

When I was in the Bu (1991-2016) the form to have a personally owned weapon put on your list was an FD-431. It may have been in use way back when, but I don’t know.

 

[turnerriver]

Here are 2 photos of Doc White from the book Holstory, taken while he was serving as a Texas Ranger and wearing Colt Single Actions- understandable as the Registered Magnum hadn’t come along yet.
I agree with 22hipower’s conclusion regarding a typo and the probable ownership by Doc White.

Regards,

 

[DWalt]

I don't know what your factory letter said, but from its SN, it is likely to have been shipped sometime during 1936. Exactly what did the letter say about White and the shipping date?

 

[DWalt]

There used to be a former FBI agent who occasionally posted here, and he was somewhat of an expert on FBI firearms and FBI history. His name was Larry E. Wack, and he ived in Buffalo NY. You might see if you can find him, as I do not know how he can be contacted.

 

[kwill1911]

Larry died not long ago.

 

[jscott]

As a former LEO in Detroit and Miami (busy places to be sure) and viewing these old photos, I envy the adventure that these men must have had. Great find on your part.

 

[PALADIN85020]

"Jomer" is an unusual first name. I'd do a search for a Homer C. White... perhaps a typo or misreading.

John

 

[Nightowl]

You might try the census records from the area. They list occupations addresses, etc. maybe an obituary would provide some clues.

 

[Truckman]

You might try the census records from the area. They list occupations addresses, etc. maybe an obituary would provide some clues.

Fold3 is a great source for that info and military records...They also have a no-charge version available through some subscribing public libraries......Ben

 

[DARE]

DWalt,
Was looking through old posts and realized I had not answered your question.
The letter shows the shipping date as 12/24/1935. No mention of White, just that the gun appeared to have been owned by an FBI agent in the San Antonio, Texas area.

 

[bower]

The gun appears to have light usage and may have been used for strictly recreational purposes only, target practice,etc. May not be listed in any official capacity or job related activity.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

"o" for "a" and "r" for "s" seem pretty obvious to me, particularly if they were recorded in cursive.

 

[DARE]

ImprovedModel56Fan,
I had the same idea. Plus they called the gun a 375 instead of .357. Maybe not a careful typist.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

They dang sure got the gun right when manufacturing!

Another letter would seem right for myself. The fact it was called a .375
makes me want to fix it.

 

[Venom6]

Here are 2 photos of Doc White from the book Holstory, taken while he was serving as a Texas Ranger and wearing Colt Single Actions- understandable as the Registered Magnum hadn’t come along yet.
I agree with 22hipower’s conclusion regarding a typo and the probable ownership by Doc White.

Regards,

Dude, you rock. Thank you!