Model 15-3 with “OR. CO. CAL.” stamped

[Draw4u]

I recently did some trading on a model 15–3, 4” with target hammer, target trigger and adjustable target sites. On the left side of the frame, below the cylinder, it is stamped with “OR. CO. CAL.”. I was told this was for Orange County California. Does this seem correct? Would this have been some thing that a local sheriffs office would have had stamped? Just wondering about the potential history?

 

[Truckman]

Your guess at its origin is very likely correct...The Model 15 was a commonly carried sidearm for many patrol officers......Ben

 

[mchom]

Cool LE marked gun
I read that here on the forum too. Orange County California
Mostly likely for Sheriff, Marshals and other County LE.
I have a 15-3 marked identical. They also marked later 15-5 with the heavier profile barrel.

Interesting mine and others I have seen are marked
OR. CO. CA.

If I recall while I was in grade school at the time there was a push on correct state abbreviation. No more 3 letter and they went to 2 letters. But I was not the best student and I don't recall exactly the time period this was. Those years are very foggy to me now.

 

[ezb57]

Maybe I'm wrong but somehow, I'm not so sure.
Sheriff's departments are commonly abbreviated as "SD", and "CAL" is an obsolete (and long) way of abbreviating California.
I would give it some more thought.

 

[Alk8944]

State Postal Codes Changed To Two Letters

October 1963:

To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

Not only the date, but the explanation of the reason for the change.

 

[Draw4u]

Lots to consider and this one was manuf in 1975 so it was well after the abbreviation dates. I assume it stands for Orange County California but not sure if it was a LEO firearm or someone just put it on the firearm for a personal reason. Hard to know.

 

[Buford57]

During the mid-1980s I confiscated a Model 15 from a traveling criminal that was so marked. While I don't recall whether the state portion of the marking was CA or CAL, it was in NCIC as reported stolen by the Orange County Marshal's office and had been taken from the personal vehicle of one of their officers. The font and location was, as best I recall, the same as on yours.

 

[Draw4u]

Thanks for that info! I have seen some others that are confirmed as Orange County, with just the CA in lieu of the CAL, but as you say, they are same location and identical font and font size. I don’t plan on getting rid of it and hopefully I am able to confirm someday, just so I know the history of it.

 

[fishwishin]

Very cool find! The 15-3’s were a very prolific law enforcement revolver in that era. I became a deputy for a California Bay Area County (Contra Costa, or affectionately “COCO”) in 1990. My issued gun was a 1975 15-3 and I am proud to still have it. I rarely saw a marked hand gun in my county. If memory serves me correctly I only saw one.

 

[LPD256]

Is the marked gun Double Action Only? Many 15-3’s from around that time frame in California came that way.

 

[fishwishin]

Not sure about the OP's Orange County 15, but my Contra Costa 15 was SA/DA.

 

[Draw4u]

Mine, that is marked OR CO CAL, is single and double action both

 

[mikeruns]

We have an unmarked LAPD model 15 which was/is converted by the police dept. This one was owned by a detective which leads me to believe this revolver was only used for occasional uniform/ceremony dress as it is still very minty. He later became a lawyer and is probably gone as he was in his 80’s when I purchased the gun in the early 2000s’….paid $175 for this cherry…cheers

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Is the marked gun Double Action Only? Many 15-3’s from around that time frame in California came that way.

LAPD made their revolvers DAO and LA Sheriff were DA/SA. The smaller Departments decided on one or another.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I recently did some trading on a model 15–3, 4” with target hammer, target trigger and adjustable target sites. On the left side of the frame, below the cylinder, it is stamped with “OR. CO. CAL.”. I was told this was for Orange County California. Does this seem correct? Would this have been some thing that a local sheriffs office would have had stamped? Just wondering about the potential history?

Orange County Law Enforcement is more than just the Sheriff. They have Marshals, Constables, Parks, Schools, Transit Authority, DA Investigators, et cetera and etc.

It seems correct to me. Plus I was doing Investigations, 40 years ago and we were still doing three and four letter state abbreviations then. So I can see the Range Staff using CA or CAL depending on if Thomas, Richard or Harold got stuck doing the stamping.

 

[LPD256]

LAPD made their revolvers DAO and LA Sheriff were DA/SA. The smaller Departments decided on one or another.

Thanks Sgt Rock. My LAPD 15-3 came DAO from the factory, but it has a normal hammer. I’ve been told that when they switched from 6 inch 14’s to 4 inch 15’s, several 6 inch guns went back to the factory for a 2 inch reduction. It’s all interesting history to me.

 

[Model1567]

October 1963:

To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

Not only the date, but the explanation of the reason for the change.

However, the post office didn't really push anyone to use that two letter abbreviation until at least the late 60's / early 70's.
I remember still using the old 4 letter abbreviation for my state when I was high school, during the late 70's, so the change over was gradual, to say the least.

 

[Model1567]

Thanks for that info! I have seen some others that are confirmed as Orange County, with just the CA in lieu of the CAL, but as you say, they are same location and identical font and font size. I don’t plan on getting rid of it and hopefully I am able to confirm someday, just so I know the history of it.

Have you tried emailing S&W the gun's serial # and seeing what they have to say about it?
Might also be a good chance to ask if they were the one's who put the lettering on the gun.
If it was an LEO gun, chances are good, the factory order would've gone to some law office.....hopefully in Orange County, Calif. (see what I did there? )

 

[Draw4u]

Great and interesting information here! Thank you everyone for chiming in! I did send the serial number to S&W and they were not able to tell me much about it other than it was made in 1975, but I guess there is another department there that I can pay and they can do some deeper research? Not really sure.

 

[Model1567]

Great and interesting information here! Thank you everyone for chiming in! I did send the serial number to S&W and they were not able to tell me much about it other than it was made in 1975, but I guess there is another department there that I can pay and they can do some deeper research? Not really sure.

Sounds like things have changed.
I wrote to them 20+ years ago, about why no .44 K-frame, and we ended trading about 3 or 4 emails.
If you're curious about the gun, it will always eat at you.
Pay the fee, and have them do the research.
Then you can sleep.
...btw, if I haven't said so already, that's a beautiful gun you have.
The 15 (and the 67) are among my faves...thus my name.