I have a couple of questions regarding the Handguns used by the U.S. Marshals. I know that they currently carry Glock pistols.

But did they ever issue revolvers? And what revolvers did they issue?

The last time I saw a Deputy US Marshal, she was Glocked up.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

USM's are pretty wide open. Glock is standard now, but the backup can be anything that meets a checklist. Back in the day, each judicial district did its own hiring, and the choice of firearm was as varied as the hiring practices. I've seen almost everything on a hip . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Yep. They definitely carried revolvers once.

Looks like an SAA to me.

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Most likely not gov't issue . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

My coworker's husband is a deputy marshal. She says he carries a Glock.

I saw one buying a S&W M-19 with 2.5 inch bbl., but this was probably 30 years ago. It was a private purchase, but he wanted the gun for duty use. I'd seen him in the news and recognized him and heard his name.

He was unhappy that the dealer wouldn't sell the gun to him as a Fed as cheaply as a local officer could buy one.

A museum in Ft. Smith, AR has a display of bad guy guns and some carried by US Marshals. The vast majority were Colt SAA's, refective of that era, the 1870's to maybe 1900.

I think they had SIG P-226's recently. Didn't realize that they'd adopted Glocks.

What a coincidence, I was wondering what firearms they are allowed to use to.

Hey, y'all wanna see some serious eye candy you need to whip on down to Waco in the Heart O Texas and visit the Texas Ranger Museum. But I warn you, don't even bother to start that unless you have a couple of days. No way you can do that place justice in just one day. I mean it. They have piles and piles of "Bar B Q gun" and bad guy guns galore. All the guns are not from the distant past either. Lots of recent LEOs like former Harris County Sherrif Johnny Clevenhagen have donated their shooters. to the museum.

Them Texas Rangers were a vain bunch. They sure had some purdy guns!!

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Real men love cats!

From the mid 1970s until recently the U.S. Marshals in Alaska carried what they wanted within reason. Cocked and locked custom Colt 45s were popular as well as Model 66 and 19 Smiths in 2 1/2 and four inch barrels. One or two carried 3 1/2 inch Model 27s.

Now they are required to carry the Glock.

I got to visit there for the first time in December last year. The experience was like a little slice of heaven for me. So much history. For anyone that is into firearms it is an amazing display/collection. From what I heard they have so many guns that they rotate them out several times a year so that the ones displayed aren't always out all year long. The Texas Ranger Museum is a must see for anyone visiting the Lone Star State.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

IIRC (?) U.S. Marshalls / Sky Marshalls in the late 1970s / early 1980s were issued S&W Model 12 4" RB. I knew one Sky Marshall that carried a S&W Model 29 6 6.5" in a Galco "Miami Classic Shoulder Rig, which indicated to me that there were some that were allow to carried private owned weapons.

What was he planning on doing - shooting down the darn plane?

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

IIRC, up until the late 90s when they switched to Glocks the standard issue gun was a 3" Ruger GP100 with fixed sights. I don't know what ammo they issued. I don't know when they started issuing the Rugers.

Also, before they switched to Glocks they had a pretty liberal duty gun carry policy. IIRC, if you could qualify high enough, you could carry just about any DA handgun (there may have been other restrictions) once you completed either probation or 1 year of service (I can't remember which). I think they've tightened it up since then. I do believe a back-up gun is still allowed.

Not to be too picky, but too many people keep lumping everybody whose title includes the term "marshal" together. Don't. It doesn't have any specific meaning beyond "officer" or such. The Federal Air Marshals have nothing to do with the US Marshal Service other than that the first "sky marshals" back in the 1960s/70s came from the USMS, which is likely how the name stuck. Nowadays the USMS belongs to the Justice Dept., while the Air Marshals come under the TSA and Homeland Security; completely different agencies and missions. And the city and/or town marshals are yet again something completely different. And Marshal Matt Dillon was ficticious .

Matt Dillon was fictitious?
What about Miss Kitty?
She looked real to me!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Just to add a point . . . After 9/11, Everybody that worked for the federal government that carried a gun got to fly airplanes for a couple years if they wanted. The pay was awesome, your hotels were direct billed to the government, and it seemed like pretty good duty at first, but a week solid of flying, sleeping at odd hours, and ending your shift in Boise got to wearing on people. When the dust settled, Homeland Security started hiring Air Marshals . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I think the Sky Marshals that were operating in the 60s and 70s were under the US Customs Service, but they did have some DUSMs "on loan." At some point the Air Marshals fell under the FAA, I believe, until 9/11 and the TSA/DHS took over.

FAA started it in the early 60's to combat hijackings to Cuba, and officers worked under varying names and responsibilities until DHS took over at some point after 9/11

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

My Sister and BIL live in Tyler and when I was there about 4 years ago he took me and, you are right, can't see it all in just a couple of hours let alone a full day. What surprised me but, shouldn't have was the fact that when they started out they were almost like the bad guys their selves. Times really do change. I had never seen a Colts Dragoon until I visited there, real surprise how doggedly heavy they were. If you are ever there it is well worth your time to see it.

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I Cor. 10:13 "1611KJV"

From 2004-2008 I worked a retirement job as Special Deputy U.S. Marshal/Federal Court Security. At that time the USMS issue sidearm was the Glock 23 40Cal (still is) and issue ammo was the 165gr Gold Dot. Our issued ammo was subject to change periodically depending on the contract. Shortly after I left they went with Win. Ranger T. I never saw any revolvers except as backups. In the 1980s, when I did some work through the P.D. with the USMS most of the Deputies I knew carried a variety of semis(Beretta 92, Sig P226, P220, S&W 39 series) which were personally owned. There were some S&W M10 2 inch revolvers in the office vault but I never saw any of them being carried.

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S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s

If you think the Dragoon is heavy, heft a Colt Walker. It was designed by Colt, working with Texas Ranger captain Sam Walker, and the guns were used very effectively in the Mexican War. Alas, Walker was killed by Mexican lancers soon after receiving his revolvers from Sam Colt. One was serial numbered 1010. I think they were mainly for saddle holsters.

The .44 didn't become a practical belt revolver until the New Model Army .44 of 1860.

Mounted troops wearing belt holsters between the Mexican War and the Civil War often had M-1851 Navy .36's. Another name for the Navy .36 was the Belt Revolver. That suggests that Colt knew that most .44's were carried in saddle holsters.

These days, its the Glock 22 & 23 for the USMS. Back in the day, it was S&W Model 19's & 66's w/ 2.5 or 4" barrels. The old timers then carried 10's or 12s!

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"Non sibi, sed patriae"

back in the beginning I knew of one Air marshal that carried a Charter .44spec with light loads under a very soft hollow point... a fair number of guys carried them & shorter barreled mod 29's loaded with the same or similar ammo.. it was thought that they presented less danger of penetrating the cabin walls.

Just because someone is carrying a model 29 S&W does not mean he's using full tilt .44mag loads in it. I carry mid level .44spec's HP's in my 4" model 29 as a CCW gun when I feel that my Colt Agent snub is not enough.. It is very fast on accurate repeat shots. I can carry it CCW anywhere I could also carry a 1911A1 Gov't or Commander length pistol CCW. Just dress appropriately with any of them.

Back in the early to mid 1980's the US deputy marshals I knew carried what they wanted within reason if they qualified with it. I'm not sure when that policy changed.

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

All the people I knew or still know in the USMS carry Glock 22s. Lotta Glock 27s as BUGs.

Deputy US Marshal Sam Gerard had to have been real--I saw him on the big screen saying:

"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. Our fugitive has been on the run for 90 minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground, barring injuries, is 4 miles-an-hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want out of each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Your fugitive’s name is Dr. Richard Kimble. Go get him."

I am fond of saying this in my office and at home any time we lose something--just insert "CAR KEYS" or "The kittens" or "my cell phone" for "Richard Kimble." My son said it was funny the first 100 times I tried it. Not so much anymore.

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No school like the old school.

Sam McCloud carried either 4 3/4" or a 7 1/2" Colt Single Action Army.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The name Glaser Safety Slug popped a light for me after my last post on the early air marshals and their weapons...back in the mid to late 1970's.. but I admit to having an advanced case of CRS (Can't Remember Stuff)... senioritis.

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

After the Twin Towers, a friend of mine (A Special Agent with a Federal Wildlife Agency==I had done some CSI-type work with him) was assigned Air Marshal's Duty temporarily. As far as I know, he carried his duty Sig.