Handguns used by the U.S Marshals.

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mg357

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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?
 
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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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mg357 said:
I have a couple of questions regarding the Handguns used by the U.S. Marshals.......

But did they ever issue revolvers? And what revolvers did they issue?
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Yep. They definitely carried revolvers once. ;)

Looks like an SAA to me.
 

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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.
 
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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!! ;)
 
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.
 
Walkin' Jack said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
jimmyj said:
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.
Click to expand...

What was he planning on doing - shooting down the darn plane?
 
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.
 
jimmyj said:
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....
Click to expand...

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 :).
 
Absalom said:
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 :).
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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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Absalom said:
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 :).
Click to expand...

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.
 
ContinentalOp said:
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.
Click to expand...

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
 
Walkin' Jack said:
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!! ;)
Click to expand...

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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