Anyone familiar with the acronym, "TDC?"

[Babalooie]

I recently purchased a Model 65-2 in a GB auction. It was in pretty rough condition, but that's the way I like them.

On the left side of the frame, under the cylinder, it has the following marking, possibly roll marked or stamped: "TDC 61758."
I'm guessing the "TDC" part represents a state or local Department of Corrections. Is anyone familiar with this type of marking?

 

[lebomm]

Texas Department of Corrections is the official name of the Texas prison system.

 

[pawncop]

Yep, Texas Department of Corrections.

 

[clang444]

If it was an engine, it would mean Top Dead Center...

 

[Rufus]

TDC - Texas Department of Corrections

 

[zonker5]

Texas Department of Corrections is the official name of the Texas prison system.

It's been changed to the more politically correct "Texas Department of Criminal Justice".

 

[Babalooie]

Texas Department of Corrections is the official name of the Texas prison system.

Yep, Texas Department of Corrections.

TDC - Texas Department of Corrections

It's been changed to the more politically correct "Texas Department of Criminal Justice".

That was one of my guesses. The other was Tennessee Department of Corrections.

 

[Babalooie]

If it was an engine, it would mean Top Dead Center...

That was one of the first things I thought of.

 

[sellersm]

If it was an engine, it would mean Top Dead Center...

Yeah that was my first thought as well!


Sent from my fat fingers using Tapatalk

 

[A10]

Tammy Dated Chris?????

 

[shouldazagged]

Too Damn Complicated...

 

[A10]

maybe, Talking Dog, Cheap???

 

[Road Rat]

That was one of the first things I thought of.

With todays computerized engines do they even use such things any more???

I stopped going under the hood when computers got added!!!

 

[Babalooie]

Tammy Dated Chris?????

Oh, no. She said I was the only one.

 

[Dave in N GA]

TDC means "thin dense chrome" in the Bearing industry. It's a commercial name for the "Armaloy" process. Don't know if it's seen much now-a-days but back some years it was a fantastic way to improve upon stainless steel since it was not only impervious to chemicals and corrosion. It also reduced the friction coefficient. A kind of self lubricated surface. I own a model 36 which has been Armaloyed and it's great.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

I always thought TDC was Tampa department of corrections.They where known to have ordered DAO model 65's.

 

[L Pete]

As a former Texas Dept. of Corrections officer, whom worked prior to the introduction of the Model 65, I saw many, many older (and I do mean older) Smith & Wesson revolvers. They used and abused M & Ps and Model 10s, to the point that most of the forum members would be scared to pull the trigger on one of the guns with a round in the chamber. I don't think that this revolver came from the Texas Dept. of Corrections as a Model 65 is chamber for 357 Magnum. As far as I know, they only issued 38 Special revolvers and still do to this date. I may be wrong, but a 357 just seems wrong for them thinking of their administration and how it works.

Some of the old guns I refer to above had the sides of their barrels worn completely away for an inch or so from the muzzle due to extreme holster wear. When I say worn away, I mean you could see the rifling in the bores of the non-worn side from a side view of the revolver, without looking down the bore. Lock-up on some was non-existent, and yes, they were carried in that condition. I know that sometime after I quit, they bought a large lot of Ruger Security/Service Sixes to begin abusing.

Maybe someone from Tennessee can verify that the Model 65 came from there or possibly somewhere else.

 

[Babalooie]

I don't think that this revolver came from the Texas Dept. of Corrections as a Model 65 is chamber for 357 Magnum. As far as I know, they only issued 38 Special revolvers and still do to this date. I may be wrong, but a 357 just seems wrong for them thinking of their administration and how it works.

Interesting. Thanks for your input. This gun was heavily abused. When I first received it, I showed it to my boss (I work in a gun shop) and we both cringed. I told him it would look much better after I spent a little time on it.

The rubber grips were so bad, I threw them away and just saved the screw and nut.

The rest of the gun had many scratches, dings and digs. It was so bad that, after spending hours with sand paper, wire brushes and Scotch Brite pads, I gave up and took it to the wire wheel.

The "TDC" control number is only half there. The lower portion was worn when I received the gun.

Yesterday, I took it to work and showed it to my boss. He was amazed. It's still not a barbecue gun by any means, but I wouldn't be ashamed to take it out in public.

Will try to post some photos later. I wish I had taken some before shots, but was "too busy."

If I can ever make it under the five gun limit, I'll try to get some info from Roy. He may be able to shed some light on the subject.

 

[CGhelofxr]

If it was an engine, it would mean Top Dead Center...

What He Said

 

[Elkins45]

If I can ever make it under the five gun limit, I'll try to get some info from Roy. He may be able to shed some light on the subject.

Forgive me for contributing to thread drift (though I'm clearly not the only one ) but what is the "five gun limit"?

 

[Babalooie]

Forgive me for contributing to thread drift (though I'm clearly not the only one ) but what is the "five gun limit"?

Roy provides members of the Smith and Wesson Collectors Association with the factory ship date for their guns. He will do five requests at a time. If he didn't have that limit, he'd be overwhelmed with requests. Considering this is a free service provided by him, I think that's only fair.

 

[L Pete]

As a side note to my post above, I don't think the Texas Dept. of Corrections has ever, nor will they ever trade-in or sell any of their old firearms. When I worked there, they had Smith & Wesson revolvers, very old Winchester Model 1894s and 94s, Winchester 351 SLRs, L. C. Smith and Parker Brothers shotguns along with more modern Remmy 870s, and Universal 30 Carbines. That was their light stuff. Where I worked they had BARs, Thompsons, Ingrams, and a few 1919 Brownings which were stored for immediate use if needed. I'm pretty sure they are stored probably as they were 40 plus years ago. I was working there when the Attica New York Prison incident was going on, and for several nights, I was posted at the Back Gate with an Ingram in my lap. For those of you who don't know about Ingram Model 6, it's a copy ('sort of) of a Thompson SMG. At that point in my life, I had never fired a SMG, but did a couple of years later.

My greatest wish is to be able to walk through their inventory and cherry pick all that I wanted. I figure that heaven probably looks pretty close to that warehouse where they have all that stuff stored.

In those days, the unit I worked at was a bad place, and I can only imagine how bad it is now.

 

[TxShooter]

They're Texas guns. The prison museum in Huntsville has one on display that's equally worn. If you do a search for Texas prison industries you can find pictures of the inmate-produced leather gear.

 

[toddimusnimski]

What can you tell us about that unique cylinder release?

 

[Babalooie]

What can you tell us about that unique cylinder release?

This type of thumb release is sold by Hogue. I think it's made for competition shooting.

I bought it several months ago on a whim and thought I's use it to help spruce up that old model 65.

 

[ralph7]

As a former Texas Dept. of Corrections officer, whom worked prior to the introduction of the Model 65, I saw many, many older (and I do mean older) Smith & Wesson revolvers. They used and abused M & Ps and Model 10s, to the point that most of the forum members would be scared to pull the trigger on one of the guns with a round in the chamber. I don't think that this revolver came from the Texas Dept. of Corrections as a Model 65 is chamber for 357 Magnum. As far as I know, they only issued 38 Special revolvers and still do to this date. I may be wrong, but a 357 just seems wrong for them thinking of their administration and how it works.

Some of the old guns I refer to above had the sides of their barrels worn completely away for an inch or so from the muzzle due to extreme holster wear. When I say worn away, I mean you could see the rifling in the bores of the non-worn side from a side view of the revolver, without looking down the bore. Lock-up on some was non-existent, and yes, they were carried in that condition. I know that sometime after I quit, they bought a large lot of Ruger Security/Service Sixes to begin abusing.

Maybe someone from Tennessee can verify that the Model 65 came from there or possibly somewhere else.

I just stumbled on this post, you can't be serious, this must be a joke that I am missing.

 

[Slidemuzik]

I can not say what TDC stands for, but I have a different direction in which to look other than a Department of Corrections.

I had a Glock that I researched for years trying to discover what the MDC stood for. Like you, the first thing that came to mind was Department of Corrections. Mine had a largely illegible logo stamped with MDC, so I had a second way to confirm. I finally stumbled across the logo and lo and behold... the MDC was Missouri Department of Conservation. Fish and game warden.

I was curious enough to check, From Wikipedia...
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is a Cabinet-level agency within the government of the U.S. state of Tennessee, headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation.

The Department of Conservation was first created in 1937 by the State Government Reorganization Act of 1937. All areas used for state parks, monuments, and recreation were brought under a Division of Parks within the Department later that year. For a short while in the late 1950s and early 1960s the Department existed as the Department of Conservation and Commerce, but it was soon split, with the Department of Conservation regaining its name. The modern TDEC was created in 1991...

I am going on a hunch that the number is a badge number associated with the Tennessee Department of Conservation.
Check with them and see what you can find out.

 

[L Pete]

Well, Ralph 7, I wasn't joking. That is "for real". You should have seen the bores and chambers of these revolvers. They were very badly corroded from the "Bosses" taking the old round nose lead bullets and pushing them into a cut clove of garlic. The theory behind this was that if the bullet wound didn't get him, blood poisoning would, as something in the garlic would react with the lead in the cartridge. I don't know if that is true, but I know all the old "Bosses" did it.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

If it was an engine, it would mean Top Dead Center...

If you were reading flags it would be Tango Delta Charlie

 

[mjr]

Some of the old guns I refer to above had the sides of their barrels worn completely away for an inch or so from the muzzle due to extreme holster wear. When I say worn away, I mean you could see the rifling in the bores of the non-worn side from a side view of the revolver, without looking down the bore.

I have an early-1930s 6" M&P that's stamped "S.H. & P.W.C" on the rear tang. That stands for "State Highway & Public Works Commission," which was the name of the North Carolina prison system from the 1930s into the 50s. (The convicts built the roads, you see.) Anyhow, the muzzle is considerably worn away from holster wear on the left side--but nowhere near an inch! That is incredible!