Detroit PD gun picture thread?!!!!

Just picked this DPD Colt Cobra up DPD#17442 It is a little rough I have found that Fords custom guns will refinish this gun and I may do some selective refinishing of the cylinder and yoke and possibly the barrel. I will not refinish the whole gun as it is takes away all of it's history. I am looking for a set of factory cobra grips in rough shape to put on this gun if anybody has any they want to part with for a reasonable price. These hip grips are what a lot of DPD cops used or just a few rubber bands around the grip.
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Not a DPD firearm but just as cool Ths is 1 of 2 known to exist Detroit Police Callbox posts with the light on top. My setup is missing the DPD marked flasher relay that would have been mounted on the post to control the light on top. The Call box is the very rare less then 15-20 known to exist 1895 marked Gamewell call box. This box predates the name change to Detroit Police and also the change from city wide call boxes to precinct style call box system.

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Sorry for the messy picture (home renovations). It's final resting place all 10ft tall 500#'s of it is my parents retirement house my father use's it as a night light.
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A friend george patak posing with the box
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Lovin your stuff, Joe. Made many a “pull” at those boxes walking a beat on E. Jefferson. The Hip Grip was very popular. Still have mine. Barami, the mfg, was located on 7 Mile Road at one time. Originally they came with only the hook side. Later editions included both grip sides. The FBI rubber band grip resulted in lots of dropped pieces during dancing at cop weddings.
 
I had been looking for an M&P airweight for 10+ years and last year I found 2 the other was rather expensive this was an amazing deal with a awesome story. This gun belonged to a 98 year old retired Womens division officer. See way back in 1947 women didn't work the streets of Detroit they were assigned to the Womens Division where they worked on women problems and child abuse issues etc. They did not even get the same badge as a male Detroit police officer. But they did get a M&P airweight and a gun purse. I asked her if all the women had these blued steel guns and she said yes none that she new were issued the nickel plated 2" or 5" barreled guns. This has to be my number one favorite gun in my collection behind my Coleman Young 00001DPD glock22.
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Lovin your stuff, Joe. Made many a “pull” at those boxes walking a beat on E. Jefferson. The Hip Grip was very popular. Still have mine. Barami, the mfg, was located on 7 Mile Road at one time. Originally they came with only the hook side. Later editions included both grip sides. The FBI rubber band grip resulted in lots of dropped pieces during dancing at cop weddings.


Bottom center is my fathers OD model 36. He had to have another officer buy for him when he graduated from the academy as he was to young (19) to buy himself. I had it rebuild hammer bobbed and replated for him a few years ago I also had is Po badge engraved on the side plate. He still uses the Rubber band grips to 45 years after he got the gun. The only holsters he has ever owned for any gun were his Dept issued holsters!! and yes that gun as bounced across a few dance floors and maybe a Walmart parking lot some where in South Dakota. If that gun could talk it was used to catch a bank robber in the 80's and caught a few neighbored hoodlums in the 90's and a backed up a Harper Woods Pd officer in the 2000's all with rubberbands on the grip. He even had rubber bands on his personal owned duty carried 25-2.
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hi guys , what is a The FBI rubber band grip ???

If you look at the post above in the picture is my fathers model 36 with rubber bands wrapped around the grip. I have never really herd it called the FBI grip until this forum but all the old time Detroit Police officers did this my father still uses rubberbands to this day and does not own a single holster for a gun other then his Dept issued duty belt ones. It was to keep the gun from sliding down your pant leg for the most part it worked unless you started dancing or running lol. For a long time when i was a kid 80-90's he did have a metal barrel clip for this gun that he used but it broke and he could never find another one or who made the original one.
 
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hi guys , what is a The FBI rubber band grip ???
how about a picture, sorry losing the idea ??
 
hi guys , what is a The FBI rubber band grip ???
how about a picture, sorry losing the idea ??

Hmm not sure how many more pics you want? I posted it twice (yes part of it is cut off) and explained what it is not sure what more you are looking for. The only other thing I can tell you is take one of your revolvers put 1 or 2 1/8 wide rubber bands around the upper part of the grip and there you go.
 
Detroit PD carbine

Here’s another Detroit PD M1 carbine. It’s a Winchester produced in September, 1943. Winchester barrel and receiver and a mix of other GI parts. The marked stock appears to be commercial. I use a GI stock for shooting. Same precinct and very close id number to one that moosedog posted.
 

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Hi:
Re:The letters and numbers "DPD 12345" on the revolvers' back strap- how were they added? Hand stamped or by machine?
Thanks,
Jimmy

I was just about to ask the same question.......sombody tell me and Mr. Jimmy what's what! Did the department add them or were they done at the factory as part of the special order?
 
Those are hand engraved DPD stock number. My DPD Winchester has them hand engraved as well as stamped on the side of the receiver. All DPD m1's were surplus with the exception they had some universals.
 
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I was going through the safe and found another not normal DPD marked gun its a M&P# DPD8303 but blue steel instead of nickel. There are different reasons I have herd why they were blued one reason they were issued to womens division so they were never going to see street use which is possible but more likely it was because nickel was need for the war effort. I would love to find out from S&W but the letters have gotten to be to expensive for what they are in my opinion. The other pic is all the DPD .38 M&P's issued including the airweight.

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Long time silent observer of this thread and all I can say is you all have a bunch of wonderful, unique pieces that serve as a visual history to the Detroit Police Department's many firearms throughout history. With that being said, here is my blued Detroit Police Department Smith & Wesson Model 14-3 6" which was produced in 1975. From what I understand this unique piece was used by the coveted Detroit Police Pistol Team of the era. The reason that this particular Smith & Wesson K-Frame is marked on the frame of the revolver rather the backstrap is due to the grooved backstrap.

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Long time silent observer of this thread and all I can say is you all have a bunch of wonderful, unique pieces that serve as a visual history to the Detroit Police Department's many firearms throughout history. With that being said, here is my blued Detroit Police Department Smith & Wesson Model 14-3 6" which was produced in 1975. From what I understand this unique piece was used by the coveted Detroit Police Pistol Team of the era. The reason that this particular Smith & Wesson K-Frame is marked on the frame of the revolver rather the backstrap is due to the grooved backstrap.

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That is a great gun with a neat background.

Watch out for those triggers boys, S&W single actions can be a bit touchy...:D
 
Livernois ( gotta be a Detroiter to know how to pronounce that street) thanks for the post and the photo. I think I know the 2 guys on the right. #1 was a partner with my neighbor in TMU. Do you have a narrative for the photo with names?
 
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Hey all,

Picked this little Detroit Police Department Colt Cobra DPD#: 17449 up over the summer on a trade. What's neat about this Colt Cobra is its only a few rack numbers higher than Aerojoe's which he posted on the previous page. I have a feeling my grips are not original, however I do think these grips look excellent on this piece regardless.

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Recent Detroit Police Department marked firearm acquisition. This is a Smith & Wesson 10-5 with a lanyard ring attached to the butt of the gun. From my understanding, I know historically the Department's Mounted Unit had lanyard rings on their department issued duty weapons. Interestingly enough, I know some other large agencies such as NYPD's motorman unit (motorcycle cops) also had lanyards on their service weapons. I wonder if the department's Harbor Master unit also had lanyards on their service weapons? I know Aerojoe has a pre-model 10 that came from a Mounted member.

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