L.A.P.D. MODEL 68-2

[CALREB]

Well if a model 67 or 64 barrel would fit, that modification could have easily been done at the armory. Not sure if model 67 and 68 frames are the same. We had barrel set back tools and such, but if someone had a forcing cone issue, we just replaced the barrel. It was alot easier. We had probably a couple hundred model 67 barrels sitting around. We converted many a model 14 to 4" for guys that no longer wanted to carry a 6" for whatever reason. I never saw a 68 that had a barrel change ( probably because you paid alot more for the 6" barrel with Los Angeles Police Dept on it) so why make it into a plain model 67. But guys came in all the time with strange request. I know the model 67-3 came with a wide rib barrel like a 68 but no ejector shroud. Hard to find.. I know if someone had walked in and wanted to swap out that barrel. I would have offered them a model 67 in trade and saved all the extra effort.
Here are my 67 and my wifes, both had barrel swaps done sometime during our careers.

 

[SmithNut]

Well if a model 67 or 64 barrel would fit, that modification could have easily been done at the armory. Not sure if model 67 and 68 frames are the same. We had barrel set back tools and such, but if someone had a forcing cone issue, we just replaced the barrel. It was alot easier. We had probably a couple hundred model 67 barrels sitting around. We converted many a model 14 to 4" for guys that no longer wanted to carry a 6" for whatever reason. I never saw a 68 that had a barrel change ( probably because you paid alot more for the 6" barrel with Los Angeles Police Dept on it) so why make it into a plain model 67. But guys came in all the time with strange request. I know the model 67-3 came with a wide rib barrel like a 68 but no ejector shroud. Hard to find.. I know if someone had walked in and wanted to swap out that barrel. I would have offered them a model 67 in trade and saved all the extra effort.
Here are my 67 and my wifes, both had barrel swaps done sometime during our careers.

Bob,

Really like the bottom M67 in your pic, should I guess that one is your's instead of your wife's? The front sight having a Patridge like sight is a give-away for a dedicated revolver competitor...

 

[CALREB]

Yes , you are right. It was a modification that was popular at one time with guys that shot a lot. They used older model 10/64 barrels that had pinned sights. Just replace the low front sight with in this case an early model 17 sight.


Thats kinda the point I was making in my above post. Guy come in with a model 68 and wants a 4" barrel. They could have put a 4" 64 barrel on it and replaced the front sight with a pinned blue steel ramp or one of the 17 sights. it would look just like mine just no barrel lug. Also I know at one time S/W made some 38 special model 66s,before 1982 because they had pinned barrels, if they were made like the 68s those barrels would mate up with the model 68 and the barrel would say 38 special SW , just not have the police logo on the side. Heck if S/W had those barrels you could have had them do it. Almost all those "special run" guns had left over parts in case something messed up.

 

[kbm6893]

Well I guess you could think that way. Truth being, Im sure there may have been some negligent discharges, and maybe a few cocked revolvers pointed at suspects in the day. But Im sure that even real experts would agree that its hard to keep 8000 or so people from making a few mistakes, especially given all the different stressful situations that might occur, like holstering while running or fighting, anytime the gun might be accidently cocked without you knowing it. Or cocked to shoot, and then for some reason not fired and possibly holstered that way under stress.
And yes I know the trigger still has to be pressed. But please ask yourself, if you would carry a revolver cocked. If the answer is NO, then why ?, if you are sure YOU would never touch the trigger. I don't carry S/A autos even with a safety, but that's me.
Personally I think that back in the day, some very forward thinking police firearms instructors, determined that there was absolutely NO reason to have a single action capability on a revolver used for defensive reasons. Training proved that you could shoot faster and with just as much accuracy shooting double action only. So the S/A capability became a liability, especially in large revolvers with target hammers (model 14) that might be cocked inadvertently during a scuffle, while holstering with a jacket or coat on , in the seatbelt of a vehicle,(happened to me once with a Border Patrol type holster in my youth) or whatever. If you were never going to use it why have the possibility of it causing a problem.
Along with the fact that doing this would eliminate the issues caused by the few bonehead people you are always going to have ,(especially in large groups)that would be tempted to do things their way.
An addition bit , LAPD did not allow hammerless revolvers until the late 90s or so. Believe it or not this was a holdover due to the old practice of training with reloads. Officers were trained to pull the hammer back slightly and check their training ammo for high primers. I must confess that I ran every wadcutter through my gun in the same manner before every pistol match, even if it as factory ammo. Until I got old and lazy.

Agreed. The NYPD authorized S&W and Ruger revolvers capable of being cocked even though they were advised not to do it. In February of 1985, NYPD officer Marvin Yearwood put his revolver to the head of Paul Fava, a kid suspected of breaking lightbulbs in a Bronx subway station, and cocked the hammer. Probably pulling a Dirty Harry act on him. BOOM! Blew the kid's head off. The city being as slow as it was to make change, it took until July of 1987 to go to DAO revolvers, the S&W Model 64 and Ruger Police Service Six, and then the Ruger GPNY. The city couldn't force the 35,000 cops carrying revolvers capable of being cocked to buy new ones, and they surely weren't gonna pay for new revolvers for 35,000 cops, so the cops who had the older guns were grandfathered in.

Although I never saw it, it used to be a joke to reach into the cop's holster in front of you standing roll call and cock the hammer on their revolver. The open top Jay-Pee holsters we used made it really easy to get to the hammer. It was poking right out of the top of it.

 

[SG-688]

Here are my 67 and my wifes, both had barrel swaps done sometime during our careers.

I also suspect a cut frame under the slim profile of that pair of Hurst grips on the one with the model 64 barrel.

 

[CALREB]

No, Dept issued guns, so no cut frames. They didnt belong to us until we
paid 68 dollars and retired.
John didnt want to miss out on selling grips to guys with Dept owned weapons. If you look at the front of those grips you see some rather well placed finger grooves to cover the portion of the grip frame that could be cut on privately owned guns.