My 1922 HE 44 special and 1951 Austin PD pre model 10 UT Austin sniper significance.

[Topduarte]

Picked this up from my buddy in trade as he wanted one of my colt revolvers.

First is a 1922 2nd model HE in 44 special with cut barrel and old bone grips. Gonna clean up both revolvers now with rain outside here in central Texas. Relaxes me. Came with a Gunskin holster.

Second is I believe 1951 or 52 pre 10 that was issued to Austin, Texas police officer George Shepard 5 years after the UT Austin tower shooting that claimed 12 lives on August 1, 1966. He was one of the officers who went to end the tragedy that day. Buddy also gave me his baton with "APD W342" stamped on it, Time magazine from 8-12-1966 and a copy of the APD gun issued ledger showing he acquired it on 2-1-1971. Value was noted as $41.70. It was sent back I believe in March 1966 based on stamp showing "3 66" and "SW" on left side under the grips. Correct me if I am incorrect.

Here are pics of the 1922 HE. MODEL # 18847.

 

[Topduarte]

Pics of pre model 10.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

WRT the .44 HE Target, the B under the barrel indicates it left the factory blued. On the .38 M&P, the S <> indicates a refinish in standard blue (S Diamond, not SW). The diamond is poorly struck.

 

[Topduarte]

Thank you Wiregrassguy

 

[quinn]

A flat tire saved me from being one of Witman's victims. I had an appointment to meet a UT grad student on the 27th floor of the tower that day. By the time I got to the campus police had begun to barricade, and I was stopped. The grad student I was meeting was the first(?) person the sniper killed as he got off the elevator at the top floor . The translation pages of the book that student was translating for me were never found. It took almost 2 years before UT returned the book to me.

BTW. congratulations on your trades. I have 2 APD guns (pre 10 snubby and 27-2). Like you I was fortunate to get copies of the appropriate blue cards. The 357 was carried by an officer who was later killed when he interruped a rape. The snubby had been stolen from its officer but 10 years later was recovered and reissued. Austin had such good records.

 

[greenwellg]

I remember the Austin sniper tragedy. It made the shortcomings crystal clear when it came to longer range capabilities of the police departments nationwide as well as protective gear. God bless the lost souls and the heroes that risked (and lost) their lives to stop the sniper. I was getting ready to go into the 11th grade and my oldest brother (now deceased) had just graduated high school.

 

[Topduarte]

Wow, circumstances play a role in our lives. Thanks to all. Happy 4th of July

 

[DWalt]

Closest I have to anything related to the TT shooting is a .25 ACP Galesi pistol like the one that was found in Charles Whitman's possessions after the event. For a long time it was my carry gun.

 

[robertrwalsh]

If I remember correctly a private citizen and a cop were the guys who ended the situation. I also seem to remember that the cops commandeered a Brinks truck to pick up the wounded around the tower. (Also Whitman had an undiagnosed brain tumor found during the postmortem. Had he made it to trial he very possibly would have been found not guilty for that reason.)

 

[Claymore33]

There was a rumor about a tumor , was how the parody song started after the shooting. I was 10 years old and had been dropped off at Camp Longhorn days before. We listened to the whole thing on transistor radio, wondered If he could could shoot all the way to Burnet.