Lemuel Calhoun wrote, “Fun with Black Powder” ( linked via title bar), and has a short video clip that goes along with it. It reminded me that I have a similar replica cap and ball pistol. This picture is for you Lemuel; thanks for bringing back some nice memories.
I took it down to the Capitol Street Pistol Range one evening while on duty. The other police officers all wanted to take a look at the antique pistol, even though it was a replica it had the same effect as if it had been a hundred or so years old. I shot a few rounds and the muzzle flash was awesome, traveling down range and lighting up the shadows.
The picture shows a display box I made out of scraps and a piece of velvet from Lucy’s cloth box. I only had to pay for a piece of glass and a package of brass corners. I used to keep a couple of one carat man made diamonds that were gifts given to police officers by one of the local jewelry stores; but when my house got broken into several years ago those disappeared. I was surprised the thieves didn’t take this pistol. They did manage to steal my Smith & Wesson Model 19, 357 duty pistol, the one that had a sterling silver and gold “butt plate” with my name and badge number engraved on it. They would have gotten more had I not been walking in the front door while they were in the house. There was a trail of rifles and shotguns that they’d abandoned as they scurried out the back window of my daughter’s room. It’s just as well I wasn’t aware of their presence when I was unlocking the front door or somebody would have had a really rotten day. The diamonds that were taken didn’t have much of a dollar value, all the same they looked really neat against the blue velvet background.
Several years after the burglary I got a call from the Sheriff’s Department to inform me that my pistol had been recovered, without the fancy butt plate. I had already settled with my home owners insurance company so technically it belonged to them. I called State Farm and told them about it and they let me buy it back from them; I think I paid them a hundred dollars, about what I’d paid for it when it was new and I was graduating from the Academy. I’d long since purchased a newer and heavier Smith, the model 586, to use as my primary duty weapon. I ended up selling the model 19 to a young man I knew who had become a security guard in the area where I patrolled at night. He was thrilled to have it at a very reasonable price and I was glad to be able to help out.
I took it down to the Capitol Street Pistol Range one evening while on duty. The other police officers all wanted to take a look at the antique pistol, even though it was a replica it had the same effect as if it had been a hundred or so years old. I shot a few rounds and the muzzle flash was awesome, traveling down range and lighting up the shadows.
The picture shows a display box I made out of scraps and a piece of velvet from Lucy’s cloth box. I only had to pay for a piece of glass and a package of brass corners. I used to keep a couple of one carat man made diamonds that were gifts given to police officers by one of the local jewelry stores; but when my house got broken into several years ago those disappeared. I was surprised the thieves didn’t take this pistol. They did manage to steal my Smith & Wesson Model 19, 357 duty pistol, the one that had a sterling silver and gold “butt plate” with my name and badge number engraved on it. They would have gotten more had I not been walking in the front door while they were in the house. There was a trail of rifles and shotguns that they’d abandoned as they scurried out the back window of my daughter’s room. It’s just as well I wasn’t aware of their presence when I was unlocking the front door or somebody would have had a really rotten day. The diamonds that were taken didn’t have much of a dollar value, all the same they looked really neat against the blue velvet background.
Several years after the burglary I got a call from the Sheriff’s Department to inform me that my pistol had been recovered, without the fancy butt plate. I had already settled with my home owners insurance company so technically it belonged to them. I called State Farm and told them about it and they let me buy it back from them; I think I paid them a hundred dollars, about what I’d paid for it when it was new and I was graduating from the Academy. I’d long since purchased a newer and heavier Smith, the model 586, to use as my primary duty weapon. I ended up selling the model 19 to a young man I knew who had become a security guard in the area where I patrolled at night. He was thrilled to have it at a very reasonable price and I was glad to be able to help out.
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