Florida Shooters Network

Gather around children. Today we're going back to the far off year of 1995. Yup, we're going to talk about the transition to the Wonder-Nine. Let's get the time machine going. Okay, everyone is strapped and ready to go? Because where we're going. Accessory Rails and RMR Optics didn't exist yet.

HOLD ON! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



Woah dudes! We're back in 1995 and I swear, color existed. But Shotgun News wasn't and neither was some of the other gun publications. So you just have to imagine what color looked like. Anyways, today we're looking at some quality guns and the what led to the transition to the higher capacity Wonder-Nine.

First up is the Smith & Wesson Model 15 Combat Masterpiece.



The classic "K" Frame .38 S&W Special duty revolver. One variant or another of this wheel gun rode in the police holster for close to most of the 20th Century. A six shot, adjustable sight, double/single action gun. The quality that S&W put into these guns was fantastic. They were smooth shooting and capable for the era. The .38 S&W Special cartridge was and still is nothing to sneeze at. The 125gr SJHP +P load was a capable self defense round and Metro Dade PD put it to good use. How do I know? That's what my Father used back when he was a uniform patrolman for Metro Dade PD.



With HKS Speed Loaders, the gun was capable for most police shootings.



But there was another classic riding in cop holsters back then too.

Check out the rest of my article over at New Wave Firearms.

Until about 1990 it was rare to see LEO carrying pistols and few I did see were usually S&W model 459 or 659 series pistols. Only departments in S.FL. that I know authorized officers to carry 1911 series pistols back at that time was Pembroke Pines, Sweetwater and possibly Hialeah as I saw a uniformed motorcycle Hialeah officer carry one around that time. A family friend was a NMB police officer in 1985 and he carried a 4" S&W model 66 which I think was pretty rare at the time. He was "into" guns and had the factory wood grip replaced with a Pachmyre grip on his model 66. Most officers I saw carried S&W model 10 and some model 15. I don't think I ever saw Hogue rubber grip back then. I didn't see many LEO carrying Beretta 92 pistols in my area except FHP as most seemed to be carrying S&W 5906, Sig 226 or Miami PD with their Glock 17.
By 1990's every Tim Dick and Jane wanted a Winder-Nine and were selling or trading in the old outdated revolvers in droves. My father and I picked up bunch of collectable S&W revolvers and some Colt revolvers during that time for ridiculously cheap prices...which we still have in the safe.

My Father carried a 92SB before the military adopted it and he did put it to good use.



Dad's on the right, you can see the Beretta mags on his gun belt.

Thinking back on it now I remember a news story (maybe 20/20 or 60 Minutes) in the late 80's where they interviewed the Metro-Dade Police homicide detective who was involved in the investigating the 1986 FBI Pinecrest shootout. In the interview he said after investigating that shootout he went out and got a Beretta 92 pistol to replace his revolver as carry gun. That was about the time I started considering carrying hi-capacity pistol for my self-defense gun.

Carry a high capacity pistol as your main weapon. Then carry a S&W J frame as your back up. Hard to beat a S&W K frame. What ever works best for you.

Excellent thread and very cool pics!

A pic of what I used when I first started, a S&W Model 64 .38 special with Remington 125+P SJHP. Used that for the first 11 years of my 29 year career.



We transitioned over to the Beretta 92 9mm around 2001ish for my Bureau. Then finally the Glock 21 45acp.

Funny story, I was an instructor for our agency and taught the transition course for going from the revolver to the semi-auto. But they wouldn't let me carry the Beretta until I took the class that I taught! Red tape is a funny thing