The COP .357 is a 4-shot
Derringer
A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver nor a semi/ fully automatic pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. ...
-type
pistol chambered for
.357 Magnum
The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...
. The
double-action
Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer.
*Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action f ...
weapon is about twice as wide, and substantially heavier than the typical
.25 automatic pistol, though its relatively compact size and powerful cartridge made it an option for a
defensive weapon
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...
or a
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
backup gun.
Design
The COP .357 is quite robust in design and construction. It is made of solid stainless steel components. Cartridges are loaded into the four separate chambers by sliding a latch that "pops-up" the barrel for loading purposes, similar to top-break shotguns. Each of the four chambers has its own dedicated firing pin. It uses an internal hammer, which is activated by depressing the trigger to hit a ratcheting/rotating striker that in turn strikes one firing pin at a time. Older "
pepperbox
The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel firearm, mostly in the form of a handgun, that has three or more gun barrels in a coaxially revolving m ...
es" also used multiple barrels, but the barrels were the part that rotated. The COP .357 operates similarly to the
Sharps Derringer of the 1850s, in that it uses the ratcheting/rotating striker, which is completely internal, to fire each chamber in sequence.
Two complaints about the COP .357 are that it is too heavy to be used as a backup gun, and that the trigger pull is too heavy for rapid fire, even heavier than most modern revolvers.
A smaller caliber version the "MINI COP" was also manufactured in
.22 Magnum
The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, also called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, .22 WMRF, .22 MRF, or .22 Mag, is a rimfire cartridge. Originally loaded with a bullet weight of delivering velocities in the range from a rifle barrel, .22 WMR is now loaded ...
.
History and usage
It was designed by
Robert Hillberg
Robert Hillberg (August 27, 1917 – August 12, 2012) was a firearm designer and the head of Research & Development at the High Standard Manufacturing Company. His designs included the folding shotgun stock, the Whitney Wolverine lightweight pis ...
, based on his earlier work on the
Hillberg Insurgency Weapon. It was manufactured from 1983 to 1989 by the now defunct COP Inc. of California, US (COP stood for ''C''ompact ''O''ff-Duty ''P''olice). In 1990 it was manufactured by
American Derringer
American Derringer Corporation is an American manufacturer of firearms, based in Waco, Texas. The company was founded by Robert A. Saunders and Elizabeth Saunders in 1980 and makes a variety of derringers and small pocket pistols.
History
Founde ...
for a short time.
See also
*
Derringer
A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver nor a semi/ fully automatic pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. ...
*
Heckler & Koch P11
The HK P11 is a Heckler & Koch pistol designed as an underwater firearm that was developed in 1976. It has five barrels and each fires a 7.62 X 36mm dart electrically. Loading is by means of a five-round case. The design resembles that of a peppe ...
, a multi-barreled pistol that can be fired underwater
*
Lancaster Pistol
The Lancaster Pistol was a multi-barrelled (2 or 4 barrels) handgun produced in England in the mid-late 19th century, chambered in a variety of centrefire pistol calibres—chiefly .38 S&W, .450 Adams, .455 Webley, and .577 inch. The designer, Lond ...
, another cartridge-firing break-action multi-barreled pistol used from the mid 19th century until
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
*
Mossberg Brownie
The Mossberg Brownie is a four shot, .22 Long Rifle pistol, similar to a derringer or pepperbox, produced by O.F. Mossberg & Sons from 1920 to 1932.James, Gary. "Handguns". ''Guns & Ammo'', February 2003 The Brownie is based on an earlier pisto ...
References
External links
Leon's Gun: Mother's DefenderHow a COP .357 Derringer works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cop 357 Derringer
Derringers
Pistols of the United States
.357 Magnum firearms
Multiple-barrel firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1983