The COP .357 is an American 4-shot
Derringer-type
pistol chambered for
.357 Magnum. The
double-action 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 or a
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
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 "
pepperboxes" also used multiple barrels, but the barrels were the parts 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.
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 pisto ...
, based on his earlier work on the
Hillberg Insurgency Weapon. It was manufactured from 1979 to 1989 by COP Inc. of California, US (COP stood for ''C''ompact ''O''ff-Duty ''P''olice).
In 1990 it was manufactured by
American Derringer for a short time.
See also
*
Derringer
*
Heckler & Koch P11, a multi-barreled pistol that can be fired underwater
*
Lancaster Pistol, another rotating striker, break-action, multi-barreled pistol used from the mid 19th century until
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
*
Mossberg Brownie
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
.22 Winchester Magnum firearms
Multiple-barrel firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1983