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  • SQLGeek

    Muh state lines
    Sep 22, 2017
    9,591
    96
    Richmond
    Nice gun. I have been looking at Charter myself recently for a knock around pocket gun.

    Gotta be the second dumbest idea

    I hadn't ever heard of this. Googled it and holy moly....you're right. That's a bad idea that should stay in the 20th century.
     

    jar

    Active Member
    Aug 26, 2008
    385
    46
    The Valley
    Jar,

    Count yourself LUCKY. - In the "PC World of 2020", I would not want to be a rookie/young LEO. = I did my "time in the barrel" when most people still thought well of peace officers.

    Truthfully, if this current "SJW thing" goes on much longer, I don't know where we will find decent folks to BE a Peace Officer.
    (I worked for a couple of years in Upstate NY & hardly anybody that I knew is still on the job, IF they could retire. LOTS of other LEOs, who didn't have enough time in to retire, have simply QUIT.)

    SAD SITUATION, imVho.

    yours, satx

    We always need to remember that Law Enforcement, the Military and Civilians all face different threats and risks as well as different needs and constraints.

    One of the major problems being a LEO these days is pretty much the same as what we face in infrastructure. Decisions were made to not fund maintenance, upkeep and upgrade of our infrastructure and also in funding the services that address the basic causes of violence and crime.

    It's not an issue of "PC" but rather an issue that we decided to defund the basic societal root safety nets and have continued that practice for a half century now. Instead we expected our Law Enforcement to become the medical clinicians, social workers, maintenance workers and odd job folk.

    Didn't work in LE or Infrastructure but will most likely take at least another half century to correct.
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
    96
    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Named after the initial modifier.

    I have seen such pistols before, just never knew there was a name attached to that particular modifications.

    Ed McGivern, the old fast draw exhibition shooter from the 1930's, 1940's and up into the 1950's used several revolvers with the trigger guards modded in such a fashion.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McGivern
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
    96
    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Nice gun. I have been looking at Charter myself recently for a knock around pocket gun.



    I hadn't ever heard of this. Googled it and holy moly....you're right. That's a bad idea that should stay in the 20th century.

    Yes, it does! I did see a Glock that was modded with NO trigger guard on Gunbroker for sale some years ago. The seller was asking stupid money for the pistol. I'll see if I can locate some pictures of it.
     

    Geezer

    Mostly Peaceful
    TGT Supporter
    Jul 23, 2019
    5,221
    96
    Silsbee, Texas
    A buddy back in SC probably Fitzed as many revolvers as Fitzgerald did. Many times when he would acquire a short barrel S&W or Colt, he would do a Fitz job on it. He always would say that all of the others in the world would be worth more.

    Bill Jordan would narrow the trigger guard on his revolvers. I've wanted to do this to my old Model 36 but I just haven't done it yet.
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
    96
    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    A buddy back in SC probably Fitzed as many revolvers as Fitzgerald did. Many times when he would acquire a short barrel S&W or Colt, he would do a Fitz job on it. He always would say that all of the others in the world would be worth more.

    Bill Jordan would narrow the trigger guard on his revolvers. I've wanted to do this to my old Model 36 but I just haven't done it yet.

    John Wayne would use many of his own personal weapons in his movies. Several of his SAA Colts were modified with larger trigger guards to accommodate his large hands.
     

    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
    Lifetime Member
    Oct 4, 2013
    24,110
    96
    Gunz are icky.
    I've been wanting to try out the Charter Arms .32mag gun called the "professional".
    Haven't seen one in the wild yet.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    John Wayne would use many of his own personal weapons in his movies. Several of his SAA Colts were modified with larger trigger guards to accommodate his large hands.
    Roy Scheider ("Chief Brody") & John Wayne are the only 2 actors that I can think offhand that used their own weapons in their movies. = Most movie guns & the vintage cars are RENTED from a prop house.
    (Roy Scheider bought his from DCM, before CMP was established. IF I remember correctly he paid about 50 bucks for it. - I read that in some article about the making of JAWS.)



    yours, satx
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
    96
    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Roy Scheider ("Chief Brody") & John Wayne are the only 2 actors that I can think offhand that used their own weapons in their movies. = Most movie guns are RENTED from a prop house.
    (Roy Scheider bought his from DCM, before CMP was established. IF I remember correctly he paid about 50 bucks for it. - I read that in some article about the making of JAWS.)

    yours, satx

    Chuck Connors. He owned one of the rifles that was modified for the series, The Rifleman. Tom Selleck. Owned a couple of the rifles used in the movie, Quigley Down Under. One of them he donated to the NRA Museum.
     

    smittyb

    TGT Addict
    Nov 12, 2009
    3,062
    96
    Cut N Shoot
    I’m sorta amazed at how many gun people hadn’t heard of a Fitz special.
    Serious question, do you all not subscribe to gun rags?
     

    rmantoo

    Cranky old fart: Pull my finger
    Jan 9, 2013
    814
    76
    San Angelo
    I am far too clumsy, uncoordinated, and unlucky to every consider carrying a Fitz-ed revolver for self defense; ALmost guaranteed I'd end up with an AD at some point, probably going through my thigh or hip when re-holstering.
     

    ZX9RCAM

    Over the Rainbow bridge...
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    May 14, 2008
    59,740
    96
    The Woodlands, Tx.
    I’m sorta amazed at how many gun people hadn’t heard of a Fitz special.
    Serious question, do you all not subscribe to gun rags?

    I had heard of it before, but didn't remember what it was, until I googled it.
    No, I don't get gun magazines.
    But, I used to buy them years ago.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    I had to Google it myself. I have seen those types of pistols before, but didn't know that they were "Fitz" modified.

    Axxe55,

    A large percent of "Fitz Specials" were NOT modified by FITZ. - In fact a considerable number were modified for Flag Officers & civilian "big shots" at the various military depots, in CONUS & elsewhere.

    I find those rather amusing as a FITZ was made for CLOSE QUARTERS gunfighting, where a second or fraction of a second is sometimes the difference in living/dying BUT I've seen any number of "FITZ-ed" handguns with LONG barrels so modified..
    (As far as WORTHLESS as a modification, I can see NO GOOD USE for a FITZ-ed handgun with a 6-8.5" barrel & little use for a 4" barreled "FITZ-ed" handgun. - The idea is to further improve the CLOSE quarters speed of using a short-barreled handgun at perhaps 20M or even much less.)

    Btw, about 15 years ago the NYSP did a study on police vs criminal shooting, where one or both persons were hit.
    The most common distance where one or both parties were wounded/killed was 9 FEET or about 3M.
    (There were FEW "hits" beyond 15M by either "cops" or "robbers".)

    Btw, when I went to the police academy LONG AGO (like a HALF CENTURY ago!!), we spent a lot of time on the firing range doing SLOW FIRE, SINGLE ACTION & where possible from a COVERED & CONCEALED position in the KNEELING or SITTING position. - About the ONLY semi-autos that police in TX used then were Colt's .45ACP (or near the Mexican border, .38SUPER) & even then most departments REQUIRED a SENIOR OFFICER to approve the use of a SA on duty.
    (Btw, given how POORLY that a large percentage of LEOs shoot today, I wonder IF most PO would not be better off with, .38SPL/.357MAG revolvers & only be allowed to carry another sort of handgun, IF/WHEN they could PROVE that they can qualify with the SA.)

    Note: When USACIDC had a Resident Agency in Baltimore, we used the BPD or BCSD range to practice/qualify. - I cannot tell you how many veteran officers MISSED the BACKSTOP with their "issue weapon".
    A good third of BPD officers had FEW or NO hits to the K5 area of the silhouette beyond the 7M line.
    (At 73YY & as poor as my eyesight is now, as compared to when I was 19YO, I'd bet that I can still get at least 5 of 6 solid HITS to the K5 from behind the motor of a prowl car at >25M, with my old .357MAG duty revolver, either SA or DA.)

    Just my OPINIONS, satx
     
    Last edited:

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    I am far too clumsy, uncoordinated, and unlucky to every consider carrying a Fitz-ed revolver for self defense; ALmost guaranteed I'd end up with an AD at some point, probably going through my thigh or hip when re-holstering.

    rmantoo,

    It's NOT a real problem with the RIGHT (read: Usually CUSTOM-MADE speed-holster/gun belt).
    NEITHER a "Fitz" belly gun NOR the leather is inexpensive.
    (That is NOT saying that you cannot "butcher" a handgun into something that just LOOKS LIKE a real "Fitz".= In 2020, a K or N frame FITZ SPECIAL of a S&W snub-nose revolver would likely be 1,000.oo or more by a REAL expert in such specialty weapons.)
    Note: One of my academy classmates, who is now a retired LTC of the MPC (& a blazingly FAST & DEADLY ACCURATE marksman), spent over 600.oo plus the cost of a new Colt's Series 70 GM to have Armand Swenson "shrink", "melt" his handgun & do a "full Fitz job" in 1974.

    yours, satx
     

    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
    Lifetime Member
    Oct 4, 2013
    24,110
    96
    Gunz are icky.
    This thread inspired me to get off my dead arse and go find me a CA.32 Professional.
    So I did.
    Meet the newest member of the family.
    1286E242-4262-4593-B85A-9A807EF7B496.jpeg
     

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