COP 357 Derringer
Encyclopedia
The COP 357 is a 4 shot Derringer
type pistol
chambered for the powerful .357 Magnum
round. It was designed by Robert Hillberg
, based on his earlier work on the Hillberg Insurgency Weapon
.
It was manufactured by the now defunct COP Inc. of 3040 West Lomita Blvd., Torrance, California (COP stood for Compact Off-Duty Police).
The double action weapon is only slightly larger than the typical .25 automatic pistol
pistol, which made it a good choice for a defensive weapon or a police
backup gun.
The C.O.P. 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 part that rotated. The COP 357 is unique in that it uses the ratcheting/rotating striker, which is completely internal, to fire each chamber in sequence.
Two frequent 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.
The weapon appears in both Blade Runner
(used by Leon to shoot the detective in the opening scene) and The Matrix Reloaded
(used by Persephone to kill one of her husband the Merovingian's thugs). It also appears in the final scene of "Bad Boys", as the villain, Fuche, attempts to shoot Will Smith's character in the back.
Derringer
The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous 19th-century maker of small pocket pistols. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became...
type pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
chambered for the powerful .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
round. It was designed by Robert Hillberg
Robert Hillberg
Robert Hillberg is a firearm designer. He was the former head of High Standard Manufacturing Company. His designs included the folding shotgun stock, the Whitney Wolverine, the Wildey .45 gas-operated pistol, and the four-shot COP 357 Derringer...
, based on his earlier work on the Hillberg Insurgency Weapon
Insurgency weapon
An insurgency weapon is a weapon, most often a firearm, intended for use by insurgents to engage in guerrilla warfare against an occupier, or for use by rebels against an established government...
.
It was manufactured by the now defunct COP Inc. of 3040 West Lomita Blvd., Torrance, California (COP stood for Compact Off-Duty Police).
The double action weapon is only slightly larger than the typical .25 automatic pistol
.25 ACP
The .25 ACP centerfire pistol cartridge is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning in 1905 alongside the Fabrique Nationale model 1905 pistol...
pistol, which made it a good choice for a defensive weapon or a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
backup gun.
Construction and operation of the COP 357
Two frequent 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.
The weapon appears in both Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
(used by Leon to shoot the detective in the opening scene) and The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
(used by Persephone to kill one of her husband the Merovingian's thugs). It also appears in the final scene of "Bad Boys", as the villain, Fuche, attempts to shoot Will Smith's character in the back.
See also
- Lancaster PistolLancaster pistolThe Lancaster Pistol was a multi-barrelled handgun produced in England in the mid-late 19th century, chambered in a variety of centrefire pistol calibres—chiefly .380", .450 Adams, .455 Webley, and .577 calibre....
, another cartridge-firing break-action pepperbox used from the mid 19th century until World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... - Heckler & Koch P11, a multi-barreled pistol that can be fired underwater