COP 357 Derringer
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The COP 357 was a 4 shot Derringer type pistol chambered for the .357 magnum round. It was designed by Robert Hillberg, based on earlier work on the Hillberg Insurgency Weapon.
Manufactured by the now defunct COP Inc. of Torrance, California, the double action COP packed the power of 4 rounds of .357 magnum in a package only slightly larger than the typical .25 ACP pistol, which made it a good choice for a defensive weapon or a police backup gun.
COP stood for Compact Off-Duty Police.
[edit] Specifications
- Caliber: .357 Magnum (Can fire .38 Special as well.)
- Weight: 1.75 lb (0.8 kg) empty.
- Height: 4.1 inches (10.4 cm).
- Length: 5.6 inches (14.2 cm).
- Width: 1.062 inches (2.7 cm).
- Action: Break-open with extractors for reloading, double action trigger with rotating firing pin selector.
- Capacity: 4 rounds
Construction and Opperation of the COP 357
The C.O.P. 357 is quite robust in design and construction. It is made of solid stainless steel components. The pistol actually has a unique 4-into-1 barrel. Cartridges are loaded into the four seperate chambers by sliding a latch that "pops-up" the barrel for loading purposes, similar to top-break shotguns. Each of the four chambers has it's 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 rappid fire - even heavier than most modern revovlers.
A modified version of the COP 357 was used in the movie Blade Runner. In additon to some minor cosmetic changes to the gun, the ratcheting striker was modified to fire two cartridges at a time. Using two blanks fired simultaneously created a huge flash for dramatic effect. It should be noted that modifying the striker to fire two (or more) bullets at a time would violate the National Firearms Act and could be catagorized as an unlawful machine gun by BATFE. Furthermore, such modifications could create too much chamber presure and cause the barrel to explode seriously injuring the shooter and bystanders.
