The COP .357 is a 4-shot
Derringer-type
pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
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 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 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 part that rotated. The COP .357 operates similarly to the
Sharps Derringer
Christian Sharps (January 2, 1810 – March 12, 1874) was the inventor of the Sharps rifle, the first commercially successful breech-loading rifle and the Sharps Four Barrel Pistol, and ‘’’Sharps Breech-Loading Pistol’’’.
Life, death ...
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, based on his earlier work on the
Hillberg Insurgency Weapon Hillberg is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Linnéa Hillberg (1892–1977), Swedish actress
* Robert Hillberg
Robert Hillberg (August 27, 1917 – August 12, 2012) was a firearm designer and the head of Research & Developmen ...
. 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 for a short time.
See also
*
Derringer
*
Heckler & Koch P11, a multi-barreled pistol that can be fired underwater
*
Lancaster Pistol, another cartridge-firing break-action multi-barreled pistol used from the mid 19th century until
World War I
*
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
Multiple-barrel firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1983