Boxed COP Compact Off-Duty Police - .38 Spl / .357 Mag

Description

5/29/25 - This Cop Inc. manufactured Compact Off-duty Police (COP) Derringer is a double-action only four shot tip-up pistol chambered for both .357 Magnum and .38 Special cartridges. Robert Hillberg was a prolific firearms designer who made a number of ingenuitive designs. Born in 1917, Hillberg developed an early interest in firearms. While drilling with his US Naval Reserve unit in 1937, Hillberg designed a prototype submachine gun chambered for .357 Magnum cartridges. The following year he submitted his design to Colt, and while Colt did not adopt his submachine gun, they were impressed enough to hire Hillberg. He left Colt in 1940 to work at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft where Hillberg served as part of the engineering department. He eventually transferred to Bell Aircraft and designed several weapons systems. Hillberg remained in the aerospace industry after WWII and helped design weapons systems for the F-84. In 1951 Hillberg finally returned to the firearms industry, joining High Standard as the company’s head of research and development. During his tenure with High Standard, Hillberg worked to manufacture commercial firearms using aluminum (his efforts were inspired by his experience in the aerospace industry), and also designed a number of weapon systems for the military. In 1954 Hillberg left High Standard and joined Whitney Firearms, Inc. where he designed his now famous Wolverine .22 caliber pistol. Whitney went under in 1957 and Hillberg moved on to serve as Chief Engineer for Bellmore Johnson Tool Company until 1980. Afterwards, Hillberg would spend the rest of his life serving as an independent expert witness in court cases pertaining to firearms. He eventually passed away in 2012 at the age of 94. The COP is based on Hillberg’s designs and remains a unique firearm. It was intended to be used as a back-up weapon for police when their primary armament failed them. This one comes with its original box, owners manual, and warranty card. There are some small scratches and handling marks here and there. Minty bores.