Tag Archives: chief special

Boyko’s No. 29

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In 1950, Chief Edward Boyko of the Passaic, New Jersey PD entered a “name that gun” contest at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Colorado and submitted “Chief’s Special” as a suggestion for the hard-hitting new Model J revolver.

Smith & Wesson announced the winner in the December 1950 issue of The Police Chief, the IACP journal, and named Boyko as its author. The prize? A specimen of the new gun, complete with factory engraving.

Serial No. 29, it was an early “Pre-36” with a small grip and trigger guard of the I-frame, features that were later changed to make the revolver more comfortable to shoot with full-house loads. It also had a standard latch (later guns had a flat latch) and half-moon front sight, a configuration that only the earliest Chiefs Specials shipped with.

Plus, Chief Boyko’s was factory engraved.

Um, like this:

Yup, read more about the long-lost Boyko Chiefs Special in my column at Guns.com.

Ike’s Chief’s Special, 64 years ago today

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Photos via Smith and Wesson

Lubbock Morning Avalanche, December 17, 1953. WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (INS) – Deputy Sheriff Dwight D. Eisenhower was presented with a nickel-plated .38-caliber revolver today to use if he’s ever called up for posse duty. Eisenhower tried the gun for size in his inside coat pocket after checking the chamber and twirling the cylinder to make sure it wasn’t loaded. The President, who is an honorary deputy sheriff, was given the weapon by the National Sheriff’s Association “to back up his authority in the event he is ever called upon for posse service.”

While Ike didn’t carry ivory-handled .45s wherever he went, unlike some WWII generals, he reportedly was a fine marksman and did poke lots of holes in paper over the years, as witnessed in the below epic shot of SACEUR along with Churchill and some guy named Omar.

June 1, 1945 – London, England, U.K. -Churchill, DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER and GENERAL OMAR BRADLEY fire the army’s new carbine. Out of 45 shots aiming at targets 200 yards away they hit 29 targets. (Credit Image: © KEYSTONE Pictures USA)