{{short description|American 4-shot Derringer-type pistol}} {{Infobox weapon | name = COP .357 Derringer | image = COP 357.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = A COP.357 Derringer. | origin = | type = <!-- Type selection --> | is_ranged = yes <!-- Service history -->| service = | used_by = | wars = <!-- Production history --> | designer = Robert Hillberg | design_date = 1974, Patent issued 1983 | manufacturer = COP Inc. (1979–1989)<br>American Derringer (1990) | unit_cost = | production_date = 1979–1990 | number = | variants = <!-- General specifications --> | spec_label = | weight = 1.75&nbsp;lb (0.8&nbsp;kg) empty. | length = 5.6&nbsp;inches (14.2&nbsp;cm). | height = 4.1&nbsp;inches (10.4&nbsp;cm) | width = 1.062&nbsp;inches (2.7&nbsp;cm) | part_length = 3.25&nbsp;inches (8.255&nbsp;cm). <!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge = .357 Magnum<br>.38 Special | cartridge_weight = | caliber = | barrels = 4 | action = Break-open with extractors for reloading, double-action trigger with rotating firing pin selector. | rate = | velocity = | range = | max_range = | feed = | sights = }} The '''COP .357''' is an American 4-shot Derringer-type pistol chambered for .357 Magnum. 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.<ref name="Ahern2010"/>

==Design== thumb|left|Drawing from US patent 4,407,085, covering the COP Derringer operating mechanism 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 parts that rotated. The COP .357 operates similarly to the Sharps Derringer of the 1850s, in that it uses the ratcheting/rotating striker, which is completely internal, to fire each chamber in sequence.<ref name="Ahern2010"/>

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.<ref name="Ahern2010"/>

A smaller caliber version, the "MINI COP" was also manufactured in .22 Magnum.<ref name="Ahern2010"/>

==History and usage== It was designed by Robert Hillberg,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Findley |first=Don |date=January 8, 2024 |title=Remembering Gun Designer Robert Lee Hillberg |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/remembering-gun-designer-robert-lee-hillberg/ |journal=American Rifleman |volume=172 |issue=1}}</ref> based on his earlier work on the Hillberg Insurgency Weapon. It was manufactured from 1979 to 1989 by COP Inc. of California, US (COP stood for ''C''ompact ''O''ff-Duty ''P''olice).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Engeldrum |first=Phil |date=1980 |title=Unacceptable Handguns |journal=Handgun Tests |volume=1980 |issue=1 |pages=26}}</ref> In 1990 it was manufactured by American Derringer for a short time.<ref name="Ahern2010">{{cite book|last=Ahern|first=Jerry|title=Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Concealed-Carry Handguns|url=https://archive.org/details/gundigestbuyersg0000aher/page/129/mode/1up|date=5 October 2010|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-1743-2|pages=129–132}}</ref>

== See also == * Derringer * Heckler & Koch P11, a multi-barreled pistol that can be fired underwater * Lancaster Pistol, another rotating striker, break-action, multi-barreled pistol used from the mid 19th century until World War I * Mossberg Brownie

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|COP 357 Derringer}} * [http://props.steinschneider.com/cop_357/cop_357.htm Leon's Gun: Mother's Defender] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgs5IhVVJA How a COP .357 Derringer works ]

{{Multiple Barrel Firearms}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cop 357 Derringer}} Category:Derringers Category:Pistols of the United States Category:.357 Magnum firearms Category:.22 Winchester Magnum firearms Category:Multiple-barrel firearms Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1983 Category:Concealable firearms