POTD: Tennessee Women’s Correctional Colt – Institutional Markings

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Colt Official Police revolver marked “TWC 327” on the butt, issued to the Tennessee Women’s Correctional Institution.

Correctional facilities ran numbered weapons inventories for exactly the reason you’d expect. Every gun had a number, every number had a gun, and you knew immediately if something went missing. TWC 327 puts this one inside that system.

The Official Police was a natural fit for institutional use. Mid-priced, reliable, widely available, chambered in .38 Special. The 5-inch barrel gave security personnel a capable working gun without being excessive for a facility environment. Nickel finish was a common choice for institutional guns since it held up better in storage and showed wear and neglect more plainly during armory inspections.

What’s actually notable here is the original box. Guns that spent their lives in institutional armories getting checked in and out don’t usually surface with their factory packaging intact. Someone kept this one tidy.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Tennessee Women’s Correctional Marked Colt Official Police Double Action Revolver with Box.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5031/1057/tennessee-womens-correctional-colt-official-police-revolver. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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