My most recent Blue Press catalog had a article about Jim Cirillo and the NYPD stakeout squad. I must have been living under a rock, because I never heard of him. Wow, survivor of 17 gunfights, only to die in a car accident. I tried to find a link to the article, but couldn't find one. Definitely worth reading. http://Wikibin.org/articles/jim-cirillo.html

Ban cars, not guns, obviously they are a lot more efficient killing machines.  

Back in the olden days there used to be Jim Cirillo stake out squad shootout stories in the gun rags.

They were some hard core bastards.  That squad took place back in the days before body armor.

His weapon of choice was the M1 carbine loaded with soft points I believe.

"He is quoted as saying it was the ONLY weapon (including the 12 gauge shotgun with both slugs and buckshot) that stopped everybody he hit with it right there with one shot."

Didn't carry reloads, just additional .38s.

Bad ass dude before it was cool to be a bad ass.

you should read his book, Tales of the stakeout squad. It's freaking awesome. goes in depth into shootings, ballistics, guns carried and some hella funny stories.

Body armor's been around since the 20's and 30's.  It's part of the reason for the Super 38's creation.  That said, a firearms instructor that I trained with for years was a close personal friend of Jim's and relayed some of the stories "left out" of the book.  I never got to meet the man, having always been somewhere else whenever he came around, but from everything I've heard, he was the Wyatt Earp(and then some) of our time.

That isn't true, they had body armor. It wasn't what it is today, but they had it.

5 or 6 of us went out to Calverton after work one morning and ran into one of his partners.

He was shooting a  bolt / bullpup  .50 that he "bought as a gift for himself for beating cancer."

I apologize for forgetting his name....it was like '95.  We bullshitted for hours and he advised all of us to quit NYPD asap.....

Great stories....funny guy.

Would love to have met Jim as well.

The article also implies, that the stakeout squad was shut down becuse of the weak kneed politicians who got nervous because of the bad guy body count.

They did not take many prisoners according to my Dad who was a 27 year NYPD veteran.

I live in the area where Jim mete his  death, I was in a local gun shope, small and crowded , a few  years
back and a nice gentleman and I talked.  WE talked of hangguns and my interest in Sig handguns.

He said come out to my vehicle and I'll show you a few nice one's, there was a ford bronco type
an older one with two police radio's going,  large antenna and several  handguns on the seat.

More than willing to talk and show me what he had , a wonderful man, shooter and enthusiast
I thought........ Thanked him and we parted    ways , and  as I got a few miles down the road
I realize I never got his name or phone number but did realize that I wanted to talk with him
again , as he lived within 15 or so miles from me..... Wasn't till his death and a few articles
posted on him , that I recognized his picture and was so excited that  I had met him
let alone held a few of his pieces and he took the time to talk with me...

My story and sticking to it, So sorry I didn't follow up with him but had some
health concerns and distractions at that time.

Friendly, exciting and willing to share with another shooter,

Rest in Peace "Jimi Cirillo "

Problem solved. Problem staying solved.

Probably wasn't Cirrillo doing the shootingbut the SOU shot a kid with a 12 ga slug. It entered the kid's right armpit, transited the chest, exited the left armpit, struck and broke the kids arm. Kid fell down, got up, ran a couple blocks and fought the officers who ended up taking him into custody. Lived ro see trial trial and incarceration.

I have this in my Wound Ballistics lecture I do at work.

ETA...

Met Bill Allard at a local gun club where he's a member and got to shake his hand. Nice guy and was plenty willing to talk and tell SOU stories.

Sounds like he was a great guy. I had never heard of him prior to this thread but I am interested in getting his book.  Is this the one?  www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1581606494?pc_redir=1411223387&robot_redir=1

Yep. Not just about Jim Cirillo, but Bill Allard and others on the Stake Out Squad. It can be hard to read at times because it isn't a book as much as it is a collection of stories, but very interesting none the less. What struck me is how far we have come in terms of understanding ballistics and how these guys were into ballistics before it was even a science.

It's funny, because one of my friends hunts with Bill Allard (who is in his 80's I believe) and he says some of the stories in Jim's book arent exactly true as it may have been one of the other guys in the unit to do what Jim was taking credit for, but most of the stories are true, just perhaps not credited correctly. And he says, Jim definitely was the guy with the most kills though.