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Best police sidearm

stinx said:
The newest trend has dept.'s switching away from 45 and 40 and going back to 9mm. Within the last 6 months or so there has been in increase in this. St Paul MN, Texas DPS, Wichita Kansas, La sheriffs , Columbia MI, just to name a few. With modern ammunition there is marginal difference between the calibers as far as performance, however the 9MM holds more round, recoils less and is easier to train large numbers of people with. My agency is keeping an open mind about switching back to 9mm from 40. 45 was also mentioned, but few officers showed any interest in this with the biggest reason being capacity and weight. We are allowed to carry 1911's for details etc but only three out of 60 do,even the guys from our place who are on the regional swat team want nothing o do with the 1911 or any pistol that holds less then 10 rounds.YMMV
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I have seen more departments in central MA going to 45. But I agree with its easier to train, a cheaper round for departments and with today's ammunition 9mm is def making a comeback.
 
I'll wager it has more to do with cheaper ammo and suitability for *ahem* less than "ideal" officers than it does modern ammo performance.
 
M60 said:
That's quite a load to lug.
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2x pistol mags on my belt, 2x pistol mags on my vest, 2x AR mags on my vest, 12+1 in my pistol, 30 in my rifle=151 rounds. However, since I posted that total I dropped down to just one AR mag on my vest and moved my radio from on my hip to on my vest to make it easier to crawl through some of the tunnels that have been made in the thick brush that grows along the border in my area.
 
OfficerObie59 said:
I think the appropriate questions is the best police siadearm for what purpose and what benefit. Reliability? Uniformity of caliber? Will the officer ever need to carry it concealed? Capacity? All considerations to ask.

All around--I'd say the M&P. Why? Believe it or not, the interchangable grips.

While I like Glock, they're one size fits all. When my PD had .40 3 gen Smith and Wessons, a few officers with smaller hands actually had to carry the gun in 9mm because the tip of the .40 was too much. We found the problem was solved with the M&P due to the grips--and now everyone has the .45. Uniformity of ammo is important in the shit and streamlines procurement of ammo and accessories. The .45 also does not have the same kick as the .40 or 9mm for the more-recoil adverse officer.

The M&P .45 is not without its issues, chief among them it's sheer size. I sometimes find myself wanting my 3rd Gen back when it's jamming into my side when I'm sitting in the cruiser; the mag floor plates and pistol grip base have also torn a bunch of seat backs.

With that said, that's my opinion. YMMV.
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I agree...I really like my M&P .45. I could've opted for a few different Glock models, but the M&P felt the most comfortable to shoot (the adjustable backstrap was one of the reasons). S&W did a nice job on the M&P.
 
If I was in charge and everyone had to pass a real firearms qual course, I'd go back to single action revolvers. Why? There is nothing as fast out of the holster. From looking at armed encounters, it seems to me that most people who have truly evil intent from the onset of the encounter will have the jump on a cop. If he is planning to shoot you from the getgo, he will have the advantage (action faster than reaction). Therefore, LEO's should be carrying a weapon that is as fast as possible out of the holster. Having a service rifle within easy access for transition when it's needed.

Problem is the same as the armed forces are facing: Simply put, not everyone is cut out to be in high stress hostile situations. Police/Fire agencies are forced into hiring people who have no business in uniform (of any type). Therefore, they are forced into providing a weapon and training that just about any somewhat trained monkey could pass. Reloading a semi-auto is simply easier to teach, although I do have some horror stories from reliable sources.
 
I think to add what weekendracer was saying...now with level 3 and 4 retention holsters, they make it almost impossible to take the gun out of the holster
 
weekendracer said:
Problem is the same as the armed forces are facing: Simply put, not everyone is cut out to be in high stress hostile situations. Police/Fire agencies are forced into hiring people who have no business in uniform (of any type). Therefore, they are forced into providing a weapon and training that just about any somewhat trained monkey could pass. Reloading a semi-auto is simply easier to teach, although I do have some horror stories from reliable sources.
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Kinda like the same reason the Army has the M9.

"We need a gun even the biggest retard can use. And it has to have a manual safety even though we'll never let anyone carry a round in the chamber. And they can carry it in a holster that sucks even bigger ass than the gun that's in it."

(Disclaimer: I totally love my 92F...for target shooting on the line. It would be a cold day in Hades before I EVER carried it on duty.)
 
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OfficerObie59 said:
Kinda like the same reason the Army has the M9.

"We need a gun even the biggest retard can use. And it has to have a manual safety even though we'll never let anyone carry a round in the chamber. And they can carry it in a holster that sucks even bigger ass than the gun that's in it."

(Disclaimer: I totally love my 92F...for target shooting on the line. It would be a cold day in Hades before I EVER carried it on duty.)
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I carried the 96D for 5 years, take all the good of the 92F and throw it away. You are left with the 96D, better known at the 40oz paperweight.

96D had no safety at least, but the 14lb DAO trigger just sucked so hard. Thankfully, they cut them all up and didn't allow them to be used by the general public. Only time I have ever agreed with destroying a perfectly, well, functioning, um, 'a firearm'.
 
weekendracer said:
I'd go back to single action revolvers. Why? There is nothing as fast out of the holster.
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Got a cite for that? I'm not following how something that requires two actions (cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger) could ever be faster than one (pulling the trigger).
 
Hk45 lem with safety. Try one and you will never want to shoot anything else. Very accurate , and the most reliable pistol made today. Just a bit pricy, but you can't put a price on your life or anyone's that you're trying to protect. Leo discount I saw was like 830 If I remember correctly.
 
im not a cop, but if a was i would want to carry either a usp45, (for looks/power/reliability) or a glock 17 or berretta 92fs, as they are very very reliable.
 
Not a police officer but having been overseas, I have experience magazine failures. Yes I did clean the weapon an the mags. But i personally would carry a revolver. They work. I think my blood is part clp with all be cleaning i did to them. Yet magazine failures. Each to their own.
 
My department is switching to the new Sig P227. Shot it once, and it was nice. But i'm wary of any first version gun. I'd say, if it was up to me, Glock 17. Gun has outstanding capacity and very controllable/accurate.
 
CZ-75. Actually, the CZ-85. Ideally, the CZ-85 combat with the CZ-85 B sights would be better for a police platform.


cz-usa-cz-85-b.png


cz-usa-cz-85-combat.png
 
Middleboro just went with the Glock .45acp. after a .40 shooting last year. The board of selectmen gave complete support for the switch to .45acp. Rumor is that the guys like the Glock 21 so far.
 
jar said:
Got a cite for that? I'm not following how something that requires two actions (cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger) could ever be faster than one (pulling the trigger).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBdVlytpHOY

Nuf said.

Edit: video of Bob Munden, not a cat video. Show me a video of anyone with a semi auto popping 2 balloons like he does and I'll concede the argument.
 
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