• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

What are our local LEO-issued calibers?

LEOs, what caliber(s) are you allowed to carry? Multiple responses possible.

  • .380

    Votes: 2 3.6%

  • 9mm

    Votes: 21 38.2%

  • .357

    Votes: 6 10.9%

  • .40

    Votes: 31 56.4%

  • .45

    Votes: 20 36.4%

  • 10mm

    Votes: 1 1.8%

  • other not listed

    Votes: 2 3.6%
  • Total voters
    55
Brewer

Brewer

NES Life Member
NES Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
4,310
Likes
12,174
Location
Erebor
Feedback: 12 / 0 / 0
Talking self defense, someone advised me that a prosecutor may argue you used an overpowered round and are therefore some kind of cruel maniac. An ideal counter is that you carry the same caliber as your local police.

That makes me wonder what calibers our local LEOs are carrying. Will you please post your town and caliber? Particularly interested in the Worcester and Boston areas. This weekend an Auburn, MA, cop told me they've just switched back from .40 to .45. He didn't know the reason and guessed it was to reduce cost. How many departments are using .40 now? Do any permit 10mm?

Couldn't find the answers searching old threads. My apologies if it's a duplicate.
EDIT: Yes, I realize that poll doesn't reflect true proportions among departments since bigger cities will have more responses.
 
Last edited:
40 today, 9mm sometime in the near future.

That reminds me of a story of an 'ace' shooter who purposely shoots low scores on qual day. "So if I miss, they can't say I shot perfect and hold me responsible for the miss". My head hurts when someone says this, and yes, this is a first person encounter, ie: someone said it to me. And he wasn't an 'ace' shooter.

The only thing that would ever be considered 'overkill' is if you reload, it's a joke folks.... Deadly force is deadly force: gun, tire iron, tree trunk, flamethrower. You are either at that level of force or you are not. The flamethrower might be considered a little extreme, but if it was the only option to save a bus full of pregnant nuns, it's in the ballpark.
 
I don't know where you are taking that course, but I'd be ignoring what they say.


Caliber has nothing to do with anything, you shoot to stop the threat, when the threat stops, you stop. It is emptying a 17 round magazine with one in the chamber into an assailant that will be more of an issue for you to overcome than caliber.

Caliber choice, in a land where heavy winter jackets with sweatshirts underneath are a norm, is chosen for penetration.

Is the same guy telling you that you should not be carrying JHP's too?
Lets all carry ball ammo because NATO says JHP's are not ethical when you are fighting for your life.

for the last 30 years, since Glock showed up and took the LEO gun suppliers by storm, the most common round has been 9 MM, and then 40 Short & Weak became equally is not slightly more prominent.

Some departments have been going to .45ACP, but not in large numbers.

LEO's don't pick the best caliber, they pick the caliber of gun that their officers are going to be able to qualify with , and that means the least qualified officer on the department.

Ask why the FBI isn't using 10mm handguns.... or why .357Sig is not a common LEO round.

Find a copy of Massad Ayoob's " In The Gravest Extreme", read it twice. Carry the gun and caliber that you are going to be proficient with, that fits you, your grip, and in a caliber you can handle ( get back on target after the first shot) and will stop the threat ( penetrating power).
 
The latest Primary & Secondary podcast has what I believe to be relatively qualified people discussing terminal ballistics. A lot of interesting info, good commuting podcast.
 
duty gun is glock 21. 45acp. Detectives also have a g36 .45 and g42 .380. But were switching to 9mm on 7/1. Glock 19+43's
 
I'd say 9mm, .40, and .45 would cover 99% of them; and these are probably all pretty interchangeable and arguable as to what works best nowadays. I think MA State Police went to .45, and imagine a lot of towns will follow that.
 
My Local PD uses .40S&W in either a Glock 22/23/27. Hornady Critical Duty last time I heard when shooting the breeze with them when swapping the sights on his off duty gun. There's talk of going to 9mm, with a bit of a debate on platform. Armorer teaches at Sig and is pushing hard for the P320/P226. Most of the people I've talked to figure they'd just go to the G17/G19 Gen 5, if for no other reason than it's almost identical to their current duty guns
 
Sig P220 in .45
One of the reasons I heard is that the thinner grip of the single stack .45 fit smaller officers hands better.
I would personaly prefer a double stack 9mm, but I have big d1ck beaters.
.40 is going the way of the dinosaur, its sharp recoil is hard for most cops to master, because they dont shoot much.
.45 recoils less.
Many PDs are going back to 9mm, probably because the FBI is.
10 years from now, everyone will probably be either going back to .40, or being issued Phase Plasma Rifles in a 40 Watt Range.;)
 
Cap'n Mike said:
Sig P220 in .45
One of the reasons I heard is that the thinner grip of the single stack .45 fit smaller officers hands better.
I would personaly prefer a double stack 9mm, but I have big d1ck beaters.
.40 is going the way of the dinosaur, its sharp recoil is hard for most cops to master, because they dont shoot much.
.45 recoils less.
Many PDs are going back to 9mm, probably because the FBI is.
10 years from now, everyone will probably be either going back to .40, or being issued Phase Plasma Rifles in a 40 Watt Range.;)
Click to expand...
As long as I can check out the BFG 9000, I'm good with that.
 
Cap'n Mike said:
Sig P220 in .45
One of the reasons I heard is that the thinner grip of the single stack .45 fit smaller officers hands better.
I would personaly prefer a double stack 9mm, but I have big d1ck beaters.
.40 is going the way of the dinosaur, its sharp recoil is hard for most cops to master, because they dont shoot much.
.45 recoils less.
Many PDs are going back to 9mm, probably because the FBI is.
10 years from now, everyone will probably be either going back to .40, or being issued Phase Plasma Rifles in a 40 Watt Range.;)
Click to expand...
.....Phased Plasma Rifles in a 40 Watt Range. (Terminator - Love it!!!!)

"Hey, just what you see Pal." ....."You know your weapons, buddy. Any one of these is perfect for home defense."
 
I've worked for 3 departments, carried G22 at the first two and 226 in 40 at the current. We're switching to the 320 in 40 whenever they come in.
 
Handguns are weak at stopping a threat 1st. Key is shot placement and some luck. The caliber departments use is part cost and what the flavor of the year is. Most departments are going back to 9mm seeing bullets have come along over the years to even the playing field against larger calibers. Also the 9mm is better for most officers for faster follow up shots and less recoil. Add in a larger round count per mag is also a plus for anyone who uses a pistol as the primary weapon.
 
229 DAK 40. 155 silver tip

We now use CCI Goldot 165
 
Last edited:
Haverhill Ma., Glock 30 gen 4 .45 acp 230 grain+p hollow points.
In cruiser, Colt Commando AR-15, AAC cans, 77 grain 5.56 black hills match hollow points.
Back up guns are caliber restricted to .25, .380,.9mm, .40, .45acp, 38 spec ,and 357 mag.
What the backup gun is does not matter, as long as you can qualify with it.
 

Similar threads

LEO Discount at Sig NH Location
Replies
3
Views
280
Kisspik002
Kisspik002
Question about MA Gun restrictions for LEO
2 3
Replies
66
Views
6K
nstassel
nstassel
LEOSA and D.C.
Replies
2
Views
377
S. Kelly
S
Looking to order an M&P from a local gun store
Replies
6
Views
1K
free
free
Serious question: what will you do with unconstitutional orders
2
Replies
43
Views
3K
KBCraig
KBCraig
Back
Top Bottom