FBI Standard Issue - What is your final answer?

Well, I'm a little further into that book, "Cold Zero". The author is now just finishing basic agent training at Quantico. Can you believe he referred to Hoppe's No. 10, not No. 9, solvent? And said that the S&W M13's had hickory (not walnut) grips???

And this guy said he came from a family of hunters before he ever touched a gun with the Bureau. How can he make writing errors this basic and have us believe all else that he writes?

Well, perhaps he was edited by someone who thought his text "read better" than the author's.

Lone Star
 
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Most agencies purchase firearms based on a bid. The lowest bidder with a firearm that has passed their tests for accuracy and reliability wins the contract for the firearms. Sigs and Glocks are both good. They had Smith & Wessons, Sigs and now Glocks. For the Special Ops guys it is the same thing. They usually want .45 1911s. They write up the request for a firearm that can only be a 1911. Then it is up to the manufacturers to win both the bid and the testing to get the contract. Sometimes politics can come into play as well. Remember that HUD was going to give the contract for their firearms to S&W because of the agreement. It ended up not happening because the other mfg were going to file suit for not allowing competitive bidding. Just because an agency is carrying a certain firearm does not mean it is the best. It means it is a good gun, and that they were willing to offer them at the biggest discount. Police departments are very similar. Unfortunately most police departments are affected by both what the feds carry and what they think everyone else is carrying. The Glock, being much cheaper to produce than an all-metal gun, can be discounted to a greater degree and still be sold at a profit. That is the reason Glocks are the undisputed police champ. It is much cheaper to pour plastic in a mold than to machine a casting or a block of steel or aluminum. It all boils down to economics. Look at what the US military recruiters drive. If a car model does not sell well, you offer them to the US government at a big discount. It is better than leaving them on a lot.
 
hey rock_jock, you should have just made something up:
"i understand the CIA is experimenting wth a gun concept called the Brazilian Mangler...it's based on the effectiveness of brazilian jujutsu in a shootable package!"- :D
 
fbi issue

glocks are pretty standard with federal agencies but as u move through the system there are exceptions to the rule.. however the main thing to remember is when u come out of the fbi academy you will be issued the glock pistol in 40 calibre..
your a federal employee now and u will be issued what they tell you.. and fbi it's glocks ...
 
This thread is nearly 10 years old!

Well, for the update: it's G22 and G23. The personally owned weapon program now is limited to Glocks exclusively. Allowed are 17, 22, 26, 27, 21. Sigs are no longer permissable to be carried at all. HRT and SWAT are still allowed to carry Springfield TRP.
 
Why do the FBI and other authorities in America seam to be continuously changing their handguns. In most other countries you get what you are issued with. If you shoot someone and it doesn't stop them then you didn't shoot them enough are in the right place. Their isn't a hole inquiry and and rush to change guns.
 
Handguns are changed by law enforcement agencys more than foot wear. Those who are in charge and decide are often influenced by budgets, media and liability / safety concerns and pressure from elected City / State Administration. Remember, in the big picture, it wasn't that long ago that the 1851 cap n' ball Colt Navy in .36 was THE gun to carry, as was the .45 Colt SA, then the S&W model 10 .38, etc. Carry what feels good and what works well for you, be it a .38 snub, .380 ACP, or a full size .45 ACP.
I try to avoid those annoying blowhards (like you met), like the bird flu.
 
This thread started nearly 11 years ago. Let it die!!!
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I agree, I mean, who cares, I buy my guns based on what I can shoot, not what someone else shoots.

I've seen a lot of FBI agents shoot, frankly I wasn't impressed.
 
S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum (with 2.5" barrel) is my final answer!

I want to be part of this historic thread.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't there still agents using the Model 19 Combat Magnum?

I was told that if an agent had been issued a weapon and he or she continued to qualify on it, they got to keep using it.

And undercover agents can use the Model 10, Model 38, Model 60.

But S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum is my final answer.
 
One of my family members is a current FBI agent. I asked him that very question. This was his response:

Basically any of the Glocks in 9mm, .40 or .45 calibers. I have a Glock 27 and a S&W Model 642 (because I'm Ole' School) as backups or as an off duty carry. The Glock 22 is my primary Bureau issued pistol.

He also carries an MP-10 when necessary.
 
I still haven't come up with my final answer yet. The FBI is still patiently waiting though, they're a long suffering bunch, God love 'em.
 
And the final answer is ......

Whoever cuts the best deal with the Feds. Money talks and speculation on this forum walks.
 
"Certain" wimpy accountant, attorney, linguist, and chemist never-ever-shot-a-gun-in-my-life-before-Quantico type SAs couldn't qualify with the 10mm round, hence the 40 short and weak.
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Just a clarification on this: though recoil was a concern, most agents who had trouble qualifying with the S&W 10mm's did so because of the size of the grip. Many couldn't get a good hold on the gun, and as such, they couldn't shoot it well. This led to a few lawsuits.

The ultimate driver behind the .40 S&W loading was that it could be chambered in a gun with a smaller frame.
 
This thread is a testament to the moderator(s). Never let it be said
that they close one too quick. :D
 
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