Police issue pistols

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Glockgreat23

New member
I just bought a police issue gun and frankly I'm appalled at how filthy it was. It cleaned up ok and was in good shape, but I'm doubful it had ever been cleaned. After reading the web site where I bought it, anyone writing in had similar experiences. So, my point is I'm dismayed that officers would rely on these weapons with their lives. I have several police friends who clean after every practice session and weekly after that so I'm hoping this is just an anomaly. But, to all you officers in various forces thank you all.
 
Cleaning regimen

Btw, to clean this gun, I broke it down to the last piece and inspected it, polished some of the trigger components, and soaked the barrel in carbon killer for half a day to break up the gunk. Sprayed the barrel down with wd40 to displace any water, then througly dried it up before a light oil. Everything works great, the trigger is not bad, but there is enough holster wear that I will refinish it soon and replace springs and perhaps a new trigger. Sort of a project gun
 
OP, which gun did you get?

Interesting subject, I can tell you that most of the LEOs that I know who were prior military do practice regularly and keep their duty weapons maintained in just about perfect condition, more as a point of pride than by their dept. regulations.
 
"...appalled at how filthy it was..." Most of 'em are carried a lot and never taken out of the holster for any reason. Most of 'em do not shoot at all except for the annual qualifying. They see their issue firearm as just a heavy piece of kit they're required to haul around. Par tof the reason Glocks sold so well.
"...LEOs that I know who were prior military..." By far most cops these days had never seen a real firearm prior to getting hired. The days of cops being shooters are long gone. Usually a good bunch of people, but not shooters.
 
"...appalled at how filthy it was..." Most of 'em are carried a lot and never taken out of the holster for any reason. Most of 'em do not shoot at all except for the annual qualifying. They see their issue firearm as just a heavy piece of kit they're required to haul around. Par tof the reason Glocks sold so well.
"...LEOs that I know who were prior military..." By far most cops these days had never seen a real firearm prior to getting hired. The days of cops being shooters are long gone. Usually a good bunch of people, but not shooters.
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These are anecdotal opinions which can't possibly be supported by facts, I stand by my comments
 
I'm an LEO and I can tell you that it's a mixed bag. Some of us shoot on a regular basis. Some only shoot to qualify when they have to. The pistol that was issued to me was a bit beat up (px4 storm 40). I have several firearms and this is by far the most beat up one I now own. I'm sure it's also been fired more than any other gun I own. I clean it every time I shoot and inspect it and clean it every two weeks or so other than that.
 
Glockgreat,

Could it have been a range/training/academy gun?

If it kept working for the agency, then the agency powers that be didn't see a reason to bother cleaning it.
 
I can't say where it was used, but judging from what other purchasers said who saw the same issues, I suspect they were issue guns. Just surprised me I guess. My carry gun is always kept clean and ammo that I use to carry is the one I practice with. Given the likelihood of my needing it compared to a police offericer, I just want them all to be safe. Hell, if I thought the locals were that lazy, I'd clean them for them once a month. I quit enjoy it
 
Most of the police trade in weapons I have bought in the past have been dirty. I think they know when they are going to be turned in and just shoot them and dont bother cleaning them anymore.

I also agree its a mixed bag out there in the law enforcement community, some I know shoot all the time and some only when they need to qualify. So....:rolleyes:
 
JDBerg said:
These are anecdotal opinions which can't possibly be supported by facts, I stand by my comments
Click to expand...

In my experience they're more true than not. I take training courses multiple times a year. Many of those in those classes are police. I see a wide range of skill levels. In my experience unless the officer is on some kind of response team his/her gun handling and knowledge can be pretty limited. They're not bad people, but typically once out of the academy they rarely get money or time for training. Some are willing to do it on their own dime and time, but many aren't willing or can't because of other commitments.

As for former police weapons, the OP's experience matches mine. The firearms I've owned that saw former police use were absolutely filthy inside. One, a short barreled Mossberg 590, would get a light strike once every 20 rds or so. This had been a shotgun that rode in a cruiser and it could have gotten someone killed if that click happened when a bang was needed. I've owned former police 3rd gen S&Ws that still functioned but needed a good bath in cleaning chemicals. How well each officer takes care of the weapons or if there is actually a designated armorer that performs routine maintenance can be important factors and they can vary by the department.

Oftentimes on this forum and others you hear the old adage of "carried a lot and shot a little" when it comes to police weapons. This generally means they might be cosmetically abused but fine inside. My own issue with this is that using a machine can be important in ensuring its function because often cleaning or maintenance follows that use. Just letting a firearm sit for years with little to no attention can give you problems in my experience.

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How much training do they receive on field stripping and maintenance ? Are they required to perform any sort of maintenance on their vehicles ?
 
A buddy of mine bought a LEO Glock 17, asking for "the Chief's gun" from among the 15 or 20 pistols, and his gun looks all but brand new, and I think he paid $450 for it.
Maybe the shop, or the department cleaned them up before they were sold.
 
^ That's the thing. You could get one that was literally never removed from its box, or one that was beaten on mercilessly. It's why I won't buy police issue without pictures of the specific firearm. When all there are is stock photos it makes me concerned. Now cheap enough and heck why not? But lately with the market as friendly to buyers as it is when it comes to new firearms the discount for used isn't all that much sometimes.
 
I'd say TE O'Heir was spot-on. I was a department armorer for a number of agencies, and that was pretty much the case.

Also- clean does not mean functional.
 
I picked up some police issue M&P40's last year and I am very pleased! 2 of the guns were unissued and brand new and the others were all in very good condition. I can tell the used ones had been fired a fair amount but I was surprised to receive them in a just cleaned condition! :)
 
I hate to tell you but as a police officer, police firearms instructor, Beretta and Mossberg Armorer there are essentially 4 types of people on police forces. There is the ex-military and these guys for the most part have no problem keeping their guns in good shape and running smooth. The second is the gun "nut" and these guys are in a similar boat as the ex-military. They will keep their guns clean and well maintained. Sometimes they will even try their hands at making the gun "better" for their purposes. The third type is the jackleg gun nut (nutty garage gunsmith). This officer believes they can make the gun better than the manufacturer and will end up ruining a good gun. The forth type is the officer who is simply not interested in guns at all. To this officer the gun is nothing more than a heavy piece of gear their bosses forces them to carry. They don't care how the gun functions or looks. They will go to the range and fire their gun but most likely won't clean it until a supervisor makes them clean it. I have seen each on my small police force. We are fortunate enough to have 2 instructors and 2 armorers (both the same people). We are also responsible for the weapon inspections so we are constantly on our officers to clean their guns after the range sessions.
 
You did not say which pistol you purchased or where you purchased it. Do you know which law enforcement agency had the pistol? I have heard of law enforcement trade-ins that actually came from out of country Some are sold by large warehouse type sellers and from island locations with some even having rust issues.

I have a number of former law enforcement trade-ins. All have come in good clean condition, and I know which agency turned them in. I have bought all from a distributor. It is possible mine were also cleaned prior to sell by the selling distributor. I purchased three last year that were Sigs.

I too am curious which brand and model you purchased and who you acquired it from as the seller.
 
My CPL instructor, (a LEO) said he never cleans his guns. The other LEOs there had a good time with that, as did we all.
 
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