Popular (department selected) Police handguns
- Thread starter TXAZ
- Start date
24.7oz vs 24.87oz....
G19 IS lighter than the M&P as is G45...Had a nice conversation with a Boulder County Deputy the other day..know 2 guys on Boulder PD..and they are without doubt, 'gun people'...Knew more than a few guys in the military, USA, USMC, even USN..and they were definately 'gun people'..anecdotal, small sample but.....
dogtown tom
New member
Five whole grams?
Must be the longer barrel and slide making the G17 so much heavier than the M&P.
I would bet there are more G19's issued by LE agencies than M&P's.
I worked a large department, and later a much smaller one. Big or small department, there is some small percentage of officers who are "gun guys". Most officers just don't care about guns beyond mandatory training and qualifying, and would undoubtedly pick the lowest common denominator pistol. Now days, some kind of light polymer pistol, that holds a lot of ammunition, would be the pistol of choice for most IMHO.
I don't think the popularity of polymer semi-automatics is down to low-cost and politics. Almost everyone prefers them because of their low weight. Swap them out for three pound steel guns, and you will see nearly everyone complaining that they're better at nothing but anchoring boats.
Among the lightweight polymer pistols, Glock is a proven option. It's not the only viable option, but nobody ever got fired for buying Glock.
Now if you give beat cops an option, as you asked, their choices will vary based on how they are informed as individuals, on their personal biases, and on balancing their means and desires. When given a choice, the most popular alternative I see chosen is a custom 1911. Law enforcement around here are relatively highly paid. Annual compensation for a sargeant can be $200K/yr (including overtime and benefits). If they're a gun guy at all, they'll choose to drop $3K or $4K on a custom 1911 rather than carry the equivalent of a Bic lighter or pen. Over the course of their career, the expense for a high-end handgun is easily justified. Rookies in a big metro department are different. There's a good chance they're not even "gun people." They could possibly care less what they're issued. Even if they do have an opinion, how could they expect anyone else to care what it is?
Among the lightweight polymer pistols, Glock is a proven option. It's not the only viable option, but nobody ever got fired for buying Glock.
Now if you give beat cops an option, as you asked, their choices will vary based on how they are informed as individuals, on their personal biases, and on balancing their means and desires. When given a choice, the most popular alternative I see chosen is a custom 1911. Law enforcement around here are relatively highly paid. Annual compensation for a sargeant can be $200K/yr (including overtime and benefits). If they're a gun guy at all, they'll choose to drop $3K or $4K on a custom 1911 rather than carry the equivalent of a Bic lighter or pen. Over the course of their career, the expense for a high-end handgun is easily justified. Rookies in a big metro department are different. There's a good chance they're not even "gun people." They could possibly care less what they're issued. Even if they do have an opinion, how could they expect anyone else to care what it is?
Nope, the Glock is heavier cuz it is dosed with 'reliability'.....Five whole grams?
Must be the longer barrel and slide making the G17 so much heavier than the M&P.
I would bet there are more G19's issued by LE agencies than M&P's.
Actually, it is. Individual officers have little if any say in what the department buys. When Glock came on to the scene, Smith & Wesson was dealing with a multitude of problems that were affecting price and supply. Glock undercut everybody on price by a tremendous margin, and they were wiling to buy existing supplies (from other manufacturers!) of handguns from agencies.
That is because they understood their market. Law Enforcement Leadership is some of the most risk adverse leadership on the planet. They hate change. However present them with a deal to good to turn down and they will take it.
Once their foot was in the door with a proven platform the rest took care of itself. If "X" agency is using such equipment no issues than it certainly should be good enough for "Z".
https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/handguns/largest-departments-police-sidearms/
Link to a decent article which describes the handgun models and calibers carried by the largest U.S. metropolitan police departments.
My take on this is that most LEO’s would probably carry what is issued by their departments, rather than to purchase what they would prefer to carry, if they have that option.
Link to a decent article which describes the handgun models and calibers carried by the largest U.S. metropolitan police departments.
My take on this is that most LEO’s would probably carry what is issued by their departments, rather than to purchase what they would prefer to carry, if they have that option.
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Times have changed. When I started (1984) the old heads carried revolvers. .38. .357. .41, .44 and .45 LC.
Some guys carried berettas, Brownings and Smith Autos.
The cool kids and SWAT carried 1911’s.
You could tell a lot about the Officer by what he carried. Often, the gun said something about their personality.
Now? Most cops aren’t gun guys. I feel it’s even frowned upon. “Here’s your gun...”. “Ok, thanks.”
It’s just a tool you are expected to not actually use or enjoy. It’s part of the uniform. Look good while lip synching and playing mid night basketball.
The Glock is cheap. Requires minimal care, doesn’t rust, holds a bunch of bullets. It’s a dandy duty gun.
The modern cop didn’t grow up with steel, leather and wood.
I still carry a 1911 though.
Some guys carried berettas, Brownings and Smith Autos.
The cool kids and SWAT carried 1911’s.
You could tell a lot about the Officer by what he carried. Often, the gun said something about their personality.
Now? Most cops aren’t gun guys. I feel it’s even frowned upon. “Here’s your gun...”. “Ok, thanks.”
It’s just a tool you are expected to not actually use or enjoy. It’s part of the uniform. Look good while lip synching and playing mid night basketball.
The Glock is cheap. Requires minimal care, doesn’t rust, holds a bunch of bullets. It’s a dandy duty gun.
The modern cop didn’t grow up with steel, leather and wood.
I still carry a 1911 though.
Officer.com was recently running a survey on what LEO's carry OFF DUTY. Results should be interesting once tallied.
Although I'm issued a S&W M&P 9mm at work, when off duty, most of my current carry guns have a cylinder. I have seen far too many semiauto's of various brands jam over the course of my lifetime to trust them as much as a well made revolver. There is a reason most agencies put so much emphasis on "tap and rack" training on the range... because the pistols JAM!!! Bad ammunition, magazine issues, limp wristing, lubricant / weather issues, what ever the reason, in my opinion the revolver is a more reliable weapon. I just shoot them better for some reason and they feel better in my hands. Of course, spare ammo is a must. Carry what you will, but for me the sixgun still rules.
Although I'm issued a S&W M&P 9mm at work, when off duty, most of my current carry guns have a cylinder. I have seen far too many semiauto's of various brands jam over the course of my lifetime to trust them as much as a well made revolver. There is a reason most agencies put so much emphasis on "tap and rack" training on the range... because the pistols JAM!!! Bad ammunition, magazine issues, limp wristing, lubricant / weather issues, what ever the reason, in my opinion the revolver is a more reliable weapon. I just shoot them better for some reason and they feel better in my hands. Of course, spare ammo is a must. Carry what you will, but for me the sixgun still rules.
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Unless it's something completely unreliable, inaccurate or not durable, I'd want to carry whatever the majority of the department carries. At very least what my partner (if I have one) or team mates would be carrying.
Realistically a gun is just a tool. You can train and adapt to use whatever you have available to you. You want commonality for spare ammo and magazine sharing. You want to take advantage of any and all existing training if available and the field experience of those senior to you. You want your department armorer to be familiar with your weapon. You want a legally defensible argument for your choice if you ever had to shoot someone. etc, etc.
Having a cool gun and looking cool is pretty stupid if you are giving up anything that could give you a real and actual advantage.
Realistically a gun is just a tool. You can train and adapt to use whatever you have available to you. You want commonality for spare ammo and magazine sharing. You want to take advantage of any and all existing training if available and the field experience of those senior to you. You want your department armorer to be familiar with your weapon. You want a legally defensible argument for your choice if you ever had to shoot someone. etc, etc.
Having a cool gun and looking cool is pretty stupid if you are giving up anything that could give you a real and actual advantage.
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As far as the firearms you've listed go, the Ruger LC9 is going to be by far the cheapest, but just as well, it's also a very nice carry firearm which only weighs 17oz, holds 7 rounds in the magazine, (with factory 9 round extended magazines available) and is a good shooter.
The Ruger EC9s (which is just the "economy" version of the LC9s with fixed sights) retails for $249, but can often be found for $200, or even as low as $175 in used condition.
Otherwise, the M&P series often gets factory rebates around the holidays, and police trade-ins of the M&P40 1.0 show up periodically for $300 or less depending on their condition.
Another option is the less expensive S&W Sigma series of firearms, which have seen limited use by Law Enforcement, but have long since become a value priced firearm, so they're more of a civilian firearm these days. Still, they can be had for very cheap if you shop around. The modern iteration of the Sigma, known as the "SD series" can be had for as little as $300 new, often with $50 rebates, and used models go for around $250.
I myself actually bought a used LNiB Sigma SW40VE for $199 a few weeks ago. The Sigma series got a bad rep for the original 1994 SWF models being unreliable, but any of the later models made from 1999 onwards are fire, although they do have heavy 10-12lb DA triggers which some find objectionable. However, there are many ways to reduce the trigger pull if you find it too heavy. Personally, as someone who is used to heavy DA triggers, I have no issue with the Sigma's trigger.
The Ruger EC9s (which is just the "economy" version of the LC9s with fixed sights) retails for $249, but can often be found for $200, or even as low as $175 in used condition.
Otherwise, the M&P series often gets factory rebates around the holidays, and police trade-ins of the M&P40 1.0 show up periodically for $300 or less depending on their condition.
Another option is the less expensive S&W Sigma series of firearms, which have seen limited use by Law Enforcement, but have long since become a value priced firearm, so they're more of a civilian firearm these days. Still, they can be had for very cheap if you shop around. The modern iteration of the Sigma, known as the "SD series" can be had for as little as $300 new, often with $50 rebates, and used models go for around $250.
I myself actually bought a used LNiB Sigma SW40VE for $199 a few weeks ago. The Sigma series got a bad rep for the original 1994 SWF models being unreliable, but any of the later models made from 1999 onwards are fire, although they do have heavy 10-12lb DA triggers which some find objectionable. However, there are many ways to reduce the trigger pull if you find it too heavy. Personally, as someone who is used to heavy DA triggers, I have no issue with the Sigma's trigger.