Question to LEOs: Shotgun or AR15 for you?

Just curious if there are any agencies out there these days that are using .30 cal rifles (outside of sniper applications).

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If I understand it correctly, larger agencies get priority over smaller agencies for surplus military firearms loaned by the federal government. I have a family member who's the sheriff of a small county (low population, large rural land area) here in Georgia. They were never high enough on priority to get surplus M16A1s, and there was no budget to even buy rifles for most of the deputies in their tiny SERT. So, they took what M14s they could get loaned from the fed gov. and issued them to the SERT deputies. In their case, free .308 / 7.62 NATO rifles were the only rifle option they had. I imagine there are other small local agencies with the same funding and priority issues who are using M14s as well.

One of our local SOs has 20 M14s with fiberglass stocks and handguards, acquired from the feds. They are used as both DMRs with Leupold Tactical Scopes and as issued with irons. The scoped rifles shoot 1.25-1.5 MOA out to 500 yards with Federal Gold Medal and the iron sight rifles around 2 MOA to 500 yards with Federal Gold Medal.

In some of the more rural areas they are made to order, and it would very severely suck to get shot with one of those.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

ColoradoKevin, it's funny that you ask, but it was in the mid 80's, and I was in Colorado in the NW (Hayden, between Steamboat Springs and Craig), and we often assisted or even preceded the CSP, Routt Sheriff's, or Wildlife officers to their calls in the boonies. A .30 cal rifle was easily the gun to be had. For urban areas, there is ammunition that can either give it up easily, or penetrate heavily. If you are sighted for both, you have many options. If I have to hit someone using a vehicle or other cover, I want a .30 cal. It also threatens bodily harm to people with body armor more than a .223 or less caliber.

They make double gun racks...so I carry both. Each has it's time and place. 12 ga is simpler with less problems with projectiles going places you didn't intend, AR gives you more reach and mag capacity. Pick the right tool for the situation.