Armored Car Driver: 1911!

[blood_donor]

I was surprised (pleasantly) today, while at the checkout line at Borders Books, when an armored car driver came in to pick up the cash. I saw that he was carrying a blued 1911 of some type with Hogue type grips, cocked and locked.

I was impressed by two things: first that his company allowed him to carry a 1911, and not some ancient .38 special revolver; and second that he had the excellent taste to choose a 1911!

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Cocked & Locked

I'm also impressed that he knows how it should be carried.

Cocked & Locked & Ready to Rock.

 

[S&Wfan]

It appears that the armored car company hired someone who really knows his handguns well!

T.

 

[Baldy]

Sounds like a good place to work too.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Did you give him a smile and an approving nod? I usually do that.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Back in 86 or so when I worked at a movie theater we had 2 armored car guys... one with a nickleplate SW model 10 that he unsnapped everytime he got out of the truck, and his partner who carried a Browning Hi-Power, cocked and locked.

 

[wizard of oz]

nothing wrong with .38 revolvers....traditional for armoured car work. prefer shotguns though...

 

[jondar]

Yes, a lot of guards do prefer shotguns. When I stayed in San Salvador, I noticed that the bank guards mostly all carried 12 gauge 870's with no sidearms. They all carried them in the crook of their arm, at the ready, with the muzzles pointing toward the sky. While I was there, two bank guards (different banks) were attacked with machetes, one killed, the other seriously injured. Only things taken were the Remingtons.

 

[Zach S]

Here in NC armed security and couriers can only use a .38 or .32 cailiber revolver, and IIRC, they have to be owned by the company.

 

[FireArmFan]

I tend to notice the armored car drivers around here carrying glocks mostly. if not a glock then a Smith & Wesson Revolver.

 

[Geno]

Good choices

1911s are always good choices at this time of the year due to heavy clothing (northern country). In the summer months the BHP and Glock are fine. You have to love the grip feel of the 1911 and the BHP.

Doc2005

 

[DC3-CVN-72]

When I first got out of the Navy, I took a job with an armored transport co. We all carried .357 mag revolvers loaded with WINCHESTER +P 158 GR. LSWHP. Supervisors could carry anything they could Qual. with. Also any part time employie that was a full time police officer could carry his duty wepon. Alot carried a 1911 cocked & locked. the only time we had a 12 GA. shot gun was when we were on the bank rout in down town chicago and had a 3RD. crew member, this was always a supervisor. by the time I left that job we had transitioned to .40 cal. DAO. BERETTAS.

 

[statelineblues]

Depends on the armored company - some will let their guards carry whatever, some want only one type of firearm for all its couriers. And in New Jersey it is illegal to have a loaded shotgun in a vehicle - including armored vehicles.
Many years ago I was on vacation in Costa Rica, and the armored guards there carried MP5s.

And just because a guy has a 1911 in Condition One in his holster doesn't mean he knows what the @#!! he's doing - allow me to introduce the 4 replacement tiles in the floor next to the clearing barrel where I used to work.......

 

[Il Duca]

I would carry a 1911 but company policy says my first shot must be DA .

 

[Aries-]

up here in canada. brinks security you need a firearms licence because you ether get one of their crapass revalvers. or you have to go out and buy your own sidearm.

 

[.38 Special]

I've been generally impressed by the gun savvy and gun handling of the armored car guys around here. Going by what I've seen in the holsters and on the range, I'd say the armored car guys are more interested, knowledgeable, and able than the typical cop in my neck of the woods.

 

[Zoogster]

They are mainly to deter, as they are always at the disadvantage as sitting ducks. Now if they are backed up by some plainclothes it is a bit more effective, but anyone that chooses to do something is likely going hit them before they see it coming if they are out and about. Just like the guards downed with machetes while carrying shotguns jondar mentioned.

You couldn't pay me enough to be a beacon for criminals in such a high risk profession and only carry a handgun to top it off. The first person attacked is pretty much not going to see it coming, if his partner is quick he might be able to react. To me that says "bad job" all over it.

 

[Outlaws]

I would carry a 1911 but company policy says my first shot must be DA

Para Ordnance

 

[gunsmith]

I carried a Glock 22

when I worked for loomis.
One guy had a nice .45 1911 of some kind.

 

[VaughnT]

I used to carry a 1991 on the job, but then the company had a change of heart and said it was just too dangerous. I was pissed because they would issue the Glock to supervisors and managers that never went out on route, but a Colt was too dangerous.

The majority of armored personnel that I worked with were born again idiots. Most carried glocks not because they were great shots with them, but because that's what the local police issue. I never once saw a coworker that could routinely hit a pie plate at fifteen feet. I never once saw a coworker that would train at least once a month.

I have witnessed new-hires being passed by the instructor pushing a pen through the target to give them enough bullet holes on paper.

I'm glad to be out of the industry. I guess that a lot depends on where you work (what the crime rate is like), but I honestly would never want an armored guard, transport or static, to draw their weapon around me. That's my personal experience.

 

[Trabuco]

"Depends on the armored company - some will let their guards carry whatever, some want only one type of firearm for all its couriers. And in New Jersey it is illegal to have a loaded shotgun in a vehicle - including armored vehicles.
Many years ago I was on vacation in Costa Rica, and the armored guards there carried MP5s."

Statelineblues...your last statement is incorrect. The only MP5's in Costa
Rica are carried by special police units, and are from a batch of 100 units
seized by the goverment when the firearms illegally trans-shipped through the
country over twenty years ago.

 

[statelineblues]

Trabuco - I may be; it was about 15 years ago, and I was visiting several different islands in the Caribbean.
But believe me, wherever they were, these guys had MP5s, looked very professional, and were definately people I would NOT want to mess with!

 

[Trabuco]

I can assure you that is not correct..I have been selling to the Costa Rican
police for over 20 years...what you COULD have seen are semi-auto only
UZI's.
The Costa Rican goverment does not, and has never, granted an import license for non official use of MP'5's.
Only in the last three months was a license granted for the import of 20 semi-auto, Turkisk manufactured, 16 inch barreled, MP5 carbine clones approved.

 

[Tom Servo]

I've had friends in the industry, and they learned to carry "beaters." Your gun will get banged against the sides of the vehicle and you'll constantly be bumping into things with it. I saw one guy with a P220 that actually had chunks gouged out of the slide.

While some of the AC guys know their guns, most don't. I've actually seen them in action when there was a shooting at a place I worked. The guy in the truck saw the messenger being held up and opened fire with the storefront as his backstop. This was a busy store full of people, and we were not pleased, to say the least. Blatant disregard of Rule #4.

...and yeah, I've seen their "training" at the range. Hit a man-sized target at ten feet, and you're in.

Not to disparage the trade, but training requirements need to be more stringent.

 

[gudoldboy]

Many moons ago I was an armored car messenger. Around '94 I think.. If you qualified above 99% shot placement with the weapon you wanted to carry you were allowed to. I carried a 1911 cocked and locked. I had my CCW for 5 years by that time and was very very used to my 1911..
The company I worked for was actually pretty good about how they treated us. They provided a level 2 tac vest for us and we could also wear a concealment vest if we wanted too...
The only time we had a shotgun on board was when we did an out of town overnight run. We had 3 guys at that point and the escort carried an 870 with 00buck. I was one of 4 people that had the quals to do that run once a week... Ohh what fun!