What Is BEST?

[Ala Dan]

With SAFETY being the primary concern for all law
enforcement officer's, firearm's manufactuered by what
manufactuer do you deem BEST suited for LEO's. In this
poll, 1911 S/A self loader's will be permitted.

The only requirement, your choice has to be a
self-loader chambered for 9m/m Luiger, .40 S&W, .357
SIG, or .45 ACP.

*FootNote- please indicate your choice by giving us the
model number of the particular weapon of your choice.
If a manufactuer'er makes several models, this will help
in our study: (Example: Colt 1911, or Colt Double-Eagle)
Manufactuer's are listed in NO particular order.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to participate in
this study!

Respectfully,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Ala Dan]

NOTICE!

Beretta was accidentally omitted from this poll, MODERATORS please add to the poll before voting begins!

Thanks,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[45R]

Sig 226/R. Can be chambered in 9mm, .357Sig or 40Cal

For the 45ACP verison how about a nice Sig 220/R

 

[10mmshooter]

As a former law enforcement officer, I must say that for patrol level law enforcement officers...the Glock gets the nod. More specifically the model 22 in .40 S&W.
The reasons for this are:
1) A LEO requires a pistol that exhibits exceptional reliability, and there is no doubt that the Glock fits the bill
2)The .40 S&W round offers a good comprimise between capacity, and bore size without totally giving up one over the other
3)Most entry level police officers aren't avid shooters...in fact..of 23 recruits whom I attended the academy with, only about 9 of them had ever fired a handgun before, and about 10 had never fired ANY gun.....This lends itself to the idea that a police sidearm should be simple to opperate. The Glock has a minimal of gadgets to worry with...making it easier to train new shooters on.
4)Alot of cops are very lax when it comes to maintaining their sidearm. Therefore a weapon that is simple to field strip, and requires a minimal of scrubbing and oiling would be more likely to get an officer to perform regular maintenance. A bore snake, an old toothbrush, and a couple drops of oil...will keep the Glock functioning well for a lot of rounds, and takes about 2 minutes of effort to accomplish once the officer is taught how to do it.
5)The Glock is cost effective for law enforcement use. Even if an officer is required to purchase their own sidearm ( as was the case at the department I worked for ) th Glock is not an expensive weapon. Also, replacement parts are abbundant, and cheap if needeed.
All of these things are real issues to consider when selecting a law enforcement sidearm, and although it would be nice to think that all cops are gun experts...that simply is not the case. Many of the folks I went through the academy with had to be reminded of what caliber of ammo to put into their magazines at the range...lol.
BTW....I trained on a Glock 17 while in the academy, and switched to a Glock 22 when I worked the road. However, after leaving law enforcement work, I gave up my Glocks, and I now fully consider myself a 1911 guy!

 

[10-Ring]

I voted HK w/ the USP 45 in mind for its variety of fire modes & carry options, ruggedness, accuracy & reliability.

 

[DonGlock26]

My vote would be for the G-17 with NY-1 trigger(8lbs), N.S., & 147gr RangerT . Glocks are simple, rugged, and reliable. 9mm with a top notch hollow point makes more sense when arming large groups of officers. My dept. issues P220's and it's a shame how abused those pistols are. In reality, any DAO Glock,Sig,and Beretta would do.

 

[keederdag]

Glock 17 or 22. Either are fine service weapons. Very safe, reliable, accurate, low maintenace and user/training friendly. I beleive Most PD's in the US issue Glocks, I know at one time it was around 70%.

 

[Greg Bell]

H&K P7 series. Everything else is an also-ran.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Which GOD is best?

Which SPORTS TEAM is best?

Which STATE is best?

Hello, immovable object, I'd like to introduce you to the unanswerable question...

 

[Ala Dan]

Oddly enough, I feel like the DA/SA Beretta 92 and 96
series are more officer friendly; as least as far as the
officer's safety is concerned.

Its strange that I left it out of the poll, isn't it?

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[keederdag]

I dunno about that; The LAPD (issues Beretta's)usually finds that theyre Officers tend to re-holster cocked, after discharging their weapon. This is not a particularly safe practice. Most Police Officers are not "shooters". Weapons familiarity is kinda an afterthought in my experiance, at least post accademy.

 

[Ala Dan]

I tend to agree that most LEO's aren't shooters;
at least on a regular basis. In my old department, we
literally had some officer's that only fired their weapons
during range qualification! And even some acted
like they didn't know which end the bullet came out of.

My favorite gig was during weapon retention class'es.
You would be susprised how many officer's don't know
heads or tails about this procedure. With todays top
notch threat level holster's, weapon retention seems
to be less of a concern? I came from the old school,
where you used the strong side elbow as much as
possible during hostile encounter's.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Since safety is the main issue -- Beretta, hands down. Otherwise, I'd go with a Glock followed by the Walther.

 

[jc2]

I'd have to go with the Glock 17, NY1 trigger spring and Ranger RA9T as being just about as close to the ideal general issue LE set-up.

 

[cool45auto]

Beretta

 

[hansolo]

Contrarian

I voted Smith & Wesson. Why? They've been in police and military holsters in revolver and semiauto platforms since before most of us were born. For the cop who isn't "into shooting", a M66 or 686-plus revolver: simple to use under stress, and a .357 or .38+P should do the job if the officer hits the target.

For the cop "into shooting", most any "S&W Tactical" semiauto in the LEA's pet caliber: I'd bet that any of these in DAO are at least as reliable as my Value Line 910s....and it's been 100% reliable.

 

[David Schultz]

My vote was for the Glock. I have just had such a positive experience with them in all the firearms course I've taken. And I've never experienced a problem while observing other brands malfunctioning during the same drills.

I own a 19 and a 30.

Our agency is transitioning away from the Beretta 9mm to the Glock 21/30/36.

 

[gbelleh]

I voted HK. The USP series can be configured just about any way you want: DAO, DA/SA, cocked & locked, etc.

The USP series comes in any of the listed calibers and is reliable, accurate and rugged. It seems like a good choice for LEOs to me.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Haw many more safties does a 1911 need?

The Colt doesn't carry as many rounds as a USP, but it carries them effectively.

 

[Brian Williams]

I voted sig as in 220A but would take any good 1911 or a full sized glock

 

[Black Snowman]

For safety I think letting the officers choose may be the best choice. If forces them to at least aknowlege the existance of other firearms and familiarize themselves with them.

For handing out guns, the safest is going to be a pop gun. You know, with the corks on a string.

For reasons mentioned above, not putting "idiot proof" at the top of the list, my vote goes for the Glock. But my vote goes for the 35. Not much heavier than the Glock 22 and lighter than many of the other applicants, the longer sight radius makes it easier to fire accurately and the longer barrel gives the round just a little more oomf without having to go to a heavier recoiling round. In fact the heavier slide helps absorb recoil and keep muzzle flip down.

For BUGs and concealment the compact and sub-compact Glock .40s.

 

[WESHOOT2]

LEFT TURN

I suggest the Ruger P90 for those LE whose hands fit it; a S&W 3913 for the rest.

Manufacturer? Probably S&W.

I consider Glock M17 to be a fine choice, with the M22 a viable alternate, but I've noticed a number of 'issues' involving them; perhaps (NS) more training?

I think individual officers, if able to demonstrate competency, must be allowed to carry what they wish (with an issued back-up gun so there is always ammo compatibility on 'the street').

 

[Bren]

Something relaible with the same trigger pull for each shot. Either way, they will still find ways to have AD's.

 

[355sigfan]

I would say as a police firearms instructor Glock is the best game in town. Simple manual of arms. Comes in almost any size caliber combination you could want. Very reliable, accurate and durable. Actually durable in the extreem. Glocks are running long after sigs have cracked frames and berettas need new locking blocks and springs. No da sa transition to master. No long hard dao pull to master. All at an affordable price. Second choice for me would be sig, then Beretta, then HK. I carry a Kimber and have nothing against 1911's. I love them. But for police issue they are expensive to buy and maintain. They have a slightly more complicated manual of arms. I would allow them but never issue them. The 1911 is the best sidearm there is for shooting fast and accurately period. A low bore axis combined with a short trigger reset make it a very hard gun to out shoot.

Glocks on the other hand can be shot almost as well with practice (standard 5.5 pound trigger) and are far simpler to train people on.

As far as caliber it just depends on what you want. I feel the 17/22/31 size is better suited to most peopls hands than the larger 20 and 21. We slimline our Glock 21' s for female officers and males with small hands. If it were up to me I would issue the Glock 17 with +p+ WInchester 127 grain Ranger SXT's. I would allow personal weapons at my approval so long as the officer supplied his own ammo. I like rounds bigger than the 9mm but the 9mm is easier for most to shoot well and it cost far less. It also works fine given good ammunition selection.
Pat

 

[JimC]

As a 25 year retired LEO veteran which 24 of those 25 were as a firearms trainer (I still do part time), I have to go with what 10mmshooter said on this one 100%.

Many may not like the Glock line of pistols for one reason or another but, they fit the bill in nearly all the criteria set for an LE defensive tool.

They are such a simple handgun that Glock can take an average idiot level LEO and make him/her an "armorer" in eight hours!

Glock bends over backward to please the LE community. No handgun manufacturer gives so many free parts out to LE as Glock does.

They will go so far as to undercut their own distributors prices and sell LE direct just to get the sale.

Glock has to get the nod on this one.

I think individual officers, if able to demonstrate competency, must be allowed to carry what they wish

Nice thought but not very practical for most larger departments. This leads to an ammunition inventory nightmare.

Besides, most LEOs need someone to do their thinking when it comes to a sidearm.