What Is BEST?

[JPM70535]

I am going to go against the majority and say that despite the high initial cost, The Para-Ordnance LDA series of pistols is probably the ideal issue weapon for non firearms oriented Police recruits. The trigger pull is constant and nearly as light as many SA pistols. the frame mounted safety disables the trigger and renders the pistol visibly safe. The best feature is that it is a 1911 design, argueably the best feeling grip, and the easiest to shoot accurately. If there is a drawback to these pistols I have yet to find it.

Just one retired LEOs opinion

 

[LEGHORN]

In the spirit of the previous post, I have to ask the question: Why is Para, a company that manufactures both SA and DA pistols, left out of the polling when almost every other manufacturer known to the industry is included?
Really interested to know.

 

[355sigfan]

The Para is too fat a gun for general issue. It is like our 21's in that area. We have to slim line our GLock 21's for some shooters. Thats not even an option with the para. That plus the fact the lda's fire control group is fairly fragile. Personally I don't care for DAO autos even for those with a lighter pull. Give me a GLock with a 5.5 pound pull and a short trigger reset any day. We have an officer who has a personal Para LDA for off duty. But he never carries it anymore. The Glock is so much easier to fire fast and accurately becasue the trigger travel is far shorter.
Pat

 

[Black Majik]

Colt Government 1911.

Before you laugh, as a safety standpoint... the Colt as well as other 1911's have the Firing pin safety, the external thumb safety, and the grip safety.

If not the 1911, then a Sig P220 will do just fine.

Pick of bullet as you can see is the .45 ACP

 

[rauchman]

Greetings,

While I am not a police officer, I do shoot, and have some friends who are LE, and we have this discussion quite a bit. In answer to how the question is stated, then yes the Glock is probably the best choice for a newbie LEO. I have a Glock 19 ( that was a police trade in), and it is simple to operate and clean, holds a larger than average amount of rounds for the size gun it is, and it takes a lot of abuse and will still work. For the LEO who is just starting out and is NOT a gun enthusiest, this is the gun of choice. That being said, if the LEO IS a gun enthusiest, there are some great choices out there. For myself, I love the HK USP and the Sig Pseries. You are starting to see a lot of manufacturers have a trigger option offering a Glock like trigger on their pistols. I know HK has the LEM option, and Sig has recently announced a similar option available on their pistols as well. Someone else mentioned the LDA from Para. That is a sweet trigger. As for the 1911, I think a competent shooter could properly handle and use this pistol as well. In this day and age, however, I wouldn't use a pistol that only held 7-8 rounds in the mag. Others may, I wouldn't. For CCW, yes I think a 7-8 round mag is fine, but not an LEO.
If it was me doing the procurement for a department, I would issue Glock 17's, 19's for concealment, and 26's for BUG. The 9mm is the round the Glock cut it's teeth on. This is the caliber Glock that has ungodly round counts on it. It is overengineered for the 9mm. I can't say that about any of the calibers the Glocks come in. According to a lot of you folks here,9mm is easy to train on, and with the ammo selection out there today, 9mm isn't all that different from the other popular calibers. If it had to be .40, then it would be the Sig Pseries. Call me crazy, but whenever you hear of problems with Glocks, it's the .40's and to a lesser extent, the .45's. Also, I used to own a Glock 22, and for whatever reason, you really felt the recoil as compared to other guns I've shot in .40.

 

[JimC]

For the LEO who is just starting out and is NOT a gun enthusiest, this is the gun of choice.

Most LEOs are not gun enthusiests. I know a lot of LEOs with 20 or more years on the job that couldn't care less about what if any handgun they carry on duty. Most will NOT carry an off-duty gun at all.

The sidearm to many LEOs is of no more impoprtance than the tie pin or Cross pens in their shirt pockets.

I know guys that would call out sick when they were scheduled for the range. Enthusiest? I think not.

While in LE, I once had a Captain that tried to make it policy that NO ONE, assigned to work in headquaters, would wear a sidearm.! The AH that was chief at the time went along with it!!! It didn't last too long, fortunately.

When the department that I was with transitioned over to the G19 from the S&W 669, qualification scores went up somewhere around 15%.

For the most part, I attribute this to the better sights on the G19 but the constant trigger pull was definitely a factor over the DA/SA of the S&W.

 

[SAWBONES]

What Is BEST?


To crush enemies,
To see them driven before you,
And to hear the lamentation of the women!


Sorry, couldn't resist a bit of whimsy.

 

[euclid]

Glock = K.I.S.S.

poof...

 

[pbhome71]

The list looks good. I think they are all pretty safe - provided that a user get appropriate trainning - regularly.

If you own a gun, learn to use it well, and practice regularly.

-Pat.

 

[10-Ring]

Not surprised to see that Glock "won" the poll. Consider the simplicity of the firearm & how user friendly it is to beginner/novice shooters. But really any modern firearm would serve a LEO if enough practice was dedicate to it to become proficient in its use!

 

[gulogulo1970]

Glock 22, 23.

 

[clubsoda22]

You have two types of officers really. For the average officer, i'd say the glock gives less to think about and is the most newbie friendly. For the officer that knows his guns...i'd say HK or Sig.

For all 3 I'd say 40 caliber. Best comprimise between capacity and stopping power.

For 1911 fans, despite the fact that it's not on poll, the Para-Ord LDA series makes the most sence for Police officers as far as 1911's are concerned.

 

[355sigfan]

For the officer that knows his guns...i'd say HK or Sig.
END

I know my guns and dropped both the HK and Sig. Both are good DA SA guns. But thats the problem. Why handicap yourself with a crunch ticker. They are harder to shoot have no advantages over the Glock. As for the 1911 its single action trigger system is the best thing going for it. To take it away is kind of pointless.
Pat

 

[RWK]

Dan, my friend, I voted for Springfield, but what I wanted to suggest to you is any top-quality (e. g., Kimber, Springfield, and – perhaps, once again – Colt) 1911A1 chambered in .45 ACP. My rationale follows:

a) As much as like the Sig “P seriesâ€, the CZ 75/85/97 and even the H&K USPs, I believe SIMPLICITY is the key to both safety and effectiveness. This is particularly true since, as you stated earlier in this thread, most law enforcement officers are NOT “firearms people†and constant practice is most unlikely. Therefore, one should strive for a single, straightforward, unambiguous, and invariable “manual of armsâ€. To me, this means no DA/SA autoloaders; rather, SA only.

b) Further, while I prefer SA for safety, a positive mechanical safety is CRUCIAL – once again, especially due to officer firearms non-interest and marginal proficiency (i. e., no Glocks). As you know well, 1911A1s have a series of safeties, specifically including the “positive, mechanical†thumb safety. In my opinion, a well-maintained and top-quality 1911A1 is extremely safe in Condition One, since – unlike a Sig or a Glock, among others – it cannot be fired without the affirmative action of disengaging the mechanical thumb safety (no “trigger pull†ONLY, however long or short, for the first round is possible).

Beyond safety alone (and I realize this is the focus of your inquiry), the .45 ACP is a proven, potent “stopperâ€. Add to this the possibility of 10+1 carriage (Wilson KZ-45, for example) plus 200 grain +P JHP loads – with increased muzzle velocity to ensure both penetration and expansion – and (IMHO) you have an outstanding LEO handgun: VERY safe, effective, trainable, reliable, durable, maintainable, and accurate.

With every best wish -- Roy

 

[Lumpy196]

Im a firm believer that a Department should set a criteria and allow their officers to pick the handgun that suits them within those criteria.

I have seen far too many officers (especially women) handicapped by having a handgun forced on them that doesnt fit their hands or thier grip strength.

 

[dandean316]

fat Para's?

The Para is too fat a gun for general issue. It is like our 21's in that area. We have to slim line our GLock 21's for some shooters. Thats not even an option with the para.

Not true if you're talking about the fatter grip. Para's now come in a single stack, and have for a couple years now. Many 1911's come with thicker grips anyway and comparing other 1911's to the double stack Para, the grip isn't that much wider. That said, I shoot a single stack 1911 with slim grips the best.