Whats a good duty weapon for me?

[azhunter122]

Well I'm going to the academy in a few months and the dept I will be working for gives me my choice of weapon, I can choose from glocks, 1911's, rugers, and S&W autoloaders. I will post a poll, thanks for the help!

 

[burningsquirrels]

go with the glocks. very good and reliable, very common and popular in the LE world. the 40 versus 45 is up to you. which can you control better under stress? 40 might carry more in the magazine, 45 has less but can be easier to control.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Standard (good quality as well) 1911, with your duty belt set up to carry four magazines and you should be good to go. (And maybe a few extra mags in an emergency rig for active shooter or other "day's gone real pear-shaped" sort of scenarios.)

 

[cbailey]

I shoot quality single stack 1911's better than I do any other pistol, but for carry I think you would be fine with any of your available choices. In truth, though, any 1911 that I'd select for duty carry would probably be 2+ times the cost of Glocks/Rugers.

I like Glocks, but the G21 is not a good choice for me. Shoots great for me slow fire, but due to the large grip size I find that I have to readjust my grip too often for accurate rapid fire.

I'd hope you'd be able to try some out before you have to make a decision.

 

[Pulse]

the one that your soon-to-be Armorer works best with.

if, for what ever reason, your gun breaks down, and that will happen, you wont have a gun until the factory and/or Armorer fixes it for you.

with turnaround times of up to a week or even 10 work days in case of a factory fix, i strongly suggest you get a second Pistol of your choosing anyways.

 

[10-Ring]

I would go Glock for the weight savings considering all the oghter gear you'll have to carry around and 45 acp as my caliber of choice
Good luck!

 

[ScareyH22A]

Is there an SR9 in a .40 or .45? Because the SR9 is so comfy. Don't know about reliability though. 1911's are a good choice but like 10-Ring said, weight is probably going to bother you eventually.

 

[desert gator]

I would go with the glock22. I believe that's what you will train with at the academy. What department did you get hired on with? I'm jealous Az is an awsome state to be le in

 

[Cpt. America]

I would look at a Px4 Storm. If you have to choose from the list provided I would go with the .45 Glock. Most agencies I know will not let regular Officers carry a 1911 or I would suggest that. Stay away from the .40 and stick with a .45 or a 9mm.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

I cannot allow the Glock Boys to run rough shod all over. LOL.

With that gentle teasing in mind I myself use a M&P .45 ACP from Smith and Wesson. It does a good work for me. I fire speer gold dots out of them in the 230 grains and Lawman 230's jackets and have not had any issues other than newbie gun owner type errors which were easily corrected.

Big gun, but not too big to conceal carry it the way I do. When it's on my belt at home in the Uncle Mike's large 45 auto holsters, I dont even notice the weight anymore.

I like the 1911 Commander myself as a second choice.

.40 is nice, but the .45 is just leaving the gun with a nice strong shove and hits where I want it to, more or less.

I will be updating my weapon with crimson trace grips at some point in the future after the government 250 dollar stimulus takes hold. So I help stimulate the firearms industry with cold hard cash.

 

[geronimo509]

I voted the hicap 1911. Im going to school to become a police officer. When I get a job, if they let me carry what I want, it will be my para p14.45 Gun Rights model. Hasn't failed me yet and it is the most accurate gun I own. If not I'm pretty sure I will settle for a G22

 

[possum]

from the choices that you have i would go with the glocks as well, even though they are not my favorite glocks they are however glocks, which means they are reliable, accurate and will run forever. and that is what you need on your side when you need to go for it. high capacity is the way to go as well.

 

[WC145]

Don't go by your poll results. You're going to be the one that has to carry it every day, train and qualify with it, and depend on it, not these guys. What works for me, in my job, may not fit you at all. Go out and try them all on for size, shoot them if you can, and then make an educated choice.

Also, are they issuing you this weapon or is this a list of what is approved and you have to provide your own? If that's the case, what can you afford from that list?

 

[Dark Skies]

Why not go to a local firing range try out some rentals in your list and see how you go?

 

[JWJacobVT]

I agree Darkskies and WC145. Go handle and then fire ones that feel right in your hand. My duty carry is a S&W 1006, it feels right and I shoot it very well. If I could not carry that for me it would be S&W 4506, S&W MP45, SIG 220, SIG 229(40) in that order. Glocks don't feel right or shoot right in my hands. We are not allowed 1911s. Go find a firearm that fits you, add houge grips if you must, mine do. If the glock 21 fits your hand and you can shoot it well go for it.

 

[Delta608]

HK45 double action....de-cocking lever if your department requires one..

 

[rscalzo]

Glock's LE discount is one of the better in the industry. Plus they rarely fail and can be repaired easily by many.

Duty gear is easy to find.

Personally, I'd avoid the Ruger. You will not find duty gear easily.

But be aware that you are the one that will have to pass the firearm's qualifications at the academy. Whatever you decide on, be proficient in its use before entry.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I voted for the Glock 22. If the S&W M&P were on the OP's prospective department's approved list, thereby in the poll, I would have voted for that.

 

[DFW1911]

G22. If not then the G20. You may try some of these out to see which one you fire the best.

Some folks don't like the snappy recoil of a .40, so please try before you buy!

 

[Mike J]

I voted Glock. I love Rugers. But if you are going to use this for a duty weapon the availability of parts & accessories is a viable concern. I believe Glock has everyone else beat in this area. Also at around 500 dollars new they are pretty reasonable pricewise as well as accurate & reliable.

 

[azhunter122]

I forgot to add that I already have a Kimber Pro Carry and a Glock 22 and 21. Armorers aren't really an issue as all of the Deputies here provide their own weapons and gear. I shoot all of them great but the 1911 better than the Glocks however Glocks have more mag capacity so I don't know! I was thinking about getting the Para P14 but I don't know how well it will shoot becuase the grip will be completely opposite of the Kimbers thin grip. I'm confused! haha

 

[ChristopherG]

I shoot ... the 1911 better than the Glocks...

Question answered. The same reason I switched from a Glock 35 to a Wilson CQB the minute the department armorer approved it for me (case by case evaluation in our S.O.).

I think of the issue of capacity as much farther down the list in importance than fast, reliable shootability. I would stick with a single stack for the simple fact that there are now an abundance of quality, reliable magazines for .45 single-stacks (think Wilsons and McCormicks; not cheap ones). Show up to the Academy running a quality, reliable 1911 with a stack of good running mags, and knowing how to run it, and the firearms instructors will know you mean business. Check out the discussion of using 1911's on duty by Hilton Yam et al. at 10-8 Performance. Some good reading links on this page:

http://10-8performance.com/id2.html

Also--you're a Deputy in Arizona; I bet there's gonna be a rifle in your car, as in mine. Remember your handgun is a tool to fight back to that rifle!

 

[freakshow10mm]

Find out what the majority of other officers carry and carry something with compatible mags. You never know when you can run dry and oops you have a 1911 and the downed officer you are getting mags from has a Glock. That dog don't hunt. There is a case for one gun system fits all.

Carrying something cool on duty will only impress yourself. Get something that works every time. This is nothing more than a tool that will get beat up with the daily rigors of the job. Don't waste your money on fancy stainless guns. Get something that can take a beating and still function.

 

[RobMoore]

I voted Glock 22, but the list said "S&W autoloder".

Give the M&P a try.

 

[GRIZ22]

Is your list what the agency approves? I wouldn't spend any money until I was sure I could carry my choice. You're going to have to dump a buch of money at once for uniforms and the like. Few authorize 1911s these days.

Based on my experience I'd go with a Glock. They're not on your list but I'd consider a G19 in 9mm or a G30 in 45. Both are big enough for a duty gun but small enough to carry off duty