4506517
Member
My M&P 45 that I carry everyday.
(Seriously)
(Seriously)
What Unlikely Gun Have You Personally Seen Used By A LEO?
- Thread starter Wyatt Burp
- Start date
Back in the very early '70's, one of the guys on my shift carried a 4" M29. We called him "Blaster" and picked on him constantly that if, God forbid, he ever shot a bad guy, the blast would light up the area for a quarter mile and the bullet would go thru the bad guy, 4 houses and a car before it stopped.
Another guy carried a cocked and locked 1911. That always made me a little nervous, the thought of having the thing ready to fire on single action when the safety was taken off.
The Chief carried a nickel M42 which I always admired.
Then there were the 12 gauge pumps that were mounted upright in the electric locked rack on the dashboard- the most vicious rigs I ever shot.
Another guy carried a cocked and locked 1911. That always made me a little nervous, the thought of having the thing ready to fire on single action when the safety was taken off.
The Chief carried a nickel M42 which I always admired.
Then there were the 12 gauge pumps that were mounted upright in the electric locked rack on the dashboard- the most vicious rigs I ever shot.
mjr
Member
Around 1963, give or take a year, I saw a very self-satisfied looking cop in Mattoon, Illinois, walking down the sidewalk wearing a 7.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk.
BubbaBlades
Member
Years ago, I took my S&W Model 66 (6") into a local gunsmith for a minor repair. He told me that he would need to keep the gun over night and I could pick it up the next day. The only other gun that I had that would fit my duty holster and look like my 66 for roll call was a 6" Model 48 .22 magnum. I carried the .22 magnum on duty that night and a Colt Gold Cup .45 in my briefcase just in case.
Mark
Mark
Some of the guns listed here don't seem that unusual to me.
But I've seen:
Auto Burglars
Those little .410 Snake Charmers
A lot of the old guys carried double barrel 12 gauges loaded 1 barrel 00Buck, the other with a slug.
M1 carbine type Enforcer pistols
Several had a .22 .32 kit gun with CB caps to shoot cats out of dumpsters on slow midnight shifts.
I kept a 622 in my kit bag for rattlesnakes.
I checked out a carried for very brief periods:
A High Standard model 10 bullpup 12 gauge, and a Thompson 1927.
But I've seen:
Auto Burglars
Those little .410 Snake Charmers
A lot of the old guys carried double barrel 12 gauges loaded 1 barrel 00Buck, the other with a slug.
M1 carbine type Enforcer pistols
Several had a .22 .32 kit gun with CB caps to shoot cats out of dumpsters on slow midnight shifts.
I kept a 622 in my kit bag for rattlesnakes.
I checked out a carried for very brief periods:
A High Standard model 10 bullpup 12 gauge, and a Thompson 1927.
medic15al
Member
I have worked FT and PT a number of security jobs to supplement my paramedic pay in the 90s and early 2000s
Down here in Alabama at that time security was not regulated and anything pretty much went. One man at a post toted a Replica Remington 1858 .44 Cap and Ball with spare loaded cylinder. By dern he could hit, move, reload and stay in the fight with it too!
Plenty of cheap .22 and .25 tiny autos.
I like toting my Hi-Power, Colt Commander, or S&W Model 19s back then.
Down here in Alabama at that time security was not regulated and anything pretty much went. One man at a post toted a Replica Remington 1858 .44 Cap and Ball with spare loaded cylinder. By dern he could hit, move, reload and stay in the fight with it too!
Plenty of cheap .22 and .25 tiny autos.
I like toting my Hi-Power, Colt Commander, or S&W Model 19s back then.
cmort666
Member
Not police, but the year before I got there, one of the lieutenants in 1/31st Infantry (M) at Camp Howze, Korea carried an 8 3/8" Model 29 on the DMZ. One night, a patrol from his company got pinned down in the DMZ by North Korean Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) commandos.
This was Jimmy Carter's army, so the battalion commander not only wouldn't send a relief force out, but refused to fire 4.2" mortar illumination for the patrol when they ran out of parachute flares. In fact, he countermanded an order by a nearby artillery unit to fire illumination in support.
This rubbed the LT the wrong way, so he drew his 29 and was going to shoot the Bn Cdr. The Bn Sergeant Maj. restrained him before he could.
When I heard the story, I thought it was BS, even though it was absolutely the worst unit I ever saw in the Army. Then I went to Division HQ and got to read the files...
This was Jimmy Carter's army, so the battalion commander not only wouldn't send a relief force out, but refused to fire 4.2" mortar illumination for the patrol when they ran out of parachute flares. In fact, he countermanded an order by a nearby artillery unit to fire illumination in support.
This rubbed the LT the wrong way, so he drew his 29 and was going to shoot the Bn Cdr. The Bn Sergeant Maj. restrained him before he could.
When I heard the story, I thought it was BS, even though it was absolutely the worst unit I ever saw in the Army. Then I went to Division HQ and got to read the files...
Not a gun thing thing but this thread reminded me of an old story. Back in the early 80's I worked for a PD in NE MO. We would take our arrestees to the county jail. the Sheriff was a good ole boy but not a gun guy.
One evening I took a guy to jail. I saw the Sheriff's gun, belt and holster on a desk. Why it was there I don't know. It was a revolver (can't remember maybe a Model 15). The beltand holster were brown basket weave leather and had the cartridge loops. He had old Winchester Western ammo in the gun and loops. They were the bronze colored round nose 38's. They ALL had green mold around the bulllet by the case rim. No telling how old they were.
I went back to the PD and got some fresh ammo and loaded his gun and the cartridge belt with new ammo. Never told anyone (the County jailer knew) and I never heard a word about it.
One evening I took a guy to jail. I saw the Sheriff's gun, belt and holster on a desk. Why it was there I don't know. It was a revolver (can't remember maybe a Model 15). The beltand holster were brown basket weave leather and had the cartridge loops. He had old Winchester Western ammo in the gun and loops. They were the bronze colored round nose 38's. They ALL had green mold around the bulllet by the case rim. No telling how old they were.
I went back to the PD and got some fresh ammo and loaded his gun and the cartridge belt with new ammo. Never told anyone (the County jailer knew) and I never heard a word about it.
mm6mm6
Member
I was in a tactical flashlight class in 2012 and there was a female officer from a local department who carried an H&K P7 9mm. It was amazing to see her carrying it today. I asked about it and she said she loved the pistol and shot it really well so there was no need to get anything else....
ACP230
Member
At a PPC type match once I saw a cop using the ancestor of the current
High Point pistols. Crude, blocky and ugly-looking but I noticed no
jams or misfeeds. At the range we were shooting at (short & indoors) it
grouped OK too.
I shot the same match for a few years. Once I brought a Smith 1917
(Brazilian Contract) with full-moon clips. Cops were coming up to me
between stages and asking, "What IS that thing?"
High Point pistols. Crude, blocky and ugly-looking but I noticed no
jams or misfeeds. At the range we were shooting at (short & indoors) it
grouped OK too.
I shot the same match for a few years. Once I brought a Smith 1917
(Brazilian Contract) with full-moon clips. Cops were coming up to me
between stages and asking, "What IS that thing?"
olcop
Member
Back when I wan a LEO, one of the officers who was assigned to a walking beat in the rougher section of town, carried a Colt Peacemaker and a 30-30 rifle.
olcop
olcop
My agency purchase the HK P7M8 shortly after the NJSP and we carried them for several years. They were light and accurate but suffered from the German malady of being very intricate. They used a bunch of fine piano wire springs that needed periodic replacement. If the trigger return spring broke the gun was inert. I believe a trooper died holding a gun suffering from that failure. But it would run fine with the extractor blown off; you wouldn't know it was gone until the end of the day and it was time to clean the gun.
20 or so years ago, we had a detective that carried a Walther P-38. Now THAT got the looks...
forindooruseonly
Member
Before my time, but a trooper that my dad rode around with while he was a deputy carried an M3 grease gun in the trunk of his patrol car.
OLDFED
Member
A '60's officer who shall remain nameless once carried a Walther P-38 on the midnight shift because his Cold OP was in the hospital. It was a Nazi marked piece.
My dad went on the local PD in 1940.
One night a year or so after WWII he was inspecting the downtown walking patrol group before they headed out to their posts.
One of the newer guys, a vet like so many in that era, had a large bulge in his coat pocket. My dad patted it, and discovered a frag grenade. He made the officer take it to his car and leave it there.
I dunno what he expected to run into that night, but he was gonna be ready!
One night a year or so after WWII he was inspecting the downtown walking patrol group before they headed out to their posts.
One of the newer guys, a vet like so many in that era, had a large bulge in his coat pocket. My dad patted it, and discovered a frag grenade. He made the officer take it to his car and leave it there.
I dunno what he expected to run into that night, but he was gonna be ready!
The most unique pistol I ever saw carried on a regular basis was a 6" Desert Eagle in 357 Magnum. The funniest one was a deputy that carried the extra rounds for his S&W Model 39 in leather loops on his belt. The rounds had been left in the loops so long that they had corroded and would have never come out on their own. As I recall, a pair of needle nose pliers was needed to remove them when he was finally convinced they needed to be replaced.
I recall reading an article in Shooting Times where Skeeter Skelton described being called in on a felony stop from off duty while he was wearing a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Mag. He threw open the perp's car door and stuck the SBH in the guy's face, who immediately became very compliant. He later said "that cowboy had the biggest damn gun I ever saw!"
