New LEO Service Revolver

[gerhard1]

S&W 686. Or as an earlier poster said Have S&W crank out a bunch of 681's.

 

[Green Frog]

In this scenario, I would be with a big enough agency/department to have the clout for a "special run" of guns. Given the 38 Spl only parameter, I would Special order Model 67 revolvers with 4" barrels, built on no lock frames (since everybody knows the lock introduces the possibility of the gun locking up at the "wrong time." ) I would have them equipped with round butt smooth combat grips to fit average sized hands.

Froggie

 

[elpac3]

I used to carry a model 19, but for the "average" street cop I would vote the model 10, standard barrel to minimize weight and complexity. Remember, your "average" street cop is not a competition shooter and likely only fires the weapon for qualification a couple of times a year.


Tough gun, adjustable rear sights tend to banged around too much on car doors unless you have a holster that offer sight protection as well as grips getting door dings.

Go with rubber grips for wet hands as well as being able to fit different sized hands. Keep the belt "dark" to get rid of aiming points.

Go with Safariland comp II speed loaders so there is no knob twisting to unload the speedloader or to drop rounds when you pull it out of the belt holder.

At typical gunfight distances you are never going to be using sights anyway, especially for the first shot.

 

[tflt]

NY-1's

To properly outfit a large Department with revolvers, you need to look at the whole job, not just the shooters. I'm a retired guy from the NYPD. The good shooters, who take it seriously will do well with whatever you give them. The reality is that a LARGE percentage will show up at the range twice a year, attain a passing score, then go back to spilling coffee into their holsters until next time. In 1990 when I went on patrol with a 4" NY-1 loaded with 158 grain LSWC's, (pre NYCLAD),and a 2" NY-1 in my belt, I was complaining about not having a 9MM, but never felt I couldn't address anything that came up during the tour. The 64's available in 4" and 3" as a patrol gun allowed a broad range of average shooters to do fairly well on the range as well as on the road.


Give'em K frame's!

 

[xray 99]

To properly outfit a large Department with revolvers, you need to look at the whole job, not just the shooters. I'm a retired guy from the NYPD. The good shooters, who take it seriously will do well with whatever you give them. The reality is that a LARGE percentage will show up at the range twice a year, attain a passing score, then go back to spilling coffee into their holsters until next time. In 1990 when I went on patrol with a 4" NY-1 loaded with 158 grain LSWC's, (pre NYCLAD),and a 2" NY-1 in my belt, I was complaining about not having a 9MM, but never felt I couldn't address anything that came up during the tour. The 64's available in 4" and 3" as a patrol gun allowed a broad range of average shooters to do fairly well on the range as well as on the road.


Give'em K frame's!

Did the baby arrive in the box?

 

[smithra_66]

OK, this is a fantasy question for revolver enthusiasts. I am a reading a book about classic revolvers and am on a chapter about the old SW M&P and the Colt OP revolvers and a question came to mind.

Assume you are the man in charge of firearm procurement for a large city PD and your local government has lost its mind (that could never happen, right?). You have been ordered to replace all current service pistols with a revolver. Must be 38 SP (or .357 but only 38 ammo would be allowed) double action, US manufacture, and box stock, no modifications of any kind. You have some budget flexibility but can't go crazy with the cost, and PC models are out (not that it has to be a S&W at all).

What revolver would you pick from the current stable of products, and why?

I'd go with the S&W Model 19 classic. It worked great for many years in times past! A python would also be up there as well but I can buy almost twice as many 19s per Python.

 

[Rodan]

Interesting thought experiment, and probably not too far off 'reality' in some cities today...

The M19 Classic is probably the best option in S&W's current lineup. Also the M10, but the old school fixed sights aren't the easiest to see.

For an issue police gun, it has to be simple, and fit the widest variety of hand sizes possible. Weight is a definite consideration. The ability to mount a light is very nearly an absolute necessity today.

I would talk to S&W about the following:

686 - matte black finish
Round butt to fit the greatest variety of shooters
Fluted 7 shot cylinder
4" barrel w/ picatinny rail instead of full underlug for lights
Fixed, high profile night sights (a la Ruger Wiley Clapp GPs)

 

[tflt]

Did the baby arrive in the box?

That's how we did it back then, easier times!


Now the babies have babies....



Unfortunately in this backwards world, the Thin Blue Line of my family might have to end here....

 

[Tilheyra]

Due to their current use in law enforcement today, I first thought of the TRR8 and M&P R8. The 8-shot capacity of their cylinders would be something I could see departments gravitating toward.

However, I do agree with many others here about the issues of frame size and fitting the revolver to different sizes of hands. Some officers would potentially choose the the TRR8 and R8, but there should be other options for officers who don't want a gun that large.

I've also been told that some departments have allowed officers to use guns from an approved list, so I could see that practice continuing. Thus, I can see the 686 PLUS, 686, 586, 66, 19 Classic, 10 Classic, and even 60 for those with smaller hands. The Ruger GP100 and SP 101, as well as Colts could also enter the picture (I'm not as knowledgeable about Colts).

 

[ContinentalOp]

Not being familiar with S&W's current production, I had to go check it out. Based on what I saw, I'd go with the 66, 4.25" for uniformed officers and 2.75" for plainclothes.

K-frames in general can be made to fit a wide variety of people/hand sizes. Stainless construction for weather and corrosion resistance; it's more forgiving of minimal maintenance, which can be important as not every police officer is a "gun person." I thought about the 686, but if limited to .38 Special as OP said I think the extra weight is wasted. It'll make the gun softer to shoot with even the hottest .38 Special ammo, but a K-frame will be easier to carry during a long shift (FYI, I've carried a 4" 686 as an armed guard on 12-16-hour shifts, and done the same with a 4" 10, so I have some experience in that regard). Same reason I disregarded the GP100.

I looked at Colt's revolvers, and it looks like the only really feasible options are the Python and the King Cobra Target. The Python is expensive, and OP said not to go crazy on the budget. I don't know enough about the King Cobra Target to say whether it's a good or bad option. So I'm sticking with S&W.

Just my opinion.

 

[k22fan]

Obviously the best choice is the yet to be announced new 7 shot L frame cap and ball .38 caliber percussion revolver. They will have push button yoke removal, a feature stolen from Taurus. DA combined with quick cylinder swaps will give the good guys a firepower advantage over the bad guys who of course will eagerly trade in all their automatics for Italian cap and ball Colt reproductions.

Just like during the good old days non-LEO buyers will bid the price of also yet to be announced cap and ball N frame .44s up to double retail. A grocery store gun magazine column writer wearing a huge cowboy hat and his peers will talk S&W into making the ideal LEO pistol, a cap and ball N frame .41.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Obviously the best choice is the yet to be announced new 7 shot L frame cap and ball .38 caliber percussion revolver. They will have push button yoke removal, a feature stolen from Taurus. DA combined with quick cylinder swaps will give the good guys a firepower advantage over the bad guys who of course will eagerly trade in all their automatics for Italian cap and ball Colt reproductions.

Just like during the good old days non-LEO buyers will bid the price of also yet to be announced cap and ball N frame .44s up to double retail.

I dunno...I think cops walking around with half-a-dozen flintlock pistols stuck in their duty belts would be cooler.

 

[BSA1]

Another been there, done with that.

The first department I worked for had 4" K-Frame 38 Spl. Those of us that could afford it brought our own revolvers as the issue ones had lot of wear on them.

Later the department exchanged them for new S&W N-Frames. From a administrative point of view they were great guns because they were larger and would have a longer service life than the K-Frame. However N-Frames are not fun to carry for eight hours due to their weight. They also have a larger grip making it more difficult for Officers with small hands to shoot.

The L-Frame is a compromise. K-Frame size grip and beefed up where needed to handle Magnum rounds longer. The downside is L-Frames weigh as much as N-Frame. The weight is just distributed different.

So this is a long winded explanation as why a 100 year old gun design is still the best general issue revolver...the Model 10 and it's redheaded brother Model 64.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Under these specs I think the 686 seven shot would be the best. I very comfortably carried the six shot for several years and the extra round of the plus doesn't add enough weight to matter any. I'm retired now but still carry my 4" 686 plus while working on my little farm or riding in the woods. It's an accurate, durable firearm that is easy to shoot and maintain.

 

[Eagle1*]

If the dept was big enough for a sizable order, I would have S&W make a special run gun for my guys. Would be all stainless with 3" barrel, 8 shot with NO INTERNAL LOCK and bobbed hammer so NO single action set up with some sort of night sight combination on top.

 

[minconrevo]

If the dept was big enough for a sizable order, I would have S&W make a special run gun for my guys. Would be all stainless with 3" barrel, 8 shot with NO INTERNAL LOCK and bobbed hammer so NO single action set up with some sort of night sight combination on top.

I'd be good with a 6 or 7 shot, all SS, 3" and 4" barrels available, no IL, standard S&W RB, ample fixed sights with front easily adaptable to tritium sight, bobbed hammer, DAO and a compact standard flashlight rail underneath.

The RB would allow officers to select a broad variety of grips to fit their hands.

 

[minconrevo]

A revolver of this type is going to put the officer at a disadvantage when confronted with a long gun armed adversary. To enable a measured response to such a threat, I'd add a quality 16" barrel folding stock AR with light and red dot to each patrol unit's standard load out, in a lock rack between the front seats.

 

[smithra_66]

A revolver of this type is going to put the officer at a disadvantage when confronted with a long gun armed adversary. To enable a measured response to such a threat, I'd add a quality 16" barrel folding stock AR with light and red dot to each patrol unit's standard load out, in a lock rack between the front seats.

They'd be at a disadvantage with ANY handgun against a long-gun-armed adversary.

 

[BSA1]

A revolver of this type is going to put the officer at a disadvantage when confronted with a long gun armed adversary. To enable a measured response to such a threat, I'd add a quality 16" barrel folding stock AR with light and red dot to each patrol unit's standard load out, in a lock rack between the front seats.

All handguns are at a disadvantage to a long gun.

 

[Miami_JBT]

S&W Model CS-1