Current Law Enforcement Revolver Use

[pinkymingeo]

I live in a small tourist town where violent crime is rare and the threat level is about as close to zero as you'll find. A local LEO recently lost a magazine which was found by a civilian. Made the news. Turns out this dedicated officer's daily carry is five 14-round magazines. This guy, and thousands like him, needs a revolver and one round to carry in his shirt pocket. And, maybe, some therapy.

 

[thomasinaz]

The agency I work for still authorizes revolvers, in several calibers. I like to take them up on this and qualify with 2 or 3 usually. The bigger calibers are going away, unfortunately, but we should still keep a couple in service. I'm currently qualified with my 627 Pro and the 625 MG in 45 Colt. These work out very well for me and don't feel the least bit "undergunned" with either.

 

[8-Shot]

I work in a large Dept here in OK. I am the youngest officer to carry a revolver. I carry an 8-shot model 627 in a Looper Leather hooded holster I was never a revolver person, it was always Glock for me and that's what we are issued in the academy. After probation I got on out departments pistol team and began shooting PPC competition. I soon found out an old 686 will shoot circles around a Glock. After begging for sometime I was allowed to carry a revolver. We still have about 10-20 officers that carry them from when they were issued in 1995. On another note all of our honor guard is issued and carry revolvers mainly model 65's. The honor guard still has to qualify with them out of a Jordan trooper style holster with a 12 round loop loader.

 

[Texas Star]

I talked late last year with a Dallas cop who was guarding a bookstore. (Off-duty) He wears a SIG P-229 .357 SIG.

Said that they had to convince the previous chief, now running for Mayor, that the .357 SIG wasn't overpowered. The reasoning was that they allow .357 revolvers, so it was unfair not to allow the auto of fairly similar power.

I don't see many revolvers in police holsters here, and those seen are usually NOT on the hips of people who look very proficient. I think they bought them cheaply from retiring personnel. Most probably regard a gun as mainly an expense. I don't think they have the ethnic/cultural background to be very gun-concious. Many are women. The city security people do have what look like S&W M-64's, and they are uniformly not what I'd consider to be pro-gun oriented. I can't say more on this board. Their revolvers were probably transferred over from the PD when they went to autos. I'm pretty sure that they don't want the additional training time and expense to carry autos and I think these people are better off with .38 revolvers. I think the public would be at added risk if they had hi-cap autos!

I work several nights a week in private security, and I do wear my S&W M-66-3. Very occasionally, I sub a Ruger GP-100, mainly for variety and because I like the gun. My leather is a Bianchi River Belt, with their No. 5BHL holster and speed loader pouch, black basketweave. The Ruger holster is the same model, just a bit larger. I have also used the old Safariland Model 29 holster, also lined, black basketweave. El Paso Saddlery still makes a very similar model.

I have a Beretta M-92FS, but no duty leather, and the pay is so poor that I can't warrant investing probably $150 in belt, holster,and mag carrier. I would also have to re-qualify next time with an auto to carry one at work. I just re-qualified and I was the sole person of about 15 who used a revolver.Most had never seen one! The elderly gentleman who was instructing seemed impressed that I was still carryig a wheelgun. But he brought to class only autos, about five.

It was very gratifying to outshoot every one of the other guards. I think they gained a new respect for revolvers. And for the capabilities of handguns in general... (One guy, who I think was from Nigeria, seemed afraid to even hold a gun!
I think he put three rounds in my target from a rental Glock, lowering my score. None of my hits were anything but center mass, but those three were at the edge of the silhouette and scattered.

I do not feel that that individual should be carrying a hi-cap auto! And some cops who qualify only annually may be in the same category.

T-Star

 

[stantheman86]

Good points from Buff and Texas Star, to hear the "other side of the coin" which seems to be true in some cases. Not every LEO you see carrying a revolver is a Bill Jordan or Skeeter Skelton

I know there is a VAST difference between armed security and LEO's. I was never a LEO but worked some armed security in my past. At my first one I carried a Glock 22, and all I can say is the overwhelming majority of my co-workers were NOT gun people, probably would have been better off with something simple and fool proof like DAO Ruger GP100 .38's. I later carried a Taurus 82 for a bried stint at my most recent rent-a-cop job, never even qualified with it, it was my own gun and I knew darn well I would never have to use it where I worked. My Taurus was cheap and I wanted to carry a gun I didn't have to care about.

In the Army Infantry it was a lot of the same thing, I won't get off topic but I knew some guys who I had to trust overseas with M249 SAWS,M4's,M2 .50's,249b's, and M203's, guys I would hardly trust with a Red Ryder in my presence let alone a machine gun......

I was talking to a retired cop this summer at my small local range, I had my Ruger Speed Six and a few S&W's and he was telling me he carried a "S&W .38" when he was a cop from the 70's-90's. I was like "what model was it?" and he was like "heck if I know,I'm not into guns I just hunt, I bought it used from some guy before I went to the academy because I wanted something el cheapo, sold it off after I retired". He said he only shot it once a year, the few guys from this local municipal PD would basically get together, blow some rounds off and call it an annual qual. He said he never bought an autoloader because he already had the revolver and wasn't about to pay for a new gun, he just needed to carry something and the PD said the revolvers were fine. Would have loved to have bought it from him, probably only had a few hundred rounds through it after decades of living in a holster

 

[18DAI]

This topic comes up every so often. Interesting to me.....and a bit sad, that as the years go by less and less revolvers are present in LEO holsters.

I was the last one to carry a six shot revolver as a primary handgun in Guilford County NC.

Probation & Parole had model 64's and 65's till 2005 IIRC. I used my 3" 66-4 till 2007 and a 3" 13-3 till 2009.

I spent many years going into terrible places looking for worse people with those sixguns and never felt under gunned.

My partner use to say, "You will be out of time before you are out of bullets." I think he knew what he was talking about. We were good shots back then - all of us on our squad anyway. Much higher scores than most of the kids we see today.

These days I still see some pre lock J-frames as BUGS/off duty guns. Not many though. Everyone wants high cap plastic it seems to me.

Miss those old days. Regards 18DAI.

I still stick my 2.5" 66-2 in a holster on my own time. .

 

[hoss@fol43]

Ca. Dept. of Corrections uses 4" .38 special model 64's in the institutions, but transportation officers on the buses carry 9mm 6906's. Some of the 64's are stamped "CDC", some are not.

 

[safearm]

It's not really that much different today than when I started as a LEO in 1978. The guys that were into guns usually carried their own, even if the department issued guns. I was issued a NIB Model 15, that I was required to carry until I was off probation. After that, I could carry anything I wanted, as long as it was made by S&W, Colt, or Ruger, had a 4 inch barrel, chambered the department ammo (W-W .38 Special +P 158 grain LSWCHP), and I passed the department qualification. I started carrying a stainless Ruger Secuity Six, then I bought a Colt Python from a retiring investigator and carried that until I left the department.
When the department transitioned from M15s to Sig P220s, a few of the guys were "grandfathered" to revolvers, none of them were good shooters, and to a man, they didn't want to have to learn a new gun for the short time left before retirement.

 

[thomasinaz]

"I don't see many revolvers in police holsters here, and those seen are usually NOT on the hips of people who look very proficient. I think they bought them cheaply from retiring personnel. Most probably regard a gun as mainly an expense. I don't think they have the ethnic/cultural background to be very gun-concious."

Wow, T-Star; Can you tell me how to spot someone who's not very proficient with their firearm? I'd like to know this because it would help me when instructing at our range. This would save a lot of time and ammunition, usually we have to wait and actually see them shoot before we can make a judgement like this.

 

[David Sinko]

Up until about a year ago my local Sheriff's Department issued the 4" Model 64 and required that everybody carry one without deviation. They have just switched to some version of .40 Glock.

I always choose to carry a revolver for off-duty or backup. Whenever somebody denigrates the revolver or says it's too slow, I bring out my Model 64 or 66 along with the shot timer and none of the auto shooters can beat my split times.

Dave Sinko

 

[Garywapx]

Ex LEO Here, Carried a 28-2 for 4 years and switched to a P89DS because, well, everyone did. Bottom line is, 25 years later, have the 28-2 and can still out shoot any of my 3 Glocks. Most accurate is my Model 21 but the 28 still makes that look bad. I really think the reason was "peace through superior firepower" We could throw more lead with an autoloader.
Thanks for listening

 

[Damn Yankee]

This is what I carry.

 

[stantheman86]

Neat Looks like a 586 or a 66?

 

[Damn Yankee]

686 with 145 grain Silvertips

 

[Nightowl]

It has been my experience that most cops only shoot when the boss schedules a range day and they have to go shoot or qualify. few are very accurate, and in fact most qualification courses are 15 yards or less and total misses are common. On the other side of the coin, there are a few that are pretty amazing in their gun handling skills and ability to shoot all police weapons very well.

 

[MakeMyNight]

I haven't noticed an LEO with a revolver in his holster for a lot of years; sure do miss the experience of determining which revolver the officer carried.

If I was an LEO today, think that I'd carry the best hi-cap 40 S&W chambered pistol that one could find. Easier to clear a jam with an auto-loader, not so with a revolver. Wickedly faster reloads, ala magazine R&R.

FWIW: Last week while at the range, My 686-1 wouldn't open to remove the empties, and I later discovered the root of the issue while cleaning.

The ejector rod housing had loosened & backed out from the ejector star, and God forbid something such as that happen to an LEO while engaged in a gunfight.
Freakish issue to be sure, but those things always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time.

 

[jlw]

We allow them. Of course, since SheriffOconee runs the outfit that isn't a shocker. There are four of us total so far that are approved to carry them. So far, all are carrying N frames.

I'm still carrying a Glock on a daily basis but break out the wheelgun for formal wear. After all, why get dressed up in Class As only to strap on a polymer pistol? For such occasions, I am toting a nickel 22-4 with stained maple Ahrends retro combat stocks in a Looper Evo holster. I do have an old S&W duty holster as well.

I must admit that K frames are my true loves when it comes to wheelguns. I will be toting those as well.

 

[grcoffman104]

Bar-B-Q gun.

jlweems;says....

I'm still carrying a Glock on a daily basis but break out the wheelgun for formal wear. After all, why get dressed up in Class As only to strap on a polymer pistol? For such occasions, I am toting a nickel 22-4 with stained maple Ahrends retro combat stocks in a Looper Evo holster. I do have an old S&W duty holster as well.

In the Texas Panhandle we call that a "Bar-B-Q gun"
Officers on special occasions had shinny guns for for fund raisers, formal get togethers ect. Don't take it as a bad comment we all had one, Mine was a nickel 586 or 459 depending on the agency I was working for at the time.
May be a local noun only. Some time back I was argueing with Taurus rep about a Taurus 5 shot 357 needing its 4th repair in
8 years. He said gun designed to carry, not shoot all of time.
I said I'm dept Firearms Instructer, this isnt a Bar-B-Q gun.
He didn't under stand phrase. I told him I would tell every rookie in every class I tought that I spent as much sending in Taurus for repairs to buy a good Smith...... He decided to pay shipping on 4th repair.

 

[stantheman86]

Regarding the infamous "extractor rod tie up" issue the only modern wheelgun I know of that eliminates this issue is the Ruger GP100. Colt DA's also don't have this problem because they use don't use the extractor rod for cylinder lockup.

 

[jlw]

jlweems;says....

I'm still carrying a Glock on a daily basis but break out the wheelgun for formal wear. After all, why get dressed up in Class As only to strap on a polymer pistol? For such occasions, I am toting a nickel 22-4 with stained maple Ahrends retro combat stocks in a Looper Evo holster. I do have an old S&W duty holster as well.

In the Texas Panhandle we call that a "Bar-B-Q gun"
Officers on special occasions had shinny guns for for fund raisers, formal get togethers ect. Don't take it as a bad comment we all had one, Mine was a nickel 586 or 459 depending on the agency I was working for at the time.
May be a local noun only. Some time back I was argueing with Taurus rep about a Taurus 5 shot 357 needing its 4th repair in
8 years. He said gun designed to carry, not shoot all of time.
I said I'm dept Firearms Instructer, this isnt a Bar-B-Q gun.
He didn't under stand phrase. I told him I would tell every rookie in every class I tought that I spent as much sending in Taurus for repairs to buy a good Smith...... He decided to pay shipping on 4th repair.

I'm familiar with the "barbecue gun" term as well as the term "court gun". I'm sort of combining the two.

I'm a history buff, and revolvers and vintage duty gear just play right into that. I feel perfectly well armed with a good wheelgun. The only problems with carrying them daily is the beating such a gun in a duty rigs takes as well as being able to replace it if it goes into evidence after a shooting. I can replace a Glock within the hour.

I also firmly believe in the use of a lever action rifle for patrol work. Just to indulge my sense of humor, I had a Marlin 336 parkerized and put a black synthetic stock on it. Some of my buddies dubbed it the "Reneck Tactical Rifle". I do have a non-defiled levergun available though.