Based on their Colt offerings they’re pretty clueless .
If law enforcement officer I’d be carrying 226 / 228 with heavy HST

 

I’d be happy and proud to carry a Colt 1911 pattern pistol on duty…was never given that option for duty when I was a LEO…had to be agency issue.

A Sig 220 or 226 would have been an acceptable alternative but I’m a 1911 guy at heart.

 

I actually carry a Colt 1911 on duty , Waterbury NH etc - no badge though , just an _ _ _ _ _ _
The good Sig P series is probably best carry auto on planet for civilian , if it was still mine I’d be carrying the 220 . Not worried about ever losing ivory , just blood .

 

We were allowed to bring pretty much anything to the Academy. 1984 and I was the only auto loader on the line. All the quals were shot and reloaded in 6 round strings. No exceptions.

I still have that Colt 1911. Ten years later I was running my own quals and not a revolver to be seen in any class. My last qualification was 10 years ago. Used a lwt Commander and 8 round mags And the only single stack gun being shot. Times change.

 

Am I wrong to think that these are guns they can Buy and are authorized to carry on the job? Can't imagine any of the fancier stuff would be department issue.

 

Private purchase, authorized to carry.

 

Interesting that the sig P365 is not on the list…yet the Glock 42/43 made the list.

 

Okay, maybe I am a bit clueless here, but $3200+ base price for a Ruger, Colt or SA 1911? Am I reading this wrong? Not a criticism, but I do have one question....why are the AR-15 referred to as a rifle caliber carbine when sold to police, but are "assault rifles" when you or I buy them!

 

I just wish in the late great- we could buy a regular featured Colt 1911 at msrp or close. Der Kommissar's in town un oh.. 😁

 

Okay, maybe I am a bit clueless here, but $3200+ base price for a WILSON Combat 1911. Am I reading this wrong?

Yes you were reading it wrong.

I also would think the 365 family from Sig would be on some lists these days. Neat guns. All 18 round 9mm guns shown below. Glock 17 clone on top. FN long slide in the middle and a custom 365 is on the bottom. The 365 is a handy pocket gun with lots of ammo. Amazing amount actually for the size and weight. Cute little thing aint it

 

Carried a Colt NM model (somewhat modified) for a good number of years while assigned to a full time SWAT for a large department. When I transferred out and went back to patrol for a short time I continued to carry it. After all, I'd qualified 4 times a year at a distinguished level for 10+ years, not to mention weekly training. Seemed like a good idea I should continue to carry what I was good with and it was authorized ... for a bit. Then some half ass rookie complained that I got to carry it and he didn't 😭, and as opposed to standing up and telling him "when you earn the right you can", they decided it would be in the best interest to revoke my authorization. After all, wouldn't want to hurt the newbie's feelings.
Awww, not really to topic and I'm obviously still grumpy about it.
But, I always have been disappointed in a departments decision that one size fits all, even if I do somewhat understand the training logistics of it.

 

That's the approved gun list for any private purchases to use on duty.

I can give some history on it, as I was SDPD from 94-06. Prior to 2003, the issued guns were most Ruger P series 9mm guns with exception of a few years where they offered recruits Beretta DAO 92s, S&W 5900 series DAO's or the Rugers. Approved for private purchase were Beretta 92's, S&W's both 2nd and 3rd gens autos in 9mm and Sig 226, 228, 229's. These were duty only. Off duty ranged all over the usual .38's or .380s. I carried my 1994 Sig 226 from day 1, shown here during it's last SWAT days before I switched to the 1911 platform for good in 2003.

SWAT was approved for .45acp in the Sig P220/245's. The entire rest of the Dept was still 9mm only.

Long guns were very worn out fleet Remington 870's and a few Smith and Wesson pump 12ga's here and there. You'd grab a different one off the shelf every day if you wanted to carry one. After the LA North Hollywood shootout, they upgrades us to Ruger PC9 carbines....oof. Thanks for the big pistol.

Enter 2003 - new to the Department was Chief William Lansdowne from outside (San Jose if I recall). I'll keep this discussion centered around his firearms activity and not the rest of the show.

One of his first days there, he's walking through the Watch Commanders Office in his new uniform and shiny 1911 on his hip. The 35plus year grizzled Sergeant working the Watch Commanders Office says "Yo Chief, you can't wear that 1911 here anymore....we haven't approved those for many years....".

The next day a new Department Order came out concerning authorized firearms. Basically anything you want in 9mm, 40 or .45acp. If it passed a basic inspection and you could qualify with it, you could carry it. Those range instructors were swamped the next year, putting on new transition classes, qualifications, armorers courses and more.... morale boosted! Boy you'd see everything too. We even had one traffic guy show up with a Walther of some type, where he had to have a custom holster made and it wasn't ever considered a duty gun anywhere. Soon after, Colt AR's went department wide as an option as well. What Cozmo posted above is the toned down current list, to at least get a bit of control on what's out there. Glad to see it's still going strong with todays Cali environment.

Here in Anchorage, it's been much the same for a long time. Anything from Glock, Sig, SW, STI, Nighthawk, Wilson, Beretta and a few others....in 9mm, 40, 45, 10mm, .357sig... We'll issue you a Glock. Anything else is on you. Same with rifles, although we issue pretty well equipped AR's from Colt and Sionics. My current carry is either a Wilson or Colt depending on the day and dress, a Sig P365 off duty and a Noveske N4 as the rifle.

Hey Coz - thanks for the walk down memory lane...

 

My pleasure. I had forgotten you were there. Thanks for the inside story.

 

Forgot to comment on the Kimber's....

When all that was jumping, I was the point guy on getting a special run of Kimber TLE's, both railed and not, patterned after the LAPD SWAT new guns at the time. Kimber worked it out, sent me a few demo guns of what they would offer us with special "SDPD......" serial numbers as a limited run. I was soooooooo excited! I collected money up from from about 80 guys and more to come. Those demo guns they sent us wouldn't get through a full magazine of ball ammo without an issue. They sent out a rep who couldn't get them running either. One of our tied in gun guys, who has since been the editor and such for some of the best Guns magazines since and is still active in that world, met with the Kimber big wigs at Shot about it. They insisted it was the ammo, factory Winchester and Federal at the time. The same ammo that ran just fine through all of our Colts and Springfields. Their guns would never have such an issue they exclaimed. That tanked the deal and I refunded all the checks I had collected. Too bad and it soured me on Kimber since. I had a few of their very early guns that were 100% top notch. It didn't matter at that point. I sold them off and never looked back out of disgust.

I know Kimber makes guns that are still good and worthy of ownership, just not for me. They soured me and never made up for it.

 

I'm surprised that there're no CZs on the list.

Best regards,

 

I'm surprised that there're no CZs on the list.

Best regards,

Well, most likely...

when the "big" gun change was made, CZ wasn't even on the radar. Now 23 years alter, being California and all where the AR's have thumbhole stocks and have to be stripper clip loaded from inside the receiver, adding "new" items to the list aren't on the table for discussion. Honestly, I'm surprised they even are still holding on this strong. Many dept's in Cali only allow their officers to carry the "high" cap normal capacity magazines while on duty and when they go off duty, require them to swap out for the restricted 10rd or less magazines.

Cali is lost and needs a reset button. Such a beautiful place, run by idiots. I digress and will stop in that regard.

 

When I went into the FBI in 1991 there was an extensive POW (Privately Owned Weapon) list. It was dominated by S&Ws, but basically any steel S&W .38 or .357 with a 4” or less barrel was approved (no nickel), any S&W 9mm or .45, and most Sig DA/SA 9mms and .45s. I was issued a 226 in the Academy. I was in the first class after the 1076 was recalled.

I bought a 220 .45 off my Dad’s FFL while I was still in the Academy, picked it up in the way to my first office (New Orleans), literally took it out of the box bone-dry, shot a qual course with it, put it in the 226 holster, and went to work. New Orleans was a lively place then.

Fast forward 25 years and I was still carrying the trusty Sig. Mother Bureau recalled all the issued Sigs, disallowed all revolvers around 2000, and the era of the Glock began. The year I retired an edict came out no more .45 POWs would be allowed (at that point it was only Glock 21s on the .45 list anyway).

My Sig kept getting grandfathered in though and we squeaked out the door together. I’m the only guy I know who carried the same gun his entire career. I gave it to my son.

I’m glad SDPD still has POWs. My son is issued a Glock 17 and the only POWs allowed are Glock 19s and 26s.

 

I'll toss a POW Browning HP into the conversation. I carried one IWB for a couple of 1980's years until PD issued Beretta 92's for on/off uniform or plainclothes. 92 was big for IWB, but I was used to the HP. My HP had a length of bicycle inner tube stretched over the grip.

 

No Berettas? I thought they were almost mandatory. A Colt Govt Model but not a S&W 4506?

 

Not a surprising list.

The days of Beretta 9x, SiG-Sauer, Smith & Wesson gen 3 guns are over for many agencies. Kimber has QC issues going back a while and for that reason, we never allowed them. Same with the SiG 1911. FN lost the State of Arizona contract when they had the FNS in .40 that could fire under certain circumstances. The SiG M17/P320 was a hard pass due to issues [perceived and or real] and the P365 tangentially suffers from what SiG did with the P250.

Due to bad experiences with the Ruger Mini-14, we shelved anything made by them.

Sidearms should have to be currently produced for an agency to allow them. No legacies/old timers are often allowed at larger departments. Many agencies don't even allow for POW due to the concerns of liability among insurance carriers and parental government bodies.

Firearms are tools for LE agencies, not cherished memorabilia.