Burning issue!
The subject matter of a couple of posts contain issues that I have faced every since 1992 when our local agencies went to the semi-auto pistol away from the revolver. I remember, only too well, a lot of well-meaning people (wrongfully) advancing the idea that replacing the antequated, their words NOT mine, revolver was a time past coming! More firepower needed was the watchwords spoken ad-nauseun by those in and out of law enforcement. At the time all of this caterwauling was taking place our agencies here was packing the S&W Model 66 (4"bbl.) using .38+P 125gr.JHP ammunition as the duty load. For myself I still retained, still do, my Colt Official Police and it stayed in my duty holster then, loaded with the same ammo. That was the state of affairs here in the south as far as duty sidearms. Those of us in 1992 ,who shot regularly and competed, were already well versed in the semi-auto pistol. The pros and cons of the pistol had already been experienced by most of the regular competitive shooters. Not all pistols, just the ones being advanced as the soon-to-be-new duty weapon for our officers. In 92 the Glock people came here on a mission to prove their product worthwhile. Heck, we had one of them fellas (Glock) drop one of those Glocks out of a hovering helicopter and the thing bounced all round on the asphalt before being picked up and shot. This kind of stuff was going on all over the country then as this was very "BIG" money for the firearm companies making and selling those new "wondernines" them pistols were referred to. A few of us, not taken in by the sales pitch of these people, the few who actually well-schooled in revolver shooting, the few, who studied and test-fired different handguns knew from the get go that a pistol was no advantage over a revolver, the two shooters being of the same skill level. Nope, not even! Matter of fact our entire pistol team, to a man today, shoots the revolver in competition. This being what it is, listed below here are some undisputable facts concerning police officer shootings. This is from the FBI national stats, taken every year by this agency on cop shootings:
1-MOST POLICE FIREFIGHTS (95+%) ARE UNDER 10-FEET.
2-MOST POLICE FIREFIGHTS ARE UNDER 4-SHOTS.
3-NEVER, EVER, NEVER, EVER HAS THERE BEEN A DOCUMENTED CASE WHERE COPS HAD TO INTERCHANGE AMMO WHILE ENGAGED IN A FIREFIGHT. SO MUCH FOR THE CLAIM "EVERYBODY" HAD TO PACK THE SAME WEAPON AND CALIBER TO INTERCHANGE AMMO IN THIS SORT OF COMBAT. SAVE THAT FOR THE BATTLEFIELD OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS IN. THEY HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN, BUT NOT ON THE STREETS OF AMERICA YET!
All of the above is documented and can be easily verified by nay-sayers who continue to preach the one size fits all, for expense, for safety, for ease of maintenance, and anything else used for leverage. Both of our local agencies, who still have officers old enough who experienced the revolver on duty, these same officers, will tell you how user-friendly the wheelgun was compared to the Glock and S&W M&P .45 now in use. They all say, on the range, no comparison with their current scores compared to what they use to get with the Model 66. The semi-auto pistol is absolutely NOT easier than the revolver to shoot and use proficiently! That is another undisputable fact advanced by one of the post writers here! Those of us who have shot, many years, many guns, all types, shapes, sizes, and calibers will tell you the same thing; the revolver is many times more easier for a beginner than the pistol, hands down! The culture of this country has lead to the wrong-headed change in law enforcement to the pistol from the revolver. If our country continues to sink, as it has the past 40-50 years we made need to go to the combat scenario of one size fits all because we will be put into positions in street to street firefights of ammo interchange. We are not there yet! So, I will steadfastly hold on to my Colt Official Police until the barbarians start coming into the streets of Rome. Thank you my friends and please forgive an old cops rant! I don't mean any harm but for too long I have battled admin-folks over this flaming burning issue for me!
David
