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Posted by: Southside

Does anyones department carry .45's?

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Posted by: jyanis

I know that Leicester PD carries .45's.

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Posted by: mef245

Winchester and Arlington PD's recently went to .45's (Glock I believe)

We still have the gun that the mayor picked for us out of political correctness considerations.

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Posted by: dcs2244

We should all be carrying .45's...period.

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Posted by: bdqadvisor

We do. Glock 21 with the M3 light. But that is FLA. But we don't get snow shovels, so I guess it is an even trade

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Posted by: Mikey682

New Hampshire State Police use Sig .45's

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Posted by: Sgt.berniedo

I used to carry a S&W .357 magnum M19 with a four inch barrel. I could stoke that with .38 sp. +P or +P+ with no problem. Now it's autos so I have a .40 S&W Sigma. I also had a 9mm Sigma. I wanted bullets that were hitting 1100 FPS so I did not consider the .45 before. With more experience now, I would carry the .45, that slug going 900 FPS at 240 grains can have a real wallop, where as the small fast bullets do not impart that much shock to the target.

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Posted by: JoninNH

Quote:

Originally Posted by mef245 @ Sun November 14, 2004 4:53 am We still have the gun that the mayor picked for us out of political correctness considerations.

What would that be, if I might ask?

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Posted by: Dan H

["I would carry the .45, that slug going 900 FPS at 240 grains can have a real wallop, where as the small fast bullets do not impart that much shock to the target.[/quote]

For my own personal carry I choose the .45. All it takes for a good review of the stopping power is to talk to any of the old vets talk about their one shot take downs. I hear the military is working back to the .45, must be sick of putting 9mm ball through someone w/o stopping them.
I see the smaller faster bullets being a little better for LE use though. You never know when you might need the extra penetration of the faster load. It think velocity winds up being a bit of a bigger factor in the shock to the body than bullet weight. I think a lot of the choice out there for .40 are a pretty good all around compromise.
On the topic of .45 ammo, I did a little water jug test at the range the other week. I was thinking about changing from 230gr Hydra-shock to 165gr. Why? The 230gr moves at about 850fps, and the 165 is just under 1100. The lighter bullet should also cause less felt recoil. Hitting each jug in the center from about 10 ft with a couple of focused witnesses showed a noticeably greater water dispersion with the 165gr round. Not the most scientific test but it's enough for me to decide. Everyone knows the wave of fluid is the big thing for instant trauma and shock to the system. The big pressure relief hole left behind is what will keep them out of the fight after the shock.

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Posted by: JP64

As of 2 years ago Framingham PD allowed officers to carry the Sig P220.

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Posted by: MatchStick

Tisbury PD (Martha's Vineyard) carried Sig Sauer P220 .45 up until about a year and a half ago. It was an excellent weapon, but the only factory magazines for it were either a 7 round or an 8 round. When the current Chief took over, he got money approved to replace the 14 year old Sigs. At first we were considering going to the Glock 21 or 21C in .45, but we ended up going with the Glock 22C in .40S&W. We dropped in caliber, but went up in overall rounds. With three mags plus one, we had either 22 or 25 rounds with the .45. We now have 46 rounds of .40. The two bordering PDs carry Glock .40 so it was a wise decision as far as mutual aid and compatibility.

Edgartown (Martha's Vineyard) currently carries Sig Sauer P220 .45 which are fairly new.

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Posted by: Jeep

When did NHSP change over? Last I saw (a little over a year ago) they were still carrying 9mm S&W's.

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Posted by: topcop14

North Smithfiled RI and Several other RI Depts last I knew. Glocks I think.

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Posted by: Dan H

Anyone know of any departments in MA or anywhere else that issue Para-Ordnances? A P-14 has a 5in barrel, same size overall as a 1911. But it takes a double stack mag and you can have 14+1 rounds on deck. Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling or a "safe place". They also have a 16+1 .40 and a 19+1 9 in the same sized frame.

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Posted by: LenS

For ballistic info on .45 and .40 you might take a look at the following websites:

http://www.ballisticreview.com/
http://www.ballisticreview.com/40s+w.html
http://www.ballisticreview.com/45acp.html

Ammolab Forum may also have some good info. You need to register to obtain access.
http://p067.ezboard.com/bammolabforum

Firearms Tactical Institute - too bad their data is rather old and newer or re-designed ammo may not track the results shown here.
http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/40s&w.htm
http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/45acp.htm

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Posted by: Foxracingmtnridr

I carry a P220 at my job. But it's not a PD it a security company but it's a CDC contract for a lab that is one of 2 labs in the world that produces the Smallpox Vaccine for the USA. Got SPEER 45ACP Hollow Points. "The Quicker F&%kerupper" It's pretty sad thought that when i leave here to go work for my Aux. I have to downgrade to a 9MM S&W 6946 with crappy old federal Hydra Shox.

Scott

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