Suggestions on firearm for the Academy

[LAAFAN]

I start the Academy this June in Riverside CA and am looking to purchase my handgun soon. I hear from a lot of Officers that Glock is the way to go. The agency I am currently working for as a cadet does not permit 9mm for their Officers. I am hoping to get employed by them after the academy so I will not purchase a 9. I am not too familiar with firearms and I am trying to soak up as much info as I can. So in general I am looking for a gun that is easy to clean, disassemble, easy to shoot and great for the academy. Thanks for the advise it is well taken!

[Michigan]

Guns are dangerous.

[Michigan]

lol, I should mention that I've been drinking. lol.

Get whatever works best for you. I like Glocks. Others like Sigs. It doesn't matter, just get what you are comfortable with.

[Michigan]

For the record, I think my spelling is A+, considering I've had.... several beers I'd say that's pretty good. : )

[-Erik-]

Glock.

Inexpensive, quality.

Basically what Michigan said.

[Iowa #1603]

Glock,
Sig,
S&W
(insert your favorite brand)

I would go with what ever gun the department you work with uses.......................

[M1garand]

Inexpensive way is to purchase Glock 22 or 23 in .40 S&W at first responder or LEO pricing.
Sig Sauer offer LE discount, but that will still put you at $800+ (unless you are purchasing P250 series).
S&W M&P seems to become very popular and Express has been advertising them at under $400.

It seems like you are going to attend the academy as a self sponsored cadet, which means you do not have any agency that has given you any commitment of employment. You might be buying a gun just to use it for the academy and then may have to switch to another gun. Do agencies in your areas, including the one that you are going after have a specific firearm or have list of approved pistols?

Good luck!

[SRT936]

I
So in general I am looking for a gun that is easy to clean, disassemble, easy to shoot and great for the academy.

That's pretty much the definition of a Glock.

[adeutch]

I now have a little bit of academy experience with the S&W M&P .40. It works well for me, and it's extremely easy to field strip and clean. I've used a Glock with a nearly identical set up, and no complaints on that either. Obviously select something your agency has approved for duty. Other than that, go to a shop that has a couple different brands and see how they feel in your hand.

[Iowa #1603]

One of the gun shops in my area is having a "range day" next week

For $50 you can go out and shoot 5 round out of various platforms............................both handguns and long guns

Here is the web page for that shop-----------------------check to see if any shops in your area do a similar marketing tool
http://www.cedarvalleyoutfitters.org...tolsguns/news/

[unknownsld]

If you are looking for a handgun still, I found a site that might be beneficial for your search. Once you find a few different ones that you like, you can compare them on this website to narrow them down. http://www.genitron.com/HandgunDB/DB...t-Handguns.asp

[Jeff22]

M1 Garand had excellent advice:

"Inexpensive way is to purchase Glock 22 or 23 in .40 S&W at first responder or LEO pricing.
Sig Sauer offer LE discount, but that will still put you at $800+ (unless you are purchasing P250 series).
S&W M&P seems to become very popular and Express has been advertising them at under $400.

It seems like you are going to attend the academy as a self sponsored cadet, which means you do not have any agency that has given you any commitment of employment. You might be buying a gun just to use it for the academy and then may have to switch to another gun. Do agencies in your areas, including the one that you are going after have a specific firearm or have list of approved pistols?"

My advice would be, find out what brand is the most common in your area and buy one of those. The Glock 22 in .40 cal is the single most popular police sidearm in American right now. (And you can get a .22 conversion unit for it from Advantage Arms to allow for cheap practice)

There is no point in buying something slightly unusual (Like a Springfield XD for example) that you won't be able to carry once you have a job. Buy something common, something in wide use in your area, and learn to shoot that.

In the local academy run by the tech school, they issue Glock 17s or 19s in 9mm to those who do not have a firearm.

Your academy may have some rules about what kind of weapons are allowed -- check with them.

[LAAFAN]

Thanks for all the advise guys. So it looks like I'll be purchasing the Glock 22 .40 cal. Next question is rough handle or not???? The rough handle is a little too grippy for my taste but def. can have its benifits.

[dontknowwhy]

Thanks for all the advise guys. So it looks like I'll be purchasing the Glock 22 .40 cal. Next question is rough handle or not???? The rough handle is a little too grippy for my taste but def. can have its benifits.

My old dept bought all new guns and gave everyone a Gen 4 G22 (meaning rough handle) and most of us hated it. The weapon itself wasn't bad (not as good as my M&P ) but the handle sucked. I have small hands and found the small grip plus a rubber Hogue grip fit my hand well and kept the grip from scraping up my uniform and arm like the plain handle did.

Hold a RTF and then a regular one, find out what you like more and try to shoot them. If the RTF feels uncomfortable after a few min holding it, imagine what it will feel like after a few hundred rounds.

[KenW.]

If your prospective agency is going to issue you a gun, and require you use that gun and only that gun, get whatever you want. I really like my three XDs and two 1911s.

I spent many, many years with a 1911 and the Glock just isn't for me. Even though I have fired several and qualified with one I just can't force myself to like them.

My agency would issue a .40 sw glock if I wanted one. We used to issue BHP, HK P-7, HK USP. All are nice weapons. After having fired all of them I'd rate the Glock at the bottom of that list. Yet the Glock is still a fine weapon. Easy to train with, maintain, repair, teach to use effectively. The HKs are pretty intense to maintain and that's why we tranitioned from them.

After all that typing, I still strap on a XD every single day.