[Smokey613]

Yes, I currently carry my aforementioned Delta Elite on duty. I got it as a BD gift in 1989 from my wife and our reserve deputies. I was the Senior LT that oversaw our reserve program. My current duties at our City Marshal's office has me mainly working inside with the occasional outing to serve warrants and truancy summons. It's a great post retirement job while waiting on my wife's Medicare to kick in and we both retire again for good. All that said, if I was working the streets again and wanted to maintain the 10mm as my duty carry caliber, I would have kept my G20SF. It was a great shooting 10mm. I got an offer for it I could not turn down and sold it knowing I would really have no need for it once I left LE. Other than heirlooms, I have sold my "extra" guns that do not serve a purpose. I am no longer into collecting guns. I decided to keep only those that served a purpose and spend my extra money on other endeavors and on ammo for more range time. My only quandry is whether to keep my Shield 40 or sell/trade it in for a Shield 9 or a G43. Never shot a 43 but commonality in defensive sidearms and calibers has it's appeal. My DE would be relegated to limited range use. This is my current line up.

 

[Oldguy9]

As an outside, non-LEO, just want to say..this is a refreshing and informative thread..thank you.

 

[RogueTS1]

I may have told this story here before, and then again maybe not, but it is a very good one so here goes.

When I was a little boy my father had taken my sister and me out for dinner in downtown Chicago. This would be in the early 70's. My father pulled over into a convenience store to buy some cigarettes. As we waited at the counter two CPD officers walked in. Me being all about guns and such stared at the two officers gun rigs and their black leather motorcycle jackets. They looked so cool!

I noticed that one of the officers had two guns on his belt; a revolver on his strong side and a 1911 cross draw on his weak side. Being a young lad, I asked him why he had two guns on.

He smiled and replied, "The department only issues this .38 special service revolver and we have to carry it ................. but they allow us to carry any kind of pistol we choose as a back up. I therefore choose to carry this Colt 1911 .45 and if I have to draw my gun I can just simply choose to draw my back up gun instead of my service revolver."

My reply came, "Cool!" He tipped his hat to us as we left the store.

I will never forget that convenience store visit.

 

[7.62Kolectr]

I'm not a cop but I agree with most of the comments regarding proficiency.
I don't think it has to do with capacity as much as it has to do with cops being able to utilize their guns in an immediate stressful situation. Glocks are draw, pray and pull the trigger. 1911s require a bit more and if not practiced and proficient with one some people will totally forget the thumb safety and squeeze a dead trigger. It could cost them their lives.
So for officer safety the '1911 is dead' myth has been born.
Maybe?

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

1911s come-up second-best when price is the only consideration. Otherwise, they compare quite favorably w/ anything else. But they do require a bit more training due to their manual safety, which I feel makes the 1911 a superior LE weapon.

I had to carry tactical tupperware for the last 15-years of my career. Now that I am "merely" a Reserve, I carry what I want, which is either my Baer TRS or my Colt/Gunsite Custom Carry.

 

[JB6464]

If capacity is the issue , I don't understand why they won't allow officer's to carry double stack 1911 45acp ?
Something like this :
https://www.remington.com/handguns/model-1911-r1/1911-r1-recon-commander-double-stack

 

[numb]

Firepower means hitting what you are shooting at.

There is not enough ammo that can be carried on a duty rig if you cant hit your opponent.

 

[DNA9mm]

If capacity is the issue , I don't understand why they won't allow officer's to carry double stack 1911 45acp ?
Something like this :
https://www.remington.com/handguns/model-1911-r1/1911-r1-recon-commander-double-stack

Some places are real particular about what's approved for carry. Like my dept, they're fan's of Colt/Springfield/Kimber, that's it. The Chief isn't too enamoured with the 1911 design (should just get a range master to hand him a 2011 and see what happens), but it's approved for carry as long as you can qual Expert and above, and take the 1911 transition course (cause you know, safeties and stuff).

All in all, IMO 1911 still have a place in LE. Albiet mostly with the gun guys of the department, the dudes that train extra, because we should, maintain our equipment, cause our lives may depend on it. Everyone else? Poly striker fired guns, they work, just like wheel guns, even when they're not maintained as properly as a 1911.

And quite honestly, bad guys seem to respect a 1911 toting copper. The hoods say it's something to do with... "that MFer spent his own money to get a gun that shoots better. You best believe he looking to shoot a MFer..."

Dan

 

[Rwehavinfunyet]

Using a 1911 for law enforcement.....

I think those that shoot a 1911 have the knowledge to get a good gun with a good trigger pull. I think the trigger pull of the 1911 can be made to be the best trigger pull on a handgun, which is why many top competitors from precision NRA Bullseye to various action pistol shooting games like and use some type of 1911 or 2011 gun do to the ability to get a superb trigger pull.


When I was hired as a Deputy Sheriff in the Orlando area, we did not have a choice of weapon, and were issued and required to carry a Glock, but we did have the choice of either 9mm, .40, or .45acp. I chose the Glock-21 .45acp.

Although I am not particularly fond of a the Glock trigger pull, I got used to it. I could still make good hits, but I would have preferred to carry my STI 2011 .40 gun, with a much better trigger pull and the ability to carry 14 +1 in the 126mm flush fit mags.....and two extra 140mm mags on my duty belt that hold 17 rounds each......:rock:

 

[The War Wagon]

Tell that to all of the SWAT agencies that seem to keep using it.

Tell that to all the rural, small-town departments across the country. You may need to cobble a couple HUNDRED such depts. together, to equal one LAPD, but that's a LOTTA 1911's still on duty in the field.


I've seen small depts. from WV to TX - from OK to ND still using them. And there's probably still MANY more than that.

 

[Huski92]

Some guys in our city carry 1911’s. A few of them are the SWAT guys and a few are detectives. I have carried 1911’s in the military and felt that was fine. I also had an M16. I love the 1911 and I shoot it the best, but I shout my higher capacity guns well too. In uniform I would want a higher capacity that I could shoot well. Just my opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rangertrace]

While I love the reliability of the single stack 45, I'd never restrict myself to so few rounds of ammo these days.....

 

[toofew1911s]

Carrying cocked and locked was never considered a good idea for most of law enforcement. This is the same institution that demanded having single action capability removed from revolvers for its people. Now they don't like having double/single action or just single action for department autos for the mainstream officers. It's all about perceived safety more than magazine capacity or accuracy to my mind.

 

[rangertrace]

We issue Glock 9mm.

I am the person that issues guns for the dept.

These are my duty carries.

My biggest argument with myself, do I go alloy Nina or heavy 45.

the lightweight usually wins. :biglaugh:

at the 911 Memorial on Tuesday....I lost count of the 1911s there.

I've never seen anyone carry a spare mag, behind the pistol.

 

[INV136]

High capacity pistols suddenly became "necessary" at the same time "spray and pray" became an acceptable standard. If the operator can't hit the target then we'll just give them more rounds and a put more magazines on their belt because that's easier and cheaper than requiring markmanship proficiency.

I was always taught that you are responsible for every round that you fire in a self defense situation. Our agency never found it acceptable or ever authorized us to "spray and pray" as you described. What agency do/did you work for that adopted that policy?

Oh, and since I retired a few years ago I hung up (sold) my personally authorized for duty carry Sig P229 Stainless Elite .40 pistol and bought this one in 10mm. I carry 5 spare magazines (four on my belt and one in a cargo pocket of my pants).

 

[SW CQB 45]

I've never seen anyone carry a spare mag, behind the pistol.

It was showed to me by an officer who retired years ago.

If by chance I am shooting left hand and have to do a mag change.....I have one there or if I run out on the other side....I have one more in a place I have room. Its crowded on my left side.

I dont like anything on my back.

 

[DRM813]

I was always taught that you are responsible for every round that you fire in a self defense situation. Our agency never found it acceptable or ever authorized us to "spray and pray" as you described. What agency do/did you work for that adopted that policy?

Oh, and since I retired a few years ago I hung up (sold) my personally authorized for duty carry Sig P229 Stainless Elite .40 pistol and bought this one in 10mm. I carry 5 spare magazines (four on my belt and one in a cargo pocket of my pants).

As you so accurately put it there is no agency that I am aware of the adopts a "spray and pray" philosophy to firearms training. Anyone who truly feels this is the case is grossly uninformed. The plethora of lawyers willing to file lawsuits in the wake to police shootings has ensured this will never be the case.

 

[2A3G1C12]

Tell that to all the rural, small-town departments across the country. You may need to cobble a couple HUNDRED such depts. together, to equal one LAPD, but that's a LOTTA 1911's still on duty in the field.

Amen to that. Lot's of departments around here either issue them or allow them. Probably several hundred officers carrying 1911's just in mine and the surrounding counties. Our agency issues them, and they don't spare expense when doing so. Our officers carry either two or four spare mags (their choice). Personally, I carry two mags, and am quite content.

Our range officers are very well trained, and spend a lot of time during the quarterly quals making sure everyone is up to speed. They are also our armorers. No issues at all, and more people on the agency are shooting 'Expert' at qual time.

 

[Rock185]

Thoughts: I started in LE in the '70s, and carried a revolver with 6 + nothing capacity for over 10 years. A total of 18 rounds on my person. Even then, I only saw 1911s carried as primary weapons by some Sheriffs deputies. The SOs had much more latitude in authorized weapons than big city officers. My first 20+ years in LE I was not allowed to carry a 1911 on duty, but did often carry one off duty.

In the fullness of time, I retired from the big city PD and went to work for a much smaller agency. There, Series '80 Colts were authorized and I carried one for my last several years in LE. Younger officers, not "gun guys", and most carrying high capacity Glocks and SIGs, couldn't relate. Some asked what kind of gun I was carrying, as if it were some kind of curious antique. One guy referred to my stainless Government model as a "pimp gun". I suspect I was considered eccentric, at the very least. In the last three years or so, that smaller department, and the local SO, have gone to all Glocks. So 1911s are not dead in LE, but their numbers are diminishing. Hard to compete with inexpensive plastic high capacity firearms, that do not display that scary cocked hammer..........ymmv

Added a photo of the outrageous "pimp gun" I carried

 

[SW CQB 45]

Trimming the spur hammer and adding aftermarket sights is Pimping your ride!!!!

I am sure there are some goodies under the hood!!!!



Nice piece