Sorry if this question/discussion has been asked before.  What is the most common handgun caliber in use by law enforcement / military? 

 

I think an EOTWAWKI (End Of The World As We Know IT)  or WROL (Without Rule Of Law) are very low probability scenarios.  But if such a scenario every occurred I want to make sure I have at lease one or two handguns in calibers that will be most widely available.  So is it 9, 45 or 40?

I would think 9mm. Then probably .40

9, 40, 45 in that order.

 

5 years from now it will be 9, 45, 40.

9, 40, 45 in that order.

 

5 years from now it will be 9, 45, 40.

I agree but why would .45 overtake .40 in the future? I was under the impression that because of cost and the advances in 9mm ammo technology .45  is increasingly regulated to a enthusiast round.

No?

I agree but why would .45 overtake .40 in the future? I was under the impression that because of cost and the advances in 9mm ammo technology .45 is increasingly regulated to a enthusiast round.

No?

From what I see and hear/read, lots of LE are switching from 40 to either 9mm or 45. Numerous reasons that will only start arguments here. But 9mm more than 45. You don't see many LE switching to 40 from 9 or 45. Even the FBI (the inventor of the 40) is talking about going back to 9mm. The majority of the military is 9mm. I think the 40 will become an enthusiast only round before the 45 does.

I personally don't see much use for .40. From what I've looked at id take a quality HP 9mm for capacity and controllability.

wow so much hate for the .40

wow so much hate for the .40

not hate. Just don't see much use for it.

.22 LR followed by 9mm then 45ACP. .38Spl is likely in the mix as well.

 

There may be a lot of .40S&W in use by PDs, but most of that will be stored securely and unavailable.

.22 LR followed by 9mm then 45ACP. .38Spl is likely in the mix as well.

 

There may be a lot of .40S&W in use by PDs, but most of that will be stored securely and unavailable.

wait .. somebody uses .22lr in the sidearm??? u mean for training probably , right ?

No, I don't know of anyone carrying .22 on duty.

 

I was answering the question in general. Knowing what local PDs stock for training or duty isn't going to do you much good in an Teotwawki Type situation as that ammo is going to be securely locked up. If you have access to PD ammo, you will likely have access to PD guns as well.

no, LE doesnt use 22..  but for the title of the thread, 22 is in the conversation.. and in the EOW scenario of SHTF, 22 will be incredibly valuable, as its plentiful (contrary to the current 'shortage') and small and you can carry a lot of it at a time

Obviously it's 9mm since you included military.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

 

If you have any number of handguns, you'll have some in the common calibers.  If you are looking for EOW handguns, I would suggest something in a common caliber that will also take conversion barrels and then just getting one of every caliber conversion barrel available.  For instance, a Glock 22 or 23 is .40 cal, but has conversion barrels available in .357 Sig and 9mm, as well as a conversion kit for .22LR.

 

Of course your other alternative is get what you like and stock a bunch of that caliber.

wow so much hate for the .40

 

because if you are going for that capacity, 357sig shoots better and is more fun

Another hater of the 40 cal.  Just too snappy for my tastes.  

I can shoot it reasonably well, but I prefer 9mm and if I want

to deal with more recoil then I prefer 45acp.

40S&W is the only common pistol caliber on the store shelves every time we have another Obama or mass shooting related hoarding frenzy. 9mm and 45ACP are nowhere to be found. Some of the niche calibers are usually there though, like 357Sig and 380. 

There are a lot of people shooting 40 in USPSA I would think more than 9mm.  I don't feel that much of a difference when shooting my 35 from the 34, it's a little snappier but not bad.

There are a lot of people shooting 40 in USPSA I would think more than 9mm. I don't feel that much of a difference when shooting my 35 from the 34, it's a little snappier but not bad.

No experience with the 34/35 but there is a big difference between my gen 4 g19 & g23. Like night and day.

 

That being said I have both primarily for a shtf scenario, I dont really enjoy shooting either.

This question comes up from time to time and what I don't understand is...what makes people think that post Zombie Apocalypse they're going to have access to law enforcement supplies?

This question comes up from time to time and what I don't understand is...what makes people think that post Zombie Apocalypse they're going to have access to law enforcement supplies?

Who is going to be guarding it at that point?

No, I don't know of anyone carrying .22 on duty.

 

I was answering the question in general. Knowing what local PDs stock for training or duty isn't going to do you much good in an Teotwawki Type situation as that ammo is going to be securely locked up. If you have access to PD ammo, you will likely have access to PD guns as well.

roger.

my 1st guess was .22lr as well but he wanted to know for leo/military so I waited for others with more knowledge to answer

PS wasn't trying to be a jerk if it came out that way. Just was genuinely curious ...

Who is going to be guarding it at that point?

The LEOs and the military

Who is going to be guarding it at that point?

Maybe the .mil and LEOs - or maybe no one will be guarding it, but then there will be no one around to give you access to the site either...

 

It won't be impossible to get it but it will likely take an inordinate amount of time, energy, and equipment to get at - and you won't be able to it without drawing unwanted attention.

Who is going to be guarding it at that point?

 

So you're envisioning a scenario where the "SHTF" and your local police force decides that it's time to just clear out and leave everything behind, and you're just going to waltz into the now abandoned police station and take whatever you want?  Not likely.

If you are concerned about this I think the best bet is to acquire the guns you want and buy enough ammo to make yourself comfortable that you won't run out.  At a minimum you'll be ready for the next shortage, which I consider a higher probability than some EOW scenario.  The stuff doesn't go bad if you store it reasonably.