The Best Shotguns, Rifles and Guns for Police

Kyle Mizokami

Security,

Here are the top 5. Preview: Glock and Baretta made the cut.

The United States has one of the largest standing police forces in the world. Approximately 670,000 law enforcement personnel serve in some capacity across the United States—just a thousand less than the active-duty strength of the Army and Marine Corps combined. Each is typically issued a handgun and often a rifle or a shotgun. American law enforcement represents one of the largest firearms markets in a country known for firearms markets.

Police and sheriff’s departments generally have a great deal of latitude to choose whatever firearms they want for duty purposes. Like other markets, they ride waves, with some guns and calibers at times being more popular than others. Here are five firearms, from handguns to rifles, that have proven popular with American police forces in recent years.

Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Handgun

The Smith & Wesson M&P (Military & Police) handgun was first introduced in 2005. The M&P was a melding of features from previous company offerings, the Sigma and the SW99. The company recently released a follow-on M&P 2.0 series. The handgun is similar to other modern semi-automatic pistols in having a polymer frame, including magazine well and trigger group, with a steel frame and barrel. The use of plastics cuts down on overall weight, reducing it to 25.9 ounces.

The M&P is known for its low bore axis, which Smith & Wesson claims reduce muzzle climb. The most popular model for law enforcement is likely the .40 caliber Smith & Wesson model, and a single pistol can hold fifteen rounds in the magazine. One popular feature is the ability to swap among four different palm swell grip inserts, tailoring any individual gun to different hand sizes—a must for a police department with a diverse pool of officers.

Beretta 92 Handgun