Beretta 92F or Smith 4506 as duty gun?

[PhdnMe]

Our dept. policy limits what duty guns we can carry. Standard issue is a Beretta 92F, which is what I carry now. I am thinking of going to a .45, but pretty much limited to the USP. 45, which is too big for my hand, or the Smith 4506. I am really leaning toward the Smith, but I am concerned about only having 8+1, as oppossed to 15+1 in the Beretta. Any comments on the 4506? Just some background, I work at a fast station that covers parts of South Central L.A., so the potential for things to go sideways is always a possibility. Thanks for any comments.....

[TXStateCop]

The 4506 is a very sturdy, accurate and reliable weapon. Most of them will have a very smooth double action trigger pull and the single action is not bad. I would suggest handling a 4506 with both the straight and curved grips to see what feels best in your hand. Is the 4566 an option or is it just the 4506? The 4566 has a 4 1/4 barrel instead of the 5 inch on the 4506.

As far as the concern about the capacity, there is trade off for everything. You can get more smaller counds in a gun than big rounds. With a mag in the gun and two on the belt you will have 46 rounds with the 9mm or 25 rounds with the .45. It really boils down to which you feel the most comfortable with and which you are the most accurate with.

[GS1890]

I have no direct experience with the S&W model 4506. That said, it is this humble FI's opinion that the Third Gerneration S&W pistols are one of the most underrated series of duty pistols out there for the average, non-gun lover police officer. They give me a Glock, but I would switch back to a third generation S&W 9mm duty pistol if given the option. California Highway Patrol recently had the chance to change duty pistols, but they decided to stay with their .40 caliber S&W pistols that they have been carrying with good street results since circa 1991.

[kennethm3]

Smith or Beretta; what a choice! Personally, I am not too fond of either. That said; I'd recommend the S&W. It is marginally smaller than the Beretta, a nice thing in plain clothes, in addition, eight .45 will serve you much better than twice as many 9mm, especially in South Central Los Angeles. As for your comment about the .45 HK USP being too big for your hands, the grip circumference isn't much different that the Beretta 92, you might want to give the HK another try, it is hands-down a better handgun than the S&W or the Beretta.

[Kahuna5150]

Not to sound like a broken record (and I'm sure I do whenever these questions come up)... Shot placement is key... A .22 hit is better than a .454 miss... Whatever gun you are more accurate and proficient with is the gun you should carry... I have many friends who purchased the .357 caliber airweight S&W's for backup guns. They found shooting full .357 rounds through them (in most cases) has them all over the target. At the same time shooting .38 +P rounds through the same gun gives them tight groups...

So what's better? The .357 full power "man stopper" you can't consistently hit with, or 5 rounds of .38 +p that you can throw into a 3" group? I'd say the .38...

As for what round is better... I think today's "modern" 9mm rounds (depending on load, bullet choice, etc) are very good at stopping a threat. I wouldn't feel out gunned with a 9mm with the right ammo. At the same time a .45 "flying ashtray" is hard to dispute. When you can actually fit a 9mm round into the casing of a .45 it bring the size matters argument to a close. Size most certainly DOES matter!

Again if I knew every round I fired from my .45 would be accurate into the threat I would prefer the .45 over the 9mm. At the same time I've read shooting reports where the slower .45 round failed to penetrate glass and other obstructions when the 9mm zipped right through to the target... Overall if you have a choice of taking a gun into a gun fight it should be a LONG GUN (shotgun, rifle, etc). Since we don't have that luxury in many cases, your handgun choice is very important. If you shoot both guns equally well, I'd personally go with the .45... If round capacity is a concern... Carry double mag pouches (4 mags total) on your belt. That gives you 32 rounds plus 9 in the gun for a total of 41. Beretta with 2 mags gives you 46? Sure you lose 5 rounds, but I think that is perfectly acceptable ESPECIALLY if you carry a BUG as well (even a snubby revolver will give you those 5 extra rounds you're losing).

Always carry a few spare mags in your warbag and a box or two of ammo. I think you'll be fine with either choice... Get the one you shoot best and are most comfortable with and you'll be good to go!

Kahuna

[TheGreatGonzo]

Smith or Beretta; what a choice! Personally, I am not too fond of either. That said; I'd recommend the S&W. It is marginally smaller than the Beretta, a nice thing in plain clothes, in addition, eight .45 will serve you much better than twice as many 9mm, especially in South Central Los Angeles. As for your comment about the .45 HK USP being too big for your hands, the grip circumference isn't much different that the Beretta 92, you might want to give the HK another try, it is hands-down a better handgun than the S&W or the Beretta.

I humbly disagree with Kennethm3 on this one. I believe the Beretta 92 (not the 96) and the S&W 4506 to be not only as good of a pistol as the USP, but I would rate the the 4506 as signifigantly better, suffering only from carrying fewer rounds. Going into a harsh environment, I would be much more comfortable relying on the 4506 than the USP and I have carried both. I also have no lack of confidence in the Beretta 92, which I have also carried as a duty weapon. My first choice of the 3 would be the 4506, hands-down...but then again, I'm a die-hard .45ACP guy.:D
Gonzo

[ATFpoa]

From my own personal experience:

I carried the Beretta 92F (M-9) while in the military...I thought it was a reliable and accurate pistol. However, I have shorter/stubbier hands. The double stack design was a bit too wide for me to feel 100% comfortable with it...maybe around 95%:)

I carried the S&W 4506 for a while when I was a street cop. The single-stack design suited my hand better. Plus, the gun was probably the most accurate pistol I've ever owned. Reliability was not an issue...it fed everything. My only issue was the safety/decocker was quite a reach (it is a BIG gun after all). My solution was to call Brownells, and order an extended safety that stuck out a little bit further...problem solved! While I think that the 4506 is an ideal duty holster gun, it is too big for discreet carry in plainclothes (unless you're Shaq). However, there are several nice compact S&W .45's on the new and used market such as the 4516 and 4513 TSW. I carried the 4513 TSW (5+1 or 6+1 capacity, I forget) with a spare 4506 magazine off duty. Same manual of arms. Same pistol...just smaller.

In the end, it is what you feel the most comfortable with. If you are already on the job then there should be plenty of co-workers who would be willing to take a range trip with you to help you decide. Just realize that what each officer is carrying is automatically "the best" in their eyes!

If you aren't on the job yet, call around to a few ranges. The 4506 and 92F are perennial range rental guns, which says something about their reliability.

All of this is my personal opinion. YMMV

Good luck

[askme]

sounds like LASO :D

i'm not used to the beretta but i'll have to. my old agency, i could carry anything. and i liked the glock 22. i can't believe LASO doesn't allow any glocks. and what is up with the issued flashlight? :mad: 99cent walmart brand

[schiffer99]

Don't know how much time you have to wait... but HK is releasing a new .45 in the next couple weeks. Its going to have a slimmer grip (mag drops from 12 to 10) and has a standard accessory rail. It looks to be amazing.
google HK45