CSI Issue Handgun

[Puncha]

You have just been employed as a CSI for a large city. Budget cutbacks mean that uniformed cops are limited and so you end up responding to many crime scenes on your own or with another CSI partner. Workload is also very heavy and so you only have time to shoot about 100rds as practice every month with the aim of passing the 1/2 yearly qualification.

On the first day of work the armory officer takes you aside and tells you that you may pick ONE of the following guns as your issue weapon:

Glock-17
Browning HP 9mm
CZ-85B
H&K P7M8
Sig Sauer P226 9mm
Baretta M92FS
Springfield Armory Mil Spec M1911 (single stack magazine)
S&W model 67 .38 Special with 4" barrel

For the semi-auto pistols, you will be issue 2 magazines full of JHP rounds and for the the revolver, you will have 2 speed-loaders of spare +P 158Gr LSWCHP ammo.

Bearing in mind that range time is rather limited, which of the above guns has good inherent accuracy for the over-worker CSI to carry and shoot in self-defense?

 

[MillCreek]

I know that I would pick the Sig P226.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i would pick the hk p7m8 because with only limited practice time:

1. you should get somthing that points naturally
2. is reliable without much maintence
3. is inherently safer until squeezed..or if dropped
4. has limited recoil and muzzle flip
5. is compact enough to be out of the way when working
6. doesn't give up much (<1") barrel lenght to the other 9MMs

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

BHP 9mm. or the 1911. whichever. also, you can be damned certain that i'd carry more than two magazines. i'd also have a rifle in the trunk.

 

[10-Ring]

I would go 92fs or P7M8 as 1 and 1(a)...depending if you need a wundernine or not

 

[esldude]

HK is out for being too expensive. Sig is too big for women. As is a 1911. I think your best, cheap, but still good choice is the Glock 17. CSI types aren't going to have the best shooting ability. So spray and pray might be the best you can expect. With 19 rounds that fits the bill.

Second choice is a Browning HP.

Any of the weapons are more than accurate enough for hand held shooting by normal humans.

 

[Dr. J Frame]

I would chose the Glock.

But with all the gear associated with the job--if we were to believe the television series--a more compact model would probably be a better option, like the Glock 19, since your list included a compact design like the H&K P7M8 as well.

I would personally take a Glock 26, which I've done, for daily concealed carry and a previous LE carrier.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i think the HK P7M8 being the most expensive is a major plus ... after all this is an issued weapon.

even being the smallest gun in the choices provided, the P7 retains a 4" barrel and comes with the ambi mag release

 

[LSCurrier]

I would choose the Sig 226. I think that this would be best choice due to other officers having 9mm and the fact that I could carry more rounds easily.

If other officers were carrying 45 ACP then I would choose the 1911 instead.

Luke

 

[Jubei]

I would have to go with the HK P7M8. Compact, reliable, accurate, and safe. Not that the others aren't.

Jubei

 

[TMM]

i think you all missed that he said that you can choose one as YOUR issue weapon. not everyones'.

i would either go with the Glock (hicaps) or the 1911. i'd want some super-good HP's for the 9mil though. hydra-shok or somthing like that. not very familiar with ammunition. or i would just go with the 1911, and i'd see if i could get those 8-rounders, and i would carry atleast 3 extra mags.

~TMM

 

[armoredman]

CZ85, of course - none of the others fit me as well, and yes, I have fired everything on that list.

 

[Fumbler]

I would pick the Sig 226. Switching from my personal 228 (compact version of the 226) to a 226 would be no problem at all.

Sig is too big for women. As is a 1911. I think your best, cheap, but still good choice is the Glock 17.

How is a Sig 226 too big for women and a G17 isn't? The grip on a Glock 17 is too big for my girlfriend but my 228 is fine (only difference is its a shorter grip than a 226).

 

[Jim Watson]

Are real life evidence technicians sworn officers with badge and gun? Or is that just a TV gimmick? I bet their role is a lot more like what is depicted on Law and Order than where they are the lead characters in the CSI franchise.

Frankly, in the unlikely events described by Puncha, I would pick a Kahr P9 which is the full power sidearm that will get in the way of my lab gear the least.

 

[Sluggo]

I'd go with the Sig because of it's reliability & second strike capability. That's really important if you aren't getting much practice time.

Second choice would be the S&W revolver. Great gun, even though it's a bit bulkier than the pistols. It will try to go "bang" every time you pull the trigger,

The Glock 17 is an attractive choice if you have more time to practice its manual of arms (FTF = Tap-Rack-Bang drill). But 100 rounds / month means you aren't handling your weapon very much. Ditto on the H&K squeeze cocker. I've fired one some, and found after a couple of mags my hand tired to the point it was trembling.

Single action pistols like the 1911 & Browing are also great guns, but take a LOT of practice to carry safely. Your head really has to be into those guns.

 

[9mmepiphany]

the P7 has a 2nd strike capability...you just relax your gun hand and then tighten the grip again. only the glock and 1911 lack this feature.

if your hand started trembling from holding down the squeezecocker, you're holding too tight...it only takes about 3-4lbs, about the same as the trigger pull

 

[sumpnz]

Most any of those would work, and choice would have a lot more to do with what, if any, the person was already somewhat familiar with.

Regardless, I doubt CSI's pack heat anyway. They are evidence collectors and analyzers, not detectives. They don't even drive Hummers.

 

[lyricsdad]

p7.. although it may be heavy.. i'd go w/ that. do those p7m13 magazines fit? if they do, get a few of them.

 

[ron8903]

Sig is my first pick then the glock

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Single action pistols like the 1911 & Browing are also great guns, but take a LOT of practice to carry safely. Your head really has to be into those guns.

I honestly don't see where you get that idea. if anything, the P7, the XD and the glock are more dangerous than the 1911 and the BHP. because the trigger (assuming nothing has broken) becomes active (because the safety device has disengaged) on those other pistols as the gun clears leather or before
. on the BHP and the 1911, the safety deactivates as the gun starts the final stage of the presentation.

 

[CAnnoneer]

Among the offered, I'd take the Beretta 92FS.

 

[raghorn]

First choice: BHP
Second choice: Glock 17

Reason: Because I already own & carry both and my comfort and competency levels are high.

 

[Rob1035]

G17 because its the least likely to break, arguably the easiest to fix, and the most durable (IMHO)

 

[Black Majik]

Personally, I'd take the SIG P226. I think the question should be posed as in one particular caliber. You have 5 in 9mm, the rest in other calibers.

I'd usually pick a 1911, but you didn't list Colt

For issuance however, I'd issue the G17 for ease to shoot, break down, maintain and carry.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Springfield 1911

It's the only one listed with a decent cartridge. 9mm's are great for plinking, but that's about it IMO. If your life hangs in the balance, go .45 or 10mm.