Looking for a Handgun for Work

monotonous_iterancy said:
The employee at the store said that security in my area are in fact limited to revolvers that are strictly .38 special, so no 357s loaded with .38.

Employees at two separate gun stores also said that an external safety, like a thumb safety, is not permitted, which is also what my employer told me. However, written security guard regulations put out by the police in my area don’t mention this, so I wonder where this comes from.
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If they can't show that to you in writing from an official source ignore it.
 
monotonous_iterancy said:
I just went to a gun shop and felt some guns in my hand. The Glock 19 Gen 3, Steyr M9 A2, and the Walther PDP all felt quite nice and naturally balanced.

The employee at the store said that security in my area are in fact limited to revolvers that are strictly .38 special, so no 357s loaded with .38.

Employees at two separate gun stores also said that an external safety, like a thumb safety, is not permitted, which is also what my employer told me. However, written security guard regulations put out by the police in my area don’t mention this, so I wonder where this comes from.
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None of this involves talking to your employer and getting things in writing, which is the correct thing to do.
 
I'm going to say this one time and then I'm going to drop it. Where I'm at there's an actual city ordinance governing what I can and not cannot carry at work.

I had to have a special firearms endorsement on my security license and any cop that I encountered was entitled to inspect it.

Carrying an unauthorized firearm was a second degree felony.

Violation of the city ordinance regarding what security guards couldn't couldn't carry was automatic revocation of my license. For instance if I had an impact weapon and I used it to defend myself at work my license was invalid and I wasn't under my employer's legal protection.

That's why people are telling you that you need to know exactly what the rules are and you need to follow them to a "T"
 
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A note to the OP - if you had to hit someone with your gun, would you prefer an "all steel" gun or a polymer substitute? Which is least likely to be adversely affected?
 
The Night Rider said:
I would highly recommend you go by yourself a used Glock 19 (assuming it's on your approved list) that holds no sentimental value for you and beat the crap out of that
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Not a Security Duty piece for me, but an officer trade-in Gen 2 G19 has been a part of my daily life for most of the last 19yrs. And that's exactly how I have treated it...
 
The Night Rider said:
There were a couple of Smith & Wesson third generation models that were Double Action Only and had a Hammer.
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My Beretta 96 Centurion is s DAO with a hammer, too. (It was a security company’s gun before I bought it used.) :thumbup:

The Glock 19 is where I was leaning when I first read this thread. There are a gajillion of them out there, parts and service for the gun are easy to find, holsters abound that are suitable for guard use, the manual of arms is very easy to understand and they don’t cost a new guard an arm and a leg to buy, feed and outfit. The best part is they hold 15+1 9mm Luger rounds in the gun and are universally known to be deputy-proof and boringly reliable out of the box with ammo suitable for practice and defense.

@The Night Rider has posted some sage advice above, its always vital to know the rules you will be working with so you can be sure to stay within the lines.

Good luck @monotonous_iterancy, I hope all goes well. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
Not sure why you'd choose a revolver or anything less than a full size pistol for "duty" use. I'm glad they are starting you out in an unarmed position so you can get some straight answers in person before you buy something. That being said, I'm not sure why anyone would choose to be in unarmed security.
 
Sounds like you buy it and it is your gun, deal. I would buy a Glock 19 in 9mm or a 23 in 40. Then on my gun, I would change the sights, the trigger and the back strap to fit my hand. The 23 on the right has Novak sights, a Ghost Maker 3 pound thrigger and now a 357 Sig barrel and a 40 barrel. Left has a 40 and a 9mm barrel. IMG_0637.jpeg
 
JTHunter said:
A note to the OP - if you had to hit someone with your gun, would you prefer an "all steel" gun or a polymer substitute? Which is least likely to be adversely affected?
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A) They’re both going to be adversely affected if you use the mag baseplate to strike someone. The follower is likely to continue moving downwards with inertia and the ammo in the mag will not stay aligned correctly - leading to failures to feed.

B) Training is important. If they’re within arms reach and you have a gun out, you should be in a retention / pectoral index position and keeping the gun away from them, not striking them with the gun like some ‘80’s action movie.

C) If for some reason you do have to strike someone with the gun, hit them with the top of the slide. Conveniently that also solves the “steel vs polymer” issue.



To the OP:
My recommendation would be to go with a Glock 19 or 17. They’re both 9mm so you’ll have slightly less expensive ammo (a benefit for training and practice) and there’s not enough difference in terminal effect to justify the increased recoil or the reduced capacity of other calibers.

I would also advise you get the MOS version that can accept a red dot. That doesn’t mean you need to put a dot on the gun immediately, but if you ever do decide to try one your gun would be ready. If you do decide you want an optic, use an aftermarket plate - the MOS plates have a reputation for failure.

The PDP is a great choice as well (I actually use one for carry and competition). Only potential issue would be what is allowed by your employer/local/state policies. If they allow semi-autos you’re almost guaranteed that a Glock will be in the list of approved weapons. The PDP is new enough that it may or may not be included. No reason it shouldn’t be, but the Glock is always a safe bet.

Revolvers are nice and fun, but I would not recommend them as a duty weapon - they’re not the “always reliable” option that a lot of people envision. A little dirt under the ejector, or a bit of fouling between the crane and cylinder and you can really lock up a revolver.

Semi-autos do jam, but your training and practice should cover how to reflexively fix those issues. The only immediate action drill for a real revolver jam usually incorporates some form of “gee, I hope I brought another one…”



Get a Safariland retention holster. As noted in a previous post, gun grabs can happen and you want to make sure that your holster will not fall apart when force is applied to it.



And more important than anything above - get good training.
Not just the armed security officer required course, not a NRA basic course, go to a well known school that actually teaches you to fight with a gun.

Also consider doing something like USPSA with your duty gear. No you won’t win competitions (especially if you’re using a retention holster) and it is certainly not a replacement for training, but it is an excellent way to gain familiarity with your weapon and gear in an environment that promotes accuracy at speed and usually involves shooting while moving, reloading, etc.
 
monotonous_iterancy said:
I don’t know what it means either. I know the regulations say double action only on the semi-auto. And the guy in the office at work told me - I think - either he was imprecise with his terminology or I have forgotten some words - that the semi cannot have an exposed hammer. I have a vague memory of him saying “no external striker”.

I know that someone trained with speed-loaders can reload a revolver in five seconds. I’ve never extensively fired and reloaded a semi-auto handgun, but I presume that reloading is even faster?
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monotonous_iterancy said:
I was told that companies with unreliable reputations like Taurus wouldn’t be approved.
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RUN, do not walk, away from these people. They know nothing about firearms, and they will be the first to hang you on their bureaucratic ignorance of them. And unless you're talking a six figure salary, why would you want to work an an area that makes the Green Zone look like a park?

Is this place in a state that looks like a catcher's mitt, perchance?
 
A long time ago in another lifetime of mine, I was a security guard for a business property corporation that owned skyscrapers and a major mall.

The entire first week of training was to learn how to avoid liabilities and negligence for the company. We trainees were secondary.

We also got good at writing daily reports and incident reports that had to pass muster of our shift supervisor. Facts only with brief basic grammar.

So, what I’m getting at is all the advice in this thread from @The Night Rider is what needs to be paid attention to.

Security guards are not police and you have to cover your @ss.
 
Offhand McFlan said:
View attachment 1200503
Maybe a S&W Compact in 9mm. Has a 4in barrel.
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Simply the best! This is my main carry piece.
Personal opinion, but I know it's one that is shared by many, this has much better ergonomics than the Glock 19 (even though that's the one everyone recommends first). It also has better iron sights. The newer ones are cut for an optic too, if that's your cup of tea.
 
Here's another off topic post for you.

Get a reputation for being the guy who always shows up on time.

Get a reputation for always being the guy who does his Rounds and does his checks.

The reason for this is that you're going to miss something. Sooner or later you're going to miss something. When you do you want to have a reputation that backs up the idea that it was an honest mistake not just you screwing off.

This is hard to explain but if you find a door or a gate open The shift before you was supposed to check and It's obvious they didn't, just report that you found it. Don't make any implication that the other shift wasn't doing their job.

As far as you're concerned, the other shift doesn't exist.

On this date, at this time, I found this door open. I did whatever my post orders say that I'm supposed to do in that situation. Then I locked the door and reported it to whoever the post orders say I was supposed to report it to.

If somebody comes and asks you how come the other shift reported that door locked and you found it unlocked or whatever, "I don't know anything about the other shift, all I know is I found it unlocked on my first rounds."

If it didn't happen on your shift it is not your concern and you're not accountable for it.
 
Glock and most striker fired guns are technically DAO. The only one I'm aware of that is single action is the Springfield XD. There may be others.

It's hard to go wrong with a Glock. Smith & Wesson make some of their striker fired guns with a 1911 style safety if that is something important. The Sig M17 and M18 have that style safety too, but they are more expensive.
 
Get a list of all requirements, in writing, from someone competent at the company. Your manager doesn't sound like they fit the bill describing semi-autos as double action only allowed. Make sure whoever gives you the information include what kind of ammo, duty gear, and holsters are required. If they require a Level 3 holster and you spend $200 on a Level 2 but didn't tell you about it, you would be a little red under the collar. Get all that information in writing. It will help immensely in making an educated choice.
 
I carry a DAO, no safety, and the hammer can be seen but is not exposed.
It's a Sig P250, check it out:

Sig Sauer Two Tone P250 9mm - Semi Auto Pistols at GunBroker.com : 1027227891

Buy Sig Sauer Two Tone P250 9mm: GunBroker is the largest seller of Semi Auto Pistols Pistols Guns & Firearms All: 1027227891
www.gunbroker.com
Sig P250.jpg
Mine's a compact though:
SigP250SCSmll.jpg
I think the Sig P250s were last sold new in 2015 or 2018
jmo,
.
 
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