Looking for a Handgun for Work

[Tilos]

Sig Sauer P250 series is a proven DAO semi auto with a hammerless trigger.

Available in a few different calibers

yep,

Looking for a Handgun for Work

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...

www.thehighroad.org

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[IWAC]

I have gotten a job as an armed security guard for an active industrial facility in a mostly abandoned section of an American city. The post is behind a fence with razor wire.

Now, about a decade ago, in my late teens, I was very much into guns, and considered myself knowledgeable. I own several rifles and a shotgun, and also had access to a .38 special snub-nose until it was given away. However, while I am embarrassed to say it, I haven’t fired a gun in years - about a decade. All of my guns have been sitting in a safe smothered in Rig Grease on the outside and coated with Break Free Collector in the bore.

This is due to a mixture of geographic and financial concerns. The ammo shortage and price spike after Sandy Hook caused me to turn my attention away, and in the time since I moved from the country to the suburbs, and have never been to a formal range in my life with range officers and a need to pay to enter. I find the idea a little intimidating.

However, this new job has me turning my attention back to guns. But, my knowledge has largely faded, and I am also unfamiliar with new gun releases that have happened since then. There are the standard Glock 19’s, for instance, but if a newer gun fits me best, I want to carry it.

So, I would like your advice on what handgun might work for me, within the limitations I have been given. I am able to carry either a double action .38 special revolver, or a semi-auto in 9mm or 40 S&W.

The regulations for my jurisdiction say that the revolver barrel must be between 4 and 5 inches. A semi-auto must be double action only.

A manager at my company also told me that the semi-auto cannot have an exposed hammer, and it must have a trigger safety - so 1911s are out of the question, for instance.

Given these limitations, what would you all recommend? I plan to train heavily with whatever I carry until its operation is a matter of muscle memory.

I feel some attachment to revolvers because, of the relatively little handgun experience I have, I have the most experience with a revolver. I also fear limp-wristing a semi-auto in a high stress situation in the (seemingly unlikely event) that I should ever have to fire my weapon - this is based on my experience as a teenager of about 15 shooting a Taurus .45 semi-auto. I fired a Glock a few years later and did fine.

However, the idea of having more rounds on hand appeals to me, particularly since I am limited to .38 special and more powerful revolver rounds are out of the question.

Your advice would be appreciated.

It sounds as if you have not much information. First, what do you have in your safe that you are familiar with, and could use? Second, could you use .38 Special ammo in a gun rated for 357 Magnum? Decide and get what you will be comfortable with, then PRACTICE! That will acquaint you with your weapon of choice, and remove the fear of "limp wristing" or other overcomable problems. Does the company issue ammo? See how that does in your gun of choice, then buy a supply of your own...and PRACTICE!
Good luck in your search and new job.

 

[Mosin77]

Realistically “Israeli carry” (no round in the chamber) is not a bad way to go when arming a bunch of guys who clearly aren’t gun guys. Bad advice to you but good advice for most of your new coworkers I’d wager.

I’d buy a cheap Glock in the gen that suits you.

 

[sgt127]

Hmm. Not often the discussion comes around about using your handgun as an impact weapon.

We actually trained for that.

If (big if) you need to use a gun as an impact weapon, you want to strike with the top of the slide. Swing like a ridge hand.

It’s a big flat hard surface area and, has the smallest probability of damaging the gun. And, you have a full solid grip.

I have seen a Glock slide come off its rear rails in a fight. It was a chaotic fight. And, the deputy fired one round along with using it as an impact weapon. So, no idea when, during the festivities, it occurred.

Clint People’s recounts in his book that he was facing two bad guys, both with a knife, and he nailed to first one in the head with his revolver. He dropped. And he turned to shoot the other one. Who dropped his weapon and surrendered. And thanked Clint for not shooting him.

Clint said that he was, in fact, trying to shoot him but, had crushed the trigger guard and was trying to pull the trigger.

A gun shop in Arlington Texas actually had a mandrel to straighten K frame trigger guards.

So, yeah. You certainly break a gun hitting people.

 

[Rexster]

The fact that a Glock striker is not fully-cocked by the action of the slide, and is only completed by pulling the trigger, is why some entities have deemed Glocks to be “double-action-only.” Many other striker-fired pistols have strikers that ARE fully-cocked by the movement of the slide, so that the only resistance to the trigger pull is a spring. So, a Glock is probably a “safe” choice, but, if this is a try-the-job before committing to a weapon, why not wait and see what the folks on the ground are actually using?

Regarding “limp-wrist” malfunctions, I have ulnar nerve issues in my right arm and hand, that are worse on occasions, and during such occasions, have managed to limp-wrist badly enough to cause malfunctions in a SIG P229 and even a full-sized, though tightly-fitted 1911, but, not yet, with a Glock G17 or G19. Notably, I have far more rounds through G17 pistols, than the G19, and traded-away my G19 pistols in 2020. (The “heel” of a G19 grip is uniquely shaped to act as a torture device for the arthritis at the base of my right hand, and in my right wrist. I favor Glocks that have either full-sized, (G17-sized) grips, or are “baby” Glocks, and I mostly shoot the “babies” left-handed.)

So, Glocks are not as overly susceptible to limp-wrist malfunctions as some folks say, but, on the other hand, I do generally wear a revolver as my usual daily primary carry gun, with an S&W Model 64 snub-length gun being the most-carried. I still consider my right hand to be my “weapon hand.” Even though I worked 33+ years of night-shift street patrol for Houston PD, in Texas, I feel generally comfortably carrying a six-shot, medium-frame revolver as my primary handgun, for personal defense, in retirement, living in a small city in the greater Houston area.

So, would I rather use a revolver, or a Glock 17, for working a security post? I did work “extra jobs,” which were security details, during the time I was a police officer, so, do have that, as a point of reference. For defending myself, I believe I would be comfortable, with either weapon. I am more consistently accurate with a Ruger GP100, or S&W K-Frame or L-Frame, than anything else I have tried. A Glock holds more ammo, but is not going to enable me to be quite as accurate. So, unless prohibited by policy, I will simply say that I would simply carry one of each.

Choose that which works best, for you. Try to find a paid instructor, who will let you try both autos and revolvers.

 

[tws3b2]

Your first mistake is asking for advice on a fourm like this. You will get so many different sugestions that you will wind up completely lost.

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

View attachment 1200535
Mine's a compact though:
View attachment 1200524
I think the Sig P250s were last sold new in 2015 or 2018
jmo,
.

I have gotten a job as an armed security guard for an active industrial facility in a mostly abandoned section of an American city. The post is behind a fence with razor wire.

Now, about a decade ago, in my late teens, I was very much into guns, and considered myself knowledgeable. I own several rifles and a shotgun, and also had access to a .38 special snub-nose until it was given away. However, while I am embarrassed to say it, I haven’t fired a gun in years - about a decade. All of my guns have been sitting in a safe smothered in Rig Grease on the outside and coated with Break Free Collector in the bore.

This is due to a mixture of geographic and financial concerns. The ammo shortage and price spike after Sandy Hook caused me to turn my attention away, and in the time since I moved from the country to the suburbs, and have never been to a formal range in my life with range officers and a need to pay to enter. I find the idea a little intimidating.

However, this new job has me turning my attention back to guns. But, my knowledge has largely faded, and I am also unfamiliar with new gun releases that have happened since then. There are the standard Glock 19’s, for instance, but if a newer gun fits me best, I want to carry it.

So, I would like your advice on what handgun might work for me, within the limitations I have been given. I am able to carry either a double action .38 special revolver, or a semi-auto in 9mm or 40 S&W.

The regulations for my jurisdiction say that the revolver barrel must be between 4 and 5 inches. A semi-auto must be double action only.

A manager at my company also told me that the semi-auto cannot have an exposed hammer, and it must have a trigger safety - so 1911s are out of the question, for instance.

Given these limitations, what would you all recommend? I plan to train heavily with whatever I carry until its operation is a matter of muscle memory.

I feel some attachment to revolvers because, of the relatively little handgun experience I have, I have the most experience with a revolver. I also fear limp-wristing a semi-auto in a high stress situation in the (seemingly unlikely event) that I should ever have to fire my weapon - this is based on my experience as a teenager of about 15 shooting a Taurus .45 semi-auto. I fired a Glock a few years later and did fine.

However, the idea of having more rounds on hand appeals to me, particularly since I am limited to .38 special and more powerful revolver rounds are out of the question.

Your advice would be appreciated.

Your first mistake is asking on a fourm like this. You will get so many "sugestions " with so many reasons why that you can get totally lost.
Confirm with your employer what you need. Go to a reputable gun shop, tell them what your employer requires and get them to show you what they have that will fit the bill in your price range. Then go to another.
Pick a couple or 3 that you think will work and confirm with your employer before you buy.
When it comes to firearms "Do your own homework."
"I love it when someone says ""But a revolver can have catastrophic failures that can't be easily fixed". "A semi-auto can jam, but is easily cleared""
Yeah, A semi-auto can jam. For Many Reasons. AND, Have Catastrophic Failures that can't be easily fixed.
Learn all You can. Use what You have learned.

 

[Quanah]

I have gotten a job as an armed security guard for an active industrial facility in a mostly abandoned section of an American city. The post is behind a fence with razor wire.

Given these limitations, what would you all recommend? I plan to train heavily with whatever I carry until its operation is a matter of muscle memory.

You will be fine, whatever you choose. I'd find an old skinny barrel S&W Model 10 or a S&W SD40 with the black Melonite slide.

 

[Armorer 101]

You never hat a perp with your gun, ever, unless you want to loose use of your gun., as in BROKEN. It is why you carry a D six cell aircraft aluminum flashlight so you can, see better.....to find the perp laying on the ground.
Jollywood is the only place on earth you hit a perp with you sidearm.

 

[lee n. field]

So, I would like your advice on what handgun might work for me, within the limitations I have been given. I am able to carry either a double action .38 special revolver, or a semi-auto in 9mm or 40 S&W.

The regulations for my jurisdiction say that the revolver barrel must be between 4 and 5 inches.

Interesting restriction.

A semi-auto must be double action only.

True DAO? Rare beast. Or "DAO" that's actually Glock type striker fired thing?

A manager at my company also told me that the semi-auto cannot have an exposed hammer, and it must have a trigger safety - so 1911s are out of the question, for instance.

Given these limitations, what would you all recommend? I plan to train heavily with whatever I carry until its operation is a matter of muscle memory.

Buy a Glock 19. Whatever generation floats your boat.

 

[d2wing]

H&K VP9, USP 9 has a hammer I think.

 

[wayneinFL]

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.

That's actually really good advice for any job. Never withhold information.

In security, you don't even know if the first shift is doing their job. Someone could be opening the door at the shift change. Somebody might even leaving the door unlocked to access it an hour later or the next day for a perfectly innocent reason. Or they might be leaving it open for nefarious purposes.

This could happen all week.

If you covered for the last shift assuming he made an innocent mistake, and there's something missing the next day, and you didn't note it, you weren't doing your job.

 

[Shodan]

OP, have you gotten any additional information or guidance from your employer?

 

[Shodan]

Anything? I need to know if you're working unarmed, with a 1970's police trade in revolver, a Glock 17 with a RDS or ... construction.

 

[The Night Rider]

In security, you don't even know if the first shift is doing their job. Someone could be opening the door at the shift change.

I used to have an assignment checking electrical substations. While doing the fenceline check at one I found a washout under the fence that was literally deep enough to allow me to walk under the fence.

The washout hadn't been there two days previously (my friday) and the substation had been (nominally) checked twice by 2 different guards on my off days. Neither reported it.

I think it's safe to say they didn't walk the entire fenceline and weren't doing their job

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

OP, have you gotten any additional information or guidance from your employer?

Yes. I asked for the requirements in writing, and they referred me to the website of a local range which offers the security firearm qualification classes. The police department says that the manual I was given is old and outdated, and that they don’t have the current regulations online yet. But, they do contract with this particular range for licensing, and so their word is good.

According the website:

Semi-auto qualification is 16 hours, $250, and you must bring 300 rounds of your own ammo.

Revolver qualification is 8 hours, $125, and you shoot 50 rounds that they provide.

The firearm must have no decockers or manual safeties. It cannot be subcompact. It must be full size or compact.

Semi-auto must be striker fired or double action, and from a reputable company - listed are Beretta, Glock, Ruger, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, FN, H&K, Walther, Canik, Taurus, EAA, CZ, Stoeger.

Revolver must be double-action .38 special with a 4 inch barrel.