Unique Duty Weapons

[Chuck Haggard]

The hand tooled leather "BBQ rigs" are a big thing in many parts of Texas. The prison work shops in Huntsville are full of skilled leather working convicts. They make custom duty belts with matching hand made cowboy boots for a relatively dirt cheap price. It has been a while since I saw the price sheet, but something ridiculous like $100-$150 for a full duty belt/holster/mag pouch/cuff pouch and $200 for hand made boots...

They are really popular in some parts of Texas. Especially in small towns and with the Rangers.

Don't see them as much in the street since thumb breaks have been replaced by retention holsters, but you still see them at parades, BBqs, the Rodeo, weddings and funerals....

I was at KLETC awhile back for a leadership type training. Lots of stodgy LE upper management types, almost all conspicuously unarmed.

One dude from a SW KS rural Sheriff's office was wearing a 1911 with scrimshawed stocks, dark brown hand tooled leather holster, mag pouches, belt, and boots, white shirt with a badge, Wrangler jeans.

I was jelly. I could stand to attend classes in such an outfit, that would be very cool. I'd likely have to find a .38Super, or an N frame.

[NickA]

I used to work near the local Ranger office and would see them occasionally at lunch. Lots of tooled leather and engraved 1911's.
An acquaintance is also a Ranger, I remember hearing that he was very excited to order his gun leather when he got on with them.

[MGW]

Not authorized duty weapons but I know a retired trooper that carried a pair of single action Colts off duty every where. He was extremely handy with them too.

Another trooper carried a Marlin 30-30 in the car for awhile. Someone was taking pop shots at deputies while they were driving down the highway. The Patrol didn't issue rifles at the time so said trooper improvised.

[BehindBlueI's]

My last LT carried a S&W Model 60 right up through 2014.

I'm qualified on a 3" GP100 Wiley Clapp and carry it at work on occasion when I'm just going to be in the office that day.

[TxShooter]

One of our former deputies who worked dispatch carried a Taurus PT 24/7 9mm. She quit soon after to work at the post office. An academy classmate whose career was also brief carried a HiPoint 9mm while serving papers for a constable's office.
A while back I signed out a Beretta PM12S that was gathering dust in our armory. The story goes that when SRT was being formed in the early '80s they asked for a Remington 700 sniper rifle and an MP5. The gun fairy delivered a Walmart Special 700 .308 and the Beretta.

[Hizzie]

For a number of years I carried a S&W Performance Center 681PC Quadport 7 shot 357 magnum. The gun was the extremely rare 4" version (1 of 50). It wore Miculek stocks and was fed via 3 SL Variant speedloaders on my belt. Nyeti has it now.

[SWAT Lt.]

My old department, in the late 80s prior to transitioning to semi autos, issued S&W model 67s. It also allowed officers to carry personally owned revolvers (S&W, Colt, Ruger) in .38/.357/.44 but officers were required to carry the issued 38 +P or 44 Special ammunition, no magnum rounds allowed. I replaced the TT & TH with service a trigger and hammer standard in a 624 and carried a 4 inch S&W 629 in a Safariland 070. We had a fair amount of guys carrying 6-6 1/2 inch 29s, but one guy carried an 8 3/8 inch 629. I was brand new at the time so I never approached him to inquire how he managed to sit in a car, especially since he wasn't very tall, or how long it took for him to actually clear the gun from the holster.

[HCM]

The Gilespie County TX Sheriffs Office issues tan, floral carved / stamped Don Hume duty gear for their Glock 22's.

1911's are still relatively common duty weapons around here -Glock, SIG, M&P, 1911 in that order.

Even Austin PD was allowing POW 1911's until their recent switch to the M&P.

I know a DPS aviation guy who carries a .45 cal 2011 as a duty gun.

[Corey]

Utah corrections used to arm tower guards with the AM-180.

My dentist here has an AM-180 that was from the state prison at Point of the Mountain. The state DOC academy also has a neat history display with old photos showing guards with 1918 BARs as well as a couple photos of guards with AM-180s. Utah DOC has had a lot of full auto love through its history.

[Luger]

The Bavarian state police still issues the H&K P-7 PSP. Personally owned guns are permitted, but only for off duty carry.

So on duty I'm forced to carry a gun which is older than I am, with only one spare mag. This means a total of 16 rounds.

Off duty I may carry my Glock 19 and as much ammo as I want.