There’s nothing magical about introducing a rifle into a pistol fight, but the results can be, and usually are, significant—for all parties involved. The downrange effect of a rifle, even a .223, is substantial. From muzzle blast to terminal ballistics, virtually any true rifle round is several levels ahead of any handgun round in every category. At rifle velocities, suddenly, the term “stopping power” actually comes into play.
But why the seemingly sudden interest in rifles for police? In light of the new generation of shotguns and high-performance ammunition for them, why can’t shotguns, the “classic” police long gun, handle the chores involved? Frankly, there are simply times when the ability to direct well-aimed, powerful, center-fire rifle fire at a threat is simply the solution to a situation gone bad.
Additionally, muzzle blast and recoil often hinder training and application of the common police “dozen-gauge” pump gun. Small-framed shooters are frequently intimidated, consequently failing to train properly—or enough—and are often hesitant to deploy a shotgun when it’s needed most. The weak part of the equation is that most of the fright involved is based on reputation rather than reality. Many petite officers can handle a 12 gauge with aplomb, but the fear still exists. All of which brings us to a handy solution.
Handling a rifle or carbine in the close confines of a beat car takes training and close attention. With most agencies, however, familiarity with the shotgun being deployed in similar circumstances makes the transition easy. Keeping the rifle in the trunk may often mean a delay in putting it into play—seconds that may spell the difference between success or failure for an officer on the street.
But Why?
While addressing a study group convened to investigate a move to rifles for patrol on the San Diego Police Department, a SWAT Commander said, “We should only equip certain patrol officers with long guns and then give them special training.“
At this, a senior patrol sergeant commented wryly, “In light of how poorly the average cop shoots his handgun, maybe we should give rifles to every cop and have special ‘pistol-trained’ officers who are issued pistols on a limited basis.“
There is usually a core group of highly motivated officers on any department that train hard to keep proficient with their duty handguns. But there is usually also a larger segment that simply put in the quarterly or half-yearly qualification shoots, and that’s it. Often, those same shooters pass by the skin of their collective teeth. These are usually the same groups that shy away from those Remington 870s locked in racks in their cars. Enter the rifle.
Based upon informal testing conducted by the author and others, it is very easy to see the improvement when you hand a rifle to even a mediocre handgun shot. Their accuracy at any normal handgun range is often astounding, and an added bonus is that their positive performance results in heaps of self-confidence.
Suddenly, a target that used to look like it was shot with a shotgun loaded with buckshot now displays nicely centered hits. All of which is important in the field. There’s no need for multiple handgun shots to be whizzing past a miscreant’s torso when one or two carefully placed rifle rounds can accomplish the same job quickly, easily and decisively. A high level of confidence translates into officers taking the rifle out of the car when responding to calls warranting the possible use of such force. A long gun in the hand is worth 10, or a 100, or a 1,000 shotguns tucked tidily away in the rack of a black and white.
With a pistol-caliber rifle, effective range is extended to around 100 yds. or a bit more; while with a true rifle round such as a .223 Rem., 7.62x39 mm or .308 Win., that range can easily be 200 yds. or better, even in a novice’s hands. However, having said that, we have to remember the overwhelming majority of gunfights involving police occur at toe-to-toe distances, or at best, seven to 10 yards. Think of a car stop, officers covering the doors of a bank or supplying back up during a stop on a group of gang members. Do we still need a rifle? You bet.
“Rifle fights,“ as Clint Smith, Director of the Thunder Ranch training facility says, “take place at about the same distance as pistol fights and there’s a reason for that. You can’t shoot what you can’t see.“ So, when we add the truth that many officers often miss badly at fingertip distances during gunfights to the unreliable stopping effectiveness of most handgun rounds, the rifle becomes even more attractive. Accurate, hard-hitting, easy to control, effective and generally the right tool for the job—a rifle just may be a working cop’s best friend in the field when the chips are down. We’ve seen the smile and look of confidence on the faces of young trainees on the range after they have just scored their first center hits with rifles. Big medicine, indeed, and in more ways than the obvious one involving firepower.
A New Idea?
On Sunday afternoon, September 4, 1887, Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens rode into Holbrook, Ariz., to arrest murderer Andy Cooper, who was holed-up in Cooper’s mother’s house. Owens held his Winchester 1886, chambered for a large-bore rifle cartridge, as he climbed the steps onto the front porch. Cooper answered the door with a revolver in his hand and, after shutting the door on him, Owens swung his big Winchester up and fired through it, hitting Cooper in the stomach.
As he levered another cartridge into the chamber, Owens moved off the porch just as John Blevins, also hiding in the house, snapped off a shot at Owens. He missed—but Owens didn’t—his rifle round crashing through yet another door, striking Blevins in the shoulder. Looking into a window, Owens spotted Cooper, revolver in hand, waiting for a clear shot. Chambering another big cartridge, Owens fired through the window, driving the bullet deeply into Cooper’s hip.
Sam Blevins then grabbed Cooper’s revolver and tried to shoot Owens. The Sheriff’s 1886 Winchester boomed again, sending a big lead bullet through his body at the hips. Mose Roberts, a brother in law of the suspect, tried to flank Owens at the side of the porch. The Sheriff sidestepped the attack and, once again, the Winchester spoke, sending a bullet through Roberts’ chest. In less then a minute, Owens had hit four suspects, killing three. All in all, it was a decisive display of marksmanship, cool-headedness under fire and proof of the undisputed effectiveness of a rifle in a close-quarter fight. The early lawmen realized it, and now, many today realize it too.
Handguns are convenient to carry, offer some modicum of self-defense capability but are makeshift weapons at best. As Clint Smith says, “A handgun is a good thing to use to fight your way to your rifle.“ Why settle for second best? You’re only betting your life on it.
This line-up shows the wide-range of possibilities in commonly available patrol rifles. While there are many “exotic” models to choose from, often tight department budgets dictate a more realistic approach to the patrol rifle question.
Shown left to right are the AR15, Ruger Mini-14, Winchester Mod. 94, .30 Carbine, SKS, K98 Mauser in .308 (converted military rifle), Shortened .303 Enfield and a Ruger PC9 carbine.
The Hardware
Much has been said about which rifle is best for policework, and many trainers and officers have their own strong opinions. Recently, Police Magazine ran a survey of agencies to find which rifles were either authorized, issued or approved for patrol use (not SWAT). The results were both surprising, and not surprising. Of some 89 respondents, the AR-15 platform in .223, as made by many manufacturers, was the clear winner with 36 responses.
The Ruger Mini-14 in .223 garnered 12 responses, with AK-47 variants (in both .223 and 7.62x39 mm) coming in with eight. The new Ruger PC (Police Carbine) in either 9 mm or .40 S&W fostered six and tied with bolt actions. The M1A/M-14 was chosen five times and the humble SKS in
7.62x39 mm came in with three. Surprisingly (but much to our delight) the Winchester Model 94 lever action in .30-30 Win. was the chosen rifle for four agencies. The venerable M1 Carbine got two honorable mentions, the H&K MP5 was mentioned three times and the Colt AR 9 mm submachine gun was chosen twice.
Keeping in mind this was a survey with a limited response it still paints a clear picture. First, the AR-15 platform was the clear winner. Ease of use, effectiveness of the .223 caliber and ready availability may point to some of the reasons. It is battle-proven, so it should perform well. The Mini-14 is affordable, has an uncomplicated manual of arms and offers the kind of rugged reliability that has made it the rifle of choice for a wide cross-section of agencies. Additionally, the Ruger PC or Police Carbine was custom-designed to meet the needs for pistol-caliber rifles for police and accomplishes that goal well.
The surprises were the wide cross-section of different rifles chosen. Perhaps the old adage of “use what’s at hand” serves in agencies today. With budget crunches, those AK variants, SKSs and Winchesters are all inexpensive, easy to find and certainly serve the purpose. Indeed, many (the author included) think the Model 94 may arguably be the best of the lot for patrol use. Easy to use, powerful and able to be carried with a fully loaded magazine that will never get lost, the Model 94 is a simple solution to an often-complex problem. Had several officers on the scene of the famous 1997 Hollywood bank robbery and shootout had Model 94s on hand, things may have been solved quickly and effectively. Concerns about the magazine tube becoming dented could be easily overcome with a full-length nylon or plastic stock. Something to think about …
Today, police have more selections then ever when it comes to long guns. From AR-type rifles from manufacturers such as Colt, Les Baer, DPMS, Rock River, ArmaLite, Bushmaster and Olympic to the Heckler & Koch MP series, Ruger, Kel-Tec, Springfield Armory’s M1A rifles and Remington’s newest Police Rifle (a pump rifle that uses the same methodology as the 870 shotgun), these are, indeed, the “good old days.“ An agency or individual officer needs to look at the needs of their communities, their budgets and their commitment to training before they make any selections.
While iron sights may be most appropriate on “general-issue” patrol rifles, some models (such as the AR-15 platform, for instance) may be equipped with an optical sight to enhance performance. The new Leupold Mark 4 CQ/T (top) is a 1-3X illuminated dot/reticle scope rugged enough for virtually any police or military situation. The Meprolight Reflex Sight (bottom) is compact and delivers surprising performance, using available light to illuminate the bright amber aiming point. In the dark, Tritium takes over to supply the illumination.
Sights can be an issue at times, but as Clint Smith is fond of saying: “The side with the simplest guns and uniforms usually wins the war.“ If an optical sight is chosen, make sure it’s tough as nails, such as the MK4 CQ/T from Leupold or any number of others from many other manufacturers. Generally, rugged aperture sights, perhaps with a tritium insert, may suit patrol functions best. Also, a simple sling is a necessity on any rifle. Just as a duty pistol is nearly useless without a holster, so is a long gun a hindrance without a sling.
Caliber Quandary
This is actually a simple question and it deserves a simple answer. Once the hype is cleared from the table it boils down to two elementary things: Penetration and controllability. Many are under the assumption that any round fired from a rifle will over-penetrate, when in actuality the reverse is often true.
The classic .223, especially in the 55-gr. standard loading, will rarely exit when a torso is struck. The bullet tumbles and breaks up, usually within 10” in ballistic gelatin and exhibits the same kind of performance in humans. Often, a 9 mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP will pass completely through the same torso. So indeed, we have a high level of accuracy, controllability, tremendous and true stopping power and a high likelihood of no over-penetration—all with a rifle round. No handgun round can match this kind of real-world performance.
When it comes time to reach out or to penetrate a barricade, bust through a window or stop a vehicle, its hard to make a better case than the .30-cal. rifles. A Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad rifle in .308 can solve just about any problem a rural cop may encounter and keep heads down until back-up arrives. Ditto for a Winchester Model 94, FN-FAL, Ruger Ranch Rifle or AK/SKS (in 7.63x39 mm), or even a bolt-action rifle in the right hands. Would the above perform well in a more urban environment? In some situations where suspects are barricaded, or covering fire needs to be placed to rescue wounded, yes. But generally, an urban environment calls for the .223 and then the various pistol caliber rifles. Additionally, some models of .30 caliber rifles recoil enough to cause some officers to balk.
Think of the pistol caliber rifles as simply an ultra-accurate method of delivering pistol ammunition—with perhaps a slight increase in effectiveness from the increased velocity afforded by additional barrel length. But no pistol caliber carbine or rifle is the equal of a .223/.308 or other center-fire rifle round in virtually all categories.
A wide cross-section of common cartridges make good fodder for police rifles. From left to right: the 9 mm, .40S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Mag. and .44 Mag. are all handgun rounds that can accomplish many of the duties a patrol rifle may be called upon to handle. After the .44 Magnum is the .30 Carbine, .223 Rem., 7.62x39 mm, 30-30 Win., .308 Win., 30-‘06 Sprg. and the venerable 45-70 Gov’t. While the .30 Carbine is a “cross-over” round and arguable more of a pistol caliber, the rest can handle virtually any potential “problem” in the field! The 12 gauge shell at far right is shown for comparison.
Ammo
One of the most revolutionary developments lately has been in .30-cal. frangible or reduced-penetration ammunition for policework. The Hornady TAP (Tactical Application Police) ammo is a frangible bullet loaded to match-grade accuracy levels. It offers .308 Win. performance but with a limited chance of over-penetration. Other offerings by Delta Frangible (as loaded by a wide cross section of manufacturers and custom loaders) offer other frangible bullet options.
Testing has shown it is difficult to beat the standard 55-gr. FMJ for the .223. Stopping power is tremendous in most situations and the light recoil and handy weapons platforms all help to make the .223 the most-used choice in urban police rifles.
In the various handgun calibers, most agencies use their issue handgun ammunition, which makes sense … usually. It’s important to be aware that the longer barrel of a rifle often allows more efficient burning of powders, causing an increase in velocity. Often at the higher velocities, the pistol bullets expand radically, breaking up and under-penetrating. Some agencies have actually gone to two types of ammunition because of this. For instance, Federal Tactical handgun ammo is more strongly constructed than standard loads. This is a natural combination for pistol caliber carbines and duty handguns. Most other makers offer similar load options.
As Lieutenant Dave Spaulding, noted police trainer and writer said: “The shotgun has, historically been a better option at times than the duty handgun. With the rifle, we can give the troops a better, better option.“
