Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the job

PoliceOne.com ^ | 4/17/13 | Charles Remsberg

[mad_as_he$$]

Yes, I read it. I saw a guy take 9 hits with 9mm at 30 feet and still walk up to the cop and take the cop's gun away and start beating him with it. Another cop shot him in the head and finished it. All things being equal since I have actually shot someone(s) with both a 45ACP and a 44mag I will take the 45 ACP. Oh and the guy I shot with the 45 took three rounds of 5.56 in the chest and still kept running at me.

[Slambat]

“Have you ever been in a small arms fight?”

Yes. 1981. Grocery store in Houston. NSA (North-Side Aztecs)
All I had was a bat and a can of beer. I got out ok but my
truck took a few rounds. Thank god that chucho was as bad
a shot as this cop.

[Jewbacca]

I have, too. Mind you, I was a pilot throughout my active military career (in a different country), but wanted to be reserve long after my flying days were over.

I empties an M-16 (30 rounds), hitting a guy about 8 times in the chest, which is pretty typical -— about a 30% hit factor in a gun fight. He didn’t drop until I had jumped behind a barracade to put in a new mag. When I popped up, he was on the ground.

After that, I don’t begrudge a lot of ammo in a fight.

And, mind you, I had a rifle.

[Jewbacca]

For clarification, the above was at a checkpoint at Gush Katif.

[driftdiver]

Each case is different. Its impossible to say any single caliber is the best. Shot placement, caliber, and ammunition are all important and dependent on circumstances.

[Slambat]

“The officer in this shootout was A master firearms instructor and a sniper on his department’s Tactical Intervention Unit...”

And he still couldn’t down a perp even after hitting him
14 times. Your right, maybe 140 hits would have done the job.
14 times out of 33 rounds with a .45.? Close range? Sniper?
Did the purp have a head? Was the cop blowing his money on
donuts and cool shades to buy decent ammo? Nothing personal
Obadiah, but does this alone really justify carrying 145
rounds of ammo? Even with a 45% hit to miss ratio at close
range?

[gettinolder]

Thanks for your comment. Lot’s of hate on our forum for the men in blue.

[gettinolder]

Thanks for your comment. Again thread is littered with armchair commando’s.

[driftdiver]

I’ve read of once case where a cop shot a guy wearing a heavy leather jacket. The leather filled in the hollow point and the .45 JHP performed as a .45 FMJ.

In another case the cop was using a .45 and shooting through the car door. The .45 acp didn’t perform very well through the metal.

Yet another case where the cop was shooting at the driver who was still in the car. The 9mm broke the cars windshield but did not penetrate it.

Only point is that it depends on the situation. For me a .40 or .45 acp is what I would carry.

[driftdiver]

I know a cop who has shot 3 people with a .45 acp and all three dropped immediately. These were center of mass shots.

[Billthedrill]

Don’t waste time arguing the relative merits of various calibers.

OK, so the guy is obviously not a FReeper. :-)

[CottShop]

[[Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the job]]

Wha Wha WHAAAAAT? He only needs 7 rounds- as he will only have to face just one lightly armed, ‘law abiding’ perp per day accordign to the left

[Slambat]

Man, you were in the real sh!t. That’s a fire fight. I was
just getting shot at. Was that a 30 rd sustained burst?

[B4Ranch]

Ten years ago before my eyes went bad, from a prone position I could put 6 rounds inside a 2 pound coffee can using a 6” S&W or a 4” High Standard in five seconds at 15 yards with no problem.

Re the windshield, I don’t think this guy has done his windshield shots yet using the 9mm. For that trick I’d want at least a .45, preferably a 12 gauge.

[Vendome]

Everyone:
Read the comments at the article. Many of the LET’s carry 70+ rounds for their handgun, with full mags and more than 140 rounds for their rifles.

Interestingly, they carry 20 and 30 round mags, with some carrying higher cap mags.

Many LEO’s have seen aggressors take more rounds they thought it would take to end their aggression.

Bottom line is, no one knows how many rounds it takes to put down vermin, as each situation varies as to rounds on target, rounds in the kill zones, determination of the aggressors and whether or not they were hopped up on some sort of substance.

[Vendome]

Some people’s philosophy is more rounds gives you more opportunity to put em where you need em.

[Pollster1]

If you have arthritis or a weak grip that's why a .22 can be an effective defensive round. Ten hits to the head in five seconds and your attacker is done for.

Back before the great boating accident of 2010, I put an EOTech 512 on my old S&W .22 pistol. It is amazingly easy and fast to turn the sight on and put five or ten rounds into a target much smaller than a head, at 10 meters. That is not a bad defensive strategy, with minimal risk of over-penetration. It's not that one would shoot to kill (illegal), just shoot to stop the threat (legal) - with multiple head shots.

[glorgau]

Practice head shots.

Also useful in case of Zombie Apocalypse.

[B4Ranch]

For the elderly, “arthritis or a weak grip” is a common factor and one that must be taken into consideration when selecting a defensive weapon. Having a small .45 that explodes or so it seems, in your hand will prevent the 2nd round from being fired rapidly and accurately.

The ever ridiculed .22 for self defense has probably saved more people from harm than any other round.

[driftdiver]

“The ever ridiculed .22 for self defense has probably saved more people from harm than any other round”

Name one person that wants to be shot with a .22

The .22 doesn’t have the stopping power of larger calibers but it’ll make the attacker slow down and perhaps turn around unless they are drug addled or truly intent on causing you harm.