I'm pondering switching to a late 1990's P220 as my duty gun. Anyone here still carrying one?

what do you carry now as a duty gun?

Not an LEO, but around here it's rare to see an LEO with any metal framed gun. It's all plastic.

I've carried a Glock 17 since 2014.

I carried a customized Colt 1911 from 2008 to 2014.

I had a Glock 21, a Sig P228, and a S&W 5906 before that.

There are plenty of guys carrying metal framed guns.

I carried my 220ST while working in Court Security before I retired 7 years ago. In a closed environment with cover officers just moments away, you really aren't giving up much.

I preferred carrying my alloy framed 220 to my tuned Commander when I worked patrol

Can you articulate a reason for the change?

I still carry one. Several departments in my area also carry the P220.

Metal frame guns? What are they?

Kentucky is polymer city. Few places larger than a couple of officers offer the ability to carry what you want, and the rest carry Glocks.

I would love to be the last cop in KY carrying a P226. I haven't carried a P220 since about 1999.

My voyage went something like-
1996- SIG 226
1999- SIG 220
2000- Smith 1076
2003- SIG 226
2005- Springfield Pro
2006- SIG 226
2008- Glock 35

Alas, I retired my W. German P220 in the late 90s when the bigger agency I went to mandated 9mm. I was okay with the 9mm because the issue round was Hydra Shok +P+, but I sure miss my P220. In fact, I still have dreams about carrying that gun. It made an indelible mark on me.

Mississippi County, Arkansas, carries Sig P226s in .40, and the Jacksonville, Arkansas PD just went to the P320 9mm. The last Arkansas officers I saw carrying the P220 were in West Memphis, Arkansas and that was about 5 years ago. One thing that impressed me was that both P220 armed officers were all carrying 10-round magazines, both in their P220s and as spares.

NC alcohol law enforcement (state level plainclothes agency) carries 220s. Only one I'm aware of.

On some current episodes of COPS, you can still catch up-close glimpses of SIGs in the holsters of officers. They almost always look to be single stack so those must be P220s.

A few years ago when I was in a suburb of Chicago I saw P220s being carried. Here in SD the HP went from Glock 22s to Sig P229 in 40.

I do, specifically a 220 SAO.

I own a Sig P220ST that was a trade-in from the Scottsboro, Alabama Police Dept. I purchased it in Feb. 2012. So, they probably changed over in 2011.

This year I purchased a Tysons Corner P226 in 9mm which was a trade-in from the Pelham, AL Police. Then a P229 in .40 from the Opelika, AL Police and just last month a P226 also in .40 from the Auburn, AL Police.

Everyone of them were in very nice condition both appearance and mechanically. They were all great values for some wonderful pistols.

My department carries P229s in .40, as does the city next door. Our county deputies carry P220s, and the State Police carry P227s. Plenty of metal (alloy) framed Sigs going on around here.

CT state troopers carry P220's and 4 spare mags.

One of our suburban PDs have been carrying P220s for almost twenty years. They finally switched this year to Glock 21s.

Mass MBTA Police are issued P220. I know of at least one Town PD that carries 220s.

Huntington Beach Ca used to issue the P-220, they may still allow its use. I believe they were the first in the country to issue them back in the day.

Lots of PD's carry "metal frame guns." Just here in the SF Bay Area SFPD carries Sig 226's in 40 S&W and Alameda County SO carries Sig 226's in 357 Sig. The CHP carry the 4006 and the list goes on...

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Can you articulate a reason for the change?

I've been thinking about this today.

My PD issues/allows 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP...so I am limited to those calibers.

I'm fairly attached to the 45 ACP. I have had the pleasure/displeasure of being around lots of people/dogs/vehicles who have been shot during my tenure and have attended several autopsies. Lately, 9mm is the pistol caliber du jour again, and yes, the modern bullets like HST and Ranger-T have done great things for it; however, it still does not create the trauma of 45 ACP (or 357 Magnum). "Pistol bullets poke holes, Rilfes...blah blah blah," yes, I know. I don't mean to start a caliber debate, but I love the 45 ACP and trust it more than 9mm so we will leave it at that.

I switched to a Glock 17 when I was a K9 handler because:
- Surefire X300 attached to gun in an ALS holster
- More rounds meant less reloading when holding a dog back with my left hand
- Holding same dog meant one hand shooting more probable and 9mm has less recoil making it more controllable
- Gun was easier to clean and keep dog hair out of

My Glock 17 is serving me well right now and I'm currently in a detective assignment. The reasons listed above are still very valid reasons to stick with it. However, I am no longer a dog handler.

I thought about going back to the 1911, but for a number of reasons I'd rather not.

I have my Glock 21 still, but I've always found its size to make it a bit clunky. Nothing wrong with it (I even had Boresight do a grip reduction) it just isn't what I want to carry.

So here are some reasons I want to switch to the P220:
- I trust the caliber, 45 ACP, more than I do 9mm
- I don't care for having a WML mounted to my gun and not having to hold on to a bouncing and barking critter has negated my need for it
- It's light enough not to feel like a boat anchor but heavy enough to dampen recoil
- I shoot the P220 quite well and have a great deal of faith in the platform (I've been a Sig armorer since 2003...as well as Glock, Colt and a few others)
- It has wood grips and fits my hand great
- Everything about the gun feels right. There is something to this subjective intrinsic value that just cannot be explained logically.

Make sense?