Why is a “duty” pistol larger than other pistols?

[opngrnd]

Tangent. I spent years trying to find the "perfect" intermediate handgun. I am confident I owned more than 100 handguns since the early 90s. I ended up deciding that what I really needed was two guns. One, for everyday pocket carry, a gun I will have no matter what (A .38 J-Frame with laser grips). The other, a full sized combat autoloader (A Beretta 92 G-SD with X400).

Untitled by stoiclawyer, on Flickr

Do you even muzzle rise, bro? I bet that's a soft shooting setup!

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

It’s ridiculous. I can ring steel plates and it sounds like hail on a metal roof.

[jsbhike]

I'm just guessing here but chances of a LEO to get into a gun fight is greater than for your avg person. If chances are greater then having more ammo is better. More ammo means bigger gun.

But again.... just a guess. Also they don't have to worry about concealing.

I'm sure there's a million reasons why. I have seen some departments issue G26/27 but I don't know if that's primary or backup

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I think most shootings involve private citizens as is. Nix gun free zones and social stigmas and it would likely go much higher.

[Arik]

I think most shootings involve private citizens as is. Nix gun free zones and social stigmas and it would likely go much higher.

Maybe as a group. As an individual an officer is the one responding to all bad calls

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[jsbhike]

Maybe as a group. As an individual an officer is the one responding to all bad calls

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Each officer doesn't respond to all bad calls either. Going to go out on a limb and say most bad calls have already affected a private citizen first and if that person hadn't been prevented from dealing with it by statute, rules, or social pressures then officers would have far less to respond to.

Going with standard size vs. mini being easier to shoot as the reason. Combination of sight distance, weight, and grip size, so long as the last 2 didn't get carried to goofy extremes. For the longest time, the average revolvers sights were a lot better than the typical auto pistol sights by being larger if for no other reason with a P38 being a notable exception.

[oldtexan]

That’s what I’m asking you. Not many tank designs included sloped armor until the T34-76 came out.

Is bigger better? If they (pistols) all shoot effective 9mm, why not a smaller, lighter platform?

There would seem to be numerous advantages to full-size guns, though as others have said they are not the best choice in all applications.

The full-size handgun can have a grip long enough for an adult male with even large or extra large hands to be able to quickly establish a full firing grip with all fingers of the drawing hand in solid contact with the gun. This may facilitate better speed and accuracy. Having a grip of such a length allows more onboard ammo than a shorter grip would, all other factors being equal, and reduces the likelihood of the hand interfering with a mag change done under stress.

With some loads, a barrel length of > 4" may give a greater likelihood of getting the desired terminal ballistic effect, and may reduce flash.

A longer sight radius may make the gun easier to shoot fast and accurately than a shorter sight radius, all other things being equal.

Greater weight of a full-sie gun compared to its compact brother may reduce recoil and muzzle flip, likewise making it easier to shoot accurately at speed.

The full-size gun may be more reliable, and may be more durable than the smaller versions of the same gun. As an example, guys like Hilton Yam and IIRC Larry Vickers say if you want the most reliable 1911, a full-size 5" gun is best. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that G17s, on average, experience fewer stoppages than G19s do.

[Arik]

Each officer doesn't respond to all bad calls either. Going to go out on a limb and say most bad calls have already affected a private citizen first and if that person hadn't been prevented from dealing with it by statute, rules, or social pressures then officers would have far less to respond to.

Going with standard size vs. mini being easier to shoot as the reason. Combination of sight distance, weight, and grip size, so long as the last 2 didn't get carried to goofy extremes. For the longest time, the average revolvers sights were a lot better than the typical auto pistol sights by being larger if for no other reason with a P38 being a notable exception.

And that's one person having one bad incident.

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[yoni]

97% of the time I carry a full sized pistol. The rest of the time, it will be either a Glock 26 dropped in my right front pocket or a HKP7 .

I have never had a problem concealing a full sized pistol so I never saw the need to carry a smaller pistol. If I get in a fight I want the best tool with me possible.

[NYH1]

There's more difference between the 19/26 than there is between the 19/17

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Yeah, you're right.

In my opinion there's a pretty noticeable difference between full size and compact Glocks. Probably because I much prefer the full size.

NYH1.

[ST911]

Well it should...

Who would chose to have a gun where their pinkie can't fit on the grip if they didn't have to? A full size grip, give you a full grip on the gun. The only reason to chose a smaller gun is to conceal it better for daily carry. A duty gun does not require it to be hidden, so it can be full size. Same goes for ammo capacity. The only reason you would chose to go with less capacity, would be to lessen the size and weight of the gun... for "concealed" carry.

If I have a size 12/XXL lean hand, but can still get it all comfortably on a G19, is it a “full size” or “duty pistol”? It holds 15 rounds. But even with a ten round magazine, or if I have a G30, they have as many rounds as an M&P full size 45. If I have a size 6/shmedium hand and can put it all on a Sig 239 or Shield, I have as many rounds as a 1911 gov/commander.

It’s about shooter and task more than anything.