[Vincine]

There are lots of different kinds of handguns, lots of different calibers, and lots of police agencies.

But it seems to me that the needs of many of the agencies are much more alike than different. I understand why Air Marshalls have a different need than others, but why would the Secret Service require a different handgun than the FBI or the Marshal Service? Are counterfeiters that different physiologically than other criminals? Why would detectives in one city require a different caliber then detectives in another?

After all these years you’d think this puzzle would have been solved. Is it a matter of which manufacturer of guns and/or ammunition gives whatever agency/city the best deal? Do the agencies provide a selection handguns available for its agents to choose from.

What’s the deal?

[Comeswithbacon]

Well some agency's have "stadard caliber(s)". For example, if i wanted to be a FBI special agent i could pic between a 9mm, .40, .45 ext. As long as i qualify on the range with my service weapon in one of those calibers. Its realy a matter of personal preference. Although some agency's might have only one choice.

P.S. 9mm, .40, .45 are the only ones a Government agency gets free for training and range time.

[JonM]

It boils down to various agency usually being a decade or more behind reality. Lots of them pick guns based off political ideology or knee jerk reaction to events.

Last thing i would ever do is choose a gun based solely off what a government agency does. Government beurocrats are the least capable people of picking sd firearms.

[danf_fl]

Most department purchases (Fed and local) are run by the accounting area or firearms training officer bias (if his strings are better than accounting.)

Look at end users also. Different body shapes, sizes, and mind set all come into play.

The 40S&W came about because the 10mm was too "hard" for some FBI agents to handle.