Retired cop Lindsey J. Bertomen is an instructor for the Administration of Justice at Hartnell College (Panther Pride!). He also writes for officer.com on fitness. Although Bertomen steadfastly refuses to condemn any of our full-figured friends in law enforcement, he never tires of telling cops to just walk away from that donut. As part of his crusade, Bertomen reckons the po-po should run for their lives. Of course, they may not wish to do so unarmed. And so Bertomen has come up with a list of guns suitable for joggers.
· Kahr PM9
This is a 14-ounce compact 9mm. I will be reviewing this model in the future. My initial shooting sessions with this handgun demonstrated its excellent combat capability. I will be testing this gun and accessories in a future issue of Law Enforcement Technology.
· Kel-Tec P3AT
I had the pleasure of testing this handgun when it first debuted. At 8.3 ounces, the gun proved to be reliable and accurate, and can be hidden in about the same manner as a person could conceal a cell phone.
A .380 is not my first choice for a defensive caliber, especially for the officer who may need to transition duty status because of an incident in progress. However, a determined, intelligent warrior with any equipment trumps any threat, any day. The gossamer weight of the Kel-Tec P3AT, coupled with superior bullets like the CorBon DPX 80 grain .380, simply cannot be ignored as a viable law enforcement tool.
· Kahr P380 series (KP 3833N)
Kahr’s reputation and quality has not shrunk, but it managed to make a gun with the exact same feel as its full-sized guns into a 9.7 ounce wallet-sized gun.
Besides the fact that Kahr handguns shoot straight, all the time, even the .380 feels great in all but the largest of hands. If an officer carries a Kahr for duty or backup, the running gun should also be a Kahr. If a department is looking for a complete solution for duty/detective/BUG system, Kahr has it.
· Kel-Tec PF-9
This is a 12.7-ounce, 9mm gun. That’s correct: 12.7 ounces, 9mm. Like the P3AT, the Kel-Tec PF-9 boasts superior engineering. It disappears in the pocket for off duty. Kel-Tec CNC uses state-of-the art technology to machine its products. This gun balances and shoots well.
One more thing about Kel-Tec — this company gives more bang for the buck than any other. A simple price comparison will confirm this. I like them. I shoot them. I recommend them.
· Smith and Wesson 340PD
This is a 5-shot, 12-ounce revolver in a .357 mag. That is a lot of bullet in an alloy gun, but it does it beautifully. I recommend shooting this one with full loads before purchasing. It is accurate, but takes practice.
I also recommend you purchase any of the above listed guns with a Crimson Trace laser.
Wrong approach. It's not the gun, it's the holster that is important for the jogger. A former acquaintance recounted a jogging story in which not only did his primary concealed gun fall out of the holster, but his secondary gun fell out, and several magazines as well. It's a given that he was a bit of a douche. But still, the lesson remains. You need a holster that can secure the pistol during intense physical exercise while not getting in the way of said exercise (including stretches).
Not that I run, BTW.
The last sentence is questionable.
"I also recommend you purchase any of the above listed guns with a Crimson Trace laser."
Based on several range experiences, I'd say ditch the laser and concentrate on practice. I'm seeing more and more guys pimp-out their guns without even knowing the basics of aiming or trigger control. If you can't reliably hit the target using iron sights at a controlled shooting range, the laser ain't gonna help. And accept that some of these guns are point-shoot at close range only, thus not needing sights or lasers.
That 340PD is interesting, but it seems to me that the jury is out on scandium.
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