OK, women. (Tough room.) But OMG! Is PC A-OK in the UK, or what? “MEMBERS of Scotland Yard’s elite bodyguard unit are being armed with smaller, lighter ‘baby’ guns as part of a drive to attract more female officers,” timesonline.co.uk reports. “The move is aimed at recruiting bodyguards with smaller hands. However, critics fear that it could hamper close protection officers who guard the Queen, David Cameron and other VIPs if they have to fend off an attack from terrorists or a lone gunman. ‘It’s a disadvantage because the smaller guns have less firepower and are less accurate,’ said a police firearms expert.” Ya think? On the other hand . . .
Historically, the standard-issue weapon of the Met’s specialist and royalty protection units is the Glock 17, a semiautomatic pistol fed by 17 rounds of ammunition.
The self-loading gun has a magazine that is “double stacked” in a zigzag formation and so requires a wide butt. The replacement weapon for women officers and those with smaller hands is believed to be the “subcompact” version, the Glock 26.
Marketed by its Austrian manufacturer as the “Baby Glock”, the gun has a single magazine with just 10 bullets and therefore requires a smaller butt.
The Glock 26’s barrel is just under 3.5in long, more than an inch shorter than the Glock 17. This makes it a less accurate weapon, particularly at longer range. In a firefight, officers using the “Baby Glock” would have to stop shooting and reload their weapon more frequently that those with the bigger handgun.
Pigeons, say hello to Mr. Cat. He will be amongst you for a bit now. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard has done nothing to help itself by saying nothing about the effectiveness of the weapon in question, and everything about their political agenda.
Scotland Yard said it never discussed details of weapons used by its officers, but stated: “We are committed to recruiting a workforce that reflects the community we serve, and this includes specialist areas such as protection.”
I'm surprised they only carry a 9mm round for protection (which IIRC Glock 17s and 26s are.)
The English are so terrified by the sight of a gun I'm surprised they can even get vollunteers for that unit.
I realize this is an older post, but..
Just wanted to point out that the Glock 17, 19, and 26 are all the same width. There is no difference in width, they all use double-stacked magazines. Each has a shorter grip and slide length. I doubt the ballistics are even that much of an issue. You’re only losing ~200fps with a 2″ shorter barrel than the 17. Most of them aren’t going to be taking super long shots with their pistols anyway.
And yes Uncle Pete, the 17, 19, and 26 are all in 9mm.
“Marketed by its Austrian manufacturer as the “Baby Glock”, the gun has a single magazine with just 10 bullets and therefore requires a smaller butt.” Do they prefer the larger models? Tell the truth now…
“Marketed by its Austrian manufacturer as the “Baby Glock”, the gun has a single magazine with just 10 bullets and therefore requires a smaller butt.” Do they prefer the larger models? Tell the truth now…
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