My friend is a dog handler for a police agency. They were recently given the option of carrying pretty much anything they want with them when on a track. He's a total novice when it comes to long arms and was asking me for my thoughts as to what would be an effective weapon for use when in the woods on a track. The area he patrols is mostly wooded country, with very little urban areas, just some small towns here and there.
He was originally thinking of an AR15(AR10) in .308, but when he saw a PS90 for the first time(mine), he fell in love with it. As much as I'm a proponent for the weapon, I'm not sure if it would be the best for his purposes.
He tells me he's typically "geared up" when on a track, and light weight would be a bonus. I'm assuming that the dog is free running and not leashed (close to him) when working.
Going for the PS90 are...Light weight, compact package, easy to keep on target during multiple shots, and ammo capacity (bolded items he liked the most). I personally am not 100% convinced of the caliber's stopping capacity as most of the stories of it's use are few and far between. I have read a few stories about some one shot stops, but they were purported to be head shots, and that could be done with nearly any realistic caliber. Before I could give him my 100% thumbs up on this weapon, and send him into the woods with my blessing, I'd like to see some more data of actual shootings. For my own purposes though, the weapon fits the bill perfectly.
He thought 200 meters would be a looong shot, but I don't know if that would be the extent of the range that he might take a shot. For law enforcement purposes(not military) I'm assuming anything considered as a longer range would only come into play when being shot at from those ranges. I'm also assuming that in a wooded area (not fields) perps shooting at him would be closer due to trees getting in the way. Yes, open fields would be a different story.
Other weapons I might consider steering him towards were not .308s as that might be "overkill" for his typical scenario, and would be somewhat harder to get follow up shots with for someone who's probably not an experienced marksman with that caliber, as well as the weight of additional ammo and weapon.
The weapons I might suggest would be the mini-14(30) in either .223 or 7.62x39, an AK47 variant, or a AR15 with piston upper and a recoil buffer if needed.
Remember, this guy's only formal training has been with auto pistols and shotguns. I can assure you though that he will take the time to learn/shoot/get good with any rifle he does purchase.
We are going to go to the range in the near future where I will let him shoot my AR and PS90 (Just sold my Mini-14 for money to buy my PS90), to see his preferences as to either.
Any thoughts???!!!???
He was originally thinking of an AR15(AR10) in .308, but when he saw a PS90 for the first time(mine), he fell in love with it. As much as I'm a proponent for the weapon, I'm not sure if it would be the best for his purposes.
He tells me he's typically "geared up" when on a track, and light weight would be a bonus. I'm assuming that the dog is free running and not leashed (close to him) when working.
Going for the PS90 are...Light weight, compact package, easy to keep on target during multiple shots, and ammo capacity (bolded items he liked the most). I personally am not 100% convinced of the caliber's stopping capacity as most of the stories of it's use are few and far between. I have read a few stories about some one shot stops, but they were purported to be head shots, and that could be done with nearly any realistic caliber. Before I could give him my 100% thumbs up on this weapon, and send him into the woods with my blessing, I'd like to see some more data of actual shootings. For my own purposes though, the weapon fits the bill perfectly.
He thought 200 meters would be a looong shot, but I don't know if that would be the extent of the range that he might take a shot. For law enforcement purposes(not military) I'm assuming anything considered as a longer range would only come into play when being shot at from those ranges. I'm also assuming that in a wooded area (not fields) perps shooting at him would be closer due to trees getting in the way. Yes, open fields would be a different story.
Other weapons I might consider steering him towards were not .308s as that might be "overkill" for his typical scenario, and would be somewhat harder to get follow up shots with for someone who's probably not an experienced marksman with that caliber, as well as the weight of additional ammo and weapon.
The weapons I might suggest would be the mini-14(30) in either .223 or 7.62x39, an AK47 variant, or a AR15 with piston upper and a recoil buffer if needed.
Remember, this guy's only formal training has been with auto pistols and shotguns. I can assure you though that he will take the time to learn/shoot/get good with any rifle he does purchase.
We are going to go to the range in the near future where I will let him shoot my AR and PS90 (Just sold my Mini-14 for money to buy my PS90), to see his preferences as to either.
Any thoughts???!!!???