NCJ Number
215629
Date Published
2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes the specifications of five patrol rifles being used by various law enforcement agencies, describes accessories for patrol rifles, compares the patrol rifle to the shotgun and submachine gun, and discusses a patrol rifle training program.
Abstract
The author advises that the patrol rifle will probably eventually replace the shotgun as the primary shoulder weapon of street officers. Given the firepower and armor accessible to criminals these days, the patrol officer must have a weapon that has long range, accuracy beyond that of a handgun, and sufficient high-velocity energy to penetrate body armor. A rifle chambered for the .223 Remington (5.56 x 45mm NATO) cartridges, will satisfy these requirements. One of the rifles described is the AR-15/M-16 series. This gas-operated rifle has the best sighting system and fire-selector switch of any of the high-capacity, semiautomatic rifles the author has evaluated. It uses a detachable aluminum box magazine of 20-round or 30-round capacity. Another option for a patrol rifle is the Armalite M15A4 carbine. The M15 is in the AR-15/M-16 series of rifles, in that it is gas-operated, semiautomatic, light weight, magazine-fed, and chambered for the .223 Remington cartridges. In testing by the author, it proved to be reliable (firing mechanism worked at each test firing) and accurate. The Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine is also reviewed. It is described as a "rugged performer, suited for patrol or tactical applications. Without being novel, it is well-made, robust, and touted by many satisfied customers." Also described are the Ruger Mini-14, which is not extraordinarily accurate but is within acceptable parameters; and the Steyr AUG, which performs well, is lightweight, and can withstand abuse in spite of many light weight plastic parts.