CHP Duty alternative for practice.

[BaywatchDV]

Hello All,
I will be starting CHP Academy soon and have not done much handgun shooting before now. I am looking for something that will be similar to the S&W 4006TSW so I can start practicing. I don't want the exact gun because if all goes to plan they will issue me one, and from what I understand these are not very desirable firearms if I choose to sell it later on. Thanks in advance for the help and sorry if this is the wrong place to post.

[BigDogatPlay]

Any 3rd generation gun of the 40 or 59 series would give you the feel of the gun that they will eventually issue. If you have a range nearby that rents they may have one you can try.

To be honest, if you've not done much handgun shooting you'd likely be better off going in with that low level of experience. The instructors will often respond well to a clean slate with no bad habits. That is a person who is often very teachable.

Whomever said they are undesirable perhaps is thinking of agency turn ins that have been shot and carried a lot. The S&W semi autos of the 3rd generation are nearly as good as it gets in a DA/SA semi auto, only Sigs are better IMO. I carried S&W autos of all three generations over many years of service so perhaps I am a bit biased. But I've shot all the common DA/SA and Sig followed by S&W are at the top of the heap for me. For what it's worth I know CHP guys who like their issue, and others who hate it, like any other agency wide solution. There was / is some bad blood floating around the upper end of CHP over the last procurement contract, as Sig came in under S&W and much of the rank and file was looking forward to moving to Sig.

[IrishJoe3]

I sugggest not. They will teach you everything you need to know. By practicing before you are running the risk of teaching yourself bad habits. Bad habits you will have to unlearn and will put you behind the power curve. They will teach you their way and you will get plenty of trigger time

[tanksoldier]

Like most LE agencies CHP almost certainly has their own way of doing things. Likely you'll be expected to do things their way rather than your way, and going in with fewer habits to unlearn will probably make things easier.

[fullrearview]

I agree with what has be posted above... Go in clean, and focus on the things they will hammer you on right now... I'm sure shooting wont be an issue for you!

Good luck and congrats.

[BaywatchDV]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help. I have also talked with a few officers I know that have all said the same thing.

[JS89]

First off, congrats on the invite!

Academy Weapons Staff will teach you everything that you need to know to qualify. I don't know what your experience is with firing handguns, but having prior experience is not necessarily a bad thing. The prior advice is on par! The only time that having prior shooting experience is if the instructors are trying to "correct" your shooting and muscle memory gets in the way. I have multiple friends that learned to shoot from CHP Academy staff, some of who, are range officers or associates. If you have some free time, practice your PT.

Again, congrats and good luck! Start studying the Vehicle Code and PCFs!

[TheForce02]

My only suggestion is strengthen your trigger finger. I'm not joking your going to need it, both strong and weak hand.

[simoncruzjr]

Is this similar to the model 410?

[crf250x]

You might want to look into buying something anyway. If you're not allowed to take it off site, it would be good to have a practice gun for the weekends.

I carried the S&W 4506 for a long time and it was a great gun. I never had any problems with it.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Good luck, expect all hell to break loose on the first day, and never ever lose focus or quit. It is a rite of passage that all LEO brethren go through.

[Escalado]

Spend that practice time working out. Range is a small part of getting a low id #. PT is a much larger factor. Exercise, exercise, exercise and have your 10- codes and chp star memorized. Trust me...

[tom2]

+1000!

the instruction crew at the academy will cover everything and you will have a good amount of range time...

good luck!

tom2

I sugggest not. They will teach you everything you need to know. By practicing before you are running the risk of teaching yourself bad habits. Bad habits you will have to unlearn and will put you behind the power curve. They will teach you their way and you will get plenty of trigger time

[BigStiCK]

Spend that practice time working out. Range is a small part of getting a low id #. PT is a much larger factor. Exercise, exercise, exercise and have your 10- codes and chp star memorized. Trust me...

^This.

Range staff will get you up to speed. Only thing I would work on firearms-wise would be grip strength. You will be expected to work the pistol in DA mode for a full road-load with each hand. There were a few folks in my class who seriously could not squeeze the trigger that many times. One girl could not make it past two trigger pulls. Two. They all got lotsa unwanted attention.


Good luck, and congrats! You have a great opportunity. Dont blow it.

-Stick