Title: NLECTC Tests Autoloading Pistols for Law Enforcement Use Series: Bulletin Author: NLECTC Published: January 2000 Subject: Police weapons 8 pages 16,000 bytes -------------------------------- Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NLECTC at 800-248- 2742. -------------------------------- National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center A Program of the National Institute of Justice Bulletin January 2000 -------------------------------- NLECTC Tests Autoloading Pistols for Law Enforcement Use A law enforcement officer's firearm is one of the most visible symbols of the officer's authority. It is also a constant reminder of the unique responsibility that a police officer has--to use deadly force when needed to protect his or her life or the lives of citizens. A firearm that does not work reliably can result in serious injury or death to the officer and possibly to bystanders. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), through its Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES), has developed voluntary minimum performance standards for revolvers, autoloading pistols, and shotguns for police use. During the mid-1980s, NIJ sponsored a series of tests in each of these three categories of firearms and published the results as Equipment Performance Reports (EPRs). Recognizing that the vast majority of law enforcement agencies today use autoloading pistols as their issued duty weapon, NIJ, through its National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system, recently performed another series of tests for autoloading pistols. The tests were performed in accordance with the requirements of the recently revised version of Autoloading Pistols for Police Officers (NIJ Standard-0112.03, Revision A). This standard establishes performance requirements and test methods for pistols used by law enforcement officers as their duty weapon and is intended for use in assessing the acceptability of new or reissue[1] autoloading pistols. It does not address specific safety devices, full or partial magazine release, pistol shot group size, accuracy, or sights. Nor does it address service life (endurance testing). The standard is a general revision of and supersedes NIJ Standard-0112.02, dated January 1995, and addresses new pistol designs, calibers, revised procedures for verifying headspace, and general revision of the testing procedures. NIJ Standard-0112.03 replaces the 10mm with the .357 SIG caliber. Revision A of NIJ Standard-0112.03, issued in July 1999, clarifies procedures for test methods and incorporates data collection and revised reporting requirements. The requirements of NIJ Standard-0112.03 (Revision A) are very stringent, as they represent the level of performance required for a pistol that is fully capable of service use under the demanding conditions and environments in which law enforcement officers work. NLECTC testing requires that the samples tested be combat ready directly "out of the box." In the interest of safety, however, it is recommended that when an agency purchases new pistols, each pistol be examined by a qualified armorer and judged to be combat ready before being issued. To comply with the requirements of the standard, two representative samples of a pistol model must successfully pass all informational, functional, and test requirements defined in the standard. These requirements are listed in table 1 (page 2). There are no provisions for partial compliance with the standard. However, a model that fails only one of the testing requirements may be submitted for retesting to that specific test. But the manufacturer must provide a written explanation indicating why--in the manufacturer's opinion--the model failed that portion of the test, as well as what steps will be taken to correct the problem. Once the model passes the retest, the model will be found to comply with the requirements of the standard. Any significant change in the construction of the pistol by the manufacturer requires that it be submitted under a new model designation and tested to all of the requirements of the standard. NIJ Standard-0112.03 (Revision A) addresses four calibers of weapons: 9mm Luger, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. These are the four calibers that are commonly chosen by law enforcement agencies as their primary duty weapon. NLECTC contacted the major manufacturers of autoloading pistols for police use and requested that they provide pistols for testing. Manufacturers were asked to limit their submissions to models in these four calibers. Eight manufacturers (Colt, Glock, Kahr Arms, Kimber, Ruger, SIG Arms, Smith & Wesson, and Taurus) agreed to submit a total of 23 pistol models for testing. The models and calibers tested are detailed in table 2. NLECTC issued subcontracts to two independent testing laboratories (H.P. White Laboratory, Inc., Street, Maryland; and United States Test Laboratory, LLC, Wichita, Kansas) to perform this testing. Both laboratories submitted proposals that were evaluated by NIJ, OLES, and NLECTC. In addition, both laboratories successfully demonstrated their capabilities to perform testing in accordance with NIJ Standard-0112.03 (Revision A) by conducting preliminary tests on two pistols of the same model, which were provided by NLECTC. Testing was performed between August and October of 1999. Test results showed that 17 of the 23 pistol models complied with the standard. Three models failed to comply with two or more of the critical test areas of the standard and were therefore not eligible for retesting. Two models failed one of the test requirements. However, each model was eligible for limited retesting in their respective areas of failure. Both models failed to comply upon retesting. Another model failed one of the test requirements (dimensional); the manufacturer elected not to submit the model for retesting. A summary of the test results can be found in table 3. An Equipment Performance Report detailing the complete test results will be available in early 2000. To receive a copy of this EPR, call NLECTC at 800- 248-2742 or 301-519-5060, or write to P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849-1160. The EPR also will be available for downloading from NLECTC's Internet site, JUSTNET, at www.nlectc.org. -------------------------------- Endnote 1. All pistols must be examined and reconditioned as necessary by a trained armorer or gunsmith prior to reissue. -------------------------------- Definitions Double action: A mode of operation that permits a single pull of the trigger to cock and fire the pistol. (See single action and striker fire action.) Headspace: The distance between the closed breech face of the firearm and the surface of the chamber on which the cartridge case seats. Malfunction: Failure to feed, fire, or eject a round or failure to accept or eject a magazine; or failure of the slide to remain open after the last round has been fired. Model: The manufacturer's designation which uniquely identifies a specific design of autoloading pistol. Single action: A mode of operation that uses the trigger to fire the pistol only. (See double action.) Striker fire action: A pistol design that employs an internal striker mechanism to detonate the primer. In operation, the pistol is normally in a partially cocked condition. Pulling the trigger completes cocking the action and then releases the striker mechanism to fire the pistol. Trigger pull: The force that must be applied to the trigger to fire the pistol. -------------------------------- Table 1 The test To satisfy the requirements of NIJ Standard-0112.03 (Revision A), both sample pistols of the same manufacturer and model must pass all of the following requirements and tests: 1. User Information. At a minimum, the manufacturer must include with each pistol information detailing instructions for field disassembly/assembly and diagram(s) identifying all parts; cleaning instructions; a description of each safety feature designed into the pistol; a statement on ammunition known to be beyond the design limits of the pistol; and how a parts list may be obtained. Manufacturers may supply any other information that they believe may be needed by the user for proper and safe operation of their handgun. 2. Visual Inspection. The pistol must meet the following visual inspection requirements: a. Hammer Travel. In the single action mode, if present, the hammer shall have sufficient over-travel to assure achievement of the full cocked position. b. Particles. There shall be no loose chips, shavings, or filings in the pistol. c. Surface. The pistol shall have no chips, scratches, or burrs. There shall be no sharp edges or corners that could cut the shooter's hand while firing or during manual cycling of the pistol. 3. Dimensional Requirements. a. Barrel Bore Dimensions. The barrel bore diameter shall be in accordance with Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) Standards for the caliber for which the pistol is chambered. b. Headspace. The headspace shall be in accordance with SAAMI Standards for the caliber for which the pistol is chambered. 4. Functional Requirements. a. Action. The slide shall operate smoothly without binding or sticking when operated by hand or during firing tests. b. Ejection. The ejection mechanism shall eject cases without hangup and without hitting the shooter during the ejection test or the firing tests, except as provided in Sections 4.6 and 4.8. c. Trigger. --1. The single action trigger pull force shall be not less than 13 N (3 lbf) nor more than 36 N (8 lbf) when tested.* --2. The double action trigger pull force shall be no more than 80 N (18 lbf) when tested.* --3. For a pistol employing a striker fire mechanism, the trigger pull force shall be not less than 22 N (5 lbf) nor more than 67 N (15 lbf) when tested.* d. Hammer. When tested, the hammer shall operate smoothly without binding and shall not release under an applied load of 46 N +- 1 N (10 lbf +- 1/4 lbf). e. Safety Features. The pistol shall have one or more design features to prevent inadvertent firing. Active (user activated) safety devices, if provided, shall be designed so that the pistol can be made fire-ready by releasing the safety(s) with the shooting hand. The pistol shall not fire when tested with the safety feature(s) engaged. f. Magazine. The magazine shall have a capacity of six rounds, minimum, and shall be capable of being released without removing the shooting hand from the pistol. 5. Model Qualification Firing Requirement. When tested in accordance with Section 5.6.1, the pistol shall fire 600 rounds of ammunition with no structural or mechanical failures and no more than five malfunctions. Of the five allowable malfunctions, no more than three shall be firing malfunctions not attributable to faulty ammunition. 6. Drop Safety Requirement. The pistol is dropped from a height of 4 feet onto a 1-inch-thick rubber mat, backed by concrete. The pistol shall not fire (cartridge with a live primer, but no bullet) during the drop test. The following seven drops are required for each of the pistols constituting the sample: --1. Normal firing position; barrel horizontal. --2. Upside down; barrel horizontal. --3. On grip; barrel vertical. --4. On muzzle; barrel vertical. --5. On left side; barrel horizontal. --6. On right side; barrel horizontal. --7. If there is an exposed hammer or striker, on the rearmost point of that device; otherwise on the rearmost point of the pistol. Alternately, a weight equivalent to that of the pistol may be dropped onto the rearmost point. Firing of the primer on any drop constitutes failure of the test. 7. Drop Function Requirement. After completing the drops specified in the drop safety test, examine the pistols for damage and note any cracks, chips, or other visible damage. For those pistols that passed the drop safety test without structural damage or damage that will affect the safe and proper functioning of the pistol, insert a fully loaded magazine, chamber a round, and point the pistol into a bullet trap or other suitable device. Fire until the ammunition has been expended. Release the magazine (note any sticking or binding), reload, and repeat until 20 rounds have been fired. Note any misfires or malfunctions. If there are more than three malfunctions, repeat the 20-round firing test. If there are no more than three malfunctions during the repeat firing test, the pistol meets the requirements of this test. *N, the metric unit or force, is equal to 0.2248 lbf. For the purpose of this standard all conversions from Newton to pound-force for required values and measurements have been rounded to the nearest 1/4 lbf. -------------------------------- New Publications The following publications are available from the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-National: Michigan State Police Tests 2000 Patrol Vehicles. This bulletin summarizes the test results from the Michigan State Police's annual evaluation of "police-package" and "special-service" patrol vehicles. A report is also available that provides a complete listing of the data, including summary charts. AutoBid 2000. AutoBid software is designed to help police fleet administrators select the patrol vehicle that is best suited to the needs of their department. The system is based on vehicle performance data for police patrol package models published annually by the Michigan State Police. Keeping Track of Electronic Monitoring. This bulletin gives an indepth look at current and upcoming home monitoring devices, system components, buy/lease factors and options, and recommendations for establishing an electronic monitoring program. Autoloading Pistols for Police Officers (NIJ Standard-0112.03, Revision A). This standard establishes performance requirements and test methods for pistols to be used by law enforcement officers. It is a general revision of and supersedes NIJ Standard-0112.02, dated January 1995, and addresses new pistol designs, calibers, revised procedures for verifying head space, and general revision of the testing procedures. TechBeat, Fall 1999. Articles feature the Weapons Team Engagement Trainer, a high-tech simulation system; a weapons detector being used at the Bannock County Courthouse in Pocatello, Idaho; FALCON, a software program to alert officers to crime trends in the community; and the use of videotaping systems in police vehicles. The following publications will be available soon: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Publications Catalog 2000. This document provides a listing of NLECTC and other government publications of interest to law enforcement, corrections, and forensic science practitioners. Categories include communications, forensics, less-than-lethal weapons, protective equipment, and weapons and ammunition. To obtain any of the above publications, write NLECTC, P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849-1160 or telephone 800-248-2742. Publications can also be downloaded from JUSTNET at http://www.nlectc.org.