I'm putting myself through the Calif POST (Police academy) academy at the local junior college and I need advice on what brand/style of duty belt gear & .40 cal double action/de-cocking lever sidearm to purchase. I can use nylon or basketweave gear and they don't specify a as to what threat level holster is required. I'm 6'4"/255lbs and wear XXL gloves so I'm looking for a 'larger' frame gun that will fit me comfortably - my trigger finger sticks too far thru on most pistols and I have no tactil feel with my middle knuckle on the trigger.

I know there will be a ton of opinions on gun brand and I'm not partial to a particular brand. I want something that will be easy to use, last and be relatively easy to maintain.

I have a Ruger P85 MkII 9mm that I could use in a pinch but I really don't want to go there since it doesn't fit my hand very well.

Brian

No amount of advice will completely answer your question. The best way to to go to a shop and feel the weapons yourself, to see what fits.

But since you asked,  the Sig Sauer P220 is a large frame gun, as is the Glock 21 and 20. You might also consider the ever popular 1911/1991 framed guns, and the H&K USP. All are available in the uber popular .45 ACP. (Glock 20 in 10mm)

All are easy to use, but take training to become minimally proficient. All are considered reliable, but all also have some occasional quirks. To find yours, you must (Zen moment ahead) become "one" with the gun and be comfortable that it will work when you need it to the most.

As for duty gear, I will always and forever recommend at least a Level II holster, and suggest a Level III. The Safariland Raptor series holster is what I currently use and recommend. I have also used their SSIII holster and it works well too.

Without a dbout, go with Nylon duty gear. I currently use Bianchi Accumold nylon gear. Also, get the Bianchi ErgoTek padded duty belt, it is awesome. For holsters, I have to use the Safariland 070 SSIII holster, in the nylon finish. My duty weapon is an H&K USP40. Get atleast a Level II holster. I also have a few Don Hume nylon gear accessories on my belt like their hidden snap belt keepers, HK UTL light pouch (hidden snap), and Surefire 8X light holster.

I think for your hand size, any large framed firearm will suffice. Go to your local shop and try them out. Be sure to Look at the H&K USP handguns!..............pricey but worth it! Also, Glocks are a hell of a great weapon. Just try them all out and make sure they fit your hand comfortably.

My vote is for an FN Forty-Nine in .40 and Bianchi gear.

The FN is the most simple pistol I have ever used, and I have had absolutly no problems with it.  It is a little hard to learn to shoot with its long trigger pull and 8-10lb pull.  It is also similar in size to the USP.  The price is less than $400 fully eqipped, even though money should not be an issue when your life depends on it.

[url]http://www.arizonagunrunners.com/Products/FNMfng/Forty-Nine/forty-nine.html[/url]

I vote for leather Safariland gear.  I hate nylon because most of it looks crappy in my opinion.  The good stuff looks pretty good but it's close in price to leather.

Which acadmey is this? Is it in the bay area?

Most of those academies will have active LE working as instructors. They can pretty much point you in the direction as to where to get duty gear for the usual LE discount.

If you're going to apply for a major dept with a academy certificate don't go too crazy in buying your gear. You will be mandated to use the dept's duty gear and firearm. Unless of course you have money to burn.

Good luck.

I second this advice, if you are looking to get on with a department.  Even if you don't go with a large dept that issues all your gear, pretty much any other dept you could go with will at least mandate what type/style of gear you can have.  If you go with basket weave and they mandate patent leather, you just wasted a bunch of money.

Good luck with your academy.

The Academy SHOULD have a suggested "packing list", all good advice here, the last thing you need to do is blow hard earned bucks on stuff that may look cool but might not be authorized...

Same as above....buy cheap gear for the academy, it will be abused, and your future Dept. should provide you with new stuff when hired. As far as the weapon goes, I also agree with the above advice on going to the gun store and finding one that fits. I currently use a Beretta 96 Elite II.

Bad move!  Several of the members of my academy class bought their gear with the mindset of "any department that hires me will issue gear" and went with the "cheap" stuff.  Most of those people ended up making (several)unscheduled trips to the local cop supply store to buy new equipment halfway through the academy when their cheap stuff failed.  The worst was after the weapons retention section, when almost every single person who bought cheap gear had to buy new holsters.

Buy something from the mid-price level of gear.  It will get you through the academy, and if you get on a department that does not issue equipment, should last you till your first eqipment allotment.

By the way, several of those people who were expecting to get on a department that provides everything ended up in small local deparments that provide nothing.  Go figure.

As far as the gun, I am a Glock man.  Keep it simple - point and click.

David

Before you buy another handgun, try a set of Hogue rubber finger-groove grips on your Ruger. Trust me, they change the feel of the gun 100%. This will allow you to get by with the gun you have, and maybe spend the money on some other equipment you could use. The Ruger will get you through class. Our State Patrol carries them, and doens't look like they are going to change. It's an easy thing to try. Don't get the one you slip over, but get the actual replacement grips to try with your hands.

Your idea of cheap and mine must be entirely different. Our academy issued Eagle industries duty gear....that is cheap to me. If the Dept. your looking at doesn't provide you with gear....look somewhere else. If they can't afford to give you gear, they can't afford to train you or anything else. My Dept. gives you everything when hired...plus a $600 dollar a year allowance. And our town only has 11,000 people.