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The increased use of rifles against officers has prompted the need for patrol rifles. Some departments have attempted to meet this demand with pistol caliber carbines, which may be more of a political solution to a tactical need. Unjustified concerns about bullet over-penetration from the .223 Rem have caused many municipalities and at least one state patrol to put 9mm and .40 caliber carbines into service.
Most .223 Rem loads penetrate less in ballistic gelatin than do 9mm 147 grain jacketed hollow points; .223 Rem soft-- points and hollowpoints generally stay inside their human targets and have impressive wound ballistics.
It is one thing to build a rifle, but it is another to make it meet the rigors of law enforcement. Law enforcement long guns spend a lot of time in gun racks or vehicle trunks and must be durable and corrosion resistant. Additionally, they need to be accurate; many .223-caliber rifles are not as accurate as they should be.
Bill Wilson is well known for superbly customized Wilson Combat .45 ACP pistols in the Colt Government pattern. Over the years he has branched out to include self-defense handguns and, with the purchase of Scattergun Technologies, added a line of superb pump and semiautomatic shotguns. In 2000 Wilson added a line of semi-automatic AR-15 series rifles.
Wilson Combat makes four different AR-15 style tactical rifles developed for law enforcement. These include the M-4T Tactical Carbine, TPR-15 Tactical Precision Rifle, UT-15 Urban Tactical Rifle and TL-15 Tactical Lightweight. The UT15 is an all-around, general-purpose carbine. The M-4T is geared for Close Quarter Battle and police entry teams.
The TL-15 is intended for patrol use, where lighting and sighting accessories add weight to...