What caliber rifle do police use?

5.56 NATO / .223 Remington. 225 of 227 agencies in the Duty Arms Index with a sourced patrol rifle caliber (99.1%) issue a 5.56 / .223 patrol rifle, almost all AR-15 / M4-pattern carbines.

Do police use .308 rifles?

Rarely as a patrol rifle: 4 agencies list a .308 / 7.62x51mm rifle or carbine outside SWAT. .308 is the standard caliber of police precision (sniper) rifles: 50 of 52 agencies with a sourced precision rifle caliber (96.2%) use .308 Win / 7.62x51mm.

Do police use 300 Blackout?

Very few in the index: 1 agency has a current, sourced .300 Blackout rifle outside SWAT listings.

What caliber are police sniper rifles?

.308 Win / 7.62x51mm (50), .338 Lapua Magnum (2), .50 BMG (2), 6.5mm Creedmoor (2), counted by agencies with a sourced precision rifle.

What caliber do police SMGs and pistol-caliber carbines use?

9mm Luger: 23 of 26 agencies with a sourced SMG / PCC caliber; also .40 S&W (2), .45 ACP (1).

What gauge are police shotguns?

12 gauge: 192 of 192 agencies with a sourced duty shotgun gauge (100%).

What caliber do police rifles use?

Short answer: 5.56 NATO / .223 Remington. 225 of 227 agencies with a sourced patrol rifle caliber (99.1%) issue a 5.56 / .223 carbine, overwhelmingly AR-15 / M4-pattern guns like the Colt AR-15 and M4. .308 shows up mainly in precision rifles (96.2% of sourced sniper rifles), and SMGs are almost all 9mm. For duty pistols, see 9mm vs .40 vs .45.

Data coverage: Based on current, sourced entries outside SWAT/tactical-unit listings, 1033 military-surplus rifles excluded: 234 agencies with a patrol rifle, 303 with any rifle or carbine, 54 with a precision rifle, 26 with an SMG / pistol-caliber carbine and 192 with a duty shotgun. Caliber is the sourced model's caliber; agencies with rifles in two calibers count once for each. Counts include only current entries with a public source; agencies not yet in the index, or without a sourced entry for this item, are not counted, so treat shares as a picture of the Duty Arms Index, not of every agency. Data last updated Oct 10, 2026.

Patrol rifle calibers

Primary patrol long gun entries (incl. entries that name the caliber but not the model). Share is of 227 agencies with a stated caliber (7 more have an entry without one).

5.56 NATO / .223 Reme.g. Colt AR-15, Colt M4 Carbine, Smith & Wesson M&P15225 (99.1%)
.300 Blackoute.g. SIG Sauer MCX (.300 Blackout)1 (0.4%)
.40 S&W1 (0.4%)
9mm Lugere.g. Angstadt Arms UDP-91 (0.4%)

Most common patrol rifle models →

All rifles and carbines

Every current rifle / carbine entry outside SWAT, incl. authorized and specialty rifles. Share is of 292 agencies with a stated caliber (11 more have an entry without one).

5.56 NATO / .223 Reme.g. Colt AR-15, Colt M4 Carbine, Smith & Wesson M&P15290 (99.3%)
.308 Win / 7.62x51mme.g. ArmaLite AR-10, Smith & Wesson M&P10, Springfield Armory M1A4 (1.4%)
.300 Blackoute.g. SIG Sauer MCX (.300 Blackout)1 (0.3%)
.40 S&W1 (0.3%)
9mm Lugere.g. Angstadt Arms UDP-91 (0.3%)

Every rifle model in the index →

Agencies with a rifle that is not 5.56 / .223 (7)

Current rifles and carbines in another caliber, outside SWAT listings.

Clovis Police Department (California) (CA)SIG Sauer MCX (.300 Blackout) · .300 Blackout
Chico Police Department (CA)Springfield Armory M1A · .308 Win / 7.62x51mm
Escalon Police Department (CA)Smith & Wesson M&P10 · .308 Win / 7.62x51mm
Escondido Police Department (CA)ArmaLite AR-10 · .308 Win / 7.62x51mm
Woodland Police Department (CA)ArmaLite AR-10 · .308 Win / 7.62x51mm
Talbot County Sheriff's Office (MD)Beretta Carbine (model not stated) · .40 S&W
Savannah Police Department (Tennessee) (TN)Angstadt Arms UDP-9 · 9mm Luger

Precision (sniper) rifle calibers

Marksman / sniper rifles outside SWAT-only listings. Share is of 52 agencies with a stated caliber (2 more have an entry without one).

.308 Win / 7.62x51mme.g. Remington 700, Accuracy International AT, Accuracy International AE50 (96.2%)
.338 Lapua Magnum2 (3.8%)
.50 BMGe.g. Barrett Model 99, McMillan TAC-502 (3.8%)
6.5mm Creedmoor2 (3.8%)
.223 Rem / .30 calibere.g. Remington 40X1 (1.9%)

Most common police sniper rifle →

SMG and pistol-caliber carbine calibers

Submachine guns and pistol-caliber carbines outside SWAT listings. Share is of 26 agencies with a stated caliber.

9mm Lugere.g. Heckler & Koch MP5, SIG Sauer MPX, LWRC International IC-923 (88.5%)
.40 S&We.g. Heckler & Koch UMP402 (7.7%)
.45 ACPe.g. Heckler & Koch UMP451 (3.8%)

Shotgun gauges

Duty shotguns (patrol, less-lethal and authorized). Share is of 192 agencies with a stated caliber.

12 gaugee.g. Remington 870, Mossberg 590 / 590A1, Mossberg 500192 (100%)

Most common police shotgun →

Frequently asked

What caliber rifle do police use?: 5.56 NATO / .223 Remington. 225 of 227 agencies in the Duty Arms Index with a sourced patrol rifle caliber (99.1%) issue a 5.56 / .223 patrol rifle, almost all AR-15 / M4-pattern carbines.
Do police use .308 rifles?: Rarely as a patrol rifle: 4 agencies list a .308 / 7.62x51mm rifle or carbine outside SWAT. .308 is the standard caliber of police precision (sniper) rifles: 50 of 52 agencies with a sourced precision rifle caliber (96.2%) use .308 Win / 7.62x51mm.
Do police use 300 Blackout?: Very few in the index: 1 agency has a current, sourced .300 Blackout rifle outside SWAT listings.
What caliber are police sniper rifles?: .308 Win / 7.62x51mm (50), .338 Lapua Magnum (2), .50 BMG (2), 6.5mm Creedmoor (2), counted by agencies with a sourced precision rifle.
What caliber do police SMGs and pistol-caliber carbines use?: 9mm Luger: 23 of 26 agencies with a sourced SMG / PCC caliber; also .40 S&W (2), .45 ACP (1).
What gauge are police shotguns?: 12 gauge: 192 of 192 agencies with a sourced duty shotgun gauge (100%).

See also: duty pistol calibers · most common patrol rifle · rifle optics · 623 agencies with a sourced duty pistol on the duty pistol ranking