Review: Sig Sauer P229R DAK

...and we're back! Geez, sorry for the hiatus. Let's see the last few months have included (not in order of importance): Finding out my wife is pregnant with our first child, adding on to our house, expanding my workshop, teaching a management class, getting a new job. Yeah. Good stuff.

But let's get our priorities straight and talk guns! :)  Whether we're talking pistols or cars or comfortable chairs, hopefully you've had one of those, "Ahhhhh." moments when you find something that fits you just right. It's a great feeling- like whatever it was was custom made just for you. That's how I feel about the Sig P229.

That being said, you might not have the same reaction. But then again you might.

I've actually owned two other Sig P229's prior to this one. Both were conventional DA/SA trigger setups. Both were sold/traded/something when I was younger and had less sense than I do now. I've always missed the P229 and when I found this one in a local pawn shop it was a no-brainer.

This iteration of the P229 is different from my previous pistols in two distinct ways. First, this is the "R" model, meaning there is a short section of Picatinny (or 1913) rail built into the frame forward of the trigger guard. I think this looks cool, and is a nice addition, but I don't know that I would ever attach a light to this gun. It's got a relatively short barrel (3.9" and that seems like a stretch) and my TLR-1 sticks waaaaaay out past the muzzle when I attached it for testing. Again, looks cool, but adds weight and I'll never use it. But whatever.

The second--and more important--way that this version is different is the DAK trigger. DAK is a nod to the Sig engineer that came up with the system ("Double Action Kellerman"). So to back up a bit: In a traditional double action/single action setup, the first trigger pull is long and typically harder (10 lbs or more), and then when the gun fires on that first round the mechanical cycling of the slide cocks the hammer for the second (and subsequent) shots, thereby requiring a shorter and lighter trigger pull following the first shot.

There's really nothing  wrong with this system, but it's hard to train with. Most people can't shoot as well with a DA/SA setup as they can with a gun that has a consistent rigger pull, like a M1911 or a Glock. A quick and dirty solution is to make a DA/SA gun double-action only- or DAO. Which solves the problem of consistency, but makes the gun a bit of a square wheel- you've got physics working for you...why not take some of that trigger pull away? Which is what Glock and the M1911 do, but there's another issue: hard primers.

If a Glock or a 1911 fail to ignite a round, there's no great way to strike the primer a second time. I know, I know, all you advanced shooters- it's not hard, but for most people there's no great solution. Other than to just cycle the slide and get a new round in the chamber. OK, so that's all the background stuff.

So what Sig did with the DAK is split the difference. The cycling of the slide- either manually or from firing the weapon-essentially half-cocks the hammer (which is bobbed, by the way, since there's never a way/reason to have it full cocked). But, if for some reason the hammer falls on a hard primer, you can pull the trigger again, albeit with a harder/longer pull, but not unreasonably so.

I think this is a great system. (and so do the Feds, apparently- this gun has been adopted for quite a few agencies) The trigger pull is not only consistent, but it's incredibly smooth. That, coupled with Sig's unmatched build quality and this is just a great, great gun. Is it without flaws? Of course not.

As I mentioned before, I could do without the rail. I think it's more keeping up with the Jones's, but that's fine. It's a heavy gun, but that's the price you pay for all-metal construction and Rolex-quality machining. No plastic here! It also has a relatively short barrel, at 3.8" or 3.9" or whatever it is. Again, you know what you're buying when you buy it but when you handle the gun you do get a sense for how compact this gun really is. My only other gripe is that the finish is not as durable as, say, a Glock. But all in all, pretty minor gripes.

Ok, I have one more...well, it's not a complaint so much as an observation: Sig pistols have three controls, all located along the left side of the grip. These are the magazine release button, the slide release button, and the decocking lever. Since the DAK is never "cocked" in the same way that other DA/SA Sigs are, they simply removed the decocking lever. Which is fine. BUT, the grips have a slight cutout for the lever. You'd think that with Sig's attention to detail that would have slapped some grips on this gun that didn't have the decocking lever cutout. Nope. So it's not a deal-killer by any means, but I think they missed an opportunity here.

So that's some thoughts on the Sig P229R DAK. This one is a .40, and I think they come in both 9mm and .357SIG. If you don't have a Sig in your stable of firearms, you owe it to yourself to at least shoot one and see how you like it. I like GlocksGlock is a Timex, Sig is a Rolex. Check out the P229 DAK. You might just fall in love with the trigger like I did.