SIG P229 .40 DAK vs. SIG P226 .40 DAK " Shootability "

Status
Not open for further replies.

geo57

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
610
Location
South Central Nebraska
With the police trade-in market still pretty soft on SIG .40 DAK pistols I would appreciate getting first hand opinions of the two mentioned in the title from you owners of them as far as which you prefer for plinking enjoyment, combat accuracy , etc. especially when using 155 gr. -165 gr. loads.

Thanks.
 
Dunno about DAK but the only difference I notice between the 229 and 226 is the slightly longer grip fits my hand better with the 226. Under recoil they feel the same to me.
 
The trigger itself won't be a problem as I'm an old DA revolver shooter and at about 7 lbs a DAK trigger is lighter than most stock revolver DA triggers. My questions mainly concern weight / noticeable recoil difference, sight radius difference, size of grip, etc.
 
OK.

Well I also grew up shooting DA revolver, and still didn’t care for the DAK trigger. You might like it, but a good DA revolver still beats it I think. There might be gun smiths like Bruce Gray that will slick up the DAK trigger and make it better though.

As for shootability I’d go for the P226 over the P229, particularly in .40 S&W. Now that both pistols use a milled from billet slide the P226 is plenty durable for use with the .40 S&W. The grip is easier for me to get along with on my P226 X5 than the P229 was. Recoil between the two was never an apples to apples comparison though since my X5 is a 5” heavy barrel, all stainless, hand fitted match gun... so yeah it tracks flatter under recoil.

My old P229 was accurate though, particularly the .357 SIG barrel. Just wasn’t a trigger I could shoot well at speed, first shot was usually on par with other triggers (in fact a DA first shot let’s you get on the trigger way earlier when driving the gun out to the end of presentation), but finding a good rhythm for something like a Bill Drill never worked well for me. I suppose it’s a training issue, but when other trigger systems offer the safety and forgiveness of a DA first shot and the sweet easy to shoot well and shoot fast SA for subsequent shots I’d rather devote training time to a DA/SA.

Of note the Exeter made SIG’s made under the Cohen reign of mediocrity at SIG aren’t what they used to be quality wise. They don’t stack up to the German made guns from what I’ve seen. I’m by no means a proponent of the idea that all new guns are rubbish, or German made guns are better... but in the case of Cohen era SIG’s I would be cautious.
 
OK.

Well I also grew up shooting DA revolver, and still didn’t care for the DAK trigger. You might like it, but a good DA revolver still beats it I think. There might be gun smiths like Bruce Gray that will slick up the DAK trigger and make it better though.

As for shootability I’d go for the P226 over the P229, particularly in .40 S&W. Now that both pistols use a milled from billet slide the P226 is plenty durable for use with the .40 S&W. The grip is easier for me to get along with on my P226 X5 than the P229 was. Recoil between the two was never an apples to apples comparison though since my X5 is a 5” heavy barrel, all stainless, hand fitted match gun... so yeah it tracks flatter under recoil.

My old P229 was accurate though, particularly the .357 SIG barrel. Just wasn’t a trigger I could shoot well at speed, first shot was usually on par with other triggers (in fact a DA first shot let’s you get on the trigger way earlier when driving the gun out to the end of presentation), but finding a good rhythm for something like a Bill Drill never worked well for me. I suppose it’s a training issue, but when other trigger systems offer the safety and forgiveness of a DA first shot and the sweet easy to shoot well and shoot fast SA for subsequent shots I’d rather devote training time to a DA/SA.

Of note the Exeter made SIG’s made under the Cohen reign of mediocrity at SIG aren’t what they used to be quality wise. They don’t stack up to the German made guns from what I’ve seen. I’m by no means a proponent of the idea that all new guns are rubbish, or German made guns are better... but in the case of Cohen era SIG’s I would be cautious.

Thanks. Useful stuff for consideration. I've pretty much decided on a P226. I'm not familiar with the Cohen era / what years were involved. FWIW, the two pistols I'm leaning toward the most at this point are a P226 NON rail, German frame, serial U 740xxx ( should be a 2006 date ) and a US frame P226R Serial UU 605xxx which some on SF claim to be made about 2010 while others there claim to have similar serial numbered pistols that they bought new circa 2005. The P226 has more finish loss on sharp edges but minimal barrel hood wear. Reverse both for the P226R. I have not seen pics of barrel smileys yet on either.
 
There really isn't much difference between the 229 and the 226 other then length.

I like the way that the 226 balances in my hand better than how the 229 does...but then I prefer how the 228 balances better than both. I've shot both extensively in both 9mm and .40 didn't feel there was much difference in accuracy or recovery between shots. FWIW: the X-five in .40 feels like a light 9mm.

I was issued a S&W M-15 when I started in LE and the DAK has a better trigger. The DAK was almost as good as the trigger on my tuned Python. It isn't a nice as the trigger on a Kahr, but that trigger is like a tuned K-frame PPC pistol.

I've seen several DAK SIGs run very well in classes. Interestingly many folks who run the DAK at speed only reset to the secondary reset point. Like many former revolver guys, I like to let the trigger return all the way out. The most accurate and controllable DAK I ever shot was a 229 chambered in 357SIG...granted this was a 229ST
 
The DAK is weird where riding the reset point actually gets you a heavier (and worse IMO), but shorter, pull than letting it reset fully and get the longer smoother pull.

I don't much care for it, but then again I just dont practice much with any long DA pulls. If I was more of a revolver guy it would be pretty nice, I think.
 
The DAK is weird where riding the reset point actually gets you a heavier (and worse IMO), but shorter, pull than letting it reset fully and get the longer smoother pull.
It is really more of a back-up for folks who don't reset all the way out...prevents short stroking the trigger.

However, I'd add that when shot at speed, you wouldn't notice the difference much as the trigger stroke is very smooth
 
It is really more of a back-up for folks who don't reset all the way out...prevents short stroking the trigger.

However, I'd add that when shot at speed, you wouldn't notice the difference much as the trigger stroke is very smooth

I'll take your word for it, I only shot a few rounds of the DAK trigger.
 
I never worried much about barrel hood wear, SIG’s just seem to do that.

If you’re on the SIG forum those guys can set you strait.

I spend some time on SIGforum. From reading several pages of old threads it seems like about 2 out of 3 people like the DAK very much and among older shooters / older shooters who are or were LEO it appeared that an even higher % liked it. Much the same over @ Glocktalk .

I realize they are not for everyone and to each their own.
 
Last edited:
My first DAK gun was a trade in P220, and it's fantastic. I had no idea it wasn't even close to stock, so I bought a P229, and I didn't like it much at all. I was so disappointed. A friend of mine had shot my P220 and bought a new one from a seller on GB. And he was very disappointed too. He sent it to some Sig expert who modified it and it still wasn't near as smooth as my P220 is. The funny thing is, of all my other guns, the gun with the closest to the P220's trigger pull is my Astra A75. It doesn't have the DAK reset, but it's just slightly heavier than the Sig, and almost as smooth. It's not been modified, just shot a lot since I got it about 10 years ago. If my P226's had the DA pull the A75 does, I would be thrilled. Even my new P226 SSE isn't close to the Astra. The A75 is a great little gun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top