Sig P229 slide release, am I crazy??

[JDNJ1985]

Hey guys,

I was checking out some handguns to narrow my choice down. I'm currently debating the H&K P2000 and the Sig P229, both in .40 S&W.

Now, maybe I'm just stupid lol, but the Sig slide release seemed pretty effin' difficult to disengage. Maybe I was pressing it wrong, but I had a difficult time with it. No problem with the H&K or Glocks that I've tried.

Can anyone shed some light on this?? Is it a downward motion, or more of a "down and to the side" motion?

Also, if you could briefly go into why you like one over the other, or just pure advantages vs. disadvantages, I'd appreciate it.

thanks

-Joe

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I would not say crazy. The SIGs' slide stop is relatively flush to the gun and in such a place that, depending on the length of your thumb, you may have a hard time depressing it. I never had any trouble with them myself, though.

By any chance, are you trying to depress it with an empty magazine locked in? This will make it even more difficult as you are pushing against the mag follower under spring pressure.

 

[boalex207]

I don't wanna be the buzzkill, but somebody will come along with this eventually.....many firearms instructors recommend that you use the slide lock as only that - just to lock the slide - and not use it to release the slide.

The standard recommendation is to come over the top rear of the slide and run it that way - every time - thus developing good muscle memory and less reliance on fine motor skills which may say bye-bye during a gunfight.

As was mentioned, the only exception would be running the slide with an empty magazine locked in, and that probably wouldn't be very often.

YMMV

Having said all that.........SIGs are fine pistols and the slide release mechanic is a straight down motion.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Yeah, what he said. I never use it to release the slide, only to lock it back.

 

[Kind of Blued]

It is tough, and there's not much surface area to begin with. I always did some variation of the sling-shot with my Sig.

 

[coyotehitman]

Learn to slingshot it.

 

[riceboy72]

Two excellent choices for a pistol, and I also echo what's been said here: Learn the slingshot method and practice with it until it becomes muscle memory. I do it with all my pistols and have never failed to shut the slide on a full magazine despite the various styles of slide release levers on each of my guns.

On a side note, are you leaning toward one pistol or the other? Just curious as I have both.

 

[JDNJ1985]

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated.

I was actually trying this with an empty magazine, so that could account for some of the difficulty that I was experiencing. I am going to research the sling-shot technique. It could just be that I was hitting it improperly. I am going to check it out again and see how I feel.

I preferred the HK in terms of feel alone, but preferred the Sig as far as construction is concerned.

Would love to hear a direct comparison and which you prefer.

Thanks.

-Joe

 

[rcmodel]

I was actually trying this with an empty magazine,

That right there is your problem!

rcmodel

 

[Kind of Blued]

The "Sling shot" method simply means pulling back on the slide over a loaded magazine & empty chamber.

Traditionally you'd use your thumb and pointer finger of the non-firing hand, like a slingshot, but you can do it however you want, i.e. cupping your hand over the top and rear half of the slide.

 

[JDNJ1985]

The dude at the store had no problems with it; I'm probably just an idiot lol.

I'm now also considering the P229 DAK, thoughts?

Thanks.

-Joe

 

[JDNJ1985]

Thanks for the clarification on the slingshot method, I'm still a newb.

-Joe

 

[sgt127]

Almost all slide locks are difficult to release if there is a mag in the gun. Chances are, the guy at the counter may have eased the slide back a bit before he tripped the release. Without a mag, or a loaded mag, it should be pretty easy.

Ya know, really, it comes down to what feels better in your hand. Both good guns, top of the line, really. I don't have quite what you are choosing from, I have a Sig P239 and an HK USPc and honestly, its just a complete dice toss to decide which one I feel better armed with, (The P239 is a single stack, so, there is a round count difference in my two) Hand me either one, I'm happy. My Sig has the DAK trigger, the USPc has the LEM trigger. If forced, I would argue that the LEM has a little bit better trigger for me, lighter and a shorter reset. The DAK feels like a really well tuned revolver. Nothing wrong with that either.

The HK gives you more options for different trigger/safety/decocker variants.

 

[JDNJ1985]

Thanks for the insight. Yeah, I guess I really just need to feel both of em out and see which I like better.

Thanks!

-Joe

 

[Erik]

"I'm now also considering the P229 DAK, thoughts?"

It is a solid choice. You could certainly do far worse.

 

[RobMoore]

The SIG slidestop is very easy if you know what you're doing. Don't simply press downward on it. Press down and in, like a 45 degree angle, so you increase the friction between your thumb and the catch.


Edit for additional: If trying it out at a gunstore, and doing it with an empty magazine in, its going to be a great deal more difficult. Do it empty if you want an accurate representation.

Edit for more additional: You will find those who say "why use the slidecatch at all, just slingshot it". I say I've seen more people mess up the slingshot when they feel the time crunch because they didn't get a good grasp on the slide. People who train and use the slidecatch most often don't mess it up, even when rushed. Too often people just parrot what they've heard instead of observing and testing for themselves.

 

[sig87]

I have am going to say go with a Sig . I don't think you ever go wrong with a Sig arms product. They are tried and true pistols. I may make some people mad by saying this. But there is a reason a Sig is $800.00 and a S&W are $300.00. Although that is what make America great ever is entitled to his or her own a choice

 

[RobMoore]

I can't say I agree with you on that one. I own a SIG 229, 226 and a S&W M&P. I see no reason for the SIGs to cost $800 +- and the M&P to cost $450 +-

 

[Marcus L.]

I'm a little late for this thread, but I'll just repeat when others have said. As a LE firearms instructor, it is better in a combat/defensive situation for you to not use the slide release lever except for admin purposes or to lock back the slide to clear some types of malfunctions. Reason being, under stress it is more difficult to manipulate the little control levers with your fingers versus slapping in a magazine, and then grabbing the slide and manually cycling the slide to chamber. Most LE agencies train this way as it is a more reliable means of reloading especially when you are trying to hurry and your heart is racing.

So, to sum up don't worry so much about the slide release as it isn't as important as you think it might be when you use good reloading techniques. The Sig P229 is probably one of the best pistols in .40S&W on the market right now. Sig Sauer puts more attention to detail and quality controls into the P229 .40S&W than their other models because of its wide spread large LE agency use.

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

Sig Sauer puts more attention to detail and quality controls into the P229 .40S&W than their other models because of its wide spread large LE agency use.

Do you have evidence to back this up?

 

[RobMoore]

Marcus, that debate aint settled. Under stress, people's hands slip off the slide without pulling it back far enough because they are trying to hurry, and they don't get a firm grasp before pulling. This happens just as much if not more than people who suddenly find themselves unable to slide-catch it when they normally do so without difficulty. In fact I can't think of the last time I saw someone in the habit of using the slide-catch screw it up, even in sims training with gloves. I see sloppy slingshotters all the time.

The problem with simply refering to LE training is the tendency for one or two well respected people in the industry to make a statement, and all the sudden it ripples through the LE community as gospel.

 

[MK11]

This thread is longer than it needs to be. As noted, the slide won't close on an empty mag. Get a little more familiar with how your weapon operates, then you can debate slingshot versus slidestop (I like slingshot).

Enjoy your new gun!

 

[Marcus L.]

Do you have evidence to back this up?

"You can rest assured that we do not cut corners in the production of any of our pistol models. We sell nearly double the number of model 229 .40 S&W pistols than we do any other pistol model in our line to large law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and now the US Coast Guard. Due to the demand for .40 caliber pistols in the last couple of decades from the law enforcement community, there has also been a greater number of agencies putting their pistols through extensive and abusive testing. All of our pistols are of top quality, but we do put a little more into refining the model 229 because of the market demand for it. If your product fails domestic agency testing, then you can kiss contracts goodbye. We won't have that."

-Kenneth Horne, production manager at Sig Sauer from "Law Enforcement Annual in 2007"


I am also a Sig armorer and have been handling quite a few pistols in the last few months for the DOI at FLETC. The new pistols they get in are good indicators of quality controls and refinement and there seems to be a consistant trend in the quality of the P229 versus the other Sig models.

 

[Marcus L.]

Marcus, that debate aint settled. Under stress, people's hands slip off the slide without pulling it back far enough because they are trying to hurry, and they don't get a firm grasp before pulling. This happens just as much if not more than people who suddenly find themselves unable to slide-catch it when they normally do so without difficulty. In fact I can't think of the last time I saw someone in the habit of using the slide-catch screw it up, even in sims training with gloves. I see sloppy slingshotters all the time.

The problem with simply refering to LE training is the tendency for one or two well respected people in the industry to make a statement, and all the sudden it ripples through the LE community as gospel.

Sometimes little techniques in the LE community are not viable, yet others change the direction of the market. In the case of manually chambering using the slide, it is very viable. Exceptions from my experience are difficult to grip slides which have little surface area such as CZ 75 series and the Beretta 9000. However, when using a classic slide overlapping frame configuration it is a superior technique when under stress or with gloves on.

A prime example would be the combat stress pistol course which is put on by Quantico and FLETC every few years. The course is very physically involved and is designed to boost your heart rate to 150bpm or more in order to more accurately simulate combat conditions. With tunnel vision, sweaty hands, and loss of finger dexterity it really weeds out the cadets that do not use gross muscle skills when operating their firearm. Some of the best scorers in that course are actually the newbees who don't have any prior firearms experience and thus have no bad habits. They use proper technique and utilize gross muscle movements where ever possible.

Manually cycling the action for a reload instead of using the slide stop lever has clear, and very measurable advantages when put into realistic situations.

 

[riceboy72]

Very well worded, Marcus L.