Sig clones: which are the best of the lot?

G

Gremlin

New member
I have to face the fact that since my wife officially put her foot down and swore that there'd be no more handgun purchases, I have to choose between an expensive handgun and paying 2/3 of everything I make in alimony until my kids are out of college.

Of course, she told me that three guns ago.

My only way around the edict is to buy less expensive handguns that I can put on lay-a-way and pay a little bit here and a little bit there on... Since lay-a-ways have time limits, I can't squirrel away the extra $250 to $300 that a Sig costs before the lay-a-way expires. As such, I guess I'm gonna have to settle for a clone of a SIG instead of the real mccoy.

I've looked at the Spanish ASTRA A-100 in 9mm ($300 with a 17 round mag), the Canadian DLASK DAC-394 (same money, fewer shots), and an Israeli made IAI Golan ($350). I also had a buddy of mine mention a gun called a ZASTAVA out of the old Yugoslavia, but I've never seen one.

Assuming that I love my wife more than my gun collection, but also assuming that I'm still gonna go ahead and sneak in a $250-$350 gun here and there, has anybody had any experience with any of these pistols that you'd care to part with? I might be cheap, but I sure like the looks of the Sig and would like to get something that reminds me of one.

Thanks in advance for the insight...
 
I think most people would agree with me buy a used gun, who says it has to be new. The way the sigs are made they last forever. This way you could get it for half the cost and you are still happy. Go to a pawnshop or local gun shop and see what they got in the line of used guns.
 
hoosier boy, I don't know what part of Indiana you're from, but down here in Evansville, a used SIG is a $475-550 proposition. I would've certainly gone that route already if I could've. Pawn Shops are where I've got to buy since they're the only ones that will accept a lay-a-way plan.

Thanks for the advice, but... I'm still in a clone-type price range.
 
I would not fool with the Golan. Accuracy and reliability is poor.

The Zastava was pretty good chambered in 9mm, but it really sucked chambered in .40S&W

I'd go for the DAC-394 if I could not find
a good price on a used Sig.

Remind me to never get married...
 
Save your money and get the real deal. I'd rather have one SIG Sauer than two "clones."

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
Okay. I admit the real mccoy is better than a clone. I'm financially challenged, not stupid.

I just want to know more about actual experience with the Astras, or the Dlask, or the Zastava, or the IMI, or any other Sig clone that you can think of that costs less than $350.

I freely and willingly admit that the real Sig is better than any clone could be. I just wanted feedback on which was the best of the clones.

Enough with the obvious--a new $600 Sig or a used $475 version of a Sig is infinitely better than a $350 version of a clone. I get it. I can do the math and understand the logic behind buying a real Sig if you have the money to do so.

I don't.

Anybody else want to tell me that a real Sig is better than a 'wannabe'?

I refuse to believe that because a gun is not labeled with Sig or Glock or H&K or Beretta it cannot possibly be of any value or enjoyment for the average shooter to use.

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Triggers exist to be pulled... again and again.
 
I've owned an A75 in 45 and currently own an A100 in 9. The A75 needed the feed ramp polished, but after that was reliable and fairly accurate. The A100 was flawless out of the box and is surprisingly accurate. A friend borrowed it and hasn't returned it in a year. He loves it. They weren't as refined as my sigs but were well worth the money.
 
I've owned an A75 in 45 and currently own an A100 in 9. The A75 needed the feed ramp polished, but after that was reliable and fairly accurate. The A100 was flawless out of the box and is surprisingly accurate. A friend borrowed it and hasn't returned it in a year. He loves it. They weren't as refined as my sigs but were well worth the money.
 
There is only one solution to your problem. Sell some of your other guns and get a real SIG P226. Once you shoot one of these you will wonder you bothered with anything else.

The reason you want to pay an extra $200 for a gun is the luxury factor. It feels better, it looks better and it has that SIGARMS logo on the slide. Knowing that you have a premium piece of equipment that looks so damm good is worth paying extra for. Who wouldn't prefer a Ferrari to a Chevy Nova?
 
I tried a friend's Astra A100, seemed reliable and pretty accurate. Same basic layout of decocker DA/SA, slide release in the same place. Not a bad gun, 17 round mag. With your constraints I think it would do fine.

Have you considered a non-Sig gun like a CZ-75? They're around $350 and though it has a different operating system, it's a very good gun that could fit into your budget. Good luck.
 
My Astra A-80 was lousy. It broke repeatedly.

Fit was okay, finish was okay, reliablity was 100% and accuracy was actually better than most.

Corresponded with Interarms (the then-importer) regarding one or two parts I sent in. Their reply indicated that mine had excessive surface hardening, leaving the parts brittle.

The "thumb" part of the slide stop broke off. The slide forward of the dust cover cracked. The front sight flew off (silver soldered on).

After getting a new slide, the "handle" of the disassembly lever broke off. It's a NON-STRESSED PART, for crying out loud!!!

By then, I had acquired a parts kit from one of my sources and just replaced the disassembly lever with a used one. Sold it to a dealer and never looked back.

I called it the poor man's SIG until it started self-destructing. I wasn't rich enough to keep it running. First failure was at about 3,000 rounds (maybe less), I figgure it had less than 5,000 when I gave up.

When I had cash to buy the Zastava (which ripped off the CZ name and was introduced as a "CZ 99"), the stupid war over there had shut down all gun exports from former Yugoslavia. Heard nothing but good about them, and was impressed with the two I handled.
 
KOG--yeah, I've got a CZ-75B. They are grrrrrrrrreat pistols for the money. Mine shot 1.5" groups at 10 yards with the first clip out of the box. It's a great value.

Aqil--what was the recoil in the A75 like? That's a fairly small package for that size round.

Cheapo--was the finish on the Zastava any count? I've never seen one but a friend of mine was saying that the one he saw appeared to have uneven blueing. Just wondering what the ones you handled looked like...

dvc--have you shot the DAC-394?

Thanks for the responses!
 
Gremlin:
The gamut of "SIG" clones out there, with the exception of one, aren't really SIG clones. They're wolves in sheep's clothing. Let me explain:

Though, outwardly, the CZ-99, the TZ-99, the Golan, et al, LOOK like SIGs, in actuality the innards are CZ-75 mechanisms.

In reality, the only true SIG clone is the DAC-394, made by Josef Dlask in Canada. It is a copy of the P228, and when I say copy, I mean COPY. I have one, and at the gunshop I purchased it from there was a P228 on the wall. I couldn't resist, so I started tinkering with the two. Every single part on the SIG will work in the DAC, and vice-versa. Though the finish on the DAC isn't up to SIG standards, the pistol looks, feels, balances, and operates identically to the 228, with the possible exception that the grips are a little too flexible, and move a bit. Additionally, at $249.00, with a money-back guarantee for Josef Dlask himself, I doubt you could go wrong.

They're imported exclusively by SOG, so I would recommed you giving that a try. SOGs # is either 1-800 844-GUNS or 1-800-944-GUNS, I can't quite remember which.

I don't work for any of the above companies, I just love my 394.
 
Joe,

I wonder how Dlask gets away with this. Do the folks at SIG Arms know that the P228 is being cloned?

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
I bought a DAC 394 back in December. It has been extremely reliable, and very accurate. My only complaints were the grips, sights and the finish is pretty thin.
I've probally got enough money into mine that I could have bought a used Sig... but I think were married to the same woman :) so it let me spread out the $$.
I also wanted to do some tinkering and I'd rather do it on a clone than a real Sig for the first time.

I've added Hougue grips, PT night sights, Wolff tune-up spring kit, and an action job.
It shot good out of the box, but now it feels better than a real Sig. I've put about 1500 rounds through it and the ONLY failure I've had was using the steel cased Wolf ammo.

I'm trying to save up for a real Sig now, probally a 239 or 229 in .357 Sig... But for some reason I keep buying another gun before I get enough $$ :)
Hope this helps Gremlin,
Steve
 
I had an Astra A-100 in .45ACP and an Astra
A-75 in .40S&W. Both functioned flawlessly
and were great guns for the money. Traded
them off and sorry I did.
 
The DAC-394 is a great pistol. As JoeG said the grips along the rear mainspring housing are a little on the thin side and flex when gripped tightly, but the pistol seems every bit as well made if not better than a SIG.

Do not forget that there are numerous used SIG's on the market from $329.

Tecolote - Dlask HAD a problem for a while. SIG got a temporary injunction against importation of the DAC-394, by the time it was lifted his import license had expired. He should have the new license in hand and he is allowed to import. Any patents on the P228 expired years ago as did the ones on the 1911, CZ-75, High Power, and Luger.
 
Jeff OTMG,

I understand that patents on the 1911 and HiPower have expired, it's been more than 30 years since they were patented. CZ never really patented their design in the West so it was free from the get go. The P228 is another matter, however. The patents haven't expired. Sure, it relies on the mechanism of the P220 but is is significantly different. I think Dlask has a major problem on his hands. I just don't see SIG Arms giving up that easily.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
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