Thoughts on DAO Sigs

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Dogger

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For civilian concealed carry I have experimented with a full size M1911, commander M1911, Kahr K9, Sig P220, Sig P225, S&W M640-1, and S&W M442. I belong to the "one gun all the time" crowd. Here are my personal observations:

M1911 full size: too big and too heavy but great caliber. got to remember to off-safe
M1911 Colt CCO: light weight is nice. hasn't been 100% reliable. got to remember to off-safe
Kahr 9: small size is awesome. heavy. mine was unreliable
Sig P220: too big. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock.
Sig P225: nice size. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock. is the 9mm "enough"?
M640-1: nice and small. beautifully engineered revolver. very accurate and controllable with 158 grain +P .38 special, a little heavy for only 5 rounds. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.
M442: mine was not reliable. nice and light. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.

I still haven't settled on a piece to carry "all the time". I am very inclined to go back to the M640-1. If I do, it will be with the aforementioned 158 grain +P .38 special load.

One other pistol that might fill the bill is a Sig modified to be DAO. Say a P225 or a P239 in 9mm. That way you get all of these features: reasonably small package. 8 rounds. light recoil and potent cartridge. Sig reliability and accuracy. a factory tuned DAO trigger for ease of training. can't forget to decock. close to idiot proof

Seems to me that a DAO Sig P225 or P239, with a smooth trigger, would be as reliable and simple to operate as a revolver, but with 8 rounds. The Best of Both Worlds.

Thoughts?
 
The eternal quest - the perfect CC setup.

There's probably way too much to comment on here, but I'll give it a stab from the non-professional, internet gun expert (read: has way too many gun mag subscriptions) side of things.

I have to wonder about the Kahr and Colt Commanders not being reliable for you. Both have good reps in that area. See a gunsmith or call the factory.

My thoughts:

You asked "Is the 9mm enough" and "Is 5 rounds enough"

One or two rounds well placed is usually plenty. What counts is how many HITS, not how many rounds are available. There's even some evidence, mostly anecdotal but from reliable sources, that increased capacity also increases the miss/hit ratio.

Is there a TFL conspiracy against the 9mm? What's wrong with the world's most popular handgun round? Not to mention one of the world's most versatile. If the .38 is "enough," certainly the 9 is too. Ammo is cheap, making lots of realistic practice affordable (really the key to effective defensive encounters), there are endless configurations available including revolvers, recoil is managable, and if you're able to put two in the "boiler room," the results probably won't be significantly different than if you put 2 rounds of .45 in the perp (yes, I've heard about Miami, goat shootings, drugged up natives and all that. I've also seen 2 people, who were very dead, with a single .22 caliber hole in their chest. The 9 will certainly do the trick).

You might want to check out the S & W Sigma line. Multiple configurations, safety system requires only adherence to the 4 rules, they're cheap, light and backed by a lifetime warranty.

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"Put a rifle in the hands of a Subject, and he immediately becomes a Citizen." -- Jeff Cooper



[This message has been edited by Jack 99 (edited November 16, 1999).]
 
For Sigs, there are only a few parts which are different between a decock and traditional DA/SA pistol. It's easy to have it changed if you change your mind later.

Remember, it's not the caliber or the bullet design which counts. Where YOU the shooter put that bullet is what counts.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Dogger - just a thought. Have you taken a look at the Smith and Wesson 3953? DAO, 8 plus 1, 9mm, lighter and flatter than either a Sig 239 or 225 (no criticism of either of those). Accurate, very reliable, very smooth DAO trigger. BTW, I'm with you on the 640-1 being a great little handgun. Cheers.

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Lazarus
 
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