Dallas PD Dropping SIG = CHEAP P226R-DAKs Time to Convert to TDA

[Brian T]

After 34 years of packing SIG Sauer handguns, Dallas PD has decided to move the entire department to Glock Gen 5s (I am assuming 17, 19, 26, 34, and 45). In waves of an unknown quantity, DPD is selling their 9mm SIG P226R-DAKs off to GT Distributors who is then disbursing them to all their stores. The price, at least at the two Texas locations, is $380+tax for the gun, 2 15round MecGar mags, and factory blue box. I am born and raised in Dallas, so when these popped up in store and on GT's Gunbroker page, I had to have one. I remember the "Roaring 80s" in Dallas when DPD switched from issuing .38spec revolvers to SIG Sauer P226s. It was 1988, and I was 8, when I saw my first Dallas cop with a black pistol that didnt have a cylinder called a "6 hour".

I dont care for the DAK trigger. I like the idea, but not the execution. The initial trigger pull is fine, and it is almost LEM-like. It's the follow up trigger pulls that throw me off, and my hate thusly begins. A short heavy trigger pull, or I can let the trigger all the way out and get a lighter pull. I'd like it better if it just had one reset, either one, but just one. I'm sure if I put some dedication into the trigger it would be fine, but I wont do that. What I will do is shoot a TDA, and I can convert this to TDA. I am now off to find parts. I am going to look to GGI for some of the parts, SIG Sauer factory for others.

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[4RNR]

I picked up one the other day. Out of a dozen or so I grabbed the only German made frame. My price was $390 but I'm not in TX

My first DAK. I actually prefer it over DA/SA. All the trigger pulls feel the same unless it didn't cycle, in which case the pull is only slightly heavier but nowhere near the difference between DA/SAhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/bfcb4b57828d580a5e60e38ae9f8c950.jpg

EDIT.
After trying it again I do see the difference you're talking about in the trigger pull but I have to rally pay attention to it to notice.

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[TheNewbie]

They still have them in stock? I want a DAK.

[awp_101]

Dang it, I didn't need to know about this. Are they DPD marked in any way?

[Brian T]

Dang it, I didn't need to know about this. Are they DPD marked in any way?

Dallas PD never really marked their guns. When they did it was just a generic "DPD"

[awp_101]

Thanks. I'm not a PD weapon collector but it would be neat to have one so marked.

[JPedersen]

If you don't live by a storefront, will thye transfer to an FFL with a phone order? ... Or do you have to fight the masses on Gunbroker?

[TheNewbie]

Checked their website and didn’t see them listed.

How was the general condition of the guns? I’m that odd dude that likes DAK.

[DDTSGM]

Aim Surplus has LE trade-in P226R 9mm DAK's in stock for $419.95. Perhaps out of the same bunch?

[03RN]

I like DAKs

Just treat it as a DAO as it was intended.

[Brian T]

Checked their website and didn’t see them listed.

How was the general condition of the guns? I’m that odd dude that likes DAK.

Mine has no barrel smileys, no frame or slide wear, and next to no holster wear. It also has a SIG "short trigger".

The holster wear on the others I passed on was also pretty minor. The barrel smileys on the others indicated 1,000+ rounds.

Some have the standard grips, but there a few with the E2 grip.

[4RNR]

Mine has some minor wear. Very minor. Mostly around the grip and the Bever tail. You can kinda see the little white specs in the picture. No night sights. No PD markings. Will post pics tomorrow

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[Brian T]

Weird. Mine has night sights, and so did all the ones I looked at.

[JonInWA]

I had a P229 DAK, one of the "first issue" ones with the lighter spring (apparently some break-in was required, which irritated enough purcharsers/organizations that SIG issued a heavier spring and the break-in issue went away, albeit at the cost of a heavier trigger pull). Mine was one of the "two for one" deals SIG apparently offered to major distributers/retailers for a brief period, with both a .40 and a .357 SIG barrel. They were probably moving some slow-moving .357 barrel stocks is my guess.

Nice gun,and it shot quite well (with bth barrels) but the SIG DAK execution of the alternative resets was really a PITA. DAK really needed to be virtually your one-and-only huckleberry to master it. I eventually traded mine; a Glock G19 was lighter, the triggerpull was simpler, etc.

My DAO needs are more than adequately filled with my Beretta 92D and HK P30L LEM. Both are far superior executions of DAO; the Beretta features a very revolver-like pull, the HK has a long, light pull.

The DAK guns were very nicely put together, but the concept was fundamentally flawed in my opinion. Aesthetically, if the OEM grips with the decocker slot bothered ou, Hogue made an aftermrket one that was more cleanly made, without the decocker slot, in wood (so it was a bit spendy, at least comparatively).

Best, Jon

[backtrail540]

Is there anything precluding these from either being cut for a dot or working with a pro slide so I could run a dot on one, if I purchase?

[4RNR]

Weird. Mine has night sights, and so did all the ones I looked at.I only looked at this one. All the rest seemed to be in more or less same condition. All things being equal I was more interested in the German one, so there may have been some with night sights.

Both mags are ban era LEO only and Sig stopped making German frames around 2004ish so this gun probably came just before the AWB expiration https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/54ceee1bd7e306833f50878bba55d6d8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/4b5aa9ae7655295106a7f36b305f57a9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/611398c4b99dfe018d630285fc71f1ec.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/32055c102a6415da7d051a87e106f67d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/14f9fbb2e345280858ade4926de828ce.jpg

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[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

Mine has no barrel smileys, no frame or slide wear, and next to no holster wear. It also has a SIG "short trigger".

The holster wear on the others I passed on was also pretty minor. The barrel smileys on the others indicated 1,000+ rounds.

Some have the standard grips, but there a few with the E2 grip.

Can you elaborate on smileys? I'm looking at these... need input.

[David S.]

Can you elaborate on smileys? I'm looking at these... need input.

Smileys are just a thing on classic SIGs. It's a normal wear pattern in the barrel finish that doesn't indicate anything mechanically wrong. The lack of them probably indicates that the barrel has less than a couple hundred rounds through.

Google "sig barrel smileys" to get a visual.

[Dave Williams]

I remember when DAK first came out, people were lined up to shoot the one John Farnam had at the NTI around 2001,2002. It was supposed to be the next big thing.

[Rex G]

I really liked the DAK trigger system, which I used like a DAO, by letting the trigger fully return to the farthest-forward position. I bought the first P229R DAK that I could find, in 2004, and it served as my primary duty pistol until 2015. I would have kept using it, until I retired, and then afterward as a carry gun, except that .40 S&W, coupled with that high bore axis, started really aggravating my arthritis*, so I switched to a Gen4 G17, as soon as my chief OK’ed 9mm duty pistols. (I also wanted the Glocks’s lower bore axis.)

Some folks believe in letting the DAK reset to the first position, for the shorter (but notably heavier) pull, but I never stopped using DA revolvers, which, of course, have to be allowed to reset to a quite far forward position.

*To be clear, I am not saying that .40 S&W, or the P229, was the main cause of my right hand’s health issues. I fired too many big-bore Magnum revolver rounds, in the Eighties, gripping those N-Frames with my K/L-sized hands, so, I am not “blaming” any auto-loading pistol. It can take time for our young foolishness to catch up with us.

[MattyD380]

There are some on GB:

https://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Pistols/search?Keywords=gt%20distributors&PageSize=24&Sort=13&View=1&Ch-manufacturerName=Sig%20Sauer

I tried DAK in a P239 a few years ago.

I see the logic in DAO and I shoot DA pretty well, provided: 1. I can fully reach the trigger, 2. the pull is reasonably free of stacking, and 3. there's not a ton of overtravel. I thought DAK in a P239 might be just what I was looking for, because the reach is inherently short (on the P239) and the DAK is somewhat lighter than a traditional DA.

But... I honestly found the DAK harder to shoot than actual DA.

Mainly, I think, because of overtravel; it was basically impossible to keep the gun steady when the trigger broke (regardless of which reset point I used). It seemed to break earlier in the travel vs. a regular DA. My shots would go high and right. I actually tried making a janky overtravel stop with some JB Weld. It did help. But, not enough to keep me from converting it to DA/SA.

[H8Train]

Thanks for heads up, just ordered one from AIM. Ive got a tda P226 in .357sig, never really messed around with the DAK system before, and been wanting a 9mm P226 for a while now.

[Sero Sed Serio]

Is there anything precluding these from either being cut for a dot or working with a pro slide so I could run a dot on one, if I purchase?

The P226 9mm slide is tricky to cut for a dot given the depth of the void on the left side of the slide. There are a couple of companies that will do RMR or similar mounts, but I spent a lot of trying to figure out how to mount a closed emitter optic to a P226 9mm, without a lot of luck. I do have some P229 slides (they have more material inside) at Impact Machine getting milled for direct mounts for 509s and Acros, and once those are back I may follow up with Scott regarding the P226s to see what can be done.

There's no issue with swapping 9mm slides, so getting a factory cut slide will likely be similar in cost if not cheaper than milling.


the SIG DAK execution of the alternative resets was really a PITA. DAK really needed to be virtually your one-and-only huckleberry to master it. I eventually traded mine; a Glock G19 was lighter, the triggerpull was simpler, etc.

I am a "flicker" vs. anything close to riding the reset, and typically let the trigger go all the way forward on whatever I am shooting. I don't think I've ever tripped the "false" first click reset on a DAK in live fire, and don't even notice it as the trigger comes forward. For me, transitioning between DAK and DA/SA is no big deal at all, but I can understand how it would be problematic for other shooting styles.

[Hemiram]

My DAK P220, an ex PD (Have no idea where it was) was my first experience with a DAK trigger and I liked it a lot. I quickly ordered a P226 and P229, both PD trade ins, and unlike the P220, they weren't pleasant to shoot at all. I sold them quickly and replaced them with TDA guns, along with an ex-NYPD DAO gun I converted to TDA. I wish I knew who did the work on the P220's trigger, it's super smooth and is very light compared to the other DAK guns I've owned and shot. I was worried when I first got it that it would have light primer strikes, but it's had zero issues. I did replace the recoil spring since the one in it looked pretty well used. But out of all the Sigs I've shot, I dislike the DAO non-DAK trigger the P226 came with the most.

[il duce]

Checked their website and didn’t see them listed.

How was the general condition of the guns? I’m that odd dude that likes DAK.

They won’t be on their site as they don’t list used on there due to how fast they move. You have to go in, call in, or Gunbroker

[H8Train]

I only looked at this one. All the rest seemed to be in more or less same condition. All things being equal I was more interested in the German one, so there may have been some with night sights.

Both mags are ban era LEO only and Sig stopped making German frames around 2004ish so this gun probably came just before the AWB expiration https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/54ceee1bd7e306833f50878bba55d6d8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/4b5aa9ae7655295106a7f36b305f57a9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/611398c4b99dfe018d630285fc71f1ec.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/32055c102a6415da7d051a87e106f67d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220429/14f9fbb2e345280858ade4926de828ce.jpg

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I ordered one from AIM and finally got the chance to hit the range with mine tonight. Mine is a us frame with standard grips and also does not have night sights, which is kinda surprising to me for a dept the size of Dallas. Mine also looks pretty much same as yours, has the typical sig smiles on the bbl but nowhere near as pronounced as my .40 P226 police trade in that I have. It was bone dry, not a lick of lube/grease on it. When I picked it up just from handling at my ffl buddies place the recoil spring felt super weak. I had already planned on replacing it and had a new factory spring in hand. Comparing the two springs the one in the gun was almost 1.25 inches shorter than the new one. It also did not have any of the orange paint on it as the new one did (though I suppose that could have worn away). Really wonder if it was a spring from maybe a 229 or 239 that had inadvertently gotten installed.

Ran about 250 rounds of various brand/weight . No malfunctions at all. Very pleasant to shoot. And my best groupings of the night were with CCI blazer 115gr aluminum case which kinda surprised me. But it was also my last box of the session so maybe that was just me getting more used to the gun. This was my first real experience with the DAK trigger system. Before I wasn't expecting to like it much and planning to send it in to get swapped to TDA. But now after shooting it I think I am going to keep it as is, till I can get some more rounds through it at least. IMO the weight was not bad and mine was very smooth.

[HCM]

I ordered one from AIM and finally got the chance to hit the range with mine tonight. Mine is a us frame with standard grips and also does not have night sights, which is kinda surprising to me for a dept the size of Dallas. Mine also looks pretty much same as yours, has the typical sig smiles on the bbl but nowhere near as pronounced as my .40 P226 police trade in that I have. It was bone dry, not a lick of lube/grease on it. When I picked it up just from handling at my ffl buddies place the recoil spring felt super weak. I had already planned on replacing it and had a new factory spring in hand. Comparing the two springs the one in the gun was almost 1.25 inches shorter than the new one. It also did not have any of the orange paint on it as the new one did (though I suppose that could have worn away). Really wonder if it was a spring from maybe a 229 or 239 that had inadvertently gotten installed.

Ran about 250 rounds of various brand/weight . No malfunctions at all. Very pleasant to shoot. And my best groupings of the night were with CCI blazer 115gr aluminum case which kinda surprised me. But it was also my last box of the session so maybe that was just me getting more used to the gun. This was my first real experience with the DAK trigger system. Before I wasn't expecting to like it much and planning to send it in to get swapped to TDA. But now after shooting it I think I am going to keep it as is, till I can get some more rounds through it at least. IMO the weight was not bad and mine was very smooth.

The color coded paint thing only came about in the mid to late 2000s.

My money is on that gun having never had a recoil spring change. You did well to replace it.

[H8Train]

The color coded paint thing only came about in the mid to late 2000s.

My money is on that gun having never had a recoil spring change. You did well to replace it.

From some googling of my guns serial number that seems to be when mine was made so that is a possibility, gonna call Sig monday. Would like to think a large dept would have a halfway decent maint program, but wouldn't be surprised for something to fall through the cracks.

[4RNR]

From some googling of my guns serial number that seems to be when mine was made so that is a possibility, gonna call Sig monday. Would like to think a large dept would have a halfway decent maint program, but wouldn't be surprised for something to fall through the cracks.Assuming they have any program at all. My city has a few thousand officers. They're responsible for purchase and maintenance. Department has nothing to do with it.

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[Brian T]

Assuming they have any program at all. My city has a few thousand officers. They're responsible for purchase and maintenance. Department has nothing to do with it.

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Dallas PD does indeed have a program and a staff of armorers.

From what I have been able to glean from some folks I know is that these are guns from the officers that took the "Glock Course" at DPD. The Glock Course is, maybe still is, a thing at DPD in which officer who were issued a SIG, but wanted to move to Glock (Glock was authorized at the time) could take a 3-day transition class. These may be early DAKs, or latter DAKs.

Another thing to remember when buying a PD trade-in firearm is that it isn't so much what or how the guns were sent to the buyer (in this case GT Distributors and AIM). When the buyers take them apart to inspect them quickly, maybe a drop or to of oil or a brush stroke or two of grease, parts can get mixed. There will be some P229R-DAKs at some point, if they havent already been released.

Dallas PD seems to be clearing out a lot of stuff. GT Distributors even has a few old Dallas PD issued Model 64s, various Dash, but most are HBs. Sub-$300, BTW. I wonder if we will see the stash of TDA SIGs that are supposedly still present. I would pay an admission fee to go look through DPD's armory.