Why aren't there better sub-compact DA/SA options?

[willie]

A good answer is that the forces that be have not seen the need for expanding offerings. If we had a sack full before us and tested them and discovered that each was reliable, I predict that there would be few if any advantages not found in other larger pistols.

[loper77]

There are a lot of people who don't want to walk around with a full size pistol shoved into the the front of their pants, but do want a TDA carry pistol. I would love to see an updated compact version of the browning BDM, but I don't think it will ever happen.

[BehindBlueI's]

I get it.

But since we aren’t hearing about 1,000 negligent discharges a day from cops with drawn guns on suspects, we can asses it’s probably not as easy to get shot - by mistake - by an LE with a Grock/m&p/320/Fn etc as we think it is

The trigger tab definitely helps on the Glock. A lot of 'security checks' of the trigger are on the side of the trigger more then on the face. It's just a subconscious reassurance the trigger is where the user thinks it is, and since the tab prevents movement if it's not depressed it acts as another barrier to even fairly aggressive security checks. I think this is also the basis for the likely correct notion that length of travel is at least as valuable as weight for preventing unintended discharges. I don't view safe/unsafe as a binary state and would certainly not argue Glocks are unsafe, but I would not argue they are equally safe to a DA trigger with a hammer, either.

When I tracked unintended discharges that resulted in injury or death, the *vast* majority shot themselves instead of someone else. Shooting themselves in the off hand was the #1 injury by a pretty decent margin, followed by legs/thigh/groin, followed by foot. Administrative handling was the usual cause of the hand shootings, the old failing to properly clear then pulling the trigger to break the gun down routine. The others were accidents on the draw or on the holster. The outliers were things like gut shots trying to catch a falling gun and one freak accident where a dropped gun perfectly hit the corner of an open drawer that went into the trigger guard.

My preference for a hammer equipped gun is heavily influenced by the safety of holstering and administrative handling where the hammer plays as much a role as the trigger does. Especially with appendix carry where an unintended discharge is likely to be catastrophic. The Glock/SCD is within my personal risk tolerance as well.

[Caballoflaco]

There are a lot of people who don't want to walk around with a full size pistol shoved into the the front of their pants, but do want a TDA carry pistol. I would love to see an updated compact version of the browning BDM, but I don't think it will ever happen.

There’s twenty-three of you and half a dozen are posting in this thread. The vast vast majority of people who buy guns want something that looks like a gun and makes loud noises when they pull the trigger. They’ll shoot it once or twice twice and then put it in an uncle mikes holster in the glovebox of their car and forget about it until it gets stolen.

There just isn’t a market for gun companies to invest in new designs that aren’t going to be competitive in the current market. If this wasn’t true then sig and Smith and Ruger wouldn’t have canceled their da/sa subcompact pistol lines. Newer Berettas and CZ’s and HK’s would sit on the shelves of local gunstores for ever back before the ‘rona. And that was with them being priced within $100 of a Glock and sometimes cheaper.

[Borderland]

There’s twenty-three of you and half a dozen are posting in this thread. The vast vast majority of people who buy guns want something that looks like a gun and makes loud noises when they pull the trigger. They’ll shoot it once or twice twice and then put it in an uncle mikes holster in the glovebox of their car and forget about it until it gets stolen.

There just isn’t a market for gun companies to invest in new designs that aren’t going to be competitive in the current market. If this wasn’t true then sig and Smith and Ruger wouldn’t have canceled their da/sa subcompact pistol lines. Newer Berettas and CZ’s and HK’s would sit on the shelves of local gunstores for ever back before the ‘rona. And that was with them being priced within $100 of a Glock and sometimes cheaper.

I find that to be spot on. My LGS never had more than a few new HK's for sale before 2020. Back in March I ask my dealer to locate a P30. He searched many distributors and found only one. I bought it immediately. DA/SA is fading away, especially since the military and LE started buying strikers for low bid. Nothing like a $200 striker if you need 100,000 or more.

[gato naranja]

There’s twenty-three of you and half a dozen are posting in this thread. The vast vast majority of people who buy guns want something that looks like a gun and makes loud noises when they pull the trigger. They’ll shoot it once or twice twice and then put it in an uncle mikes holster in the glovebox of their car and forget about it until it gets stolen.

There just isn’t a market for gun companies to invest in new designs that aren’t going to be competitive in the current market. If this wasn’t true then sig and Smith and Ruger wouldn’t have canceled their da/sa subcompact pistol lines. Newer Berettas and CZ’s and HK’s would sit on the shelves of local gunstores for ever back before the ‘rona. And that was with them being priced within $100 of a Glock and sometimes cheaper.

Probably too true for comfort. My dad used to say, "The masses are asses," and it must have struck a chord, since I seem to be out of step with the cattle.

Before SFA pistols were a (big) thing, I recall the bulk of them as being considered cheap crap by aficionados. As for myself, the PX4 Subcompact (something of a misnomer) has proven good enough for me, and I work around its limitations though I would nowadays just as soon carry a 640... assuming I could find one that met my approval and didn't require me donating an organ to purchase.

[Clusterfrack]

DA/SA is fading away, especially since the military and LE started buying $300 strikers. It's a damn shame because DA/SA is what I want when I buy a new pistol.

I'm not so sure it's fading away, but I agree that the TDA market is not growing. However, I'm confident that TDA will be with us for the long term--assuming we are 'allowed' to import and buy them. Why?
1. Despite the incursion of SFAs, TDA's are still common in foreign military and LE use.
2. TDAs are dominant in some divisions of IPSC and USPSA.
3. Gun hipsters like us will continue to buy them, and hopefully spread the word. We are good TDA ambassadors. I've been responsible for quite a few people either switching from SFAs or 1911s to TDAs, or getting a TDA as their first gun.

However, I still think TDAs are not the best choice for a lot of people. E.g. My older daughter has a G43 with a SCD.

Which brings me back to the OP about TDA subcompacts or mouseguns: maybe once a gun gets below a certain size, it's better to have a striker-fired gun with a SCD (Glock) or a snubby. Simpler mechanisms and controls work better in a tiny package.

[Kanye Wyoming]

There’s twenty-three of you and half a dozen are posting in this thread. The vast vast majority of people who buy guns want something that looks like a gun and makes loud noises when they pull the trigger. They’ll shoot it once or twice twice and then put it in an uncle mikes holster in the glovebox of their car and forget about it until it gets stolen.

This brings to mind a conversation the other night with my wife. We exchanged Hannukah gifts and her present to me was a squirrel-proof bird feeder to hang on our deck. Neither of us knows anything about birds, but it’s nice to see them when having morning coffee. She was telling me about all the questions the lady at the Wild Birds Unlimited store asked her. They had a bazillion different kinds of bird feed - which did she want? Just regular old bird feed. Well, do you want organic? Free range? Vegetarian? Vegan? GMO or non-GMO? Earthy and complex or light and fruity? Notes of caramel and currants? Microwave safe? Gluten free?

I embellish, of course. Her answer was “just regular old bird feed that the birds like to eat.” I said the lady at the store probably looked at you like I would if I were working in a gun store and you said you wanted to buy a gun. I would ask you whether you were looking for a rifle, a shotgun, a handgun. If a handgun, DA/SA or striker fired? To carry? Larger or smaller? Any particular caliber? Etc. And you replied that with everything going on the world, you just wanted a gun that fires bullets, do you have any of those?

[Clusterfrack]

Happy Hannukah. Generic squirrel-proof bird feeder? Maybe you really want the Squirrel Boss?

This brings to mind a conversation the other night with my wife. We exchanged Hannukah gifts and her present to me was a squirrel-proof bird feeder to hang on our deck. Neither of us knows anything about birds, but it’s nice to see them when having morning coffee. She was telling me about all the questions the lady at the Wild Birds Unlimited store asked her. They had a bazillion different kinds of bird feed - which did she want? Just regular old bird feed. Well, do you want organic? Free range? Vegetarian? Vegan? GMO or non-GMO? Earthy and complex or light and fruity? Notes of caramel and currants? Microwave safe? Gluten free?

I embellish, of course. Her answer was “just regular old bird feed that the birds like to eat.” I said the lady at the store probably looked at you like I would if I were working in a gun store and you said you wanted to buy a gun. I would ask you whether you were looking for a rifle, a shotgun, a handgun. If a handgun, DA/SA or striker fired? To carry? Larger or smaller? Any particular caliber? Etc. And you replied that with everything going on the world, you just wanted a gun that fires bullets, do you have any of those?

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm not so sure it's fading away, but I agree that the TDA market is not growing. However, I'm confident that TDA will be with us for the long term--assuming we are 'allowed' to import and buy them.

I agree. There's plenty of guns that aren't in cop/solider holsters much any more but still have a following among certain segments. The 1911, the N-frame, etc.

I wonder how many TDAs "Legion" marketing sold?