Sig P series -- DA/SA vs SAO

[GJM]

So far, I really like my 229 SAO. When the SAO pistols first came out, I was pretty skeptical as DA/SA was "the" system for P series Sig pistols. After years of shooting a striker, the SAO trigger feels like a good striker trigger plus a thumb safety and hammer. After competing with a 2011 for 18 months, a thumb safety feels more natural than a 9 pound first trigger pull with a decocker near where I am used to putting my thumbs. The SAO feels natural now -- like a more carry worthy 2011 to me.

What are others thinking about the SAO P series pistols?

[TheNewbie]

I’ve never handled one, but from the pictures, the safety looks really well done.

[Jim Watson]

I like most things about the P-SAO and was on the verge of buying a P226 SAO. The substitution of the from-frou Legion for the plain Elite SAO was annoying, but the thing that stopped me was the slide release, minuscule size, odd location. If you don't shoot to slide lock or if you are in the habit of yanking the slide to close, that will not be a factor, but my long years in 1911 and my IDPA shooting with frequent slide locks made it a liability.

[dmiculek]

As long time 1911/2011 shooter, I really like the SAO I have both a 226 and a 229. I am looking forward to shooting them both in local outlaw and IDPA style matches. The 226 I sent to Sig Armorer for trigger work, the 229 was great out the box.
I also have both models in DA/SA.

[bofe954]

My thoughts mostly echo yours. I am shooting 2011's in competition again and wouldn't mind something more similar to carry. Not that interested in finding a 2011 to carry due to cost and maintenance.

I wonder if they (92XI and the sigs) aren't coming to market in response to law enforcement's apparent embrace of Staccato.

The only thing holding me back from trying a 229 is that I feel like the new wave of compacts has kind of made these medium sized guns seem enormous for carry. I'm sure I could shoot better with the 229 than my P365XL, but goddamn that 365 is easy to carry, relatively inexpensive and it isn't torture to shoot like a J frame is to me.

Doesn't seem worth all the hassle to get 2-3 rounds more.

[JCN]

My thoughts mostly echo yours. I am shooting 2011's in competition again and wouldn't mind something more similar to carry. Not that interested in finding a 2011 to carry due to cost and maintenance.

I wonder if they (92XI and the sigs) aren't coming to market in response to law enforcement's apparent embrace of Staccato.

The only thing holding me back from trying a 229 is that I feel like the new wave of compacts has kind of made these medium sized guns seem enormous for carry. I'm sure I could shoot better with the 229 than my P365XL, but goddamn that 365 is easy to carry, relatively inexpensive and it isn't torture to shoot like a J frame is to me.

Doesn't seem worth all the hassle to get 2-3 rounds more.

The Wilson Combats like the SFX and EDC X9s IMO would be a better choice for you than the 229s. It’s more the shoot ability over the capacity (vs P365/XL/macro). For most people, the extra shoot ability isn’t worth the extra bulk (myself included) for carry.

The 229s are still chunky bricks. They’re solid guns but I still tend to prefer CZs both DASA and cocked and locked, they’re a little more svelte.

CZs can have an ergonomic challenge with safety hinge location that doesn’t work for some people, but I find the single action on a CZ can be less spongy than a P SAO.

[Sensei]

I give a nudge to the SAO Sigs. While the DA/SA have a long track record of duty and military use, the SAO guns more closely resemble a striker trigger for those floating between hammer and striker worlds. Keep in mind that the DA/SA platform is far less forgiving than say Beretta or HK when it comes to lightening that DA pull down from the factory 10-12 lbs. While I can get a Beretta 92’s DA trigger pull down to 7-8 lbs with a Langdon TJIAB and still reliably ignite ammo, the same cannot be said for a Sig P-series DA pull that is stuck in the 9-10lb range to still reliably ignite all primers. Yes, the P-series guns have amazing reset when equipped with the SRT, but that 9lbs DA trigger pull requires several boxes of extra ammo and hours of dry fire to reset my muscle memory every time I start to play with a Glock or VP9. Thus, I’ve been shooting my SAO Legions far more frequently than my legacy DA/SA pistols.

[GJM]

I give a nudge to the SAO Sigs. While the DA/SA have a long track record of duty and military use, the SAO guns more closely resemble a striker trigger for those floating between hammer and striker worlds. Keep in mind that the DA/SA platform is far less forgiving than say Beretta or HK when it comes to lightening that DA pull down from the factory 10-12 lbs. While I can get a Beretta 92’s DA trigger pull down to 7-8 lbs with a Langdon TJIAB and still reliably ignite ammo, the same cannot be said for a Sig P-series DA pull that is stuck in the 9-10lb range to still reliably ignite all primers. Yes, the P-series guns have amazing reset when equipped with the SRT, but that 9lbs DA trigger pull requires several boxes of extra ammo and hours of dry fire to reset my muscle memory every time I start to play with a Glock or VP9. Thus, I’ve been shooting my SAO Legions far more frequently than my legacy DA/SA pistols.

In years past, you had three main semi auto food groups -- the 1911/BHP, strikers and metal DA/SA service pistols. A DA first press was the price to get that excellent SA trigger. Things have changed, and now we have carry-able 2011 and similar SA pistols like the Wilson offerings, better striker triggers, and SAO or SA carry-able guns like the P series SAO. It almost feels like the traditional DA/SA pistols are more the outlier than mainstream these days.

[Jim Watson]

I got on pretty well with a GGI tuned P226 DA/SA for IDPA SSP except for that teeny slide release. So I retired it to home defense where 18 ought to be enough, or at least enough to confuse matters while I fetched a rifle or shotgun; and went back to 1911 ESP.

[Maca]

We should probably also add HK (not VP9) to the list, as out of the box they can be carried condition 1.