Posted on 11/30/2004 9:13:27 PM PST by Delta 21
Reliable and deadly accurate, it is the handgun of choice for the FBI, the DEA and the Secret Service.
Gun guru Col. Jeff Cooper (retired) used to say, "The best gun for a gunfight is the one you have with you." Law enforcement and military officials couldn't agree more. And recently the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made the SIG SAUER P229 their "best gun" to have by awarding two pistol contracts to SIGARMS Inc.
In September, SIGARMS was awarded a $4.2 million pistol contract from the Coast Guard. Just a month prior, SIGARMS had been awarded a pistol contract valued at $23.7 million from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Coast Guard is hoping to replace their aging Beretta 9mm pistols with the P229, while DHS looks to supply itself with 65,000 new pistols, which includes the P229.
The selection process in awarding SIGARMS its contracts was grueling. DHS chose SIGARMS pistols after an extensive testing and evaluation process, which included pistols manufactured by several companies. The Coast Guard's decision to award a contract to SIGARMS was made on the recommendation of these tests. In the end, 690 handguns were tested and 2.9 million rounds of ammunition were expended; and the P229 was the big winner.
The SIG SAUER P299 has long been a mainstay of the law enforcement community. Extremely reliable, deadly accurate and packaged in one of three calibers (9mm Luger, .357 SIG, .40 SW), the P229 meets the needs of both federal and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Moreover, the new DAK trigger system - introduced in 2003 -- for the P229 has helped increased SIGARMS' popularity among law enforcement by delivering a safe, reliable and consistent 6.5 pound double-action only trigger pull. The P229 also boasts a 12 round cartridge capacity created specifically for law enforcement use only (versus the normal 10 round capacity), giving law enforcement officers an additional advantage.
The SIG SAUER P299 has long been a mainstay of the law enforcement community.
During the contract selection process, DHS solicited vendors to provide sample handguns for testing. Handgun testing was then conducted at the Ice National Firearms Tactics and Training Unit in Altoona, PA, and FT. Benning, GA from March 22 to June 30, 2004. During those tests, personnel - including 22 members of the Coast Guard -- participated in reliability, durability, and performance testing that included six major vendors and 46 different handgun models.
For the Department of Homeland Security, receiving 65,000 new pistols to arm its Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement was of importance. After the testing process, the SIG SAUER P239, P226 and P229 pistols in the calibers of 9mm and 40S&W were all part of a major five-year contract signed in August 2004 with SIGARMS.
Upon being awarded the $23.7 million contract, Jim Pledger, SIGARMS Vice President for Law Enforcement and Military Sales said, "We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recognized the superior performance of the SIG SAUER line of pistols with this award. SIGARMS has invested heavily in equipment and engineering resources to ensure that law enforcement has the best and most durable firearms to bring to bear in the war on terror and that those pistols are made right here in America."
For the Coast Guard, the need to replace its Beretta M9 9mm PDW was becoming paramount. After all, the Beretta was experiencing increased frame failure rates and unreliability issues. Additionally, 75% of the Coast Guard's M9s far exceeded their predicted 5,000-round service life (The Coast Guard fires an average of 500 9MM rounds annually, the majority of PDWs have been in service for approximately 16 years, well beyond their predicted life).
Moreover, with the increased ports, waterways and coastal security mission, the Coast Guard ammunition Non-Combat Expenditure Allocation (a.k.a. rounds used for training) has increased. Adding more wear and tear to the aging M9 9mm handguns, in FY02 the Coast Guard shot 2.9 million rounds of 9mm.
Through their contract with SIGARMS, the Coast Guard will receive 12,000 SIG Sauer P229 .40 Caliber compact handguns to replace the Beretta M9 9mm PDW. The Coast Guard has begun receiving its handguns since November 2004. They will be receiving 1000 handguns every month until the contract is met.
For the Coast Guard, the handgun replacement ushers in a new era of ammunition available to the field commander. Ammunition selection will be based on operational mission, procuring .40 caliber ball ammunition for missions supporting DoD operations and .40 caliber hollow point (HP) ammunition for maritime law enforcement operations. .40 caliber frangible ammunition will also be procured to help meet Coast Guard environmental stewardship responsibilities. The variety of ammunition available will require more logistical oversight, but ultimately will provide the operational commander of the Coast Guard more flexibility in mission execution.
Before the recent contract awards granted to SIGARMS, the P229 handgun was the standard for law enforcement handguns throughout the nation. With the new contracts awarded from Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, the SIG SAUER P229 has made an even better statement by being recognized as the handgun chosen to fight the War on Terror.
The firearm of choice on X Files.
Darn, I was hoping there was a raffle.
I bought the P229 40 when they first came out years ago. Glad to see that it is still well thought of years later.
The only Sig I've ever shot was the 226 in .45 ACP.
It was sweet. Puts the Baretta to shame.
I've haven't had the chance to try and Sigs but I'll take my H&K USP .45 or even the good old M1911 over anything in 9mm. Although, the MP-5 is one sweet SMG.
Here in New York, we're only allowed to look and admire ;-) I picked up one once. Aside from the $800 tag, it was extraordinarily heavy.
DAO requires much more practice to become really proficient.
I find it much easier to learn proper trigger control than to re-learn how to shoot DAO.
That's my one and only.
The Navy bought SIG 9mm's as a pilot sidearm. Boy was I shocked when they issued us those. A very nice pistol, but I too wish they were in 45. A 9mm ball round isn't what I am looking for to stop somebody.
A couple friends of mine are Federal Flight Deck Officers and they really like their H&K USPs in .40 cal. They have some kind of law enforcement trigger set up, but I'm not sure how it works.
I just got my pistol carry permit, and need to educate myself before I actually make a purchase. Choosing a gun based on which character uses it in a TV series is probably a mistake, though, isn't it? :-)
I use my Beretta for IDPA competitions and nolstalgia. It's a sweet bullet launcher, but for defense, well, it's still a 9mm and as Jeff Cooper says: A nine just will not do!
Nah I thought it was novelty. The guy laughed and said I wasn't the only one who looked at it because they watched X Files *LOL* No sawed off shotguns are more my choice of weapon. I like things that leave nice big holes.
Ammo check here shows .40. I could use some practice. It's been too long.
My carry weapon of choice. Mine is 9mm. Single stack, 8 rounds.
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