Something for the "Old School" among us.
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.
Thanks for the suggestions... I can see how the smaller size and the contoured shape of the P232 may make it more convenient and comfortable for carrying in a holster than a P226. At this time I don't have a need to carry other than between my home and the range, although that could change. My immediate interest is in becoming more proficient and knowledgeable about shooting generally, and will probably try out a number of different guns before I actually make a purchase decision. The ultimate goal would be both to have a pistol at home for just-in-case protection, and to learn to shoot with accuracy. A lot to learn...
"And if your gonna carry for defence, cocked and locked, ready to go."
Right on, my old 1943 Remington Rand 1911A1 is carried so, with one additional safety, the holster quick release hold down strap is a good snug fit between the hammer and that firing pin.
That 1911A1 is my long time bud of many years, even in near total darkness, it knows where to point and hit when squeezed off.
H&K USP .45 in a BladeTech paddle holster..........the ultimate concealed carry gun for me.
One idea that you should keep in the back of your head is the availabilty of ammo. IMHO besides .22 LR for the most concealability, the most likely, available ammo for handguns are .38 Special/.38 Plus P/.357 Magnum (for 6 shot revolvers), 9mm and .45 Auto. Nobody complains the that .357 Magnum or .45 Auto doesn't have stopping power. If you haven't noticed, many folks complain that 9mm is too weak. I wouldn't recommend .25 Auto weapons to anyone.
Without question, revolvers(aka wheelguns) are more reliable than semi-automatic handguns. Semi-automatic handguns, autos in handgun parlance, have the advantage almost all the time in ammunition capacity. Their problem seems to be with magazine springs and cleanliness.
According to comment# 49, IIRC, the same handgun can also fire 9mm ammo with another chamber and barrel combo(probably one piece). I don't know Sigs, but if that's true, that's a definite plus.
Call up the West Side Rifle and Pistol Range, 20 W. 20th St. in Manhattan. See what they offer for safety training and familiarization. I'm not a member. I aint been there in years. Check Edelman's on the island. Make sure you're comfortable before you pay for it.
Springfield XD40 in SW40 is lock and load no hammer. Safety is grip and trigger, it will not fire if dropped.
NRA 2003 gun of the year
Mine was accurate first shot Bullseye at 25 yards.
BS.
I like the 229, but my only complaint is that it's too thick.
You can't go wrong with a 226 or a 229. Check out the guns made my other manufacturers also, such as Springfield, H&K, Glock, and Beretta.
All of the major combat handguns perform more or less the same (as far as functionality and reliability goes), so base your decision on what feels best in your hand.
As far as caliber, don't go any smaller than 9mm.
I've never put much faith in "stopping power" stats. Look at the kinetic energy of the bullet. I believe the 9mm cartridge (which according to some is not powerful enough) has about twice as much energy as the .380.
In fact, MagSafe's lowest-powered .380 ACP load had an AIT faster than the best manstopper of all time - Remington's .357 Magnum 125-grain JHP!"
Remind me to never buy ammo from these guys. That is simply an absurd claim to make.
With so many compact 9mm pistols now available, I just don't see much use for the .380 anymore.
My heart melts...
Something for the "Old School" among us.
Somebody let the author know the AWB expired.
Is this company any kin to JP Sauer & Sohn from what was once West Germany?
---I like the 229, but my only complaint is that it's too thick.---
That's why there's a 239.
And a light.
I will take a look at the P232 the next time that I visit my local gun shop. It looks like it is lighter in weight and more easily concealable than the P226, although I suppose that it comes at the expense of limited magazine capacity. Scully and Mulder carried their P226's around all the time, and it seems like they had their pistols drawn more often than concealed. Somehow I don't think that I could get away with pulling off that trick.
BS.
In far too many states, including California, home of 20% of American citizens, that's still true.
Navy S.E.A.L.s also use the Sig Sauer P229. I don't know why they insist on using 9 x 19 round, but the .40 S&W also has adequate stopping power. Sig Sauer P229 has a model that fires .40 S&W.
I feel quite comfortable carrying .45 ACP or .40 S&W.
You are definately right about MagSafe claiming that their .380 ACP round has as much stopping power as a .357 Magnum. That is a crock of crap.
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