Sig DAK
My PD was issued conventional DA/SA Sig 226s & 228s in 9mm in 1988. In the fall of 2004 we transitioned to the DAK Sigs in .40 in the 226 and 229. In the fall of 2013 we switched to Glock 22s.
At the time we went to the DAK (2004) Sig was offering a great trade-in deal. We got the DAK guns with night sights for about $125 plus the trade in of the old guns. (officers had the option to buy their old guns if they wanted and a few guys [including some recently retired] did so)
We weren't sure which trigger mode. Striker fired or self-decocking guns were the wave of the future then, so we elected to get the DAK guns.
The DAK trigger is unusual in that there are TWO sear set points. The closer reset point is about 8 lbs of pull, and the far sear set point is about 6.5 lbs of pull. It's hard to explain, but easier to understand once you have an example to shoot or at least dry fire a little. Apparently, one of the design parameters for SIG was to have a "second strike" capability in case of a misfire. I'm not sure if that's crucial or not, but it was something they considered when Herr Kellerman designed the new trigger system.
After some experimentation, we put factory "short" triggers in all the guns to reduce the length of pull between the backstrap and the face of the trigger, thus giving the user a little more leverage. I have big hands and long fingers and still I shot better with a short trigger. (I read someplace that all the DAK Sigs that DHS ordered had short triggers, but I don't know that for a fact. Don't know about the guns that the Coast Guard got)
After MUCH experimentation, I generallyfound that I shot better if I ran the trigger all the way forward (like on a DA revolver) using the far sear-set point. It works best FOR ME if I contact the face of the trigger with the pad of my finger. Some like contacting the face of the trigger with the crease of the first joint, like on a revolver. What option works best for you depends on the length of your fingers and your grip strength. When I shot the DAK with the crease of the first joint in contact with the trigger, I tended to pull shots high right.
With practice I did get used to running it like a traditional DA/SA too. Just had to get used to the longer sear set point.
I'd like the DAK better if the trigger stroke was shorter. The trigger stroke is light but L-O-N-G.
The reach to the trigger with the DAK is long for every shot, and if you have small hands it's a problem.
I had a number of my officers REALLY mad at me after we made the switch -- they were used to that short/light sear reset in SA mode and never ever practiced enough to get used to the DAK. And I had a couple people who liked them once they got used to them.
I shoot IPSC and IDPA matches at the local level once in a while, and I found that with the DAK Sig I had to downshift about half a gear to manage the long trigger stroke and still get accurate hits. (And I'm not that fast to begin with . . . being smooth & accurate is my game, rather than speed)
All in all, as an instructor I guess I was SLIGHTLY more comfortable with my PD having self-decocking guns. Once in a while the mildly affled/inexperienced shooter will reholster or move with the traditional DA/SA gun still cocked, and if they do that in a simple shooting exercise on the square range, they're much more likely to do it under stress. Having a self-decocking gun precludes this as a possibility.
Our switch to Glock 22s was universally popular. Some of our older guys are still nostalgic about their old DA/SA Sigs in 9mm (they had the chance to buy them when we switched, and only a few people did)
At least dry fire the DAK before you buy it and see if you like it. Better yet to shoot it a little bit if that is an option.
