# Sig Full Sized Legion In .40 S&W...



## bambam (Jul 14, 2006)

...OK, let's just say I've been enlightened on .40 S&W vs .357 sig. I was really hot on getting a .357 sig for my EDC gun. But if I can get within 50 ft/sec of the .357 sig in ballistic performance in the .40 S&W round I'll go with it because of the added advantage 
of being less costly ammo and more readily available.

But, I would really like to have a .40 S&W Sig Legion since I already have a full sized P-226 Legion SAO in 9 mm and love it. However, since I'm primarily using that as a range gun I need an EDC gun and prefer to have a compact version of the Legion in .40 S&W and SAO. Well, you guessed it...there is no such model of gun. I'll have to go with the full sized P-226 Legion (like my 9 mm) to get .40 S&W and it will have to be DA/SA

So, tell me about DA/SA. What are the pros and cons of this action in a SD gun? I came from owning mostly 1911s so you can see where I get my bias of SAO. Like I said, I love my 9 mm Sig P-226 Legion SAO, especially for targets. Does a DA/SA have an advantage over SAO in a SD gun? BTW, I like to carry cocked and locked. I'm not opposed to other brands and model of guns but I really do like Sig Legions. Thank you for any comments or suggestions.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

bambam said:


> ...OK, let's just say I've been enlightened on .40 S&W vs .357 sig. I was really hot on getting a .357 sig for my EDC gun. But if I can get within 50 ft/sec of the .357 sig in ballistic performance in the .40 S&W round I'll go with it because of the added advantage
> of being less costly ammo and more readily available.
> 
> But, I would really like to have a .40 S&W Sig Legion since I already have a full sized P-226 Legion SAO in 9 mm and love it. However, since I'm primarily using that as a range gun I need an EDC gun and prefer to have a compact version of the Legion in .40 S&W and SAO. Well, you guessed it...there is no such model of gun. I'll have to go with the full sized P-226 Legion (like my 9 mm) to get .40 S&W and it will have to be DA/SA
> ...


The pro is you don't have to carry cocked and locked, just draw and fire as there's no safety to remember to disengage. The con is you have to transition from a long heavy trigger pull for the first shot to a lighter trigger pull for subsequent shots. If you like to carry cocked and locked then why change? Myself? I prefer striker fired guns for EDC.


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## bambam (Jul 14, 2006)

"[I prefer striker fired guns for EDC.]"

Why is that? I'm still learning about guns. What are the advantages of striker fired guns?


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## pblanc (Mar 3, 2015)

There are advantages and disadvantages to every type of trigger mechanism for pistols and revolvers, and there are staunch proponents of each of them. 

Striker-fired guns offer simplicity and consistency which makes them easy to learn. Most do not have external manual safeties (there are exceptions). There are no hammers to snag and no need for decockers. You really don't have to master or remember to use any controls apart from the trigger. And the trigger pull is consistent from first shot to last. 

SAO guns like your Legion generally have much nicer trigger action than most all striker-fired pistols and also have a consistent trigger pull first shot to last. But you have to master the use and rapid disengagement of an external manual safety. There is also the issue of decocking the hammer on a loaded chamber if you do not want to completely empty the pistol. And many people are simply not comfortable with carrying "cocked and locked" rightly or wrongly.

Double action only hammer-fired pistols typically have a spurless hammer to reduce the tendency to snag, and sometimes have an internal hammer that you can't see at all. But the trigger pull has to counteract the entire strength of the hammer spring since the hammer spring is not pretensioned in any way (usually). This means that the trigger pull usually has to be pretty long and often on the heavy side, although the trigger pull is once again consistent shot to shot. The long trigger pull also means a long reset, so most people cannot shoot DAO hammer-fired pistols as rapidly as other types.

DA/SA hammer-fired pistols have a longer, heavier trigger pull (like the trigger pull of a DAO hammer-fired pistol) for the first shot, unless the hammer is manually cocked. Fans of DA/SA pistols feel this offers safety against a premature or unintentional shot because the trigger press usually has to be much more deliberate than that of a striker-fired pistol and certainly more than that of a SAO pistol. This makes many people more comfortable carrying this type of pistol with the hammer down on a loaded chamber than carrying SAO pistols cocked and locked. There is also somewhat greater safety against a foreign object in or entering a holster causing a negligent discharge during holstering, because of the longer trigger pull and the fact that the hammer can be ridden with the thumb while reholstering. Some DA/SA pistols have external manual safeties and some do not. Most have an external decocking lever but a few do not. SIG DA/SA pistols have decockers but no external safeties. 

The disadvantages of DA/SA pistols include the need to master using a decocker and remembering to do so before reholstering, mastery of the longer, heavier DA trigger pull, and mastering the transition between the DA and the SA trigger pull. Proponents of DA/SA pistols tend to say that the longer, heavier DA pull is counterbalanced by the fact that all the subsequent SA trigger pulls are typically better than those of striker-fired pistols. But DA/SA pistols do require somewhat more commitment to training than striker-fired pistols.

If you are looking for a pistol very much like your Legion but a little smaller than a P226 I would consider the non-Legion, Nitron, DA/SA SIG P229. There have been some fantastic deals on CPO (certified pre-owned) SIG P229s chambered in .40 S&W in the last couple of years. I picked up a like-new CPO no-rail P229 .40 S&W with a West German frame last year for $500. The Nitron P229 will shoot very much like your Legion. It will not have as long a beavertail (and advantage for carry IMO) and will not have the miniaturized control levers. It also won't have X Ray sights, although you could easily switch sights, and it won't have some of the slide and frame work.


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## bambam (Jul 14, 2006)

Wow, great post, pblanc! Very informative. Thank you so very much. I'll check out the P-229 Nitron in .40 S&W.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

pblanc said:


> ...Double action only [DAO]...means that the trigger pull usually has to be pretty long and often on the heavy side, although the trigger pull is once again consistent shot to shot...*most people cannot shoot DAO hammer-fired pistols as rapidly as other types*...[emphasis added]


While I agree, for the greater part, with your analyses, I must slightly disagree with the section to which I've added emphasis, above.

I can indeed shoot a DAO pistol (my wife's Kel-Tec P-3AT) quickly and accurately, notwithstanding the long, relatively heavy trigger pull.
I must note that _with adequate practice_, almost anyone with fairly normal hand strength can do just as well as I do. (Note: I am arthritic.)

Some DAO pistols are striker-fired and have relatively short and light trigger pulls (for instance the Glock), and are even easier to control.

All it takes is a lot of practice.
But then, _all_ effective pistol shooting demands a lot of practice.


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