The DAK hammer sits below the surface of the slide when at rest while the hammer of conventional DAO mechanisms protrudes above the surface of slide. The new DAK trigger is not as thick as that of a conventional SIG DAO pistol.

Plugged Barrel Test: "An appropriate caliber bullet for the chambered caliber will be pressed into barrel from the breech to a depth of 1.16 inches as measured from the breech. The barrel will be re-installed and the pistol fired using one round of service ammunition. Any barrel deformation or damage will be noted. The test will be repeated, with a second pistol, with a bullet lodged 0.5 inch from the end of the muzzle. Any barrel deformation or damage will be noted."

Sand and Dust Test: "Five (5) fully loaded holstered pistols will be placed in a 43 inch x 21 inch x 25 inch wooden dust test chamber, with the barrel vertical and muzzle down. A 1/10 horsepower motor driving a 500 cubic feet per minute squire cage blower attached to one end of the test chamber will be used to disperse two pounds of Quickrete Play Sand.

The sand will be sifted through an 18 x 14 threads screen to remove the larger particulate. The sand will be gravity fed into the blower intake at a rate not to exceed two (2) pounds per minute, and will be allowed to run for three (3) minutes totaling six (6) pounds of sand. After three (3) minutes, the chamber will be opened and the pistols removed from the holsters. Any loose dust will be shaken from the pistols. The pistol will then be fired. Any malfunctions will be noted."

Salt Water Immersion Test: "Five (5) fully loaded pistols with one (1) extra, fully loaded magazine per pistol will be submerged in a salt-water solution of 5% sodium chloride and 95% distilled water by weight for sixty (60) seconds. The pistols will be removed and held muzzle down to drain the bore and then placed in a climatic chamber at 70F and 70% RH for 24 hours. The fully loaded pistols shall then be fired, re-loaded with the extra magazine and fired again. Results will be noted."

SIG’s Homeland Security pistols feature three-dot tritium night sights, and the P226R and P229R models come with integral accessory rails. All SIG pistols now come with a laser-imprinted serial number barcode.

Temperature Tests: "Five (5) fully loaded pistols with one (1) extra loaded magazine per pistol will be placed in a climatic chamber, at 200F for eight (8) hours. Each pistol and extra magazine will be removed from the climatic chamber and all fired within one (1) minute. Results will be noted. Five (5) fully loaded pistols with one (1) extra, fully loaded magazine per pistol will be placed in a climatic chamber and conditioned to minus 30F for eight (8) hours. Each pistol and extra magazine will be removed from the climatic chamber and fired within one (1) minute. Results will be noted."

All three pistols easily beat the defensive accuarcy standard of 4.25 inches at 25 yards.

Okay, you tell me. Would you expect any handgun you currently own to function under these conditions? The SIG pistols did.

The New DHS Guns On The Firing Range
SIGARMS provided Shooting Times with review samples of each of the three .40 S&W pistol models that are being purchased under the DHS/ICE contract: a 4.4-inch-barreled P226R DAK with 12-round magazine, a 3.8-inch-barreled P229R DAK with 12-round magazine, and a 3.6-inch-barreled P239 DAO with single-stack seven-round magazine. I collected a sample of five different commercial .40 S&W ammunition loads in bullet weights and configurations particularly applicable for law-enforcement and personal-defense use and subjected each gun to a ballistic and performance review at 25 yards. The results are listed in the accompanying chart.

In view of SIG's well-known premium quality, no one should be surprised by the fact that all three pistols delivered average group sizes with all reviewed ammunition loads that are considerably better than the norm for duty-grade auto pistols.

SHOOTING SIG's .40 S&W DHS PISTOLS
Factory Load	Muzzle Velocity (fps)	Standard Deviation (fps)	25-Yard Accuracy (inches)
P226 DAK 4.4-inch Barrel
Hornady 155-gr. TAP FPD	1187	14	2.56
Remington 165-gr. Golden Saber	1130	11	2.75
Federal 180-gr. JHP/HST	985	9	2.68
Hornady 180-gr. XTP/HP	992	5	2.50
Winchester 180-gr. SXT	1003	9	2.25
P229 DAK, 3.8-Inch Barrel
Hornady 155-gr. TAP FPD	1146	3	2.83
Remington 165-gr. Golden Saber	1074	9	2.68
Federal 180-gr. JHP/HST	953	16	2.88
Hornady 180-gr. XTP/HP	967	17	2.75
Winchester 180-gr. SXT	971	14	2.50
P239 DAO 3.6-inch Barrel
Hornady 155-gr. TAP FPD	1129	10	2.88
Remington 165-gr. Golden Saber	1086	13	3.13
Federal 180-gr. JHP/HST	971	8	3.00
Hornady 180-gr. XTP/HP	953	12	3.00
Winchester 180-gr. SXT	966	7	2.83
NOTES: Accuracy is the average of three full-magazine groups fired from a sandbag benchrest at 25 yards. Velocity is the average for one full magazine measured 10 feet from the guns muzzles

Nor was I at all surprised that there were exactly zero stoppages or malfunctions with any of the three pistols throughout the entire firing session--which put somewhat more than 300 rounds through each gun. I was happy to have the opportunity to fire the P226 and P229 DAK models side by side with the conventional DAO P239. The improvement in weight and smoothness of the DAK mechanism is striking, and the hand-fitting design of the P226 and P229 grips make for extremely comfortable and natural-point shooting.

The DAK trigger mechanism is currently available only in the P226 and P229 models, both of which are listed in the SIG catalog as available for commercial sale. SIGARMS fans are already clamoring for the DAK system to be incorporated throughout the SIG model lineup, and SIG has stated that a DAK version of the P239 is on the way. Within the constraints of frame size and mechanical feasibility, further expansion is inevitable. It's just too good a product.