Reliable and deadly accurate, it is the handgun of choice for the FBI,
the DEA and the Secret Service to name a few; and it has just been awarded
contracts from the Coast Guard and Homeland Security. Law enforcement's baby:
the SIG SAUER P229.
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.
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The SIG SAUER P299 has long been a mainstay of the law
enforcement community. |
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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
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.
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P229
Specifications |
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Caliber: |
9mm Luger, .357 SIG, .40 SW |
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Weight: |
770 g |
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Length: |
180 mm |
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Barrel
Length: |
99 mm |
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Barrel
Twist: |
1 in
12" (304.8mm)1 in 10" (254mm)1 in 10" (254mm) |
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Mag. Capacity: |
10 rds (12 rds for law
enforcement) |