I did handle a few of them, but the placement of the slide catch lever mimics that of any thumb safety, and my thumbs gravitate to it - moreso now with the beavertail. SiGSauer should stick to what works best for them. I think they are going for that part of the market that wants anything that can be labeled “Tactical.” :rolleyes:
I’ll save my concerns with their customer service dept, their warranty policy, their maintenance program, the markup on cheap imported Chinese optics, their capriciously selective application of the Minimum Advertised Pricing policy, and the issues with the 556 series for another thread. :mad:
After decades of complaints about this issue, SIG is now working on various prototype designs which may possibly replace (on at least some models) the standard slide release lever. The catalyst seems to have been the combination of a major federal LE agency announcing it was ditching SIGs for Glocks this year (in small part because of this problem) and SIG’s hiring of IPSC GM Max Michel who, after a career of running 1911s better than almost anyone in the world, probably doesn’t want to adjust his shooting technique to accommodate the odd SIG lever position.
To be honest, it’s not a problem for anyone who is devoted to the SIG and makes a tiny adjustment to thumb placement. But for folks who only shoot SIGs some of the time, or folks who don’t understand why the slide won’t lock back, it can be frustrating.
Funny, I have a far more difficult time steering around the slide release levers on more conventionally placed pistols than the SIGs. And I’ve shot a lot of different pistols. The only SIG that routinely gives me problems with the slide release lever is the P239, due to slightly compressed ergonomics.
Frankly, I think this is one of the peculiarities of SIG-Sauer pistols that makes many despise them. They are quite simply the anti-1911. Trigger action, reset, and bore axis are so foreign to handgunners who attempt to use a SIG after shooting 1911s and others that they become so frustrated and condemn the SIG-Sauer as unworkable.
While I will certainly agree that adjusting to something different after shooting another pistol for so long is quite disruptive, if not down right emotional, I refuse to conclude that is any fault of the pistol. SIG-Sauers are, or at least used to, be among the highest quality, dependable fighting guns ever produced. Many have learned to run them at world-class proficiency levels. If one’s hands are so programmed to a particular gun or manual of arms, then my advice is don’t switch.
The beaver tail is the stupidest contraption SIG has ever put on a pistol.
sigmundsauer – I think the slide release lever issue has a great deal to do with hand size and whether the shooter realizes what’s going on. I’ve seen plenty of people adapt to it with no problem whatsoever. It never caused me any heartache. But I see a lot of guys who have a lot of time behind a 1911 or Glock (or both) who’ve become so accustomed to that thumb position that they just can’t get past the mental block of shifting the thumb a fraction of an inch.
Having said that, after a year and a half shooting M&Ps, if I pick up a SIG now there’s a fair chance I’ll ride the slide release unless I’m very conscious about it (read: not under stress).
variable – The beavertail is not offered on all guns, and in fact is usually found only on their “premium” level guns like the Elites. Getting an SRT’d non-beavertail gun is as simple as getting hold of the two SRT parts (sear & safety lever) and dropping them in the gun.
Damn, I don’t even have my Sig X-five Tac in hand and you guys are already bumming me out. How could something with the words “beaver” and “tail” be so bad ;(
Is a one competition shooter on their staff going to have that much of an effect on their designs? Kind of interesting that all their MIL/LEO exposure didn’t catalyze change, but one comp guy will.
The two guns I shoot most are a Colt Gold Cup (and that really needed a beavertail for my hand) and a P226. I really am moving more towards SAO guns, and the M&P and H&K guns just didn’t seem right to me- even with a safety (to me the worst of both worlds, a DA/SA gun and a safety). I figured the x-five tac would get me closest to a hi-cap 9mm in SAO, and be afforadable and reliable out of the box, and have mag compatibility with the P226.
Like most companies, SIG has had personnel and management changes. They’ve also started losing LE market share again (after a lot of money and effort was spent getting them back into good position in the earlier part of the decade).
Given the way SIG has dealt with competition shooters in the past, we were all really surprised to see the huge marketing blitz the company has put behind Max. Clearly, they’re finally listening to a real gun guy about improving their guns.
So yes, I think you can expect one competition shooter – when it’s someone at Max’s level – to have a big effect on the company if the CEO is serious about improving the guns.