Sig P229 .40 caliber

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5of7

Hunter
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I am wondering about something that has been reported in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson Mo.

Darren Wilson says that his gun refused to fire during the struggle inside the vehicle. I am assuming that this was the result of the slide being pushed slightly out of battery because of the struggle over the gun.

Not being all that much up to speed on semi autos, my question is, will the Sig P229 allow for repeat hammer falls when the slide is out of battery? 8)
 

Ruger45

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Not knowing what happened in the car. You can cock the hammer and squeeze the trigger with the safety on and the gun will not fire.
So I would say it was because he forgot to flip the safety off.
 

groberts

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Something I have been wondering about since I started visiting these pages is why aren't there non-Ruger pages? This thread asks a good question but really doesn't belong in a Ruger pistols page. This web site, however, forces it to be here.
 

E

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Not sure about the P229, but I have a P220, and I believe they are set up in the same manner. No safety, just a decock lever that drops the hammer. The trigger on my P220 can be pulled with the slide out of battery, but the hammer is not engaged/does not move. My info is probably irrelevant if there are different law enforcement models that have safeties.
 

5of7

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E said:
Not sure about the P229, but I have a P220, and I believe they are set up in the same manner. No safety, just a decock lever that drops the hammer. The trigger on my P220 can be pulled with the slide out of battery, but the hammer is not engaged/does not move. My info is probably irrelevant if there are different law enforcement models that have safeties.

Wilson says that he heard the gun click, indicating a hammer fall. The gun appears to be a DA/SA design, so I am assuming that he was attempting to fire it in the DA mode.

Perhaps the hammer was partially blocked which reduced the force applied to the firing pin? 8)
 

E

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With the slide out of battery, my P220's trigger makes a click when pulled all the way through in DA mode, but the hammer is not engaged. The click sounds a lot like a hammer fall.
 

5of7

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E said:
With the slide out of battery, my P220's trigger makes a click when pulled all the way through in DA mode, but the hammer is not engaged. The click sounds a lot like a hammer fall.

Ah so.... 8)
 

22/45 Fan

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Any hammer fired decocker DA/SA pistol will not fire if the slide is out of battery but the trigger can be pulled repeatedly and the gun will then fire if the slide is fully in battery on a second or later attempt. They all have "second strike" capability.
 

groberts

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Considering that Brown's thumb was grazed and had residue from a fired gun I would think he definitely had his thumb on the front of the slide and pushed it back slightly. The first time I fired a Glock I walked the slide back like they do in the movies instead of slingshotting it and it misfired.
 

TRanger

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I have one. The P229has no manual safety. Push the slide slightly out of battery and the hammer will rise and fall, but presumably not fire. I'm not going to try that out with live ammunition.
 

Meeko

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I have used SIG's as a duty gun. On a SIG 220, 226, 228, 229 etc with the slide slightly out of battery and you pull the trigger the hammer will cock and then drop like normal however it will not hit the firing pin (it strikes the bottom of the slide below the firing pin) not to mention the even if it did the firing pin block will keep the firing pin form going forward whithout the slide being in battery.

So if the muzzle of the Officers gun was pushed into/against the body of the perp and the trigger was pulled this could be the "click" that was heard. Entirely possible.
 

MountainWalker

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Ruger45 said:
Not knowing what happened in the car. You can cock the hammer and squeeze the trigger with the safety on and the gun will not fire.
So I would say it was because he forgot to flip the safety off.
There is no safety on a Sig 229 only a decocker. Meeko's theory sounds most likely, which supports comments of the OP.
 

Meeko

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Meeko said:
I have used SIG's as a duty gun. On a SIG 220, 226, 228, 229 etc with the slide slightly out of battery and you pull the trigger the hammer will cock and then drop like normal however it will not hit the firing pin (it strikes the bottom of the slide below the firing pin) not to mention the even if it did the firing pin block will keep the firing pin form going forward whithout the slide being in battery.

So if the muzzle of the Officers gun was pushed into/against the body of the perp and the trigger was pulled this could be the "click" that was heard. Entirely possible.


Let me add something I omitted. As far as being able for the hammer to go back and drop when it's a a SIG. Only when it is barely out of battery will that happen. If the slide is too far back you would get no movement from the hammer but if it is within that window barely out of battery the hammer will move and drop but the weapon will not fire as mentioned above.
 

Old Hammer Boy

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I heard that probably the web of brown's thumb had lodged between the trigger and the firing pin. There was a bit of flesh from brown's DNA found on the hammer. Can't say with certainty, but I did hear it somewhere, and it too makes sense.
 

MountainWalker

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I bought a little used LEO trade in P229 without a rail. I had the Sig factory service and new night sights put on. I was sure pleased when I took it out shooting. It is really a refined pistol.
 

Meeko

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I have used a SIG P220 and a P228 as duty guns. They are great guns all the way around.
 
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I don't miss my Para Tac 4. I don't miss my Kimber Compact Stainless. I DO miss my Sig P229 .40 I got a P226 .40 last year. And now that this year is almost over, I have all year to get another 229.
 
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