Hybrid DAO Pistols

When cops stuck with DAO autos clamored for easier triggers, SIG and H&K answered with similar-but-different designs. Each bypassed the “exact same trigger pull for every shot” feature. The DAK (Double Action, Kellerman in homage to its in-house designer) had a relatively long but super-light 6.5-lb. pull from rest or full reset, and a shorter reset option needing a bit over 8 lbs. of pull, both in the same pistol. The LEM (Law Enforcement Modification) was described by the late, great Todd Louis Green as an SA auto with a long trigger take-up for the first shot. It’s been my experience H&K fans like the LEM more than most SIG fans like the DAK.

Law enforcement has trended toward the lighter weight, lower cost, and ease of shooting that comes with polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols like the GLOCK, which has been the single most popular brand. Even those have a bit of a “DAO legacy.”
We’ve mentioned NYPD and the NY-2 trigger. When St. Paul, Minn. became the first large PD to adopt the GLOCK 17, and Miami PD soon followed, both issued them with 8-lb. triggers. When NYSP became America’s first state police agency to adopt GLOCK back in the ’80s, they mandated a firmer trigger pull, and the New York Trigger now known as the NY-1 was born.

The good news is those “old school” DAO autos departments traded in for striker guns sell for comparative chump change on the second-hand shelves in the gun shops. Being DAO, they sit lonely like unwanted stepchildren, so there are deals to be had.

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