Sig 220ST Decocker

[Plaz]

I am not familiar with decockers. What is the advantage of that feature?

[The SoCal Gunner]

I am not familiar with decockers. What is the advantage of that feature?

Well I don't see it as an advantage but more as having a purpose. The purpose of the decocker is to safely lower the hammer without disengaging the safeties that allow the gun to fire. If you lower the hammer by using your thumb and pulling the trigger, you are disengaging the safeties and run the risk of a having the gun discharge.

If you want to keep a round in the chamber, you do so buy loading the round and then decocking the gun to make it safe (putting the gun back into double action mode).]

Read your manual, it'll explain all of this.

[QuarterBoreGunner]

^what he said.

[M. Sage]

No safety means carrying it in DA mode means de-cocking SAFELY if you want to have a round in the chamber. Load, de-cock, holster and carry.

[aca72]

from: http://home.hvc.rr.com/cavan/IIIC2q2.html

The Decocking Lever
All currently available SIG-Sauer handguns (except for double-action only variants) have a decocking lever on the left side of the frame. Pressing down on the decocking lever will safely lower the hammer. Once lowered, the next shot may be fired with a heavy double-action trigger pull. Internal safeties prevent accidental discharges during the decocking procedure, no matter how forcefully the decocking lever is pressed. The owner's manual that comes with SIG-Sauer handguns as well as many SIGARMS advertisements in gun magazines contain a warning to only and always use the decocking lever to safely lower the hammer.

This is incredibly important from a safety standpoint and bears reiteration: only and always use the decocking lever. Hammers should never be lowered by manually lowering the hammer while pulling the trigger. Lowering the hammer in this manner is dangerous in itself and prevents the full application of the pistol's safety features. Accidental discharges are a frequent, indeed likely, consequence of manually lowering the hammer.

I have found that often right handed shooters are unable to press down on the decocking lever without shifting their grip on the gun slightly. Such shooters may prefer to use the thumb of their support hand for this purpose.


None of the modern SIG-Sauer handguns have any other type of external safety - no grip safeties on the backstrap (like the Colt 1911), no trigger safeties (like the Glock and Smith & Wesson Sigma), no frame mounted thumb safeties (like the Colt 1911 or Ruger Mark II), no slide mounted thumb safeties (like the Walther PP, PPK, and PPK/S or Beretta 92F), no magazine safeties (like the Browning High Power and many, but not all, Smith & Wesson semi-autos).

All modern SIG-Sauer handguns share a number of internal safeties, which work in concert to assure the gun does not fire unless the trigger is pulled. They are detailed below, along with a short hands-on exercise demonstrating their function. First time readers, or those without a SIG-Sauer and manual handy may wish to skip over the exercise. All exercises are to be done with unloaded firearms; do not attempt them (or handle the gun in any way) if you do not know how to determine if the firearm is loaded. Throughout this document I have scrupulously used the terminology used in the SIG-Sauer owner's manuals; if you are unfamiliar with a part mentioned here, look it up on the exploded diagram at the back of your manual.

[bear308]

not only will the forward shot be hazardous, but with your thumb behind the slide you're gonna have a hard time holding on if it goes off.

[Plaz]

Thank you all very much. I do not own the Sig as yet so I do not have a manual. Your help is greatly appreciated. You taught me a lot. The forum is terrific.

[aca72]

SIG Sauer manuals are available online:

U.S. Version (All Classic SIGs)

European Version (P220)

Also check out or maybe join SIG Forum to learn more about SIG Sauer pistols and "other" pistols.