[KMKeller]

Just went down to the trusty pistola shop and purchased a coupla new goodies.

Sig P220 Stainless and a Ruger MKII 50th Anniversary edition.

The Ruger I brought home, but the Sig is on order and will be retrieved later this week.

Now to hit the range!

Kirk

[prisoner6]

Whereabout in NC? Always looking for new friendly stores to visit.

[KMKeller]

I'm up Cary way. Picked up the new goodies at Gunworks in Raleigh. On Creedmoor Road.

[10-Ring]

Congrats! Look forward to a range report & pics on the new additions :D

[KMKeller]

Dealer I did business with told me on Monday that the P220 is in stock and would be ordered and in by the end of the week. Called today (I'm very anxious, can't you tell?) to check status and I'm tol that MAYBE they'll have it by Monday, but most likely after their week long vacation over the 4th... Dealer hemmed and hawed about "we're working on it today"... Ten bucks says the jerk hasn't even ordered it.

Crud.

[10-Ring]

Patience! All good things are worth the wait (as frustrating as it may get!) ;)

[KMKeller]

Picked up the new Sig P220 ST in .45 today! All atwitter now. Turns out the proprietor had undergone surgery a couple days before I came in to do the deal. When we were doing business, he was apparently on some pretty wicked pain killers and relatively oblivious to the process. Ergo, he brainfarted and didn't order the pistol. However, once I called on Monday this week to inquire, he realized his error and turned it around in short order. My 220 is the new model with the accessory rail (wanted the old model, but no tomato).

Now I need to get this thing torn down and thoroughly cleaned so I can do range testing and a decent report this weekend.

[prisoner6]

I've been considering a 220ST as well. Why would you prefer the older rail to the newer? I'm just curious, I also like the older, I don't use rails and it looks better to me. I just like to see other's thought processes.

[Marko Kloos]

Very nice. A SIG P220ST is at the top of my wish list, now that I've finally got my P7M8.

[10-Ring]

See! See! A happy ending ;)

[KMKeller]

Prisoner6 - I'm not much of one for rails on a gun and would prefer that no rails were present. I like the older version mainly due to the fact that they were less obtrusive.

[KMKeller]

Okay, got a chance to take the new Sig to the range today.

Initial impressions
This weapon has some mass to it! It's solid and very well made with enough heft to feel substantial without overburdening. I tore it down and cleaned it thoroughly using my standard lube model (FP-10 CLP on the internals and Slide-Glide #3 on the slide). It came with two sets of grips, the plastic pair that come standard and an additional Hogue rubber pair. I swapped the plastic out for the Hogues immediately. The weapon points very naturally for me and the ergonomics are excellent. My only complaint so far is that I should've gotten the night sights. Sounds like a project for next month.

I chambered a snap cap for some dry firing to check the trigger and while the DA pull is long, it's also very consistent and easier to keep on target than my HK. The SA pull is almost too light, but very nice and crisp. Once I've gotten used to it, it won't be a problem at all.

The controls are well placed and although appearing flimsy at first, are more than adequate to the task. Decocking the hammer required a very minor shift on the grip, but only to extend my thumb to the lever. The decocker works differently than the HKs, and I find the Sig version preferable.

At the range
I repaired to the local range (20 yards max) with the Sig and a gleam in my eye. I took 50 rounds each of Winchester white box Brass Jacketed SWC 185 Gr. FMJ, CCI Blazer 230 Gr. FMJ Ball, and Sellier & Bellot 230 Gr. FMJ Ball. I also took 25 rounds of Winchester 185 Gr. Silvertip HP, my typical carry round.

I started things off by running 25 rounds of each except the Silvertip through the Sig to warm it up. First up was the Sellier & Bellot. My first shot with my new pistol at 10 yards took the "0" of out the 10 in the middle of the target (no X ring)... ya gotta love it. I cycled 75 assorted rounds through the pistol with zero hiccups. Not a single failure. It digested the ball and swc ammo without hesitation and I was able to carve the 10 ring out of the target. The extra mass of the pistol helps keep the muzzle down, although it's about the same to get back on target as my HK USP .45c.

Now that the pistol was warmed up, I settled in for some groups. I fired 5-5 round groups each of the remaining ammo, including the Winchester Silvertip. At 10 yards, only one group was above 1" using a modified weaver stance and firing two-handed. The average group was .78". All groups consisted of 1 ragged hole save that one group mentioned above, where I yanked the trigger and dropped a round 1.5" south by southeast. No flyer, just me getting a little too jiggy with the trigger.

Summary
The Sig name is more than honored by this pistol. I've found the fit and finish to be excellent. It has excellent form and is ergonomically ideal for my hands and how I shoot. The pistol performs as expected (flawlessly) and has the legendary out of the box accuracy that Sig is famous for. I traded my beloved HK USP .45T for this, and I'm not disappointed. The stainless sigs are approaching $850 these days, so they're a little spendy, but something happened today that's only happened rarely in the past... I've found another weapon that I'm willing to trust with my life and the lives of my family.

The only task remaining is to wrap it up in some Mitch Rosen 5JR leather and add this to my carry rotation as my new primary carry pistol.

Bravo Sig Sauer, well done.:D

[10-Ring]

It's too bad you got rid of your HK to get your SIG. :( At least it all wrked out & you're happy w/ the performance of your 220st ;)

[Route 66]

Any pics of the P220 to share?

[KMKeller]

10-Ring - The HK was becoming a safe queen as it was too big to carry concealed comfortably. It was scary accurate though, but in the end, it needed to be more utilitarian. I'm very happy with the Sig and soon I'll take it to a longer range so I can get some decent bench rest groups run with it.

Route 66 - Sorry, no digicam available and pics on the net of the new model stainless are virtually non-existant. Besides, I'm a crappy photographer.:(