SIG/ Hammerli Trailside?

NIGHTLORD40K

I have one and it prefers standard velocity ammo; CCI and Wolf Match Target both work well and give the best accuracy. The trigger is scary light but the sights on my model are fixed. There is an adjustable rear sight which will fit in the standard dovetail but not sure if it will work with the front sight. Grips are pretty plain looking but rather ergonomic in their proportions.

If your looking for parts and accessories larrysguns.com is the place to go. I added the steel barrel weight as the factory plastic one didn't do anything for me! Overall I tend to think of my Trailside as more of a high end plinker than it is a target pistol though it can deliver the goods with the right set-up. The asking price seems a little high (but what isn't these days), so I would see if you could work them down off of that. Let us know how it goes.

Never any feeding problems; it just seems to run more smoothly with the standard velocity stuff.

The Trailside is designed for SV ammo. You could shoot HV ammo in it but it isn't recommended as it may cause premature wear on the gun.

There are only two significant issues with the Trailside:

1. Since the slide is alloy steel (corrected) and the slide stop is hardened steel, using the slide release will eventually cause the slide to wear until the slide stop no longer works. The easy solution is to just pull back on the slide to release it instead of using the slide release.

2. The trigger guard can break if it doesn't fully seat properly. Apparently, some guns were manufactured with the tolerance off just a bit, but with some filing in the correct place, this can be easily remedied.

On the plus side, it is the most accurate handgun available in its price range. If you are capable of it, all of them will shoot groups well under 1" at 25m with good ammo regardless of barrel length.

They all left the factory with a five shot target medallion to prove it. Supposedly, those shots were made offhand with standard ammo, but that has never been confirmed.

I have a 6" target model and it is one of my favorite guns to shoot. It has a very natural feel in the hand and the factory trigger is superb, and adjustable.


Normally, I would advise anyone looking for an accurate .22LR pistol to buy a Trailside, but if you're looking for a target pistol that will run any type of ammo, it might not be the gun for you.

Trailsides aren't that picky with ammo but they tend to really shine with ammo geared towards their inherent accuracy.

If the Trailside you are looking at is the target model with an adjustable rear sight and the laminated grips, $550 with two magazines is a decent price these days.

They came with one mag when new and new mags are available at ~$35 each.

ETA: corrected info

I agree with Keith. I have 2 Target models, a 6 “ and a 4 “.

I’m an old guy in dire need of new glasses. If I can see it, I can hit it with my Target Trailside.

Considering that they are made by Hammerli, I’d say $550 is a bargain.

Forgot to mention this earlier:

Larry of Larry's Guns passed away and the business was unable to continue without him.

Red Feather Outfitters bought the rights to his business and are now selling some of the same parts and kits that he had but are not continuing the gunsmithing services that he provided.

They only accept orders by phone on certain days and only ship on Wednesdays. I ordered an optics rail from them and received it fairly quickly, but have no other knowledge of them.


Larry was the single largest source of support for the Trailside (as well as certain other brands and models) in the US so with his loss, support options in the future are somewhat questionable, but at least for now, magazines and parts are available.

What did they change, if anything, when they started calling it the Hammerli Xesse?
Current prices are $879 and up.

Jim Watson said:

What did they change, if anything, when they started calling it the Hammerli Xesse?
Current prices are $879 and up.

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The name, the price, and it now includes two magazines.

IIRC, when they first switched to the Xesse name, it came with the grips that now come on the sport model.

The regular Xesse grips look like the same ones that were on the base Trailside.

I'm getting more and more into 22lr and have a couple 22lr pistols. I have a good stash of 22lr ammo. None of it is standard velocity all of it is bulk high velocity. I think the hammerli looks like a great gun. But I would have a hard time with a pistol that needed SV ammo when none can be found.

Just my $.02

Ya I'm sure it's a great gun and accurate but there are allot if choices out there for 22lr pistols. Finding the one that works for your intended purpose is key.

Fellers, the slide is steel. A magnet sticks to mine just fine.
Mine has been a stone reliable runner with a whole variety of ammo, both HV and standard.
The poly mags are cheap and work well.
It has been marketed as a Hammerli and a Walther; not sure what changes were made, if any.
The only real downside; the rear sight is attached to the slide, and it is necessary to remove any barrel optic to remove the slide. The rear sight has never been an accuracy issue for me.
The trigger is superb, with one caveat. The spring in the trigger stop is vital to safe trigger operation, so show some caution when fooling with it.
Buy the gun.
Moon

If I was spending $550 on a non competion .22 pistol I would get one of these for around $500 street price and NEVER look back. Why screw around with anything .
https://ruger.com/products/markIV2245Lite/models.html

Trailside I had was far more accurate than the Ruger light I have.

Trailside was sold due to financial hardship. Ruger was picked up years later. I'd have preferred another trailside. Buddy has it now and his kids shoot the heck out of it and love it.

halfmoonclip said:

Fellers, the slide is steel. A magnet sticks to mine just fine.
Mine has been a stone reliable runner with a whole variety of ammo, both HV and standard.
The poly mags are cheap and work well.
It has been marketed as a Hammerli and a Walther; not sure what changes were made, if any.
The only real downside; the rear sight is attached to the slide, and it is necessary to remove any barrel optic to remove the slide. The rear sight has never been an accuracy issue for me.
The trigger is superb, with one caveat. The spring in the trigger stop is vital to safe trigger operation, so show some caution when fooling with it.
Buy the gun.
Moon

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You, sir, are absolutely correct about the slide. It is steel. I just checked mine with a magnet. If I had paid more attention to the inside of the slide, it would have been obvious.

It is still softer than the hardened steel of the slide stop, and wear to the catch notch in the slide is a noted problem with Trailsides if the slide release is used repeatedly over time instead of racking the slide back to release it.



Larry's Guns/RFO does still carry the weaver rail that attaches to the barrel weight mount. It is not cheap at $160 (+shipping) but it is supposed to hold zero when it is removed/replaced for cleaning but I haven't had the chance to try it out since ordering it from RFO.

It does appear to be very well made and the locking system is solid and simple (two Allen screws).

Shown with a Sparc I threw on to try out until I can get a low profile red dot.

Thnx, vkeith; see that lets you sit the optic further back.
Have given up on my prospects as a bullseye shooter, but that setup looks like it would work well.
Moon

vkeith

Nice looking grips on your Trailside! Could you tell me who made them?

bannockburn said:

vkeith

Nice looking grips on your Trailside! Could you tell me who made them?

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They are the factory grips that came on the Trailside target model and they are comfortable for both left and right hand shooters.

The target model also included the adjustable rear sight.