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About to buy a Sig 220 in 45... info needed

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griff383

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I have been on the fence about owning a 45 for some time and decided to go for it. Never had a thing against the 45 round just had other interests until now. I have shot several different 45's (including 1911's) in different shapes and sizes so I know what I like now. Im trying to gather information about the 220 and anything anyone can offer would be appreciated.

It will mostly be a range toy, but will probably find its way into CC rotation during the colder months. Im going to buy used to save some money so is there anything to watch out for? Also, what price range am I looking at?
 
The Sig p220 is a great gun , accurate and reliable and solid as a rock. Mine is a full size somits a little bug to cc. I picked up mine used for $500 with extra mags and 2 holsters which I sold off. Ended up costing me a little under $400. They can be had for around $400-500 depending On condition and what comes with it. I just did a quick search on the Sig forum but nothing good on there at the moment, same with PAFOA(2 of my favorite sites). If your patient a deal will pop up sooner or later. Good luck
 
Since the mid-late '80s, I've owned at least three; standard alloy framed DA/SA, all stainless DA/SA and one of the match versions, SA/DA , alloy frame, with 5" barrel and Bo-Mar style adjustable sights. All were excellent. There are more variations available now days, DAO,DAK, SAO, shorter barrels, finishes, etc. My experience with my P-220s was positive, never an issue, that I can recall, with any I owned...ymmv
 
i have three 220's, a west german, german, and a combat elite with threaded barrel, that i like so much i got a yankee hill supressor for it...........they are great guns, my wife almost threw a kimber at me because of the recoil, but she finds the sig very managable, as much of a 1911 fan that i am, i'll stick with the sig even over my xdm45.

it may or may not be the gun for you, but it's not a bad gun by anymeans.
 
I also have three. My old alloy framed, folded slide W. German 220 served as my duty gun and off-duty carry for some years. They are very accurate...as accurate as any 1911 at comparable price levels...and more reliable with less maintenance.

To maximize reliability, I'd go with a folded slide internal extractor model or a milled slide external extractor model.

I also prefer the factory (Mec-Gar) stainless 8rd magazines without the indention designed to retain the top round to the rear...I actually prefer the ACT-Mag to the factory ones
 
The P220 is a great all around pistol. I trust my life to mine everyday. I have a standard rail P220 and love it. I CC mine everyday. The great thing is it eats everything I feed it, while its slimmer profile fits my hands better than a P226.
 
For those of us who already own one, it's hard to imagine anyone not loving the things right from the git-go. I bought mine (W. German) used and would not trade it for a whole truckload of speckled pups! The pistol has what feels more like a much more controllable rearward push, than a flip of many 1911's. The initial double action is manageable, but once broken in- the single action is truly amazing. It's short, light, and fast- fast as in you will very likely be able to shoot much faster than you can get back on target if you don't practice a little control and discipline.

Field striping, cleaning, and general maintenance is a breeze. Just a tad of light oil on the rails, guide rod, and shiney areas on the barrel is enough to get you by just fine.
 
If I couldn't get a 1911, a P220 would definitely be my first choice for a .45 pistol. I fell in love with my fathers Carry version, though if I ever get one for myself it'll probably be SAO.
 
I own a few P220s.All have been flawless in functioning and reliability.Very accurate platform.All my P220s are older folded slides with the removable breech block.
The older Sigs with the blue type finish wasn't all that great and needed some care to keep from rusting.Easy to service from an armorers standpoint.Mine only required routine spring changes.
I too had excellent service from Mec-Gar mags before they actually started making them for SIG,have a few of the old zipper back SIG mags.
I like the older classic SIG P series compared to the newer railed models,but I'm old school.
Excellent weapon.
 
I had the choice of any pistol when I got mine(wedding gift from my wife). I had handled and shot almost every pistol in the same class. I already owned 1911's, so the P220 was a no brainer for me. I did not want a composite weapon. I wanted a DA/SA pistol, and I personally love a .45. For a carry pistol I wanted a hammer. It shoots like a dream. I love the 9 round capacity(8 in the mag one in the pipe). While it is not for eveyone, it has become my favorite pistol for carry. I trust Sig and their products 100%.
 
It's my favortie .45ACP under $3200. It is a soft-shooting, accurate and incredibly reliabe gun. I have loved every one I have shot. If I shot .45ACP enough, I would get one!
 
I didn't like mine, especially when used during competition.

Skinny grip, single stack mag, hard DA pull, tall bore axis, fiddly decocker controls.

However, it was decent for carry and ate everything in the six years of ownership. I much prefer my CZ 97b and scores in IDPA proved it works better for me. Better than the Glock 21sf in fact.
 
My favorite autoloading .45's I've owned have been (in this order) Les Baer, Sig P220, HK USP, and Glock 21. That also follows with how accurate they were for me with the Sig only a hair behind my Les Baer which cost close to three times more.
 
Wow lots of information, thanks for all the help and shared experience.

From what I have gathered I think I want one of the older folded slide versions. Now I need to keep my eyes open and find some lonley 220 a new home.
 
...I agree with Mr. Camp's findings as they mirror my own experiences with both new and old SiGs of the P220 and P series in general...but for some of the models with a lot of fluff (fluff some want or need but others do not) I think you couldn't go wrong with either...

Bill
 
I recently tried a SIG P220, a Springfield Armory 1911 Stainless and a Glock 21 in Florida. I was expecting the SIG to be the best and the Glock to be the worst. I found out (for my hands) the 1911 and the SIG had grips that were too skinny. I expected less perceived recoil with the heavier 1911 but that wasn't the case.
The Glock was the best of the three. It matched the SIG for accuracy but beat it for ergonomics (mainly the double-stack grip contributed to this) and had the mildest perceived recoil. The 1911 was the worst, I couldn't find any redeeming features and would pick the SIG over that any day.

And that was an eye-opener for me because I have disliked Glocks for many years.
I have had to completely rethink my opinion on Glocks, especially since I had a very good experience with a G26 after that...
 
I own a P220 Dark Elite

Great gun, dead on accurate, and superbly reliable. I removed the aluminum grips and replaced them with Houge rubber grips. The gun is very comfortable to shoot. One of my favorites.
 
I like my Model 220 Carry with the internal extractor and milled s/s slide and alloy frame. I carry it comfortably and well-concealed in a couple of iwb holsters I like. A very reliable and well-made pistol indeed.
 
I have a W.German P220 with the alloy frame. It also has the "euro-style" magazine release on the bottom of the frame. I definitely like it but don't shoot it that often. The single action pull is flawless and has a nice reset. Wish I had the factory box. They are great guns. I really want to buy one the dark elites. :drool:
 
I absolutely love mine (Made In W. Germany version). It's extremely accurate out to at least 50 yards. I used to go shooting with my brother and sink leaves floating down the river from 40 yards up the river bank. It got to where it was almost automatic that I was going to hit every leaf I pointed at. BTW there's no way a round could have skipped out of that river and hit anyone. The banks were too high. I even shot at a butterfly flying down the river. I missed it by about half an inch. They are accurate.

I do think they have a little to high of an axis which leads to too much barrel flip compared to other .45's I own. I have a much lighter .45 that seems to have less recoil because it recoils straight back. I've certainly seen pistols that had more barrel flip for sure and the Sig is not so bad I can't manage it.

I did have to replace the recoil spring after I had shot mine about 15000 rounds. Now it works perfect again. Don't buy any of the 10 round mags. They don't work so well in my experience. I do wish it held more ammo but it's an older design when there were no double stacks. I really like the grip on this pistol myself. But everyone is different there. I've got about 5 or 6 mags for mine though so capacity is just a matter of carrying a lot of extra mags..

The SA trigger pull is fabulous. The DA pull isn't. But I like the setup where I can carry it in half cocked mode without resting the bolt against a round. I've never even heard of there being a problem with carrying that way. I practiced cocking the pistols as I drew it from my holster and I got pretty quick at doing it.

I have several pistols now but the Sig was my only carry pistol for many years. I bought it used with some holster wear and not too much shooting wear so I'm guessing it was a carry piece for a local LEO. I paid $550 for it about 12 years ago or so. I've seen them for the same price several times since then so it must have been the price listed in the books. I haven't seen one for sale lately. I have actually been thinking about selling mine though. I've got it in my head to sell several guns and get a P210 Legend. That is one fantastic pistol. But then so is the P220 and I'm not one to sell something I really like. I know I would end up regretting it.
 
Very pleased with my P220 Combat. :)

sig220_02.jpg
 
Owned a German made P220 , bought new around 1995. Quite possibly the most accurate out of the box semi-auto centerfire handgun I have ever fired. One that I should have held on to!
 
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