Am I the only one not crazy about the Sig P220?

[Gordon Fink]

My SIG P220 is my nightstand gun and one of the pistols I shoot the most accurately. Yes, the grip is large for my small/medium hands, and the double-action trigger reach is long, but I can still put my first shot in the black on a B-16 target at 10 yards.

I’m thinking about ordering the short trigger, and if anyone ever puts out low-profile grip pannels, I would certainly give them a try. It would at least be instructive on the merits of thin vs. fat grips. Still, the pistol gets the job done as is.

I did have a couple failures to feed during the first hundred rounds or so, but these were probably due to me not seating the eight-round magazines properly. Otherwise, the pistol has been completely reliable.

I consider the P220 a combat pistol, something you grab when you know trouble is coming. In that respect, I would cock it if I suspected danger—glass breaking in the middle of the night, for example. Even in single-action, a deliberate trigger pull is required to fire the weapon. I experimented (with the pistol unloaded, of course) and could not “accidentally†pull the trigger.

~G. Fink

 

[Handy]

limited mag capacity; high bore axis

FYI, the 220 has the same capacity and bore axis as the 1911. But this is a fair comparison to a 13 round G21 with its lower axis.

 

[Tamara]

I might buy a P220 if I ever stumbled across one in .38 Super, just for the funkiness value. Other than that, while fine pistols, they just don't blow my kazoo.

 

[jacketch]

Very fine gun but I too dislike the long trigger pull, high bore axis and the fact that it isn't a BHP.

 

[B27]

Steve-
Consider the short trigger and some Hogue smooth wood grips...




I am a big 1911 fan but this is the gun I carry every day. With the short trigger I can grip it exactly the same as I do my 1911's. And I wear medium sized gloves so must assume I have average size hands.

 

[jimbo]

Yes.

 

[sig970]

I personally don't think it gets much better than a Sig P220 or a Beretta 96 Border Marshal for DA/SA handguns.

 

[Schuey2002]

Disclaimer: I do not work for, or am I associated
with the company known as SIG-Sauer, SIGARMS, SIG-
Hammerli, J.P. Sauer & Sons or any other affliate. ...

So, are you saying that you're not being paid by them?!

I'm shocked!

 

[dairycreek]

I have two 220's!

One is a two tone and the other is a stainless. Love them both. I have particularly large hands and, for me, fit is no problem at all. My son-in-law has small hands and both guns present him real problems. Such is life! Good shooting

 

[DoubleAction]

I'll see your two, and raise you one ! Just kidding, Mine is just plain brown wrappers, nothing fancy.
The 220 got my attention in 1982, after reading about it in "Handgun Tests", I still have that same article in a plastic bound binder. Alot has happened with the Sig 220 and the P-Series Sigs since then.

Standard 220 .45 ACP


220 .45 ACP, Trijicon Tritiums, Eagle Rosewood


220 - 38 Super , Hogues


The 220s led to the purchase of Six more Sigs, these are three others in the .40 S&W & 357 sig.

 

[albanian]

I had a really nice SIG 220 that was made in W. Germany and had nite sights. It shot sub 2" groups at 25 yards and never jammed after the first 200 break in rounds. It was the best DA/SA pistol I have owned with the possible exception of my Beretta 92fs. Count me in with the people that had to get rid of it because it didn't fit my hand.

SIG is really dropping the ball by not making the trigger in DA more reachable for the average person. Same goes for CZ. I can't buy a CZ because the DA trigger is such a far reach for me. My Beretta 92fs fits me better than the SIG or the CZ so I guess I don't really have small hands, just average.

 

[natedog]

I rented one, fired 100 rounds, decided it wasn't for me. I shoot the heavier 1911 better, and the 1911 has a single action trigger. I just couldn't warm up to DA/SA in only 100 rounds. It was 100% reliable, very high quality, and I imagine in trained hands very accuracte. Just not for me.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

The first handgun I fired was a P220, I liked it a lot, but have not gotten around to getting one. I do have a 225 and Sig Pro 2340 though. I missed the boat when CDNN had them real cheap.

 

[Dienekes]

The 220 was one of the semiautos authorized for personal purchase and use by my agency while I was instructing. Took the SIG armorer's course in the 90s, and while I didn't own one of my own in those days I certainly shot them quite a bit. A friend of mine took his to Gunsite and brought back an "E" ticket in the 250 course, so there was no question as to whether the pistol can deliver the mail or not.

Funnily enough I sprung for one after retirement. I still have it (mothballed) but like some others mentioned, I never could shoot it as well as I should have. I recontoured the stock trigger to my idea of a short trigger (about the same curvature as a BHP) which helped with my small hands, and experimented with it in the stock DA/SA and also DAO. Also had SIG do an action job on it. Went back to DA/SA in the end.

In the end I was never able to shoot it very well under stress; the gun is about 10% too big for me, the trigger reach still a little long in DA, and the bore axis a little higher than I liked. Trigger weight and smoothness not bad, but nothing like a good wheelgun which was what I was used to. All those problems go away by picking up a good 1911, which tells me what I need to know.

Of late I have been thrashing out a Ruger P97, and the awful truth is that in my hands at least it far surpasses the 220, and for a lot less money. Hitting with the P97 is almost as easy as the 1911, and it shoots better than I can.

I have still not quite given up on the 220, but I would carry the dorky plastic Ruger on duty tomorrow.

BTW those checkered Hogue wood grips sure improve the looks of the gun...

 

[Berg01]

The P220 is a big frame handgun, so persons with smaller hands & fingers may have issues with it. But it is absolutely one of the very best service pistols "out-of- box", and it is superb with a little action tuning, such as the Action Enhancement Package performed by the SigArms Custom Shop; it would be tough to complain about one of these triggers.

 

[SAWBONES]

I've owned two of 'em, a European P220 and an early (non-rebounding, sharp-spurred hammer) P220A.
I don't own either anymore, nor any of the other Sig-Sauer pistols I used to have.

I absolutely HATE DA/SA pistols, and refuse to own any of them, since lots of better options exist.
Aside from which, the Sigs' bore axis is way too high for best use.
And the finishes (black and electroless nickel on different examples) were crummy.

Other than those issues, I found them to be accurate and dependable.

 

[Black Snowman]

I've been debating on renting on but I'm afraid I might like it and I'm not a huge fan of the .45 ACP round, single stack autos, or SIGs in general. I've found that the CZ 97B is a perfect fit for my hand and I've shot one already, and very well. Nearly as good as my Buckmark 5.5 Target. It points so well and is so accurate I find it difficult to belive that the extra $$$ for the Sig can be justified in any measurable way for my collection other than being able to say "I have a SIG 220 too".

So, I'm not sold on the 220 either. I guess I just like my guns like I like my adult film stars, from Czechoslovakia.

 

[W Turner]

I have never owned one, but have shot two different examples. One was a LEO-friend's duty weapon in nickel and the other was a range gun. They both fed and functioned fine with good accuracy, but I was completely underwhelmed.

If I ever spend that much on a non-1911 .45 it will be for an HK. The DA trigger is at least as good if not better and the HK can be carried in condition 1.

However, like Sean Smith said, I can and will recommend them to anyone looking, they are just not for me.

W

 

[KMKeller]

If I ever spend that much on a non-1911 .45 it will be for an HK. The DA trigger is at least as good if not better and the HK can be carried in condition 1.

I've owned both and can say from personal experience that there is no comparison between the triggers. The Sig triggers are far and away better than the HKs. HKs were my first guns and I couldn't get beyond the gritty, jerky nature of their triggers. I owned a USP 45c and a USP a45t. Both were the pits with the triggers. I now own and compete with 220 and 226 Sigs and won't move to anything else unless something really impresses me. In fact, I traded my HKs for my Sigs.

 

[Sean Smith]

Um, why was this dead topic revived?

My opinion is still the same; you can look at my post from over a YEAR AGO on this topic and read it.

 

[jimbo]

Yes, yes you are. You are ALL ALONE in not worshipping the P220 unlike every other man, woman and child on the planet.

It must be lonely being you...

From now on, you will be called............Hermit!

 

[DoubleAction]

The Sig pistols is only the part of the good life of offered by Sigarms, they also have some very nice clothing from their apparrel store. If I had to own just one Sig in order to savor their garment line up of fashions, I would consider my life complete, with justice served on a silver platter .

 

[Master Blaster]

Its too huge for my hands, and it has a very long stiff DA trigger pull and the sa pull is not even close to any 1911.

When I fired a friends which had a trigger job, the muzzle flip seemed greater than on a 1911.

The 1911 beats it hands down in every way for me.

 

[Bob79]

Great Gun

Looks like we're seeing a pattern here, being that its a good quality gun, but it may not fit your hand properly.

I have DA/SA P220 in blue, green recoil spring, made in germany, and didn't like the grips it came with either. I got the Hogue rubber ones w/ the finger grooves. I love the feel, weight, recoil (or lack there of), and it's very reliable. I do have to cock the whole gun inward to reach the de-cocker though, but I'm used to doing it now.

Only problem I've had was the mag release button broke once, and obviously wouldn't hold the mag in then, rendering it useless. Weird as all heck though, I asked the smith who fixed it for me if he had ever seen this before and he said NO. Maybe (and hopefully) a freak thing, I suppose if it happens again I'll probably be really pissed off, and send it in to SIG.

 

[DoubleAction]

Bob; I hate to see a fellow Sig lover have to spend extra money to ship his pistol off to Sig, for a mag catch. I once posted photos on how to swap out the mag catch, for a left handed shooter on another forum. Sending in the broken mag catch to sig, will probably get you another at no cost. That is alot less expense than shipping your pistol both ways. I doubt if this will happen again, as long as you stick with the factory German Sig Sauer mags. If I'm not around, you can find me here: Handguns