Well I did a recent dueling 220's review at the range this weekend. Posted earlier on SIGforum. Pretty interesting turnout. I often wondered if the heft of the ST added to accuracy.
THE CONTENDERS:
SIG P220-American... blued with stamped slide, 91 date-code, aluminum framed, all german marks, SIGlites, old-school checkered grips. No modifications.
SIG P220ST, with standard stainless finish, Von Stagenhagen sights, old-school propriety accessory rail, mounted adapter and M3 light, stippled grips replaced the standard factory rubber Hogues.
THE AMMUNITION:
I wanted to check my fave handload against a factory load of Remington 185gr JHP.
I also used a tried and true handload recipe.
185gr Remington JSWC Match bullets atop once-fired PMP brass, 4.5gr of Bullseye, OAL=1.164", CCI standard large pistol primers. Clocks at ~780fps. Loaded on a Dillon 550. Cases cleaned prior to loading. Light crimp. No trimming or case-weighing performed.
(Oh, included is a little promo for my little brothers band, STRANGEWAY . If you're in the Pittsburgh area, check 'em out!!!)
THE RANGE:
The local gunclub, on a sunny breezy day, 60 degrees. No onlookers or shooting buddies.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
I've owned this standard 220 for a little less than 5 months. It was apparently a police trade-in that someone ordered but never picked up. The dealer sold it to me for less than 400 bucks. The pistol looks worn on the outside from holstering. The internals are flawless. The pistol needed a little sight adjustment initially and Steve the P-220 man was kind enough to let me borrow his pusher. It has the older non-rebounding hammer which is more sharply spurred than the newer 220. The trigger is delectibly smooth. I've personally put about 1000 rounds through it...don't know how many were through it originally.
The 220ST-1 has been in my possession since September of last year. I traded for it, NIB. Some folks here consider it the pinnacle of classic SIG pistols. I personally love this pistol and it's proven to be more accurate than most of my 45s. I have finally mastered it, I think, and it will outshoot my HK USPs. With the light and adapter mounted, the switch for the M3 is a bit too low. This pistol hiccuped at first with extraction and slide-hold open problems, but after a couple thousand rounds, it has ran like a champ.
RESULTS:
I fired 5 round groups freehand from 10 yards for the enclosed pics. Using the modified Weaver, and a two-eyes open technique. Slow fire, all mags loaded with 5 rounds.
Here's the best I could muster with the Remington factory (Sorry, no pics of the factory ammo as I shot it all before I could take pics)....
The P220ST:
It measured 1" from center-to-center.
The 220 American:
It measured 1 3/8" center-to-center.
The handloads of course, proved more accurate. Here are the best results:
The P220ST:
This group measured 3/4".
The P220-American:
This group measured 1 3/8"...the same as factory!
CONCLUSION:
The hands-down winner was the P220ST.
I feel the extra heft and the tighter slide-to-frame tolerences provide a more consistent and accurate shooting experience. Follow up shots are much quicker than with the American, and recoil with the relatively mild loads are similar to shooting 9mm out of a P226.
Not to say that the P220 is obsolete compared to the 220ST. The 220 conceals and carries much easier. Either way, you cannot lose. If you've never fired the original SIG classic P-series .45, please do so soon! You will not regret your experiences.
Thanks for letting me share.
THE CONTENDERS:
SIG P220-American... blued with stamped slide, 91 date-code, aluminum framed, all german marks, SIGlites, old-school checkered grips. No modifications.
SIG P220ST, with standard stainless finish, Von Stagenhagen sights, old-school propriety accessory rail, mounted adapter and M3 light, stippled grips replaced the standard factory rubber Hogues.
THE AMMUNITION:
I wanted to check my fave handload against a factory load of Remington 185gr JHP.
I also used a tried and true handload recipe.
185gr Remington JSWC Match bullets atop once-fired PMP brass, 4.5gr of Bullseye, OAL=1.164", CCI standard large pistol primers. Clocks at ~780fps. Loaded on a Dillon 550. Cases cleaned prior to loading. Light crimp. No trimming or case-weighing performed.
(Oh, included is a little promo for my little brothers band, STRANGEWAY . If you're in the Pittsburgh area, check 'em out!!!)
THE RANGE:
The local gunclub, on a sunny breezy day, 60 degrees. No onlookers or shooting buddies.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
I've owned this standard 220 for a little less than 5 months. It was apparently a police trade-in that someone ordered but never picked up. The dealer sold it to me for less than 400 bucks. The pistol looks worn on the outside from holstering. The internals are flawless. The pistol needed a little sight adjustment initially and Steve the P-220 man was kind enough to let me borrow his pusher. It has the older non-rebounding hammer which is more sharply spurred than the newer 220. The trigger is delectibly smooth. I've personally put about 1000 rounds through it...don't know how many were through it originally.
The 220ST-1 has been in my possession since September of last year. I traded for it, NIB. Some folks here consider it the pinnacle of classic SIG pistols. I personally love this pistol and it's proven to be more accurate than most of my 45s. I have finally mastered it, I think, and it will outshoot my HK USPs. With the light and adapter mounted, the switch for the M3 is a bit too low. This pistol hiccuped at first with extraction and slide-hold open problems, but after a couple thousand rounds, it has ran like a champ.
RESULTS:
I fired 5 round groups freehand from 10 yards for the enclosed pics. Using the modified Weaver, and a two-eyes open technique. Slow fire, all mags loaded with 5 rounds.
Here's the best I could muster with the Remington factory (Sorry, no pics of the factory ammo as I shot it all before I could take pics)....
The P220ST:
It measured 1" from center-to-center.
The 220 American:
It measured 1 3/8" center-to-center.
The handloads of course, proved more accurate. Here are the best results:
The P220ST:
This group measured 3/4".
The P220-American:
This group measured 1 3/8"...the same as factory!
CONCLUSION:
The hands-down winner was the P220ST.
I feel the extra heft and the tighter slide-to-frame tolerences provide a more consistent and accurate shooting experience. Follow up shots are much quicker than with the American, and recoil with the relatively mild loads are similar to shooting 9mm out of a P226.
Not to say that the P220 is obsolete compared to the 220ST. The 220 conceals and carries much easier. Either way, you cannot lose. If you've never fired the original SIG classic P-series .45, please do so soon! You will not regret your experiences.
Thanks for letting me share.
