Sig P220 Trade In?

[Panzerschwein]

I had the opportunity to buy a "very good to excellent", also with hand pick, Sig P220 trade in surplus (I assume police) for $470 on a surplus gun website. I took it.

What do you all think of these Sigs? I see they are a single stack gun, like a 1911, but it has a DA/SA action which I prefer and I have read the 220 is in general more reliable than the 1911.

Anyone have one or have carried one? Is that a good price I paid? Thanks!

 

[FL-NC]

For a VG to EXC, that is a good deal, IMO. I don't care for guns with hammers, and especially don't care for transitional DA- but the older Sigs (220, 228, 229, 226) are among the best handguns of that type, I believe.

 

[CNobbe]

The 220 is a great gun. I bought one a long time ago for the DA/SA trigger myself and it's a pleasure to shoot. It's a different animal than a 1911, and they are extremely reliable. I
prefer an older German model myself, but I'm old school.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

If you're only going to have one non-1911 .45, the P220 should be on the short list. All that classic SIG goodness in .45 ACP - what's not to love?

 

[Kookla]

Years ago I had a p245, the smaller version of the p220. Was the folded steel slide with the pinned breech block. Great pistol.

 

[TomJ]

I foolishly sold mine 20+ years ago and was able to replace it a year or so ago. I paid $500 for mine. $470 is a good deal. They're great guns, are accurate and very reliable. The only time I'll have an issue with mine is when I shoot really light loads (I reload). It tends not to cycle the slide, an issue I'm assuming can be corrected with a different coil spring, if it was something I wanted to change. It's been 100% with regular loads.

 

[WrongHanded]

I love my P220. Only issue I've had was very stiff mag springs. But that aside I've had zero issues with mine, no failures so far though it's had less than 1,000 rounds through it.

I would buy again. And would likely buy used for that price if I could inspect it first.

 

[thedriver101]

Sounds like a good deal to me if it's in good shape. No experience with the P220, but having owned a P225 and P228, I would say the biggest thing to watch out for is anodizing wear or cracks on the slide rails.

With proper maintenance, lube, and regular swaps on the breech block pin (assuming it's a folded slide), these things will last forever. If it's a police gun, then maintenance probably was not a problem.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Buy it. The P220 is an excellent gun, and like a typical classic P-series SIG, it's known for outstanding accuracy and reliability. As a police trade-in it will likely have external wear but have very little wear internally, as most cops are not gun guys and will only shoot the minimum that is required of them. Hence carried a lot, shot very little.

If it's a P220 with the legacy 2-piece slide with the pinned breechblock, the first thing you should do is have the double roll pins replaced as well as a new recoil spring. A short reset kit wouldn't hurt either.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I used to carry a personally owned alloy framed German 220 as a duty gun. I've also taught extensively with the stainless framed 220ST. My 220ST was a LE trade-in and was in EXC condition; I believe that mine had been reconditioned at the factory.

The 220 is definitely more reliable than the 1911 with the only requirement that the frame rails be kept greased. I've fired several 220s and have found them to generally more accurate than a similarly priced 1911 right out of the box.

If I were buying a LE trade-in gun, the first thing I'd do is change all the springs...just on general principles

 

[Panzerschwein]

Gang I got my trade in P220 today:



It is in excellent condition for sure. Minor wear on the barrel and barrel hood and a few tiny rubs from holster wear. Other than that, it might as well be NIB. The rails and insides show barely any use. I doubt this one has been fired much at all, and is just in great shape! The date code indicates it was made in 1999 in Germany. Very cool!

It has night sights but they are almost out. I understand SIG will install new night sights and do a thorough tear down, cleaning, reinstallation of springs and replacement of worn parts for a nominal fee. I plan to get this service done in the near future after I move but if I had to guess this one should be fine as is. I'll be hitting the range in the next day or two. Can't wait!!

For under $500, I think I did good to get a classic German made SIG with the older style features that are appealing to me visually. I'm a happy boy!!

 

[Kookla]

If I recall right, you can tell how much a sig has seen use by the "sig smile" on the top of the barrel by the muzzle. Looks good Both sigs I've have were great, the p245 especially so.

 

[paulsj]

I had the opportunity to buy a "very good to excellent", also with hand pick, Sig P220 trade in surplus (I assume police) for $470 on a surplus gun website. I took it.

What do you all think of these Sigs? I see they are a single stack gun, like a 1911, but it has a DA/SA action which I prefer and I have read the 220 is in general more reliable than the 1911.

Anyone have one or have carried one? Is that a good price I paid? Thanks!

I looked over one chamberd in .38 which I
I assume is similar to or like 9x23. Not a bad gun but the trigger for first shot out of holster to put it plainly sucks. It felt worse than my old Glock. It was better than that found on P6 of same brand I examined at same time that was truly hard and dreadful.

 

[bannockburn]

Cooldill

You done good! I had a Browning BDA in .45 and it was one sweet shooting gun. Very easy to control and very accurate, especially with fixed sights.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Great score OP. That's a keeper.

Since it's in such great shape, I would probably ask SIG to leave the original finish intact if you send it in for their service package.

I have a 1988 West German P226 that was my main shooter over the last 5 years. The trigger was just ok on it until I installed an 18-lb mainspring (down from the OEM 24 lb.) from Wolff and a short reset kit from SIG. Completely reversible mods that really improved the trigger and made it a fun and superbly accurate gun to shoot. You may want to look into that for your P220 (the desired mainspring weight might be different than a P226 though).

 

[.455_Hunter]

My West German P220 was surplus from a small Denver Metro police department (and so marked on the frame). A nearby LGS had the lot for $425 each, and one definitely came home with me. I had new night sights installed and it serves as a bedside gun for off-peak bear season.

 

[hemiram]

I don't know what dept my P220 came from, but whoever had it didn't carry or shoot it much. A little smiley on the barrel, and a couple of tiny nicks on the rail, that's it, I would give it 97-98%. A friend of mine looked at it quickly and thought it was new. For $400, it was a steal. The night sights are dim, and I replaced the recoil spring just because I'm paranoid, but that's it. Really a great gun. With one exception, a rough on one sided S&W 4586, all my LEO trade ins would rate 85% or better, with 3 of them 95+

 

[armoredman]

Sweet deal. The P-220 was the only 45 I ever liked.

 

[Litlman]

Awesome. Looks nice. I have never read anything bad about the 220 and considered grabbing one but, have never run in to one locally. It would have been hard to pass that one up.

 

[AZAndy]

I have four Sigs in .45-- a 1911 compact, 1911 C3 (CCO configuration), 1911 with 4.25", and a P220. All are quite accurate, and the 220 is the best of the bunch, though the trigger takes some getting used to after 1911s. Which reminds me, I should do some more getting-used-to today. ;-)

Slimmer grips are available, should you find them too bulky.

Looking forward to a range report!

 

[bannockburn]

AZAndy

I know I have posted this before but one time a friend of mine and myself shot my Browning BDA and Gold Cup side by side with the same match ammo. The Gold Cup groups were just a tad tighter but not by much. The BDA could really put them where it counts!

 

[AZAndy]

AZAndy

I know I have posted this before but one time a friend of mine and myself shot my Browning BDA and Gold Cup side by side with the same match ammo. The Gold Cup groups were just a tad tighter but not by much. The BDA could really put them where it counts!

My 220 is definitely my most accurate .45ACP, and that includes a couple of fancy revolvers, if I take my time with it. Rapid fire is where it falls apart for me, compared to 1911s, but I reckon I just need more time with the trigger to make it more subconscious. I used to have a similar problem with DA revolver shooting, but it's getting better. Every 10,000 rounds equals a 2% improvement, approximately.

 

[bannockburn]

AZAndy

My 220 is definitely my most accurate .45ACP, and that includes a couple of fancy revolvers, if I take my time with it. Rapid fire is where it falls apart for me, compared to 1911s, but I reckon I just need more time with the trigger to make it more subconscious.

One of the nicest things about my BDA was the SA trigger. Very clean and crisp with little if any take-up and a very quick reset. The DA took a little more effort to get it on target but as you say, if you take your time with it and practice a bit, you' will get better with it.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Gang range report!

Was firing at 8 yards today. Shot 100 rounds of .45 ACP ball ammunition, 50 rounds of Sig brand 230 grain FMJ and 50 rounds of Winchester "Service Grade" ammo.

There were 0 failures of any kind with all four magazines I tried, including the original flat bottom 7 rounder.

I love it! Was grouping under 2" at that range offhand. I am NOT a great pistol shooter by any stretch, but I can shoot this one as good or better than most of my others. There is some recoil but not bad at all, I have been spoiled with Beretta 9mms lately which have very little recoil. It is still easily controllable. The grip felt really nice and the trigger on mine is very nice in both double and especially single action.

I'm so glad I bought this gun! Think I might have a new travel gun when going through states with magazine limits. I need to get a good open carry holster and quad magazine pouch for when I'm out in the desert wasteland. Any ideas? Also, I will be sending the gun to Sig in a month or so to have it worked over with their service package, which also includes the installation of fresh nights sights. Awesome!!

I LOVE THIS GUN YAL!!!!!

 

[Airman Basic]

Speaking of flat-bottom mags, anybody know of a source for heelclip 220 magazines?