Sig Sauer P220 Question

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Will B

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I am giving real consideration to purchasing a Sig Sauer P220 as my carry gun. I need the forum's help because I can see no reason not to purchase it, which doesn't make sense. I always weigh the pros and cons, but so far the only con for the Sig is the price.

I have sold my XD in .45 because of some failure to feed issues when shooting hollowpoints. This was my old carry gun. I don't like Glocks because of the grip angle. M&Ps are unimpressive.

The only real challenger at this point is a 1911 of some type, but those are expensive too.

What I need to know is if anyone has had problems with the Sig Sauer P220 or has any reservations when it comes to carrying one.

Thanks
 
A P220, for $700-800, will work every time, forever (from what I've seen, I don't own one, but the Sigs I do own run well, and my friends' P220s have never had any issues). A 1911, in the same price range, is a crap shoot. You might get a good one, but you might get one that has to be sent back to the factory a few times.

I was in the same boat, and since shooting my P6s and learning their trigger, I will definately be getting the P220 instead of a 1911. I can't spend that much on a gun and have it not work 100%.
 
That is very encouraging wheelgunner.

I love the way the gun fits my hand and that I can carry it in condition 1. I agree about the price, I can't spend any more money on guns that don't fit or don't work. I suppose I just want to get it right this time.
 
I'll have to agree on the Sig P220. Wish I had one right now. One of the most accurate out-of-the-box handguns I have ever fired. And this is coming from a 1911 pistolsmith, by the way (me). If you look on gunbroker.com, auctionarms.com or in a used selection of pistols somewhere, you can find one under the prices most people see. It would be helpful to find one with some extra magazines, 'cause they are pricey if you have to buy one at a time. By the way, you'll probably also see some older European models with the mag release on the bottom of the grip. Those are great too, and can still be reloaded very fast. I actually really like them. You may also find some listed as a Browning BDA .45 There was a while that Browning was importing them from Sig and giving them that name.;)
 
Thank you Lookn4Brass.

I appreciate your opinion, especially considering you're a pistolsmith. So, you think so much of the P220 that you recommend buying a used one even.

How many rounds fired would be too many rounds for this gun in your opinion?
 
I have a P220R DAO that has elbowed its way into being my favorite 45 as well as my primary carry gun. Although its large, I find it to be flat, light, and easy to carry, very accurate and soft shooting for the caliber. If it feels as good in your hand as it does in mine you will fall in love with it.
 
I wouldn't say a number of round that would be to many. I know with a lot of the older militeria I collect I usually go by the condition of the exterior of the gun, the depth of the rifling in the barrel as well as the blueing of the steel, if it was blued to start with. The better the blueing the better the condition on the barrel from my understanding.
 
I have a 20+ year old west german SIG P220 that has thousands upon thousands of rounds through it. It is just a wonderful,accurate, reliable .45 that will give you a lifetime of service.
 
My duty weapon is a P220 and has never failed. 100% out of the box reliability. Will be a good choice.
 
Go for it. If I could not have a custom 1991, the P220 would be it

I like them very much. You cant find cons, because rhere are none (at least not Sig-nificant ones. :) The ones I have shot were very reliable, accurate and comfortable to shoot. The stock NS were well regulated for 200-230 grainers out to 15 yards. And for ~$800 they are the only game in town as far as I am concerned. You will have to decide on trigger and sights. I would go with an SAO with NS and get a few extra mags.

Enjoy!

Shooter429
 
My P220 Carry is my favorite out of about 25 pistols I own...I don't carry it though, just too big, but it is still my favorite, resides on the nightstand, even though I own several 40s that hold way more rounds...;)
 
The P220 is a great gun. I carried one as an issued duty gun for several years (my agency eventually switched over to 9mm Glocks), and still have a P220 of my own. CDNN has high quality Mec-Gar 8-round mags for $19.95 - just got some a couple of weeks ago.
 
I have a 1996 vintage W. German Sig 220 I bought used (but slightly) I've put thousands of rounds through it- the only malfunctions I ever had were because I tried to get cheap and buy some ProMag magazines instead of the Sig/MecGar mags. With Sig mags the pistol is 100% error free. I use mine as my winter CCW carry gun and my year-round .45 range blaster.

You could buy a 1911 for the price of a used P220. Then you would have to send it off for a reliabilty and accuracy tuning job, new mags, a bunch of other stuff and spend 5X the price of the Sig.
 
I enjoy both my Sig Sauer pistols (P220R and P220 Carry two tone). There are some issues that some owners have with the P220 pistols, mainly FTF/FTE. I've never had any problems with my pistols and would highly reccomend them.

I've heard that the new Sig Sauer pistols now have external extractors which is nice. BTW, I opted to send my P220 Carry back to Sig Sauer to get the trigger action worked on. I had the SRT and AEP trigger packages done and the difference is night and day from stock. I just might send in my P220R to get the trigger enhancement package done to it also as I found it worthwhile.
 
I'm looking at a P220 as well. The cons for me are:

1. The trigger is shaped weird, the face feels strange to me.

2. The trigger has a spongy break with a pronounced "boing" upon release.

3. Not a whole lot of after-market options, in fact pretty much none.

4. Mags are expensive.

5. It's homely

6. For a Browning-based design it seems unnecessarily complex

7. Lot of other really good guns in the same price range.
 
The only problem I have with the P220 is that it's too big for my hand. I don't generally like DA/SA autos that can't be carried cocked and locked anyway, but the size and trigger reach of the P220 just take it out of consideration.
 
6. For a Browning design it seems to have a lot of extra parts.
Click to expand...
That's not really a meaningful criticism.

Browning did NOT design the P220 or any other SIG. He developed the fundamental principle by which it works, but others like Saive and Petter took things in other directions. The actual implementation differs in major details. That I recall, none of Browning's actual designs locks the slide and barrel together at the ejection port. All of his successful short recoil designs use locking lugs on the barrel and locking recesses in the top of the slide.

It's like saying, "For a Wright Brothers design, the P-51 Mustang sure has a lot of extra parts."
 
*shrug*

I see what you are saying, but when I have a fistful of cash and a row of similarly priced guns, I ponder everything. It's a personal failing I suppose.

Oh, and I guess we cross-posted on my edit where I wrote Browning-based design.
 
I'll have to agree with the guys on the rounds fired thing. Most gun owners never even come remotely close to wearing out a gun, except for the springs inside. If you'll field-strip the pistol and look at the wear areas on the frame and slide, it should be obvious whether or not the gun has been shot too much, and yes, the barrel and overall finish of the gun is usually an indicator of how many rounds have been through the gun too. Check for squashed areas on the aluminum frame or "peening" marks as we call them. Also check for hairline cracks on the gun too. Sometimes they appear to just be fine scratches. NO, cracks don't happen very often at all. My wheels don't fall off of my truck often either, but..! If the inside of the slide, barrel, and frame looks OK, then fine. Buy a new recoil spring for it, install it, and go have fun.

By the way, Mec-Gar makes the magazines for Sig, or at least they used to. Brownell's probably has some. You might find some with the Mec-Gar listing instead of factory listing for a better price. I forgot about the SAO (single action-only) version of the P220. That would be real nice, if you can afford a new one. That way, every shot you fire feels the same to the ol' trigger finger. The SAO models haven't been around long enough to find a used one very easily, IMO. :banghead:
You might find a used European style standard one for a good price, put a new recoil spring in it, and have enouqh money left over to go get ya a bunch of ammo and a DeSantis Speed Scabbard holster for it too.;):D
 
I have a P220 and it's rock solid. The trigger leaves something to be desired though. I've been making eyes at a SIG GSR down at the gun shop. Something else to consider maybe?
 
I've owned two 220s and for me the overriding con was the size. As for concealed carry, those things are massive.

At least for me they were.
 
If you Google it, I found the earlier West German models were totally rock solid.
Some of the later models with internal extractors had numerous FTE issues.
The new, new models with external extractors seem to have solved the above stated problems.
Lots of threads available in numerous forums discussing the above.
I ended up with a P229 in 40SW. Good luck with your decision!
 
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