Sig shoots and LOOKS low

[Hatchett]

I recently purchased a NIB SIG P229 in .40 caliber for my brother and he's shot it about 150 or so times before telling me that he thought that it shot low. Not only this, but as I look at it, it looks like the business end of the barrel isn't perfectly centered inside the hole that it looks out of in the front of the slide. The barrel seems to be pressed flat against the bottom of the hole, while there's a huge gap between it and the top of the hole. I also notice that the action of the slide seems to be wearing a lot of the finish on the top of the barrel down to bare metal, all the way across, and is doing the same to the very end of the underside of the barrel.

Is there something wrong here, or is this normal?

 

[Ala Dan]

Not too burst your bubble, but the SIGARMS .40 caliber P229 is the only
SIG that I NEVER could get too group worth a damn~! Mine was
NIB back in '95, and it undoubtedly was the worst SIG I have ever owned.
Needless to say, I got rid of the blasted thing and have NEVER looked
back; favoring the .45 ACP SIG-SAUER P220A instead~!

 

[bluto]

You can relax. Completely normal.

The hole at the front of the slide is actually slightly oval on purpose to allow the barrel to tilt during the firing process. The barrel, however, is seated or pinned by pressure to the bottom of the opening when in battery. But it always leaves that crescent space above the barrel. The firm mating of surfaces is what accounts for Sig's famous accuracy and for the equally famous wear patterns on both top and bottom of the barrel known as "smilies". All Sigs get em'.

As for shooting low: Sigs are sighted to "cover target". That means you should place the top of the front sight directly on top of/over the target so that it covers the place you want the bullet to impact. This differs from a traditional 6 o'clock hold like a 1911 or some other makes. 150 rounds isn't much in the way of becoming familiar with a new gun IMO. Might be a good idea to get another shooter (preferably a Sig owner) to try your P229 to see if it's the gun or your brother.

The P229 is a fantastic pistol. You are one generous brother. Sigs like to be lubricated, so make sure to apply some lubricant to the barrel and rails of the slide before you shoot. Enjoy.

 

[Hatchett]

Thanks very much for the informative reply, bluto. That's just what I needed to know.

 

[baz]

As for shooting low: Sigs are sighted to "cover target". That means you should place the top of the front sight directly on top of/over the target so that it covers the place you want the bullet to impact. This differs from a traditional 6 o'clock hold like a 1911 or some other makes. 150 rounds isn't much in the way of becoming familiar with a new gun IMO.

I've reported elsewhere that my Taurus PT 24/7 (9mm) seems to shoot this way. I've over 1000 rounds through it now, and think I have a pretty good handle on how it shoots, i.e. that it isn't me. But this was my first handgun, and it was confusing to me because all that I had read talked about the 6 o'clock hold.

 

[gopguy]

If it continues to shoot low the good news is that Sig Arms sells different height front and rear sights and sells a sight pusher that makes get windage dead on easy.

http://www.sigarms.com/Default.aspx

 

[bdcochran]

shooting low

There is a difference between "shooting low" because the sight height is off and "shooting low" because of anticipating recoil, looking for holes in the target or taking a 6 o'clock hold instead of cutting the intended target vertically and horizontally - meaning a dead center hold.

One way of testing is to have someone else shoot a target at a distance that the holes cannot be seen and to cut the target in 1/2 instead of a 6'o clock hold. Then you will know whether the problem is sight height, shooter technique or the shooter.

I have a brother that a gave a perfectly good Browning designed .45acp government model. He complained that it was inaccurate. He also had declined to ever take any professional shooting instruction.

 

[double_pedro]

Like others have said, this sounds perfectly normal. You will also find that bullet weight will affect your point of impact. Generally, heavier bullets will have a higher point of impact. You may want to experiment with bullet weight and see.

If you decide you want to correct things, you'll find standard Sig sights at reasonable prices at CDNN. On the side of the front sight (and front of the rear sight) you'll find a stamped number (between 5 and 10). According to Sig, increasing the front sight by one number raises the POI by about 3/4" at 25 yards. Increasing the rear sight by one number raises the POI by 2x this amount. You probably have a #6 front and # 8 rear if your gun is 40 SW or #8 front and #8 rear if it's 9mm or 357 Sig.