Sig P220?

I am looking at a new carry gun and am strongly considering a Sig P220.

http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=6&productid=302

However I am not sold yet and am still open to a different dead reliable .45 that is California friendly, I prefer heavier handguns and barrels over 4" for functionality reasons. No pocket guns please.

Anyone have an opinion? Or better, actually use a P220 and can give a review?

P220 love

I have several P220's and love them. I don't carry them all the time but they all shoot well. The only reason I carry others more is they have higher capacity.

The full size have 4.4 inch barrels and the carry version 3.9". Since I OC usually the longer barrel length is fine and the carry version is still fairly large to CC unless you have a jacket or shirt to cover them.

Sig is a great name in the industry. I would also put H&K in the same league and those two are my favorite brands.

So out of the box you get accuracy, reliability, durability, ease of maintenance.

My favorite P220 is the Stainless Elite which is about 40oz. The weight helps with recoil/muzzle-flip. I recommend their night sites and short reset trigger (both included in the elite line). Since it is a single stack magazine 8+1, the grip is comfortable and thin compared to other brands.

As far as holsters, I like the SERPA retention holster. I have a couple leather holsters and picked up (free) a couple other plastic ones but keep coming back to the SERPA.

If you can, rent one and shoot it. The recoil isn't that bad and I find them very comfortable to shoot for long sessions which is not the case for some of my other guns. Extra mags are moderately priced compared to H&K's higher prices.

You can get a Crimson Trace grip laser but I would try one out first before buying. The activation switch is on the side of the grip as opposed to the front so pressing it and to keep pressing it can be challenging.

There are several different models and sizes. I prefer the full size 4.4 inch model the most but do own a 5" and a couple 3.9" models. The mags are all interchangeable between models except for the compact 6+1.

Breakdown is easy as is cleaning.

My only criticism of the P220 is the 8+1 capacity. While it is ok, there are other 45acp pistols out there that have double stack higher capacity magazines. I have a H&K USP 12+1, Para Big Hawg 15+1, FN FNP-45 15+1. With you being in CA I don't think it will be an issue for you until/if the laws are changed.

The only other thing that may be criticism is the price. At about $900-$1000 they are at the higher end of average users. There are many good guns cheaper but I don't find anything wrong with paying the extra price for something that is going to work and possibly save your life.

If you buy one you won't regret it and you can always buy others too. Attached is a pic of my P220 Stainless Elite and Equinox (with threaded barrel).

Thanks for the post.

It was informative, although I thought you could get 10 round clips from Sig for them though.

As for the price I don't care, I am paying for the "If I pull the trigger, it will work" factor. This will be my first dedicated primary carry, most of the time I just use our hunting and range guns.

WilliamRB said:

I thought you could get 10 round clips from Sig for them though.

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Yes you can get 10 round magazines for them. My SS Elite came with 1-8rnd and 1-10rnd but the 10 round sticks out too far for my liking. So if I had to carry a 10 round it would be in a mag carrier and have an 8 round mag in the gun. Even in the mag carrier the 10 round is too high in my opinion. Now if you were going to carry it in a pocket it may work better.

45acpForMe said:

The only other thing that may be criticism is the price. At about $900-$1000 they are at the higher end of average users. There are many good guns cheaper but I don't find anything wrong with paying the extra price for something that is going to work and possibly save your life.

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This was the biggest problem I had with Sig, the price. Everything else about them I loved but because of the price, I had turned tail and decided they weren't going to work for me until I found out that a lot of Sig CPO pistols sell for $600-$700, or about the average price of most pistols I was looking at anyway when I first purchased. If the near $1,000 new price turns you off, I'd seriously consider going the CPO route since Sig inspects them and replaces parts that are out of tolerance. You may as well be buying a new Sig without having to spend new Sig money.

I was just about sold on a P220 as well, but the 8-rd capacity flush mags and the fact that I could comfortably shoot .40 S&W made it a no brainer for the P226 in my situation. I still long for a .45 but I'm not sure I'd go with a P220 simply because I like variety and I already have two carry pistols both of which are Sigs (P226 for OC and P239 for CC).

Auctions

One thing to consider are auctions. If you aren't in a hurry to buy you can monitor gunbroker.com or other auction sites to see if a good deal comes up. I got a great deal on my Match and Equinox models both < $850. Some "standard" models are also cheaper than if you go for the "upgraded" versions (SAS, Elite, etc).

Here is a P220 nitron for $775. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=184821272

Or another with night sites: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=184145581 $829 (starting bid $789)

Of course if you buy online you will have to pay shipping and transfer fees but I gladly pay $50-60 bucks to save $100-$300!

I was actually just looking on Gunbroker and CheaperThanDirt.

They have a nice 5" for $1K in stainless with black accents, very tempting.

MSRP from Sig is $1,300+.

I have a good question though.

The "Hogue aluminum grips" that some P220s have, are they just aluminum?
Or are they aluminum with rubber?

EDIT: Thinking about buying this... http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/57599-55.html

WilliamRB said:

I have a good question though.

The "Hogue aluminum grips" that some P220s have, are they just aluminum?
Or are they aluminum with rubber?

EDIT: Thinking about buying this... http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/57599-55.html

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That is a decent price. The cheapest I saw on gunbroker is $25 more. Check out shipping and find a local place that will do the transfer for you. The rate for transfers vary so you can expect anwhere between $25 and $50.

I don't know about the hogue grips. I wasn't aware that Sig started using them. I like the wood grips myself: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=184759728

WilliamRB said:

They have a nice 5" for $1K in stainless with black accents, very tempting. MSRP from Sig is $1,300+.

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It depends on how you are going to use the gun. If it is your main carry piece the shorter barrel .6" will help with comfort. Also my Match sticks out of every holster I have and haven't wanted to get a custom one yet.

The main thing (as a carry gun) I don't like about the Match version is the adjustable rear sights. While this is good if you are doing IDPA or other target shooting, for a carry gun I would rather have the night sights! I like my P220 Match (unfortunately not stainless) but I use it more for plinking. When I got it I was curious whether it would improve my accuracy. The extra .6 inches didn't seem to do much for me, and as some women say, size isnt' everything, how you use it is more important.

I started buying 5" Government 1911's and finally realized that there were 5" barrel-models available in Sig so had to try it. Again you can buy both so problem solved.

True, I could get both.

I just can't afford two right now.

Hence the waffling on the decision.

How is the weight difference between the two?

I know the match is heavier but is it noticable?

EDIT: Sorry for the large amount of questions, it's just that I have no way of getting to a gun shop in order to look at them myself right now. I am going to have to make the decision before I even get to handle one because of time constraints. This is far from ideal but with how the army moves me around it is the only choice I have.

45acpForMe said:

I don't know about the hogue grips.

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I have them on my P220. Extremely comfortable, but they have a tendency to rub against the trigger reset spring, making the trigger pull really bad, instead of like that of a very well tuned 1911. To fix that, I found that a small washer on the grip screw between the grip and frame will shim that problem away.

Anyway, in terms of a kali legal gun to be carried in accordance with their treasonous laws, it would be hard to beat a P220. Although a M&P 45 with a trigger job could in my opinion be argued to be a better gun because of only one trigger pull, interchangeable backstraps, 2 more rounds of capacity and a very comfortable and natural feeling grip shape.

So are the Hogue grips aluminum or rubber? Or both?

There may be a newer model, but mine are rubber only.

WilliamRB said:

How is the weight difference between the two?

I know the match is heavier but is it noticable?

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The weight difference between the stainless models and the regular models is noticeable, but.... I prefer the stainless models because the extra weight seems to help with recoil. As long as you have good belt it shouldn't be a problem although the heavier gun may bounce around a bit more if you are walking fast or running. The difference is only 9oz so it isn't bad.

The difference between a Match version and regular isn't noticeable and their website even lists them as the same weight which I am not sure can be true but maybe with different grip/guide rod mods they can. I bought one P220 (equinox) that came with a carbon fiber guide rod. That is the only one that didn't have steel. I am not sure why.

So according to Sig (a stainless match==a stainless fullsize), (a regular match==a regular fullsize) in weight.

I have a low-round P220 Carry that I bought used for $600, with Hogue Cocobolo grips and 2 7-round mags. Although it has a 3.9" barrel, it is every bit as accurate and reliable as my bigger pistols.

Saying that, the best P220's are the full sized (4.4") W. German imports, if you can find one.

So looking forward to where this thread goes.

I've been looking at these as well as the 250? kits.

heresyourdipstickjimmy said:

So looking forward to where this thread goes.

I've been looking at these as well as the 250? kits.

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Being a Sig fan I considerd the P250. I was disappointed when it came out with only 10+1 capacity. Also their "Duo" deal where you get a fullsize and compact together is not available in 45acp. Being "45acpForMe" that lost my interest quickly.

I have friend that has a P250 in 9mm and likes it alot. Since I have several P220's I didn't see the need to invest in new holsters mags etc. With the P220's I can share the mags and hosters.

If you can afford them, Sig P220's (P226, P229, etc) are great guns that won't disappoint. Now if the ATF would get off their a$$ and approve my suppressor I could tell you how the Equinox shoots suppressed.

I'll chime in since I haven't been asked.

I'm a big fan of Sigs, especially the classic German P22x models, and I think every pistol shooter ought to have at least a P220 and P228 in their collections. My P220R3 stainless elite may be my favorite pistol. I prefer the Carry (3.9" barrel) to the full size (4.4" barrel), seems to be a little better balanced (not that I'm a good enough shooter that it really matters). But if someone wants to gift me an X-SIX Level 1, please PM!

I have heard very good things about the SigPro's too, but have not yet owned one. Not so many good things about the P250, although they seem to have their fans. The P250 does have one advantage for CA residents in that you can have multiple form factors and calibers while registering only one pistol.

The OP should understand that his residing in CA may make buying from Gunbroker or other auction sites more difficult, many FFLs prefer not to subject themselves to CA's transfer requirements. Read the auction notes carefully before placing a bid. You do have my sympathy, I stopped in to a CA gun shop a year or so ago, and I could not believe the inflated prices.

I can recommend Top Gun Supply as an on-line dealer, good prices, good selection, and spectacular service. You can also occasionally find bargains in the SigForum classified section.

I alternate carry between my 220 and 229. Both are great and highly reliable.

My buddy has aluminum grips on his, not sure if they are Hogue. They are completely aluminum and a bit thinner than the stock plastic grips.

Extremely good deals are available if you keep your eyes open, I've never paid close to list for one. My 220 was purchased earlier this year for 479 including shipping (and is in great shape).