Saleen, that's a hellofa pistol you've got there...and I've noted the load too! But I'd suggest about 4 left on the windage....I've got a factory nickle P220 that's good but not THAT GOOD. With a tuned load, it'll do less than 2" at 25 yds from rest, (of course), and I like the grips and trigger too. Best regards, Rod
Does anything compare to a P210?
- Thread starter BoogieMan
- Start date
Jim Watson
New member
One of the specs for the Sig was that it be As Accurate AS the Lugers it was to replace. The Swiss have shot a lot more matches than they have fought wars.
rt11002003
New member
I thought the Swiss p210 I had was a nice gun. But, didn't find I enjoyed shooting it as much as my SIG X-5 L1 and X-6 L1; both are more accurate and easier to shoot well.
I liked the HK p7 pistols. Easy to shoot and accurate. Had 9 other HK's mostly USP models and a Mark 23, all good pistols; as accurate as the p210 and easier to shoot well.
The most accurate, out of the box, semi auto, pistol at a reasonable price has been my CZ75 Tactical Sport. Better ( for the money) all around, than the CZ75 SP-01 Shadow Target II.
Love 1911's. Especially STI's
Too many great guns out there for someone my age!
I liked the HK p7 pistols. Easy to shoot and accurate. Had 9 other HK's mostly USP models and a Mark 23, all good pistols; as accurate as the p210 and easier to shoot well.
The most accurate, out of the box, semi auto, pistol at a reasonable price has been my CZ75 Tactical Sport. Better ( for the money) all around, than the CZ75 SP-01 Shadow Target II.
Love 1911's. Especially STI's
Too many great guns out there for someone my age!
rt11002003 said:
I've shot them both back to back, on several occasions, and the X5 hangs very well with the 210. The X5 has a much better trigger but on the other hand the 210 should hold up much better with very high round counts. The 952, as WVsig mentioned, is very close to both and I'm always on the hunt for one of them at a decent price. Sadly all of the early PC autos, which are world class pistols, have been bringing big bucks in the last couple of years.
The X5 is going shoot up massively in value in the coming years for the simple fact that Sig Germany is all but done. Seems the German government takes a dim view on arms manufacturers acting as junior scam artists. Those goofballs in Exeter will do nothing but embarrass themselves when they try to match what the artisans in Germany and Switzerland were producing.
I love my P210 Legend, it's my favorite handgun to shoot, but it's the whole package really, not just accuracy. As other folks point out, there are other semi-autos that are as accurate or more accurate, new and used, and all of them are more accurate than I am capable of using hand-held. But the trigger is great, the balance is great, the weight is just right, everything is butter-smooth, etc.
First Sig 210 I saw, was owned by an ex-Army Major, who was in a Club we used to shoot against in England.
When he saw the Civilian Browning Hi Power I was shooting, he loaned me his 210! I blew the middle out of my slow fire target!
No, he did not lend me it again.
The next one I saw, was in the Custom Holster of a Police Officer in Aden, at the start of the Suez Canal. We were talking about my Taxi Drivers Vehicle, the Officer wanted to dump it in the Canal!
After a pleasant chat, he decided not to do that! I asked him if the Sig 210 was issued? He had real good English, and a good sense of humor.
He wagged his hand! So I guess it was obtained otherwise.
Reference my Smith 52, target pistol, only fired wad-cutter 148 g rounds.
5 round magazines.
Funny story, sent it back to S&W for a repair. It came back in a cardboard box FRONT OF THE PISTOL STICKING OUT OF THE BOX!
Postman said it is damaged box? Do I want to keep it? Sure said I, Toronto Canada.
It came back from the special shop they have? No I did not send it there, just a repair. The trigger was amazing, our range was 20 meters long, indoor. I could shoot ten round groups, all of them touching! If I did my part.
That was in my 30s and 40s. Now 81, still steady, but not that good anymore.
Reference 9mm accuracy, it was not supposed to be that accurate of a round.
In shooting a IPSC Match in Jacksonville FL. I had a new G17, Gen 3.
Right out of the box, fantastic trigger. TruGlo fiber optic sights. One of the stages had a full sized cardboard target, at 50 yards. From the draw, two targets at 7 yards, then two steps to the right, past a barricade, next target, the sides blacked out, the zone you had to shoot at, a six inch wide strip, right down the center.
The blacked out zone hits, a miss.
I had looked it over, so fire the first 4 rounds, two steps to the right, fire 4 more, standing, only needed two hits! But at that range, I thought 4 rounds, reload, and scoot. Because of a 50 yard walk was not to be done in the heat, if you took the patchers word for the score he called out, you just went on.
The youngster was waving us all over, so down I went. My 4 hits were dead center chest (I know it was not marked that way!) two touching, one an Inch away, one 3" away! The Kid said "I could not do that with a rifle, standing"
My answer was neither could I! A bone stock G17, amazing, still have it.
My contention has always been the trigger is everything, in accuracy.
When he saw the Civilian Browning Hi Power I was shooting, he loaned me his 210! I blew the middle out of my slow fire target!
No, he did not lend me it again.
The next one I saw, was in the Custom Holster of a Police Officer in Aden, at the start of the Suez Canal. We were talking about my Taxi Drivers Vehicle, the Officer wanted to dump it in the Canal!
After a pleasant chat, he decided not to do that! I asked him if the Sig 210 was issued? He had real good English, and a good sense of humor.
He wagged his hand! So I guess it was obtained otherwise.
Reference my Smith 52, target pistol, only fired wad-cutter 148 g rounds.
5 round magazines.
Funny story, sent it back to S&W for a repair. It came back in a cardboard box FRONT OF THE PISTOL STICKING OUT OF THE BOX!
Postman said it is damaged box? Do I want to keep it? Sure said I, Toronto Canada.
It came back from the special shop they have? No I did not send it there, just a repair. The trigger was amazing, our range was 20 meters long, indoor. I could shoot ten round groups, all of them touching! If I did my part.
That was in my 30s and 40s. Now 81, still steady, but not that good anymore.
Reference 9mm accuracy, it was not supposed to be that accurate of a round.
In shooting a IPSC Match in Jacksonville FL. I had a new G17, Gen 3.
Right out of the box, fantastic trigger. TruGlo fiber optic sights. One of the stages had a full sized cardboard target, at 50 yards. From the draw, two targets at 7 yards, then two steps to the right, past a barricade, next target, the sides blacked out, the zone you had to shoot at, a six inch wide strip, right down the center.
The blacked out zone hits, a miss.
I had looked it over, so fire the first 4 rounds, two steps to the right, fire 4 more, standing, only needed two hits! But at that range, I thought 4 rounds, reload, and scoot. Because of a 50 yard walk was not to be done in the heat, if you took the patchers word for the score he called out, you just went on.
The youngster was waving us all over, so down I went. My 4 hits were dead center chest (I know it was not marked that way!) two touching, one an Inch away, one 3" away! The Kid said "I could not do that with a rifle, standing"
My answer was neither could I! A bone stock G17, amazing, still have it.
My contention has always been the trigger is everything, in accuracy.
rt11002003
New member
I agree, all else being equal.
I usually won't buy a gun that doesn't have a smooth, clean breaking trigger. At my LGS owner's suggestion, after a sixty plus year absence from shooting, I bought a Springfield 1911 Range Officer 9mm. Accuracy improved hugely after $50 worth of trigger work by a local gunsmith. From there, I went to the SIG X-Series pistols. Then wanted to shoot .22lr, bought a Ruger Mk. iii Target Model. Quickly discovered Volquartsen Accurizing Kit made the gun a pleasure to shoot. Bought three more Rugers, all "target" models (different barrel lengths different Mk series, etc.); they all got the Volquartsen kits. Then, I got a couple of S&W Models 41 and a Hammerli Xesse Sport. Haven't figured out if the two-stage trigger on the Hammerli is better than the triggers on the M41's, but it is a bit more accurate.
Tried to buy a SIG Legend Super Target p210. After a year of getting several delivery dates SIG admitted they'd never be able to deliver it.
My shooting buddy loves to tinker with his guns. My STI 1911 with a 6" barrel is not as accurate as his that he's done trigger work on. We've shot them side by side, before and after the trigger work; his is more accurate.
If I were a collector, I'd have to have another Swiss SIG p210. It is an outstanding pistol. Definitely, an example of what was possible at the time; IMO a precision machine like the p210 wouldn't be economically possible in today's world.
I have fired a 210 ....and I think its a solid gun / but no, there are a number of guns these days that will compare or surpass it in terms of accuracy in my view - and with better triggers.
Sig X-Five L-1 model ( mine is a .40 S&W )..is more accurate and with the adjustable trigger in it, it has a better trigger ( I have my X-Five set to 2.5 lbs ).
Most any 1911 - especially in a 5" gun...from Wilson Combat - will surpass the 210 in terms of quality of trigger and accuracy...( 1" at 25 Yds )...I have a pair of Wilson's a 5" CQB in .45 acp and a 5" Protector model in 9mm...and they are the 2 best guns in my safe ( even better than my X-Five ).
Both the Wilsons and the X-Five are roughly in the $3,000 price category today ...but I consider them well made production guns with semi-custom features.
My Wilson 9mm http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=90272&d=1372200117 This is my primary carry gun now...and I shoot it a lot ( weekly at range in tactical drills ).
My L-1 X-Five http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=86634&d=1359744729
My Wilson CQB 5" in .45 acp http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=65852&d=1294095423
Sig X-Five L-1 model ( mine is a .40 S&W )..is more accurate and with the adjustable trigger in it, it has a better trigger ( I have my X-Five set to 2.5 lbs ).
Most any 1911 - especially in a 5" gun...from Wilson Combat - will surpass the 210 in terms of quality of trigger and accuracy...( 1" at 25 Yds )...I have a pair of Wilson's a 5" CQB in .45 acp and a 5" Protector model in 9mm...and they are the 2 best guns in my safe ( even better than my X-Five ).
Both the Wilsons and the X-Five are roughly in the $3,000 price category today ...but I consider them well made production guns with semi-custom features.
My Wilson 9mm http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=90272&d=1372200117 This is my primary carry gun now...and I shoot it a lot ( weekly at range in tactical drills ).
My L-1 X-Five http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=86634&d=1359744729
My Wilson CQB 5" in .45 acp http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=65852&d=1294095423
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Sitting here, in the middle of a huge storm! Supposed to be over by 8-30 pm.
Whilst we wondered off into Accuracy, different pistols... How about a Colt .45, made in 1913! Accurized by Al Dinon. He was killed in a vehicle accident.(Hope that is close to his real name!)
This is the Pistol I missed the safety catch on, in my IPSC match.
Now, how I came by this gun, a friend of mine had it stolen, the Police caught the kids, one had wrapped it in a towel, buried it in the garden!
When my buddy saw the state it was in, he sold it, to me, for $60.00 Canadian.
Light rust everywhere, even a tiny bit inside the last inch of the barrel.
Gave it to my Gunsmith "Do your best Harry, re-blue it" Great job! Lovely deep blue, he said the trigger is the best he has ever fired.
I had some factory 200g target loads. Target, adjustable sights fitted before I got it. The trigger was the best I have ever had, including my European .32/.22 pistols.
The first 5 rounds, one hole!
Whilst we wondered off into Accuracy, different pistols... How about a Colt .45, made in 1913! Accurized by Al Dinon. He was killed in a vehicle accident.(Hope that is close to his real name!)
This is the Pistol I missed the safety catch on, in my IPSC match.
Now, how I came by this gun, a friend of mine had it stolen, the Police caught the kids, one had wrapped it in a towel, buried it in the garden!
When my buddy saw the state it was in, he sold it, to me, for $60.00 Canadian.
Light rust everywhere, even a tiny bit inside the last inch of the barrel.
Gave it to my Gunsmith "Do your best Harry, re-blue it" Great job! Lovely deep blue, he said the trigger is the best he has ever fired.
I had some factory 200g target loads. Target, adjustable sights fitted before I got it. The trigger was the best I have ever had, including my European .32/.22 pistols.
The first 5 rounds, one hole!
Jim Watson
New member
Spelt "Dinan." Never heard him called "Al" always the full "Alton."
I had an old NRA Handloading book with an article by Mr Dinan recommending roll crimping .45 ACP SWCs that would horrify the internet experts.
I had an old NRA Handloading book with an article by Mr Dinan recommending roll crimping .45 ACP SWCs that would horrify the internet experts.
Ok, there's a couple ways to look at this. In terms of accuracy, yes, there are many pistols that can much or even exceed the P210. The P210 is not a target pistol. Its a service pistol that had some target shooting variants, such as the P210-5 and P210-6. Yes, its exceptionally accurate, but there are purpose built target pistols that can match it. I'm fortunate enough to own quite a few of them.
In terms of build quality, very, very few pistols can measure up to a forged 1960's or 1970's Sig P210 built in Switzerland. They are quite possibly the finest semi auto pistols ever built.
While I own several P210s, my finest is this complete P210-6 set from 1967. It includes the matching 30 Luger barrel and guide rod assembly along with the complete 22lr upper assembly. Its probably the finest gun I own.
As for matching build quality or getting very close, there are a grand total of two pistols that I'd put in that category, the Korriphila HSP 701 and the Korth Autopistol. That's it.
From an accuracy standpoint, my guide below showcases many target pistols and other high end handguns from all over the world. While most of the guns listed will not match a P210's accuracy, several of them will. Enjoy.
https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/high-end-centerfire-pistol-buyers-guide.23120/
As a side note, I see the Smith & Wesson 952 mentioned quite a bit and I agree that its one of the most accurate pistols ever built. However, I've tested my 952s side by side with my PPC9s and the PPC edged it out every time. They don't look as pretty as the 952, but their performance is incredible. Its likely the most accurate centerfire pistol I own or very close to it.
...so that's my take on the subject. Its not difficult to match a P210's accuracy. Matching its construction, attention to detail, and build quality is another story. Please note that I'm only referring to the Swiss forged P210's from the early 1960's through the early 1980's or so. This does not include the very early Swiss guns, as the metallurgy wasn't on par with the later models. It also does not include the later Swiss P210's with the CNC frames and the MIM parts or the German P210 Legends. These are fine guns, but certainly not on par with the older models.
I hope you found this information useful...
In terms of build quality, very, very few pistols can measure up to a forged 1960's or 1970's Sig P210 built in Switzerland. They are quite possibly the finest semi auto pistols ever built.
While I own several P210s, my finest is this complete P210-6 set from 1967. It includes the matching 30 Luger barrel and guide rod assembly along with the complete 22lr upper assembly. Its probably the finest gun I own.
As for matching build quality or getting very close, there are a grand total of two pistols that I'd put in that category, the Korriphila HSP 701 and the Korth Autopistol. That's it.
From an accuracy standpoint, my guide below showcases many target pistols and other high end handguns from all over the world. While most of the guns listed will not match a P210's accuracy, several of them will. Enjoy.
https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/high-end-centerfire-pistol-buyers-guide.23120/
As a side note, I see the Smith & Wesson 952 mentioned quite a bit and I agree that its one of the most accurate pistols ever built. However, I've tested my 952s side by side with my PPC9s and the PPC edged it out every time. They don't look as pretty as the 952, but their performance is incredible. Its likely the most accurate centerfire pistol I own or very close to it.
...so that's my take on the subject. Its not difficult to match a P210's accuracy. Matching its construction, attention to detail, and build quality is another story. Please note that I'm only referring to the Swiss forged P210's from the early 1960's through the early 1980's or so. This does not include the very early Swiss guns, as the metallurgy wasn't on par with the later models. It also does not include the later Swiss P210's with the CNC frames and the MIM parts or the German P210 Legends. These are fine guns, but certainly not on par with the older models.
I hope you found this information useful...
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