In a word, Wow. Just wow.
I picked up my new P220-10 this morning from my LGS and immediately took it to the range. My first impression is that it is a big gun and it is a heavy gun. For comparison purposes I also took along my Colt Delta Elite. I am relatively new to this cartridge having just acquired the Colt about 9 months ago, my first 10mm.
I am also relatively new to SIGs. Just over a year ago I got my first SIG, a P227. Foolishly, and for many years, in a kind of reverse snobbery I turned away from SIG pistols. I figured my 1911s could do anything I want them to do and just didn’t want to mess with the DA/SA action and learn a different manual of arms. Then came the P227 in .45 Auto and I decided to give it a whirl – it was love at first shot. I actually came to really enjoy mastering the DA/SA technique and since I’ve had it I’ve put about 3000 rounds down range with it. Having had a good experience with the 227, I finally got a P226 Nitron Elite. It has since supplanted my favorite 1911 as my house gun. In the winter it works as a carry gun in a Kramer horsehide holster.
So, when SIG announced the release of the 10mm in their time proven P220 platform, I knew I was going to get one. It has taken them awhile to get in the system and I asked my guy at the LGS to keep an eye out for one. I wasn’t sure at first which model I wanted and assumed I’d have to take first available. He called on Monday and said he had two, one in stainless and one in black and he’d put them under the counter for me. It wasn’t until this morning that I could get in and by then the stainless was gone. I was already leaning toward the Nitron Elite, the only thing I wasn’t sure about was the G10 grips. Unlike some, I really like the E3 grips on my 227 and 226. They have a really tacky texture and make the gun very easy to control and I wanted something similar. But, they are not available on the 220-10.
As it turns out, I really like the G10 grips on this pistol. They are certainly grippy enough. The sides are kind of rounded dimples and the back strap is given a more spikey texture. When this is combined with a checkered front strap the grip is just right. Looking the gun over, I next fell for the sights. I am not a fan of three-dot sights and prefer a blacked out rear sight (aging eyes). That’s exactly what the 220-10 has. It is a Bomar-style rear sight, with an ample notch and just the faintest of cross-hatching on the face. The front sight is a standard SigLite tritium dot.
After fondling it and admiring the fit and finish, I took it down. It was SigSimple to do this (think Jason Bourne and the Swiss policemen simple). The first thing I noticed was how stout the recoil spring was. It is wrapped wire coil and while I don’t know how many pounds it is, it took a little effort to remove it. With the recoil spring removed, the next thing I noticed was how tight the barrel fit was to the slide. No movement, no slop, just a real tight lock-up. I wiped the factory lube off, checked the barrel for obstructions and was ready to begin shooting.
I set up some IDPA targets at 7- and 15-yards and was ready to go. At the store I’d picked up a box of Sig Sauer Elite 180-grainers and a box of Buffalo Bore hardcast 220s. In my excitement to get to the range I failed to notice the BBs were just 20 to a box and at $32 each round was $1.60. Ouch! And why the big damn box anyway? I also brought along some of my own, using HAP 180 gr over 14.9 of AA #9 – a snappy load.
I started with the Sig ammo and loaded up two eight round magazines (the gun comes with two). First round down range and the first thing I notice is that POA is POI at 7 yards. Maybe it was a fluke. Fired 7 more and got one raged hole with one flyer (me – not the gun). Now I’m really impressed. The next thing I noticed is that this 180 moving at 1250 barely rocked the gun. I mean you know you’re shooting a 10, but the 220 just absorbs the recoil. Like I said, it is a heavy gun and in this case that is a good thing. Later I ran the same ammo in my Colt and got much longer double-tap split times, it just couldn’t eat up the recoil like the SIG. The last thing I noticed was the trigger. It has a slightly long take-up and breaks just a tad on the mushy side. This is a feel I’ve gotten used to in the other SIGs. It’s not bad, just a little bit squishier than I’d prefer. Later, I put it on the Lyman gauge and it averaged 5 pounds 13 ounces. So, just a tad under 6 pounds. The trigger is smooth with no creep or grittiness anywhere in the take up. I think the lever is long enough that it feels lighter than it really is.
I burned through the box of Sig ammo, the Buffalo Bore, and ample quantity of my handloads and was just grinning ear-to-ear. I’m really going to enjoy this pistol. I wish I hadn’t been so anxious to get to the range and taken the time to bring my chrono. Oh well, next time.
The target is my best group, off-hand, at 15 yards. The other picture is the new resident of my gun safe.
I picked up my new P220-10 this morning from my LGS and immediately took it to the range. My first impression is that it is a big gun and it is a heavy gun. For comparison purposes I also took along my Colt Delta Elite. I am relatively new to this cartridge having just acquired the Colt about 9 months ago, my first 10mm.
I am also relatively new to SIGs. Just over a year ago I got my first SIG, a P227. Foolishly, and for many years, in a kind of reverse snobbery I turned away from SIG pistols. I figured my 1911s could do anything I want them to do and just didn’t want to mess with the DA/SA action and learn a different manual of arms. Then came the P227 in .45 Auto and I decided to give it a whirl – it was love at first shot. I actually came to really enjoy mastering the DA/SA technique and since I’ve had it I’ve put about 3000 rounds down range with it. Having had a good experience with the 227, I finally got a P226 Nitron Elite. It has since supplanted my favorite 1911 as my house gun. In the winter it works as a carry gun in a Kramer horsehide holster.
So, when SIG announced the release of the 10mm in their time proven P220 platform, I knew I was going to get one. It has taken them awhile to get in the system and I asked my guy at the LGS to keep an eye out for one. I wasn’t sure at first which model I wanted and assumed I’d have to take first available. He called on Monday and said he had two, one in stainless and one in black and he’d put them under the counter for me. It wasn’t until this morning that I could get in and by then the stainless was gone. I was already leaning toward the Nitron Elite, the only thing I wasn’t sure about was the G10 grips. Unlike some, I really like the E3 grips on my 227 and 226. They have a really tacky texture and make the gun very easy to control and I wanted something similar. But, they are not available on the 220-10.
As it turns out, I really like the G10 grips on this pistol. They are certainly grippy enough. The sides are kind of rounded dimples and the back strap is given a more spikey texture. When this is combined with a checkered front strap the grip is just right. Looking the gun over, I next fell for the sights. I am not a fan of three-dot sights and prefer a blacked out rear sight (aging eyes). That’s exactly what the 220-10 has. It is a Bomar-style rear sight, with an ample notch and just the faintest of cross-hatching on the face. The front sight is a standard SigLite tritium dot.
After fondling it and admiring the fit and finish, I took it down. It was SigSimple to do this (think Jason Bourne and the Swiss policemen simple). The first thing I noticed was how stout the recoil spring was. It is wrapped wire coil and while I don’t know how many pounds it is, it took a little effort to remove it. With the recoil spring removed, the next thing I noticed was how tight the barrel fit was to the slide. No movement, no slop, just a real tight lock-up. I wiped the factory lube off, checked the barrel for obstructions and was ready to begin shooting.
I set up some IDPA targets at 7- and 15-yards and was ready to go. At the store I’d picked up a box of Sig Sauer Elite 180-grainers and a box of Buffalo Bore hardcast 220s. In my excitement to get to the range I failed to notice the BBs were just 20 to a box and at $32 each round was $1.60. Ouch! And why the big damn box anyway? I also brought along some of my own, using HAP 180 gr over 14.9 of AA #9 – a snappy load.
I started with the Sig ammo and loaded up two eight round magazines (the gun comes with two). First round down range and the first thing I notice is that POA is POI at 7 yards. Maybe it was a fluke. Fired 7 more and got one raged hole with one flyer (me – not the gun). Now I’m really impressed. The next thing I noticed is that this 180 moving at 1250 barely rocked the gun. I mean you know you’re shooting a 10, but the 220 just absorbs the recoil. Like I said, it is a heavy gun and in this case that is a good thing. Later I ran the same ammo in my Colt and got much longer double-tap split times, it just couldn’t eat up the recoil like the SIG. The last thing I noticed was the trigger. It has a slightly long take-up and breaks just a tad on the mushy side. This is a feel I’ve gotten used to in the other SIGs. It’s not bad, just a little bit squishier than I’d prefer. Later, I put it on the Lyman gauge and it averaged 5 pounds 13 ounces. So, just a tad under 6 pounds. The trigger is smooth with no creep or grittiness anywhere in the take up. I think the lever is long enough that it feels lighter than it really is.
I burned through the box of Sig ammo, the Buffalo Bore, and ample quantity of my handloads and was just grinning ear-to-ear. I’m really going to enjoy this pistol. I wish I hadn’t been so anxious to get to the range and taken the time to bring my chrono. Oh well, next time.
The target is my best group, off-hand, at 15 yards. The other picture is the new resident of my gun safe.
