Sig P220 Opinions?
- Thread starter Model12Win
- Start date
I bought a P220ST, ST refers to Stainless Steel, as a Scottsboro, Alabama Police Department trade-in back in Feb. 2012 for $556.00. It came with the blue plastic factory box, paper work and three magazines. It is a great pistol. You would never of believed it was a used firearm. I liked it so well, and still do, to the point I purchased bought a new P220 Nitron six months later for $573.00. It is not as attractive as the ST, but it is significantly lighter. In my opinion, there is hardly any recoil with either pistol and is only like a slight nudge.
I would highly recommend it especially at the price point mentioned in good mechanical and cosmetic condition.
I would highly recommend it especially at the price point mentioned in good mechanical and cosmetic condition.
Model12Win
Moderator
Gang I got my trade in P220 today:
It is in excellent condition for sure. Minor wear on the barrel and barrel hood and a few tiny rubs from holster wear. Other than that, it might as well be NIB. The rails and insides show barely any use. I doubt this one has been fired much at all, and is just in great shape! The date code indicates it was made in 1999 in Germany. Very cool!
It has night sights but they are almost out. I understand SIG will install new night sights and do a thorough tear down, cleaning, reinstallation of springs and replacement of worn parts for a nominal fee. I plan to get this service done in the near future after I move but if I had to guess this one should be fine as is. I'll be hitting the range in the next day or two. Can't wait!!
For under $500, I think I did good to get a classic German made SIG with the older style features that are appealing to me visually. I'm a happy boy!!
It is in excellent condition for sure. Minor wear on the barrel and barrel hood and a few tiny rubs from holster wear. Other than that, it might as well be NIB. The rails and insides show barely any use. I doubt this one has been fired much at all, and is just in great shape! The date code indicates it was made in 1999 in Germany. Very cool!
It has night sights but they are almost out. I understand SIG will install new night sights and do a thorough tear down, cleaning, reinstallation of springs and replacement of worn parts for a nominal fee. I plan to get this service done in the near future after I move but if I had to guess this one should be fine as is. I'll be hitting the range in the next day or two. Can't wait!!
For under $500, I think I did good to get a classic German made SIG with the older style features that are appealing to me visually. I'm a happy boy!!
disseminator
New member
That is a sweet p220! Congrats.
Well, today I shot the one I bought last week and wasn't all that excited about it. Within the first 25 rounds I had a failure to fire. That might have been the ammo, but on the round that didn't fire I tried to eject it and the slide was locked up. I had to give it a pretty good tug to get it free, but I reloaded the problem round and the rest of the 100 rounds were fired with out issue. Then I was going to run some Hornady American Gunner (reboxed Hornady Custom) through it and those will not even fit into the Sig magazines. The mouth of the hollow point is too wide. Apparently Sigs will not feed everything. Anyway, kind of disappointed.
Model12Win
Moderator
Sorry to hear that. Yes I understand a few hollow points won't fit the magazine right. Mine accepts Sig 200 grain hollow points nicely (as it should) and I've not had any failures to fire yet, it runs great.
bamaranger
New member
magazine pouch
The outfit let me keep my old leather duty rig. I went down and unearthed it in the den. The quad pouch that we used was by :
A.E. Nelson Leather Co.
model # .... 14D or possibly 14D-O
The outfit let me keep my old leather duty rig. I went down and unearthed it in the den. The quad pouch that we used was by :
A.E. Nelson Leather Co.
model # .... 14D or possibly 14D-O
Model12Win
Moderator
Extremely cool. I've heard dandy report on these pouches. I will order one soon. Thank you!!
bamaranger
New member
magazines
Just read the post regards certain ammo not fitting in the SIG P220 mag. In the same post it is stated that the pistol also locked into battery with a live round. The post concludes with the statement that apparently the SIG will not feed everything.
Considering the ammo issues combined, I am strongly suspect of cartridges themselves. Locked into battery hints at either improper or lack of crimp, or a cartridge that exceeds overall length. A cartridge too long could also be the culprit with failing to fit in the magazine. I wonder, do the rounds that fail to fit in the mag display the same issue with all mags present? Othewise, the P220 in question has multiple issues, a bad chamber and a funky magazine.
My experience with my own P220 and some half dozen others that I oversaw, not to mention being present on firing lines and training where many other P220's/ammo combo's were in use, is that the P220 is extremely reliable and not finicky about what it is fed. I've even handloaded some big, blunt, 250-255 gr .45 LC slugs, and the P220 just gobbles them up.
One caveat is that the early, blued, dovetailed rear seam 7 rd mags do indeed seem to have a life span. I've seen more than one instance where removing said type from service and replacing same with the more recent hardback, stainless MecGar variety resolved a feeding issue.
Just read the post regards certain ammo not fitting in the SIG P220 mag. In the same post it is stated that the pistol also locked into battery with a live round. The post concludes with the statement that apparently the SIG will not feed everything.
Considering the ammo issues combined, I am strongly suspect of cartridges themselves. Locked into battery hints at either improper or lack of crimp, or a cartridge that exceeds overall length. A cartridge too long could also be the culprit with failing to fit in the magazine. I wonder, do the rounds that fail to fit in the mag display the same issue with all mags present? Othewise, the P220 in question has multiple issues, a bad chamber and a funky magazine.
My experience with my own P220 and some half dozen others that I oversaw, not to mention being present on firing lines and training where many other P220's/ammo combo's were in use, is that the P220 is extremely reliable and not finicky about what it is fed. I've even handloaded some big, blunt, 250-255 gr .45 LC slugs, and the P220 just gobbles them up.
One caveat is that the early, blued, dovetailed rear seam 7 rd mags do indeed seem to have a life span. I've seen more than one instance where removing said type from service and replacing same with the more recent hardback, stainless MecGar variety resolved a feeding issue.
Jim Watson
New member
My first P220 would not shoot the semiwadcutters I load for 1911s at all. I traded it because I wanted to be able to use common ammo for anything in the caliber.
I later decided the type was worth the trouble and bought another, had it gunsmith tuned. I don't ask it to handle SWCs, it is fine with RN, TC, and the JHPs I have tried.
I later decided the type was worth the trouble and bought another, had it gunsmith tuned. I don't ask it to handle SWCs, it is fine with RN, TC, and the JHPs I have tried.
I have a Sig p220 made in west Germany. Personally the west germany stamp makes it even cooler to me. I carry it as well as 2 spare mags. Never been uncomfortable. I went and shot it the other day just to make sure I was still proficient with it. 25 yards they all stayed in the circle. The target was one provided by the Missouri department of conservation just to give a target size idea. The first two rounds were right on the edge. The rest of the 50 rounds fired were solid in the middle. Mine has the stack sights, of which I wasn't sure about when I first got it a couple years back in a trade, but I have grown on them.
I could not load the Hornady hollow points in either magazine and after a search I have found that this is a fairly common problem with certain ammo in the P220's magazines. The 230 gr ball ammo (Sellier & Bellot) was the culprit on the round that locked up the slide in battery. I suppose that it is possible that OAL was greater than it should have been thus causing the problem. It sure throws you for a loop though when you are expecting a stellar outing at the range and end up a little disappointed.
*BIAS ALERT*
I would feel more confident in Model12Win's trade in West German SIG than I would a new SIG. I'd also feel more confident in the German marked ones and the earlier Exeter pistols. Frankly I wouldn't trust a new SIG out of box until I tested it. Though to be fair that's also true for most manufacturers.
I would feel more confident in Model12Win's trade in West German SIG than I would a new SIG. I'd also feel more confident in the German marked ones and the earlier Exeter pistols. Frankly I wouldn't trust a new SIG out of box until I tested it. Though to be fair that's also true for most manufacturers.
bamaranger
New member
disapppointment
I saw your other post regards that misbehaving SIG was a recent purchase for you, and I am sorry to hear that. But I hope to encourage you by re-stating that I believe you had a cartridge issue on the lock up problem.
S&B makes affordable ammo, and I suppose we've all shot some of it at one time or another. But I do not see S&B the equal of domestic, U.S. produced ammo. If your new SIG is not exhibiting "lock up" with other cartridges on a frequent basis, the problem may well have been that one S&B round.
I stated earlier a "cartrige" too long could be the source of that problem, but what might be more correct is a "case" too long. The .45 acp headspaces on the case mouth. A case to long could get rammed into the shoulder of the chamber, so too a case with improper crimp.
Regards the HP's not fitting in the magazine, that's a new one to me, but I did find another reference to a certain brand/slug causing an issue in P220 SIG in another on line source. From memory, it may have been with the Gold Dot projectile. I see that as an ammo problem too. Hornady (?), Speer (?) must not have doen their homework, if their cartridge/projectile combo will not fit in the magazine of a handgun as popular and common as the SIG P220
What type of mags do you have? Stainless steel 8 rd Mec-Gars, or other?
I saw your other post regards that misbehaving SIG was a recent purchase for you, and I am sorry to hear that. But I hope to encourage you by re-stating that I believe you had a cartridge issue on the lock up problem.
S&B makes affordable ammo, and I suppose we've all shot some of it at one time or another. But I do not see S&B the equal of domestic, U.S. produced ammo. If your new SIG is not exhibiting "lock up" with other cartridges on a frequent basis, the problem may well have been that one S&B round.
I stated earlier a "cartrige" too long could be the source of that problem, but what might be more correct is a "case" too long. The .45 acp headspaces on the case mouth. A case to long could get rammed into the shoulder of the chamber, so too a case with improper crimp.
Regards the HP's not fitting in the magazine, that's a new one to me, but I did find another reference to a certain brand/slug causing an issue in P220 SIG in another on line source. From memory, it may have been with the Gold Dot projectile. I see that as an ammo problem too. Hornady (?), Speer (?) must not have doen their homework, if their cartridge/projectile combo will not fit in the magazine of a handgun as popular and common as the SIG P220
What type of mags do you have? Stainless steel 8 rd Mec-Gars, or other?
bamaranger
New member
Oh yeah, this too......
Another mag issue with the P220 was the SIG supplied "8 rd follower" that converted the original, dovetailed, blue steel mags from 7 rd, to 8 rd capacity.
We bought a bunch of those folowers and plunked them in our 7 rd mags when the piece/modification first came out. Generally speaking, they were a source of problems from the onset. I pulled them from every magazine I encountered so modified, and reinstalled the original 7 rd follower.
The stainless, hardback Mec Gars, standard with later SIGS, were intended as 8rd mags from the onset, and are a better product.
Another mag issue with the P220 was the SIG supplied "8 rd follower" that converted the original, dovetailed, blue steel mags from 7 rd, to 8 rd capacity.
We bought a bunch of those folowers and plunked them in our 7 rd mags when the piece/modification first came out. Generally speaking, they were a source of problems from the onset. I pulled them from every magazine I encountered so modified, and reinstalled the original 7 rd follower.
The stainless, hardback Mec Gars, standard with later SIGS, were intended as 8rd mags from the onset, and are a better product.
Yea again I've seen the same issue with HK's and XTP as well, at least in terms of feeding.
FWIW I've run hundreds of rounds of S&B without issue. Frankly the brass is cleaner than any of the cases of Winchester, Federal, or Blazer I've gotten lately. Does tend to be a bit dirtier in the residue but it's run fine.
FWIW I've run hundreds of rounds of S&B without issue. Frankly the brass is cleaner than any of the cases of Winchester, Federal, or Blazer I've gotten lately. Does tend to be a bit dirtier in the residue but it's run fine.