I had the pleasure of spending a snowy Friday afternoon inside at my local range. I took my brand spanking new SIG P225 and my Beretta Cougar 8045 for a little comparison shooting.
The Cougar and the Sig are both comparably sized pistols. Length and heighth are so close that you cannot eyeball the difference. The comparative weights (on my scale with empty magazines) are only 2 ounces different. The only two substantial differences in the physical characteristics of the weapons is in the caliber and the width of the grip. The Cougar, being a .45ACP, has a thicker grip than the 9mm Sig.
The Cougar sits low in the palm of your hand--the deep curve in the backstrap reminds me of my CZ75--and to hold the weapon is to enjoy a "full" sensation; the perception that the weapon is an extension of your hand is pretty strong. The P225 has a dramatically thinner grip and the texture of the grips is much more prevalent--holding this weapon tightly yields a sensation that there is no way this gun would ever slip out of your grasp.
Loading the magazines at the range bore out a difference in the two weapons--both of my SIG Factory magazines were extremely tight when it came to inserting the last round. It really took some doing to get the 8th round inserted. The Cougar is a bit older than the Sig, having had 500 rounds run through it over the last six months, and loaded without noticable effort.
I brought a box of Winchester Silvertips for each weapon as well as a box of S&B FMJ's and a box of Winchester USA's (white box) for each.
I warmed up with my Ruger Mark II for about 15 minutes and then went to work with the Cougar and an S&B load. Setting the silhouette at 25' my initial 8 shot group came in with the best 5 grouped at a little less than 3 1/2" inches. Working through the rest of the box, my groups remained pretty much in that size. Switching to the Silvertips after the S&B's were gone, my first magazine had a few fliers, but the last couple shots shared a hole. The second clip of Silvertips tightened the group down to less than 3".
Setting down the Beretta, I went for my new Sig-toy and was impressed immediately. I had not been disappointed with the Cougar--in fact, I was pretty stinking pleased with what my groups looked like. The first magazine the P225 put down the alley saw the last 5 shots group at less than 2" dead center on the bulls eye target that I had sent out! (Of course, the first three were at least 7 or 8 inches down and to the left as I tried to get dialed in on the different trigger and sights) It was my tightest group of the day with the SIG, but the others weren't a whole lot bigger. With the S&B ammo, they ranged from 5" for the best five down to 3", but still, they were dead on the orange bulls eye.
The 9mm 115gr Silvertips were not as tightly grouped as the S&B FMJ's but they were noticably hotter. I had expected the Sig to recoil a lot less than the .45ACP Cougar but got a mild surprise when it came to the Silvertips. With the FMJ's, the Sig felt more controllable than the Cougar (which is not to say that the Cougar was tough to handle, it's just the difference between a 3/8 diameter load and a half inch load), however, when we got to the Silvertips, I couldn't recover the little Sig 9mm as quickly as I could the .45acp Beretta. It's probably not an important difference but it was my observation.
I finished up with the Winchester FMJ's doing 'point and shoot' drills--no lining up the sights at eye level, just picking the gun up and firing at the silhouette--and it was pretty much a dead heat. Both weapons delivered quick and easy center torso shots a the 5 yard marker; however, the Cougar's holes were a lot bigger than the Sig. You've gotta love that big, slow bullet when things are tight.
I came away from the afternoon pleased that I owned both weapons and would reccomend either as a carry weapon. Not one failure to feed or return to battery or stove pipe was experienced in the 250 plus rounds I shot, neither weapon ever failed to put a shot within a reasonable distance of where I was aiming, and both guns dissipated heat rapidly. The Sig really seemed to like the cheap S&B ammo as much as anything else and the Cougar did just about equally well with all three brands.
If you're in the market for a $500-$550 compact carry gun from a brand name manufacturer, don't overlook either of these fine weapons. The only decision to make between the two has to do with the ergonomics of the grip--they're both fine shooters.
The Cougar and the Sig are both comparably sized pistols. Length and heighth are so close that you cannot eyeball the difference. The comparative weights (on my scale with empty magazines) are only 2 ounces different. The only two substantial differences in the physical characteristics of the weapons is in the caliber and the width of the grip. The Cougar, being a .45ACP, has a thicker grip than the 9mm Sig.
The Cougar sits low in the palm of your hand--the deep curve in the backstrap reminds me of my CZ75--and to hold the weapon is to enjoy a "full" sensation; the perception that the weapon is an extension of your hand is pretty strong. The P225 has a dramatically thinner grip and the texture of the grips is much more prevalent--holding this weapon tightly yields a sensation that there is no way this gun would ever slip out of your grasp.
Loading the magazines at the range bore out a difference in the two weapons--both of my SIG Factory magazines were extremely tight when it came to inserting the last round. It really took some doing to get the 8th round inserted. The Cougar is a bit older than the Sig, having had 500 rounds run through it over the last six months, and loaded without noticable effort.
I brought a box of Winchester Silvertips for each weapon as well as a box of S&B FMJ's and a box of Winchester USA's (white box) for each.
I warmed up with my Ruger Mark II for about 15 minutes and then went to work with the Cougar and an S&B load. Setting the silhouette at 25' my initial 8 shot group came in with the best 5 grouped at a little less than 3 1/2" inches. Working through the rest of the box, my groups remained pretty much in that size. Switching to the Silvertips after the S&B's were gone, my first magazine had a few fliers, but the last couple shots shared a hole. The second clip of Silvertips tightened the group down to less than 3".
Setting down the Beretta, I went for my new Sig-toy and was impressed immediately. I had not been disappointed with the Cougar--in fact, I was pretty stinking pleased with what my groups looked like. The first magazine the P225 put down the alley saw the last 5 shots group at less than 2" dead center on the bulls eye target that I had sent out! (Of course, the first three were at least 7 or 8 inches down and to the left as I tried to get dialed in on the different trigger and sights) It was my tightest group of the day with the SIG, but the others weren't a whole lot bigger. With the S&B ammo, they ranged from 5" for the best five down to 3", but still, they were dead on the orange bulls eye.
The 9mm 115gr Silvertips were not as tightly grouped as the S&B FMJ's but they were noticably hotter. I had expected the Sig to recoil a lot less than the .45ACP Cougar but got a mild surprise when it came to the Silvertips. With the FMJ's, the Sig felt more controllable than the Cougar (which is not to say that the Cougar was tough to handle, it's just the difference between a 3/8 diameter load and a half inch load), however, when we got to the Silvertips, I couldn't recover the little Sig 9mm as quickly as I could the .45acp Beretta. It's probably not an important difference but it was my observation.
I finished up with the Winchester FMJ's doing 'point and shoot' drills--no lining up the sights at eye level, just picking the gun up and firing at the silhouette--and it was pretty much a dead heat. Both weapons delivered quick and easy center torso shots a the 5 yard marker; however, the Cougar's holes were a lot bigger than the Sig. You've gotta love that big, slow bullet when things are tight.
I came away from the afternoon pleased that I owned both weapons and would reccomend either as a carry weapon. Not one failure to feed or return to battery or stove pipe was experienced in the 250 plus rounds I shot, neither weapon ever failed to put a shot within a reasonable distance of where I was aiming, and both guns dissipated heat rapidly. The Sig really seemed to like the cheap S&B ammo as much as anything else and the Cougar did just about equally well with all three brands.
If you're in the market for a $500-$550 compact carry gun from a brand name manufacturer, don't overlook either of these fine weapons. The only decision to make between the two has to do with the ergonomics of the grip--they're both fine shooters.