crebralfix
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A Classic Pistol in 45 ACP for Defense and Competition
Ten years ago, when I first started thinking about self-defense, I was advised by a former Marine to "...get yourself a good .45." Since I did not know anything about handguns, I went to the experts: the gun magazines. Several "productive" hours were spent in the reading various publications and I ran across an article by Massad Ayoob. He wrote about the reliability of the Sig Sauer P220 and that it was a great handgun for self-defense. After reading some articles about "problem .45's", I decided that was the gun for me. Several days later I was the owner of a Sig Sauer P220, sight unseen. This is certainly something I would never do now, but ignorance is bliss. I needed a gun to acquire a concealed carry permit.
Sig Sauer P220
In my quest for ever more efficient defensive handguns, I sold that gun within two years. I have since purchased three P220s, with the previous two being recent examples with the new grips and minor design changes. I was never satisfied with the newer version of the P220 due to larger grip panels and heavier double action trigger pull. Recently, I found a "gray box" P220 made around 1998 (according to the receipt I found in the manual). This is the same version as my original P220 with the nice checkered grips.
Sig Sauer P220 in a Milt Sparks VM-2 horsehide holster and 7 round magazine.
The Sig Sauer P220 is a full sized duty pistol. There are certainly smaller handguns that are more suited to concealed carry. Given my experiments in concealed carry with numerous handguns, why would I go back to a large weapon such as the P220? The answer is performance. I have found the P220 to be a high performance pistol. It has certain features that are not readily apparent without thousands of rounds of experience with the gun.
Sig Sauer engineers incorporated many underappreciated features in their pistol. There are no sharp edges on the gun to cut fingers. Experienced shooters appreciate this feature; one does not need to pay for the services of a gunsmith to dehorn and refinish the firearm. The sights are not the trendy "no snag" Novak type. Instead, the rear sight has a nearly vertical front. This facilitates one handed reloads by providing a surface to work against a belt or shoe. The checkered grips provide a positive grip. Proper sight alignment is assisted by a good grip angle. The magazine well is beveled for quick reloading. Another feature is very strong ejection of spent brass (it is thrown far). The barrel has traditional rifling and a supported chamber. Reloading for the P220 is easy and lead or cast bullets may be used. Finally, the trigger guard is extended for use with gloves.
The P220 shoots really well, even though it features a long, heavy double action trigger. I purchased this used firearm partly because the trigger is broken in. Many people have difficultly shooting Sig Sauer pistols due to the long trigger pull on the first shot. Once the hammer is fully cocked, most people have no trouble with the Sig Sauer trigger. Several instructors I have trained with talked about "throwing away the first shot" due to the trigger weight. However, a broken in trigger can be easy to shoot, if the correct technique is used. I have found that tightening the support hand around the primary hand helps keep the front sight steady. Additionally, sight alignment can be maintained if the shooter places the center of the trigger in the center of the pad of the trigger finger. Extra attention to a clean pull straight back will help increase accuracy.
It is possible to shoot the P220 very quickly. Sig Sauer made this gun in such a way that recovery from recoil is easy. The trigger reset on the single action is short. The second and subsequent shots require far less pressure. Once, I was able to hit five steel targets in 3.13 seconds...a personal best! With practice, anyone should be able to get better performance.
There are several perceived deficiencies with this gun. First, obviously, is the heavy double action trigger. Second, the limited capacity of the magazine may be a problem in this age of high capacity 45 ACP pistols. A single stack magazine of only seven or eight rounds may be at a "disadvantage" when put next to a Glock 21 or Springfield Armory XD 45 magazine. The overall size of this pistol does not promote concealed carry. It is smaller than the Glock 21 or XD 45, but still requires skill to carry well.
Sig Sauer P220 and Glock 19
When compared to the Glock 19, you can see that the P220 is larger than the Glock 19. It is approximately 1/4" longer in the slide. The grip is about 1/2 inch longer and does not angle upward. This small difference results in a higher profile that can only be mitigated by forward cant in a good holster. The Milt Sparks VM-2 is a great holster for the P220 and offers enough forward cant for discrete carry.
Sig Sauer P220 compared to the Glock 19
Cleaning and maintenance of the P220 is simple. The gun has a lever on the left side to take the slide off the gun. It breaks down into four parts: the slide, barrel, recoil spring, and guide rod. Cleaning the weapon involves scrubbing down each of these parts and wiping the frame.
Sig Sauer P220 Slide Assembly
Sig Sauer P220 Frame
The Sig P220 is a high quality pistol chambered in 45 ACP. It is an excellent gun for practical competitions and defense. With proper equipment, it is suitable for concealed carry. Field stripping and maintenance is easy. Though it is a large framed semi-automatic pistol, the single stack magazine (and narrow grip) fit most hands. With a bit of practice, almost any shooter can accurately shoot the gun. In all, if you are considering purchasing a gun by Sig Sauer, I highly recommend you try the P220.
Ten years ago, when I first started thinking about self-defense, I was advised by a former Marine to "...get yourself a good .45." Since I did not know anything about handguns, I went to the experts: the gun magazines. Several "productive" hours were spent in the reading various publications and I ran across an article by Massad Ayoob. He wrote about the reliability of the Sig Sauer P220 and that it was a great handgun for self-defense. After reading some articles about "problem .45's", I decided that was the gun for me. Several days later I was the owner of a Sig Sauer P220, sight unseen. This is certainly something I would never do now, but ignorance is bliss. I needed a gun to acquire a concealed carry permit.
Sig Sauer P220
In my quest for ever more efficient defensive handguns, I sold that gun within two years. I have since purchased three P220s, with the previous two being recent examples with the new grips and minor design changes. I was never satisfied with the newer version of the P220 due to larger grip panels and heavier double action trigger pull. Recently, I found a "gray box" P220 made around 1998 (according to the receipt I found in the manual). This is the same version as my original P220 with the nice checkered grips.
Sig Sauer P220 in a Milt Sparks VM-2 horsehide holster and 7 round magazine.
The Sig Sauer P220 is a full sized duty pistol. There are certainly smaller handguns that are more suited to concealed carry. Given my experiments in concealed carry with numerous handguns, why would I go back to a large weapon such as the P220? The answer is performance. I have found the P220 to be a high performance pistol. It has certain features that are not readily apparent without thousands of rounds of experience with the gun.
Sig Sauer engineers incorporated many underappreciated features in their pistol. There are no sharp edges on the gun to cut fingers. Experienced shooters appreciate this feature; one does not need to pay for the services of a gunsmith to dehorn and refinish the firearm. The sights are not the trendy "no snag" Novak type. Instead, the rear sight has a nearly vertical front. This facilitates one handed reloads by providing a surface to work against a belt or shoe. The checkered grips provide a positive grip. Proper sight alignment is assisted by a good grip angle. The magazine well is beveled for quick reloading. Another feature is very strong ejection of spent brass (it is thrown far). The barrel has traditional rifling and a supported chamber. Reloading for the P220 is easy and lead or cast bullets may be used. Finally, the trigger guard is extended for use with gloves.
The P220 shoots really well, even though it features a long, heavy double action trigger. I purchased this used firearm partly because the trigger is broken in. Many people have difficultly shooting Sig Sauer pistols due to the long trigger pull on the first shot. Once the hammer is fully cocked, most people have no trouble with the Sig Sauer trigger. Several instructors I have trained with talked about "throwing away the first shot" due to the trigger weight. However, a broken in trigger can be easy to shoot, if the correct technique is used. I have found that tightening the support hand around the primary hand helps keep the front sight steady. Additionally, sight alignment can be maintained if the shooter places the center of the trigger in the center of the pad of the trigger finger. Extra attention to a clean pull straight back will help increase accuracy.
It is possible to shoot the P220 very quickly. Sig Sauer made this gun in such a way that recovery from recoil is easy. The trigger reset on the single action is short. The second and subsequent shots require far less pressure. Once, I was able to hit five steel targets in 3.13 seconds...a personal best! With practice, anyone should be able to get better performance.
There are several perceived deficiencies with this gun. First, obviously, is the heavy double action trigger. Second, the limited capacity of the magazine may be a problem in this age of high capacity 45 ACP pistols. A single stack magazine of only seven or eight rounds may be at a "disadvantage" when put next to a Glock 21 or Springfield Armory XD 45 magazine. The overall size of this pistol does not promote concealed carry. It is smaller than the Glock 21 or XD 45, but still requires skill to carry well.
Sig Sauer P220 and Glock 19
When compared to the Glock 19, you can see that the P220 is larger than the Glock 19. It is approximately 1/4" longer in the slide. The grip is about 1/2 inch longer and does not angle upward. This small difference results in a higher profile that can only be mitigated by forward cant in a good holster. The Milt Sparks VM-2 is a great holster for the P220 and offers enough forward cant for discrete carry.
Sig Sauer P220 compared to the Glock 19
Cleaning and maintenance of the P220 is simple. The gun has a lever on the left side to take the slide off the gun. It breaks down into four parts: the slide, barrel, recoil spring, and guide rod. Cleaning the weapon involves scrubbing down each of these parts and wiping the frame.
Sig Sauer P220 Slide Assembly
Sig Sauer P220 Frame
The Sig P220 is a high quality pistol chambered in 45 ACP. It is an excellent gun for practical competitions and defense. With proper equipment, it is suitable for concealed carry. Field stripping and maintenance is easy. Though it is a large framed semi-automatic pistol, the single stack magazine (and narrow grip) fit most hands. With a bit of practice, almost any shooter can accurately shoot the gun. In all, if you are considering purchasing a gun by Sig Sauer, I highly recommend you try the P220.
