Dave Markowitz
Member
Yesterday I had the day off, so I headed on over to Surplus City. A barely-used SIG Sauer P225 came home with me. It came with the original box and an extra magazine but no manual. I downloaded a manual in PDF format from sigarms.com.
The P225 was developed in the early 1970s to fulfill a request to replace the .32 ACP calber Walther PPs in use by most West German police with something more modern, in a large caliber. The result was the Swiss-designed and German-made P225. Germany designated the gun the P6, many of which have been sold recently on the US civilian market. Mine was imported from West Germany by SIGARMS of New Hampshire and sold new; it's not one of the surplus pieces.
The P225 is a conventional double action semiauto pistol. I.e., the pistol is designed to be carried hammer down on a loaded chamber. When drawn the first round is fired by simply pulling the trigger, which cocks the hammer and fires the gun. Remaining rounds are fired single action, the slide cocking the hammer before each shot.
The single stack magazine of the P225 holds 8 rounds of 9x19 ammunition. The magazine catch on my sample is a button on the left side of the frame behind the trigger. Some P225s were made with a heel magazine catch, however.
The barrel is 3.9” long and the gun weighs about 26 ounces unloaded. It's a bit smaller than a Browning High Power, but a bit larger than a Makarov. Here are a couple pictures for size comparisons:
The P225's slide is of interesting construction, typical SIG. The slide is formed from a heavy steel stamping, with a separate bolt pinned into place. The advantage of this is lower cost of manufacture. The steel is finished with matte bluing, which ideally would be a bit thicker. Blued SIGs have a reputation for rusting too easily because the finish on the slide wears off quickly. Mine shows wear on the slide finish, even though the gun's innards looked unfired. If I planned to carry it in harsh environments I think I'd get the slide Duracoated.
The frame is made from aluminum, anodized black. The rails on my P225 which hold the slide show no wear, so I doubt more than a box of ammo was run through it before I shot it today.
I do not have a trigger scale, but I'm guessing the double action pull is around ten pounds, with the single action pull around four or five. The DA pull is long and heavy, but smooth.
Sights are a blade front with a white dot, dovetailed into the slide, and a square notch rear. A white square is centered under the notch. I find the sights easy to see, with plenty of light on either side of the front sight post when it's centered in the rear sight notch.
I first handled a P225 at the NRA Annual Convention when it was held in Philadelphia, back in the late 90s. Since I have small hands, I was very favorably impressed with the slim grip, which fits me almost as good as a Browning High Power. When I saw a used one in excellent shape I had to buy it.
Field stripping the P225 is a piece of cake. First clear the gun. Then lock the slide back. Rotate the takedown catch 90 degrees so that it points to 6 o'clock. While holding the slide, release the slide lock and remove the slide off the gun towards the front. With the slide off, the recoil spring and guide can be pulled out, followed by the barrel. It takes longer to describe than to do it.
After getting the SIG home yesterday I field stripped it and ran a couple patches wet with Ballistol through the bore. I then lightly lubed the gun with Ballistol. Today RON in PA and I took it to the range along with my High Power and my Makarov. My father and I ran 101 rounds through the gun. The first 40 rounds were CCI 9mm 124 grain Gold Dot JHPs. The remaining 61 rounds with CCI 9mm Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ. We experienced zero malfunctions.
Compared with the High Power, the SIG has a little more muzzle flip, due to being lighter than the all-steel Browning, as well has having a higher boreline. It's noticeably more comfortable to shoot than the less-powerful Makarov, due to its locked-breech recoil operation vs. the Mak's straight blowback.
Our targets today were paper plates at seven yards. We didn't shoot the gun to obtain the best possible group, but “combat” accuracy was plenty good.
The only “problems” with the P225 as I see it are that since they are no longer imported new, they aren't all that common, and neither are the magazines. Yesterday I ordered three used mags from CDNN. I'll probably pick up some more in the future. New factory mags can be had but will set you back at least $30. Pro Mag does make magazines for the P225 but given their reputation for spotty reliability, I'll pass.
I am very pleased with the SIG Sauer P225. It's a light, reliable, easily concealable semiauto chambered for easily available, affordable, effective ammunition. It fits my hand very well and is pleasant to shoot. I recommend it as a fine choice for anyone needing a self defense handgun, especially if you have small hands.
The P225 was developed in the early 1970s to fulfill a request to replace the .32 ACP calber Walther PPs in use by most West German police with something more modern, in a large caliber. The result was the Swiss-designed and German-made P225. Germany designated the gun the P6, many of which have been sold recently on the US civilian market. Mine was imported from West Germany by SIGARMS of New Hampshire and sold new; it's not one of the surplus pieces.
The P225 is a conventional double action semiauto pistol. I.e., the pistol is designed to be carried hammer down on a loaded chamber. When drawn the first round is fired by simply pulling the trigger, which cocks the hammer and fires the gun. Remaining rounds are fired single action, the slide cocking the hammer before each shot.
The single stack magazine of the P225 holds 8 rounds of 9x19 ammunition. The magazine catch on my sample is a button on the left side of the frame behind the trigger. Some P225s were made with a heel magazine catch, however.
The barrel is 3.9” long and the gun weighs about 26 ounces unloaded. It's a bit smaller than a Browning High Power, but a bit larger than a Makarov. Here are a couple pictures for size comparisons:
The P225's slide is of interesting construction, typical SIG. The slide is formed from a heavy steel stamping, with a separate bolt pinned into place. The advantage of this is lower cost of manufacture. The steel is finished with matte bluing, which ideally would be a bit thicker. Blued SIGs have a reputation for rusting too easily because the finish on the slide wears off quickly. Mine shows wear on the slide finish, even though the gun's innards looked unfired. If I planned to carry it in harsh environments I think I'd get the slide Duracoated.
The frame is made from aluminum, anodized black. The rails on my P225 which hold the slide show no wear, so I doubt more than a box of ammo was run through it before I shot it today.
I do not have a trigger scale, but I'm guessing the double action pull is around ten pounds, with the single action pull around four or five. The DA pull is long and heavy, but smooth.
Sights are a blade front with a white dot, dovetailed into the slide, and a square notch rear. A white square is centered under the notch. I find the sights easy to see, with plenty of light on either side of the front sight post when it's centered in the rear sight notch.
I first handled a P225 at the NRA Annual Convention when it was held in Philadelphia, back in the late 90s. Since I have small hands, I was very favorably impressed with the slim grip, which fits me almost as good as a Browning High Power. When I saw a used one in excellent shape I had to buy it.
Field stripping the P225 is a piece of cake. First clear the gun. Then lock the slide back. Rotate the takedown catch 90 degrees so that it points to 6 o'clock. While holding the slide, release the slide lock and remove the slide off the gun towards the front. With the slide off, the recoil spring and guide can be pulled out, followed by the barrel. It takes longer to describe than to do it.
After getting the SIG home yesterday I field stripped it and ran a couple patches wet with Ballistol through the bore. I then lightly lubed the gun with Ballistol. Today RON in PA and I took it to the range along with my High Power and my Makarov. My father and I ran 101 rounds through the gun. The first 40 rounds were CCI 9mm 124 grain Gold Dot JHPs. The remaining 61 rounds with CCI 9mm Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ. We experienced zero malfunctions.
Compared with the High Power, the SIG has a little more muzzle flip, due to being lighter than the all-steel Browning, as well has having a higher boreline. It's noticeably more comfortable to shoot than the less-powerful Makarov, due to its locked-breech recoil operation vs. the Mak's straight blowback.
Our targets today were paper plates at seven yards. We didn't shoot the gun to obtain the best possible group, but “combat” accuracy was plenty good.
The only “problems” with the P225 as I see it are that since they are no longer imported new, they aren't all that common, and neither are the magazines. Yesterday I ordered three used mags from CDNN. I'll probably pick up some more in the future. New factory mags can be had but will set you back at least $30. Pro Mag does make magazines for the P225 but given their reputation for spotty reliability, I'll pass.
I am very pleased with the SIG Sauer P225. It's a light, reliable, easily concealable semiauto chambered for easily available, affordable, effective ammunition. It fits my hand very well and is pleasant to shoot. I recommend it as a fine choice for anyone needing a self defense handgun, especially if you have small hands.
