magazines for them. The currently imported Novak’s P220 magazine seems to work well. ACT in Italy produces it. While marketed as an eight-round mag and having an extended floorplate, I’ve nonetheless found that some will comfortably hold all eight and some are better carried with seven rounds, at least when new.
Many shooters have found full P220 .45 mags hard to unload, at least for the topmost cartridge or two. Here’s the secret. Hold the loaded magazine in one hand and pinch the thumb and forefinger of the other hand beneath the nose of the cartridge on top, applying upward pressure. Now use the thumb of the magazine-holding hand to push the cartridge forward. It will come out much easier. Repeat if necessary for the next cartridge or two; after that, spring pressure will be relieved and the thumb alone will be able to slide the rest of the rounds out easily.
Variations
Though many considered the P220 a compact handgun, many who owned them wanted one even smaller for deeper concealment. This wish was granted by SIG in the form of the excellent little P245, a pistol that differs sufficiently from the P220 that it is treated separately in this book.
Stainless steel P220s have also been produced. Basically the same gun as the original, but heavier, they differ only in handling qualities and, of course, in adding one more option of corrosion resistance to the many finishes which are discussed in the segments of this book devoted to accessories and customizing.
The first of these guns was the P220 Sport, introduced to the public in 1999. I was at a conference of the firearms press conducted by SIGARMS in conjunction with the NRA Show and Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in 1998, where we were given a chance to play with advance versions of this gun.
Fitted with a long muzzle weight-cum-compensator, and with an all-steel frame of stainless alloy, this handsome pistol sports a 5.5-inch barrel and weighs some 44 ounces. With the added weight and the comp, recoil and muzzle jump are greatly reduced. The exquisite accuracy of the earlier P220s was clearly present in this .45. It was introduced with grooves on the dust cover (front of frame) to accept additional weights and other accessories proprietary to SIGARMS.
I liked the gun, but found it a bit big for my tastes and needs. Like many, I just said, “Make us a regular P220 with this frame, and groove the dust cover to accept more common accessories, like the M-3 flashlight.”
SIG listened. The 21st Century saw the P220 ST, exactly the gun described above. Though the first models had reliability problems (and, I thought, below-P220-standard accuracy), this was traced to the use of a stainless steel barrel. SIG solved the problem by installing their conventional chrome molybdenum steel barrel within the stainless slide.
Now, we had a truly meaningful option within the P220 line. There were those of us accustomed by years of wearing Colt Government .45s that weighed 39 or so ounces, and didn’t mind the fact that this was the weight of the all-steel P220 ST. In return, we got the recoil reduction and added durability that came with all-steel construction. Before, SIG engineers had been leery about recommending +P .45 ACP ammo for these guns. I saw very few aluminum P220 frames crack after continuous shooting with +P, which brings the ACP up to a power level comparable to a full-power 10mm Auto cartridge, which is infamously brutal to even full-size .45 caliber guns. With the ST variation, my sources at SIG tell me that they just don’t see a problem.
References
1. Mullin, Timothy J., The 100 Greatest Combat Pistols, Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1994, P.315.
2. Ibid., P. 316.
3. Taylor, Chuck, The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, Fourth Edition, Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1997, P. 224-225.
4. Ibid., P.225.
Chapter 2
The SIG P225
SIG-Sauer’s second pistol was the P225. The German government was looking for a compact law enforcement pistol in 9mm Parabellum, and high magazine capacity was not a priority. SIG’s answer, the P225, became a modern classic overnight. It was widely adopted in German law enforcement, and struck a responsive chord in the U.S. market as well.
Mechanically, Wiley Clapp in The Gun Digest Book of 9mm Handguns aptly described the P225: “The 225 is a version of the 220 in which the length and height measurements have been reduced. A 225 will measure about three-quarters of an inch less in length and about a half inch less in height. Aside from the more compact dimensions, the 225 differs in the contour of the grip and trigger guard. The grip has been altered in an altogether pleasing fashion. It is slightly slimmer, but more significantly, it is attractively rounded at the lower rear of the butt. The overall impression is quite different from the 220.” (1)
The P225 has been made only in one caliber; 9mm Parabellum. It contains eight rounds in its single-stack magazine and a ninth in its chamber. The magazines are slim, flat, and easy to conceal. So, of course, is the gun itself.
When Handling Characteristics Decide the Issue
Numerous law enforcement agencies have adopted this gun in Europe, and many have authorized it in the United States. It is particularly suitable for officers with small hands. The shorter reach to the trigger is a boon for shooters with short fingers.
In a federal lawsuit entitled Judy Cangealose v. Department of Justice, Janet Reno, and FBI, I was hired on behalf of a female FBI agent trainee who was fired for failing to qualify with her issue service weapon at the FBI Academy in Quantico. At the time (and now, for that matter) Cangealose would have had the option of carrying a compact 9mm pistol such as the SIG P225 or the S&W Model 3913 while on duty. One element of the lawsuit was that she should have been allowed to use such a pistol at the Academy. Instead, the Bureau issued Cangealose – a slender, petite woman with very small hands – a relatively huge, heavy 10mm semiautomatic. She could not reach the trigger in a manner that gave her proper control of the pistol.
In preparation for the trial, I took Ms. Cangealose to the range with, among other guns, a SIG-Sauer P225. She fired a number of exercises from the required FBI qualification curriculum. The P225 fit her perfectly, and she passed with flying colors. I testified to this under oath in deposition. Knowing where it was going, FBI and the Department of Justice settled out of court for a significant amount of money just before the trial got underway.
The P225 was by no means limited to petite females in its appeal. A number of highly trained men find its ergonomics, even more than its compact size, make the P225 not only their favorite SIG, but sometimes, their personal carry gun.
The P225 in an average size man’s hand. One of the most ergonomic modern auto pistols ever made, it is particularly suitable to those with small hands and/or short fingers.
Tim Mullin raved about the P225 in his book The 100 Greatest Combat Pistols . “The P225 is an excellent weapon,” he wrote. “Because of the single-column magazine, the grip on the P225 is sufficiently shallow and narrow to allow you to get a good grip on a weapon (unlike the P226), and it has a good feel to it… All in all, I would rate this pistol very highly.” (2)
