The Gun Digest Book of Sig-Sauer. Massad Ayoob
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more modern gun, and optionally, a more powerful one, and therefore more desirable. The most recent Gun Digest does not list the P225. Imports to the United States dried up some time ago.
The persistent rumor that SIG-Sauer has discontinued the P225 is incorrect. Says SIGARMS Technical Director Joe Kiesel, “The P225 is still produced, and will be with us for some time to come. A variant of the P225 is the P6, the German Army pistol, and for that contract alone it can be expected to remain in production. It hasn’t been imported to the U.S. for years, for the simple reason that since the introduction of the P239, there has been virtually no demand for the P225.”
The P239 is a superb pistol. There is much that it can do that the P225 cannot, such as fire more powerful ammunition. Still, there is a combination of classic lines and exquisite feel in the hand that will make the P225 much missed in some U.S. shooting circles. If you can find a good used one, you’ll probably not be sorry if you buy it.
Idiosyncrasies
Over the years, I received complaints occasionally from owners of the P225 that when they loaded it with hot, high-velocity ammunition such as the Cor-Bon 115-grain JHP at 1,350 feet per second nominal velocity, the pistol would occasionally fail to pick up a round. What apparently was happening was that the extremely powerful round was driving the short, light slide rearward so fast, allowing it to snap back forward with commensurately greater momentum, that the slide would close over the top of the magazine before the topmost cartridge could be picked up. The result would be a “click” instead of a “bang” at the next pull of the trigger, because the hammer would fall on an empty chamber.
I never personally experienced this with a P225, and I never heard of it happening with a P228, which also has a short slide. Apparently, the strong spring in the double-stack magazine of the P228 was always able to push the next round up into place so fast that the fastest slide couldn’t beat it. The P225 magazine, being a single-stack that required less spring tension, was the only gun I heard of this happening with. The subsequent P239 does not seem to have ever had this problem.
When Spaulding was carrying a P225 on Montgomery County, the agency for some time had both Cor-Bon and Winchester 115-grain +P+ ammunition for the 9mm guns, and he had no problem running plenty of it through his. This incompatibility is apparently a rare one. If you carry hot loads in your P225, be certain to run a lot of them through to ensure proper functioning. If the problem does show up, the best bet would probably be to throttle back to a standard pressure 115-grain hollow-point Winchester Silvertip or Federal 9BP.
References
1. Grennell, Dean A., and Clapp, Wiley, “The Gun Digest Book of 9mm Handguns,” Northbrook, IL: DBI Books, 1986, P.147.
2. Mullin, Timothy J., “The 100 Greatest Combat Pistols,” Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1994, P.187.
3. Grennell and Clapp, op.cit. P.207.
4. Ibid.
5. (5) Ibid.
Chapter 3
The SIG P226
Developed for the military, the P226 became a premier police service pistol.
Introduced in 1983, the P226 evolved from the P220 as a large-capacity 9mm. It was SIG’s entry in the U.S. trials for what would become the nation’s new military service pistol. When those grueling and I comprehensive tests were done, only two handguns stood at the top of the heap: The SIG P226 and the Beretta 92F.
Beretta won the contract. Some said that they had underbid SIG, either on the pistols themselves or on the combined package including magazines, parts, and accessories. Others hinted darkly that a deal had been brokered. Rumor had it that the U.S. wanted to place cruise missiles in Italy, and that Italy in return wanted a fat contract for their military arms industry, which included Beretta.
One thing is certain: the SIG came through the test with flying colors. Even Beretta fans do not attempt to debate the fact that the SIG P226 at the very least tied their favorite gun. Firearms historian Larry Wilson wrote the following in The World of Beretta: An International Legend.
“In winning the contract,” Wilson stated flatly, “the Beretta was one of only two candidates to complete satisfactorily the testing program. The other finalist was the Swiss-German firm of SIG-Sauer.” (1)
Three generations of the 9mm SIG-Sauer P226. Top, the first classic: note unique checkering pattern on grips, internal extractor, hollow slide pin. Center, the next generation: note cobblestone pattern of grip roughening, external extractor, solid slide pin. Below, the latest: same as center gun, but with Picatinny accessory attachment rail integral to dust cover of frame.
Let’s look at the perspectives of some other authorities. Vietnam combat vet and world-renowned authority on military small arms Chuck Karwan commented, “The P226 9mm was designed specifically to compete in the U.S. trials to replace the M1911A1 .45. It was co-winner of the trials but lost in the final bidding process to the Beretta M92F. Many, including the author, felt that the P226 was the better pistol.” (2)
Another noted handgun expert, Tim Mullin, has this to say about the P226 in those U.S. military trials, “This is the pistol the U.S. military forces actually wanted when they adopted a 9X19mm pistols. …(it was the choice of) many elite military units, the most famous being the Navy SEALS. After they broke the M92 repeatedly, they refused delivery of any more Beretta pistols and bought SIG P226 pistols instead. This pistol is also used by many federal law enforcement agencies.” (3)
Top, P226 from the early 1980s. This one has been retrofitted with short-reach trigger and Crimson Trace LaserGrips, and Trijicon night sights installed aftermarket in the mid-80s. Below, its successor: this is the “rail gun” variation, with SIGLite night sights and standard length trigger. Both of these specimens are chambered for 9mm.
Chuck Taylor is another highly respected authority on combat handguns. His take on the JSSAP trials goes thus, “(The P226) was originally designed to satisfy the criteria of the infamous U.S. military Joint Service Small Arms Program handgun trials, wherein many ‘in the know’ claim that the P226 actually outperformed the eventual choice, the Beretta M92.” (4) Appropriately enough, Taylor’s comments on the SIG P226 appear on p. 226 of the book in question, the fourth edition of the Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery.
All these authorities have good opinions of the P226 pistol, and all are on record explaining why. “…while I feel the concept around which the modern high-capacity auto is based to be dreadfully ill-advised, I also feel that the P226 is one of the best-designed and best-built examples of the breed,” says Taylor. “It is extremely well made and finished, featuring a black anodized frame and Parkerized slide, and presents a formidable appearance, backed by solid functionality. It is one of the most accurate self-loaders I have ever fired and possesses well-conceived human engineering features.”
Continues Taylor, “Its decocking lever and slide lock/release are all centrally located for quick, easy manipulation. In addition, it feeds most anything you care to stuff into the magazine, including the latest exotic JHP designs. It field strips