# Newbie trying to distinguish between auto models



## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

Ok so I'm perplexed by the Sig's... I've been learning up on the other brands and models and for the most part, I've figured out the other major brands, but the Sig's puzzle me.. 

The 250 I've figured is a departure from the rest with it's modular, field service / hot swap design.. nice.

But the rest.. like the 220, 226, 229... 2022... I'm just perplexed. Man! They make a lot of different models. Is there something easy that I'm missing that defines the main differences between their main-market full-size and compact or carry semi-auto's? Maybe it's just their web designer needs to take a look at Springfield's XD site.. now that's slick.

Not counting the .22's, small-guns, 1911's and pre-owned, they list no less than 10 different variations on those three models above. Can't see the trees for the forest around me there. About all it tells me is the P220 was the earliest for SS.

Help from the Sig officianado's please ?????? :help:

.. They certainly do look like a solid chunk of pistol.


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## scorpiusdeus (Feb 7, 2007)

The Basic run down is this.

P220-Full Sized .45 Semi Auto. Available in Nitron or Stainless Steel.

P226-Full Sized 9mm, .357sig, and 40 S&W. Many variations with minor differences.

P229-Mid sized to Full Sized 9mm, .357sig, 40 S&W. Also many variations. 

P239- Compact 9mm, .357 sig, .40 S&W. Fewer variations

2022- Polymer Full Sized 

Those are the basic mainstays of the Sig Sauer offering. Variations include grip type, All stainless vs some stainless. Regular Single action/double action vs double action only trigger (AKA DAK). Some differences are cosmetic like Equinox and so forth.


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## 1geo (Nov 8, 2007)

*Which is the best?*

Buy a Glock.


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## scorpiusdeus (Feb 7, 2007)

1geo said:


> Buy a Glock.


Do not listen to this man, he's not of the living. He is trying to pull you to the DARK SIDE, or as Mitt Romney might say, the Outer Darkness.


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## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

hehe.. more of them crazy glock people! :anim_lol:
Well, I do intend to try one, as well as all the others.. The 21SF I need to get a feel for if they have any in the case.

The dang Sig's are cool with the metal frame versions but jumpin' jiminy cricket... Man you know how much hunting rifle you can by for $1000?!? The gunmakers sure can't be starving as many as there seem to be now and how heavy they compete with each other.. It's an aggressive market for sure.


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## AZ Outlaws (Dec 3, 2007)

Here you go,  click here for all of Sig's pistols and tech information on each....


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## sfmittels (May 3, 2007)

There isn't anything wrong with either Glock or SIG. I own five of one and eight of the other, and I would trust my life to any of them. Yes, SIGs are crazy expensive. So are BMWs, Mercedes and Audis. And all for the same reason: quality and engineering. Does SIG add to their price tag just because they can? Maybe - so does Porsche, big time.

IMO, owning a Glock is like owning a SnapOn brand tool - it's one of the best, if not THE best, at performing its intended function. But when you're not using it, it sits in the tool box.

On the other hand, owning a SIG is like owning a Rolex: you start thinking about which of your kids is worthy of inheriting it.


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## audiologic (Nov 27, 2007)

sfmittels said:


> There isn't anything wrong with either Glock or SIG. I own five of one and eight of the other, and I would trust my life to any of them. Yes, SIGs are crazy expensive. So are BMWs, Mercedes and Audis. And all for the same reason: quality and engineering. Does SIG add to their price tag just because they can? Maybe - so does Porsche, big time.
> 
> IMO, owning a Glock is like owning a SnapOn brand tool - it's one of the best, if not THE best, at performing its intended function. But when you're not using it, it sits in the tool box.
> 
> On the other hand, owning a SIG is like owning a Rolex: you start thinking about which of your kids is worthy of inheriting it.


Very nice comparison.

I have a Glock 26, and Sig P226R. Both of which I love. The Glock is my everyday carry. The sig is just too damn beautiful to take out there like that. This is why I keep her home, locked in a box.


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## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

I can understand that.. I love my yachtmaster, though the old work-horse citizen also does a terrific job telling time while doing yard work..

So I did get to the shop today for a chance to at least pull out a few and get a feel for the grips.. I had three different XD's, a Sig P220 and a 1911 out on the table.. I had two guys waiting for a slot at the range and a guy behind the counter, and they all agreed one thing.. You can grab any XD, and swap right over to a 1911 and your grip angle will be the same, but if you get used to a glock, you're going to be pointing any of the other styles differently by default due to the larger grip angle. Not saying it's bad or good, just different, and I'm sure Glock owners love it.. He did have them in the case and I should have compared. oops.

Holding the P220 and XD's, I found them similar.. comfortable in either 9mm, .40 or .45. The 9mm and .40 XD's identical, the .45 a little fatter but reasonable, and the salesman stated the .357 Sig would be like the 9 or .40.

The P220 certainly felt like a *quality* metal-frame as it should.. I was surrounded though by XD fans big-time.. They all own at least one. But all also had the same high regard with *oooh's and aaah's over the Sig*. One guy there owns both and has the same take on the Sigs.. *His Sig is the prize pistol and the XD is the carry.*

It's like comparing nice Accords or Camrys with a Lexus (I wouldn't say Benz or Beemer as with their current long-term Q levels these days).. But the accords (XD's) felt solid, precision slide and very nice trigger action. *The Sig had a silly-super-slick trigger though.. The DA felt smooth, the SA reeeeeally smooth.* :smt023 I felt like either would suffice, but the Sig is all that and a bucket of chicken.. _*NICE*_. I think some of that "feel" though is the metal frame and grip, compared to the poly-frames though.... *The Sig did feel a wee bit "chunky" though, as I imagined*.. It's big ole chunk of 4" metal pistol.. Solid and precise.

*I did like the tactile contact of the grip and trigger safety setups on the XD's though*.. I didn't know though that SA jacked the price like $200 when they took over the HS pistols to later become the XD's.. They really found a money-hole in that little Croatian export, I'd say.. The Pre-SA HS's apparently didn't have the grip safety.. SA added that.

I think either a $500ish XD or a $700-1000+ish Sig would thrill the crap out of me though, and either would make me fairly equally confident in the situation where it had to function to do it's job, protect and defend.

Ok... So, I also struck convo with the same three guys about 1911's and mentioned the econo-line *PT1911 Taurus... One guy owns one, loves it immensely.. He also has a compact XD for carry. *

For frame of reference, the closest one in the case, the salesman handed me the Rock Island 1911. Yep.. felt like a 1911 except the plastic grips left plenty to desire. good grips a first purchase for that gun.. Those plastic grips gots to go.. like immediately.

After handling the XD's and Sig though I have to say, the 1911 felt very... slim, long and heavy.. though angle felt identical. But chrome and steel Harley vs a composite and fiberglass sportbike I guess.. Old school metal.. No frills, just SA cocked and locked. I can see the attraction.. Feels like a gun aughta. When I asked about the RI pistols from the philipines the salesman stated they've had good experience with the ones they've sold to range-shooters.. good pistol. hmmm. $400 *!!!* Of course he had some sweet Kimbers in the case...  Sharp. I rolled the tongue back in, looked one last time at the XD's which keep drawing me in, and split.

...... Sorry.. didn't mean to write a novel here but it was an illuminating little 30 minutes chewing the fat infront of a gun case. Sorry, couldn't get my hands around a CZ though.. *The instructor I know there who's a 75 B owner and fan is hot after either a P01 or SP01 in a bad way.*

The instructor I dealt with last time is far more knowledgeable about differences between them as he laid out a lot more "ok.. now try this.. feel that? See this difference here.." Knows his stuff and wasn't really steering towards this pistol or that but showing how they definitely weren't the same. *I'll be getting him involved via lessons and rentals for sure.*


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## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

So after all that.. When I get some rentals to range.. They'll be the following:

*Beretta 92* - I just gotta know because of the friend's pistol for sale
Some respectible 1911 .45acp
*XD and Glock* of course to directly compare the two
*M&P S&W* - the stellar awards and reviews can't be dismissed
*CZ 75 B* probably - for some Czech metal-frame intro and I dig the baby desert eagle.
*A Sig* - to see how the other half lives :mrgreen:

.... then the general will assess and decide on the which rattle the newbie will cut his teeth on at the range. :smt082

:watching:


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## scorpiusdeus (Feb 7, 2007)

No worries about the Novel. I enjoyed reading it.

For me it happened like this. I'd been through just about every gun rag and gun store I could find. I was all settled on a Berreta 92F. Of course the Colt Delta Elite in 10MM was also calling my name.

So I'm working the desk one day at a hotel while I was in school. We had a bunch of hard chargers in from Metro Dade SWAT. One kind fellow sees me reading the latest Ads and Ammo. We get to talking about guns. He tells me what I need is a Sig. I had to go around town the next day to find one. DAMN!! That looks UGLY! Who would want that Ugly gun. I handled it and it felt good in my hands. Pointed well too. I started asking around and come to find out this Sig Sauer thing is considered one of the top of the line firearms.

I paid $500 for my first P226 about a month later. A love affair was born.


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## babs (Nov 30, 2007)

Found a cute link if you like reading gun reviews by LEO's...
http://www.policelink.com/products/products/471-springfield-xd-45

... naturally, guess which scores good marks.. Those darn XD's of course.
... They're also huge glock, sig and HK fans as well it appears.. Not big on 92's but are 1911 fans just from reading their comments on the other weapons.

Thought I'd share.


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## clamenza (Dec 7, 2007)

*favorite carry gun*

my personal carry gun is a 229 in 357 sig. go to your local gun show. visual inspect, pick up and handle several dozen models. you'll figure out which ones you like and dislike. you have to get some trigger time with your favorites. tell you the truth my 220 .45 is my most accurate.


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## sbc_pd10 (Dec 13, 2007)

I understand how you feel about finding what you want. I have been a big Glock fan for years and tbh I still love Glocks. I got married about 6 months ago and my wife made me sell my AR-15. I was so ticked at the time, that I sold every other gun I owned, including my Glock, with the exception of the hunting rifle my father gave me. That left me with just my hunting rifle and my duty weapon which I hate. Its an old S&W 915 9mm. I am trying to talk the Chief into upgrading now and so far am making some progress. Anyway I took the money from the guns I sold and bought a motorcycle. Well now I miss my guns. I went to the store to buy some hearing protection to sight in my rifle because I lost my old hearing protection in the move. While there, I ended up buying my wife a Turus 85 Ultralite .38 spl. It was a week or so before her birthday and I figured if I could get her interested in shooting sports then maybe I could talk her into letting me buy more guns. :smt083 While I was buying her Taurus, the guy at the shop talked me into checking out a P229 SCT he had in stock. Well I have never really liked the feel of Sigs in the past but I went ahead and tried it out. I have to say it felt great in my hand. Only complaint I had was that my smallest finger was sitting on part of the new magazine and the way it was shaped pushed my finger forward slightly and made it feel slightly awkward. Well after looking around at a lot of different guns, I am now just waiting on my dealer to get the P226 SCT. I am a little nervous because the magazines are new and I hope they don't have any problems but then again its a Sig and I can always have them fix it.

BTW... I looked at the XD several times. I really don't see why so many people like it. It reminds me of a cheap knockoff of a Glock. The ones I have handled felt like crap in my hand and the trigger pull on the ones I handled was worse then a Glock factory trigger pull by far. Then I started to really look at them close. With the exception of the .45, all the XDs seem to have part of the guide pin sticking out the front of the gun beneath the barrel. Its not much, but it makes me nervous. Something about it doesn't look right at all. Seems to me it would be easy to hang on a holster or anything for that matter. Then I learned they were originally designed in Croatia. Hmmm. Not sure about you guys but I don't want to trust my life to a gun engineered and designed by what is basically a third world country. Europeans are amazing engineers and designers of both cars and guns. I think I will stick with my European guns.

Steps back and waits for the XD lovers to bash.:smt033


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## scorpiusdeus (Feb 7, 2007)

You're a cop and your wife "made" you sell your AR15? My advice: Don't buy guns, save your money for a good divorce attorney. :mrgreen:

Seriously though, I agree with regard to the XD trigger. Mine is pretty crappy,but the guns works. I'm still not sure how I feel about it though.

I don;t think the Sig Sauer SCT is different enough from other Sig Sauers to make you have concerns. The P226 platform is one of the finest. I'd just go for it...

That's if your wife allows it :anim_lol:


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## sbc_pd10 (Dec 13, 2007)

Well my wife was a little upset about the "ugly look" of the AR-15. Not really a good excuse but I got tired of hearing it. She is supporting me in buying my Sig though. Buying her Taurus first may have helped in that matter. I do work for a very small department. As I said, I am trying to get the Chief to upgrade our sidearms. Well I failed to mention that I have almost convinced the department to purchase some M4s as well. So hopefully soon I will have access to something of that nature anyway. I am probably going to buy either another glock or a sig p220 in the future too.


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## M.Martian (Jan 24, 2008)

For any of you guys that are looking into any of the Sigs also look into the Hogue grips. The pistol with the standard grips feels well enough, but for me the Hogue grips felt great.

I had been looking into picking up something with more power than my .32 PPK. I had been going back and forth about which pistols I wanted to look into more.

After going out shooting with a friend and his P229 with the Hogue grips I knew what I was going to buy. I just had to narrow it down between a P226 or a P229 with Hogues.

I ended up finding a local shop that had both a 226 and a 229 under the glass and handled both. For me the 229 felt better.

I ended up leaving with a P229 OD and had the Hogue finger groove grips before I even picked up the gun.


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