P210
10-01-16, 13:17
SteyrAUG "Flashback 1955 - Which Of These 9mm Pistols Will Be Adopted By NATO Army.." thread in General Discussion sparked me to give some feedback of using P210 in target shooting, competition and in harsh environment.
First a word of caution. Swiss guns are a very expensive and contagious disease.
I did not have a plan to like it, just bought P210-2 because of the reputation/history/pedigree and it happened to be in the store with a reasonable price sticker. Reason behind the relatively low price was some cosmetic defects due to neglect of previous owner. And no one seemed to want some awkward weird looking single stack nine. Got to have Glocks, CZ 75 Shadows and STI's they said... Less than perfect looks were fine for me as long as mechanics are OK.
First thing you notice is the fantastic built quality. When slide is in battery there is no movement. Nothing at all. Flat surfaces are flat, edges are straight without being sharp. Nothing really compares. Besides Korth revolvers which are way above anything I've ever handled.
Shooting is easy. Gun points well, two stage trigger is good, accuracy is fantastic - full mag, freehand on a man size target at 100 yards is almost trivial.
Negatives are the heel mag release, low mag capacity, hammer bite and difficult to operate safety. Why then would anyone consider using P210 as a "go to" pistol?
Weapon is very thin and carries well, reliability is great and it effortlessly puts bullets where you think. Heel mag release can be learned with a practice. Nill beavertail fixes hammer bite. Some file work on wood grips is enough to make safety workable. Low mag capacity is major drawback against double stacks in competition.
Experiences after 5 years and approx. as many thousands of rounds,
No malfunctions. Exception, I once fed it full with fine sand by crawling without mag in place. Do not ask why. Field strip did not get all the sand out. Normally tight tolerances keep dirt, water and snow out. Exposed hammer could potentially be slowed down by foreign particles. Though have not experienced that.
Rust resistance. Frame and slide are blued. Barrel, slide stop, trigger and hammer are bare. Only frame will rust somewhat easily. This happened after couple of days in almost constant rain and no maintenance. Suggest daily wipe down in wet environment. This gun has newer type CNC machined frame made out of bar stock. No experience about earlier type forged frames.
All in all, P210 gives warm and fuzzy feeling of having a gun that is easy to carry, reliable, durable and what makes you look better shooter. Nine for sure. :p
First a word of caution. Swiss guns are a very expensive and contagious disease.
I did not have a plan to like it, just bought P210-2 because of the reputation/history/pedigree and it happened to be in the store with a reasonable price sticker. Reason behind the relatively low price was some cosmetic defects due to neglect of previous owner. And no one seemed to want some awkward weird looking single stack nine. Got to have Glocks, CZ 75 Shadows and STI's they said... Less than perfect looks were fine for me as long as mechanics are OK.
First thing you notice is the fantastic built quality. When slide is in battery there is no movement. Nothing at all. Flat surfaces are flat, edges are straight without being sharp. Nothing really compares. Besides Korth revolvers which are way above anything I've ever handled.
Shooting is easy. Gun points well, two stage trigger is good, accuracy is fantastic - full mag, freehand on a man size target at 100 yards is almost trivial.
Negatives are the heel mag release, low mag capacity, hammer bite and difficult to operate safety. Why then would anyone consider using P210 as a "go to" pistol?
Weapon is very thin and carries well, reliability is great and it effortlessly puts bullets where you think. Heel mag release can be learned with a practice. Nill beavertail fixes hammer bite. Some file work on wood grips is enough to make safety workable. Low mag capacity is major drawback against double stacks in competition.
Experiences after 5 years and approx. as many thousands of rounds,
No malfunctions. Exception, I once fed it full with fine sand by crawling without mag in place. Do not ask why. Field strip did not get all the sand out. Normally tight tolerances keep dirt, water and snow out. Exposed hammer could potentially be slowed down by foreign particles. Though have not experienced that.
Rust resistance. Frame and slide are blued. Barrel, slide stop, trigger and hammer are bare. Only frame will rust somewhat easily. This happened after couple of days in almost constant rain and no maintenance. Suggest daily wipe down in wet environment. This gun has newer type CNC machined frame made out of bar stock. No experience about earlier type forged frames.
All in all, P210 gives warm and fuzzy feeling of having a gun that is easy to carry, reliable, durable and what makes you look better shooter. Nine for sure. :p