Sig p227

[FAB45]

So what's the latest on this rig?

[Sensei]

I have one - bought it 3 weeks ago. So far, only 150 rounds of ball but no malfunctions. Here is my initial impressions.

Size: It is virtually identical to the P226 in most dimensions. It will fit in any P226-compatible holster including the RCS phantom that I have for my P226s (yes, I have several).

Grip: This is where the size is a little different. It is a fraction of an inch thicker than the P226. I notice this when I hold my P226 in one hand and my P227 in the other, but the slight size difference does not change my draw presentation. The grip also use a "screwless" E2 style grip. I like the lack of screws, but personally prefer the classic grip contours to the E2 that I've grown accustomed to over the years. The grip texture is nice and it did a great job with traction on my sweaty hands during the hot day. The front strap checkering is also more aggressive than that found on the P226 series. The grip does have one very nice added feature - a recess at the top of the front strap and near the trigger guard. Those with larger hands will enjoy this little detail as it minimizes the crowding of one's fingers under the trigger guard when using an aggressive, thumbs-forward grip.

Trigger: It comes with the short trigger. Not a big deal for me, but I prefer the standard P226 trigger. The pull was a little heavy at just over 11 lbs DA and almost 6 lbs SA. I've seen other reviews with similar weights out of the box which tend to improve a little with use.

Accuracy: Typical Sig - this gun is more accurate than me. Granted, I'm coming back to Sigs after shooting Glock 17/19 for the past 5 years. However, I had no problem keeping a fist-sized cluster of ten rounds on the paper at 7 yards firing at rate of about 1 round per second. I kept all but 2 rounds inside of the center -0 on an IDPA target when I repeated this at the 25 yard line. I will re-post a more detailed report as I get more familiar with the gun.

Recoil Essentially identical to the P220. Interestingly it is noticeably sharper than my Gen 4 G21 which is perhaps the softest shooting 45 in my stable (yes, the recoil on my Glock is smoother than my HKs, SA PROs, and M&Ps).

Function: No stoppages in the first 150 rounds. I only shoot ball for the first 250 to look for gross problems. I'll repost once I get a chance to put some Gold Dots or HSTs through it. I typically fail to lock the slide back on the last round about 50% of the time due to thumb placement on the slide release, but this is not the gun's fault.

Magazines: As of tonight, factory spares are non-existent. Not a big deal for me since I typically put 1-2K round through a gun before giving it street creds. However, those needing a duty gun in the next few weeks are SOL for spare mags for the time being. I've seen people using P250 mags after removing a divot on the floor plate since the magazine bodies are identical between the P250 and P227. However, I have no first hand experience with this modification.

Needed Improvements: I have a couple Sigs that have been worked over by Bruce Gray with his reset carry package, and the rest have received the factory short reset trigger. So far, I'm undecided what to do with this one. I'll probably hold off and see how the trigger pull feels after 1-2K rounds. If it is still heavy, the I'll probably go with Bruce assuming that he'll work on a 227. If the weight significantly improves with shooting, I'll probably go with the less expensive factory modification.

[Sensei]

Here is a pic that shows the contoured front strap and more aggressive checkering.

Attachment 17989

[Briman1001]

Awesome to hear these fit in holsters designed for the P226. Might have to pick one up when the magazine situation gets fixed. Thanks.

[Sensei]

Awesome to hear these fit in holsters designed for the P226. Might have to pick one up when the magazine situation gets fixed. Thanks.

I think that the mag situation is typical for a new release pistol. It will take a few months for production to catch up with demand.

Another issue that I had but did not mention in my initial review was the fact that the magazine baseplates seem a little on the flimsy side. They are made from plastic that appears rather soft. After only 150 rounds worth of use, both mags had multiple small chips on the baseplates from them hitting the deck (packed dirt and loose gravel) during mag changes. I've never seen that on my Glock, HK, or even M&P factory mags. It did not affect function and I see no cracks to cause alarm. The followers seem more sturdy. However, the plastic used to make the plates is nowhere near as dense as that on my other Mec-Gar mags.

[Vandal]

I've been waiting to see one of these pop up on here. Sensei, if you could keep up updated it would be appreciated. I love my P229 and was really glad to hear Sig was coming out with a double stack .45. I think the SRT trigger will get better with some more shooting. There was a noticeable difference in my 229 after the first 1k. Put a set of Trijicon HDs on there and I think I'm sold.

[walkin' trails]

Thanks for the informative review. I always found the grip on the Sigs to be a little big fir me until the E2 came along. Haven't fired one yet, however. I remember Sig tried a double stack based on the 220 about 12-13 years ago but it apparently never took off.

[Sensei]

I put another 100 rounds down the pipe on my way home from work yesterday. Most were performing the FAST drill or my own little version of the FAST drill as I run out of 3x5" cards or ammo:

5 rounds at 7 yards from an IDPA target drawn from a RCS Phantom
1) 2 to the chest
2) slide lock reload
3) 2 more to the chest and one to the head

All rounds must stay in the -0

On my version of the FAST I generally run about 5.5 seconds with a G17 which is a full 1.5-2 seconds faster than the real FAST using the official FAST target. This is because the hit zone on the IDPA head is larger and my version fires one less round.

With the P227 I am significantly slower. My average times approached 7 seconds on my version and 9 seconds on the actual FAST . My biggest problem is getting that first round off and on target. My other 45 caliber Sigs have Bruce Gray's reduced reset carry package which took just over a pound off the DA pull. Also, that first round on the P227 comes off heavier than any other factory Sig DA triggers that I own.

In terms of reliability, I had zero malfunctions. So, I got some work to do in order to master that DA/SA trigger.

[streck]

How do you perform your draw with the Sig? You should be indexing the trigger during the presentation such that the trigger breaks the shot at the moment of full extension.
Practicing this timing nullifies the issues with the DA pull.

You should be able to do the same and may be faster still with the Glock but you should get under the 6 seconds.

[Sensei]

How do you perform your draw with the Sig? You should be indexing the trigger during the presentation such that the trigger breaks the shot at the moment of full extension.
Practicing this timing nullifies the issues with the DA pull.

You should be able to do the same and may be faster still with the Glock but you should get under the 6 seconds.

I do press outs as you describe, but the transition from striker to DA is not something that I do well with only 200-500 rounds.

With my Gen4 G17 and factory trigger I sit at 6.5-7 seconds for a actual FAST using Todd Green's target and Speer 147 grain Gold Dot. I'm a hair faster with my Springfield PRO running Speer 230 grain Gold Dot.