The Sig P220 is the pistol that, over three decades ago, piqued my interest in Sig pistols. Previous Sig pistols were good designs, but never stirred my innards as did the double-action, lightweight-framed 220. Marketed here originally as the Browning BDA, the 220 was a product of Swiss and German engineering, and that design has been the mainstay of Sig pistols ever since. Now made in the USA, the Sig Sauer P220 has an American style magazine release, and has been tweaked in a bit, but is still basically like the original in design and function.

The P220 is a single-stack 45 ACP double-action/single-action pistol with an exposed hammer. Wearing the famous Sig-style decocking lever, the P220 is as safe of a pistol to carry as anyone would ever desire. The design incorporates a firing pin lock, which prevents discharge unless the trigger is pulled. There is no manual safety, as none is needed. The pistol fires with a long double-action pull when the hammer is down, and the slide cocks the hammer for subsequent shots. When the shooter is finished firing, the hammer can be lowered without touching the trigger or hammer, by pushing downward on the decocker. The trigger pull is very smooth, and the hammer rebounds after each shot, so that it is not resting upon the firing pin. The Sig P220 is full-sized, but not overly bulky, and it fits my hand well. Relatively lightweight for a big 45, weighing in at just under two pounds empty, the Sig carries well in a good holster, and is very comfortable to shoot.

Critical specifications for the Sig P220 are listed in the chart below. Weights are listed in ounces. Linear dimensions are listed in inches. Trigger pull is listed in pounds of resistance, as measured with my Lyman digital trigger pull scale. DA is the double-action trigger pull. SA is the single-action trigger pull. Height includes sights and magazine base pad. Maximum width is measured across the top of the frame, and includes the slide lock.

Now, let’s cut to the chase on the performance of this P220. This pistol is match-accurate. I tested for accuracy using a Ransom Master Series machine rest, to see how well the P220 would shoot, and everything that I fired in this pistol performed very well. There were no failures of any kind. Every round fed, fired, and ejected perfectly. Shown here are pictures that include the best and the worst groups fired. No group exceeded two inches at twenty-five yards, and most were under one and one-half inches. The groups shown are representative for each type of ammo tested. There are some very expensive pistols on the market that will not shoot as well as this Sig P220, and from what I hear, most P220 pistols perform as well as this one did. The 220 has full-length frame rails, and the frame to slide fit is very good, as is the slide to barrel fit.

Carrying the Sig can be done very comfortably, with a proper holster. There are many types of holsters available for the P220. The one shown here is the Cumberland from Simply Rugged. The Cumberland is a pancake design that has steel spring clips, and can be worn inside or outside the pants. It protects the pistol from damage, and the wearer’s hide from abrasion by the pistol. It goes on and off the body quickly, and makes a pistol very concealable.

To make this Sig P220 ready for carry, all I would add would be a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips. A person is most likely to need a fighting handgun in low light situations, and the Crimson Trace Lasergrip makes it easy to put the bullets on target, whether shooting in almost pitch darkness, or from an awkward position. If you want another variation of the Sig P220, Sig Sauer lists twenty-seven different variations of the P220 on their website.

This Sig P220 is one of the best 45 ACP pistols available at any price. It is reliable, durable, lightweight, and superbly accurate. I highly recommend it. Check out the extensive line of Sig Sauer firearms and accessories online at www.sigsauer.com.