My first experience with SIG pistols was back
in the late 1970s. I was perusing the gun section of Uncle Lee’s
Discount Store in Paris, Tennessee, as I tended to do when in
that part of the state, when I spotted three brand new Browning
BDA pistols on the top shelf of the glass handgun case. Uncle
Lee’s had a huge firearms section in the store, and they
usually had a lot of unusual but useful stuff. Things that many
gun stores did not stock, like left-handed bolt action rifles,
reloading tools, and anything new and exotic, like these
Browning pistols. They had one each on display chambered for the
45 ACP, 38 Super, and 9mm Luger cartridges. Made for Browning by
SIG-Sauer in Germany, the BDA was identical to the SIG P220 of
which we have become familiar over the past few decades. Like
most things Browning at that time, there was no way that I could
afford to buy one of those beautiful BDA pistols, being young
and terminally broke, but I read every word printed in the gun
magazines about them that I could find. It would be several
years before I would get to finally shoot one. By that time,
they were being imported as the SIG P220, and the 45 ACP pistol
that I fired lived up to my expectations.
Later, the P220 was modified a bit to better
suit the preferences of American shooters by moving the magazine
release to the rear of the trigger guard on the left side, in
the spot to which we have become accustomed. I have no problem
with the European heel-type mag latch, but in the US, the
familiar push button is greatly preferred by most shooters. The
P220 was and still is a fine pistol, weighing about the same as
a lightweight Colt
Commander, but in a modern double action design that usually
displays exceptional accuracy. My only complaint with the 220 is
that it is decidedly a right-handed pistol. While it can
certainly be used by a left-handed shooter, the hammer drop is
hard to manipulate for a lefthander, and the slide release is
nearly impossible to reach with a shooting grip on the weapon.
SIG has recently introduced their model P250,
and thankfully, it has fully ambidextrous controls. A double
action only trigger mechanism means that the trigger pull is the
same for every shot, and no longer is the hammer drop lever
needed. SIG puts a slide release on both sides of the pistol,
for easy reach by the thumb of the shooting hand, no matter from
which hand you shoot. The magazine release is easily reversible,
but being a left-hander, I prefer to leave it as is, releasing
with my trigger finger. The P250 is offered in several
variations to fit the hand and intended use of any shooter, but
the weapon featured here is the new P250 2SUM, which gives the
owner two pistols in one package.
The heart of the P250 system is its modular
design. The internal frame, which houses the fire control
mechanism, is the serial-numbered part of the weapon;
essentially, it is the legal firearm. The other parts of the
weapon can be changed at will to suit the needs of the owner.
One can even change calibers from 45 ACP to 9mm, 40 S&W, or
357 SIG, all using the same internal frame/fire control housing.
The test gun shown here is chambered for the 9mm Luger
cartridge. With the 2SUM package, the buyer gets one
serial-numbered internal frame, and two complete pistols, less
the internal frame and disassembly lever. The kit includes one
full sized P250 and one sub-compact P250, including the barrels,
slides, springs, and magazines, and one internal frame to use
with either pistol. The entire system can be easily assembled in
a short time, without the need for any tools. The process can be
better seen in the video can I can explain in words, but it is
very easy to do. Everything is pretty snug, but it takes only a
minute or so to complete the switch over from the full-sized
pistol to the compact, after a little practice. The package deal
makes sense for those who are limited as to the number of
weapons they may own for whatever reason, but it also makes good
financial sense. The 2SUM package costs a lot less money than it
does to buy two complete pistols. Since it is highly unlikely
that the owner would desire to carry both at once, the savings
in cost would buy a lot of practice ammo, and still give the
owner the option of a full-sized weapon for duty or home
defense, and a sub-compact version for concealed carry.
The P250 has a double action only trigger
mechanism, and on my sample weapon, had a very smooth trigger
action with a pull weight measuring an average of six and
one-quarter pounds. Such a trigger pull is about ideal for such
a weapon, and is very easy to control under all conditions, even
when wearing gloves. The hammer-fired design does not need to be
pre-cocked as on many striker-fired designs, and pulling the
trigger repeatedly is all that is needed to keep the hammer
dropping on a reluctant cartridge, in the event that it does not
fire on the first pull. This may or may not be important, as if
a cartridge does not fire on the first pull, I prefer to get it
out of the chamber immediately. The full sized P250 weighed in
at 29.2 ounces with empty magazine in place on my scale. The
sub-compact version weighed only 24.4 ounces. Both versions have
the optional Nitron finish and wear the optional SIGlite tritium
night sights. I never carry a
defensive weapon that does not have either night sights or a
Crimson Trace Lasergrip, and it is good to see that the
SIGlite sights are available on the P250. The magazine capacity
of the full size is seventeen rounds of 9mm ammunition, with
twelve rounds in the sub-compact. The differences on paper are
not that great, but the size and feel of the two weapons is very
different in the hand; yet by using the same trigger mechanism,
the trigger pulls are identical, making the transition from the
full size weapon to the sub-compact very easy. The chart below
lists the critical specifications. Sizes are listed in inches.
Weight is listed in ounces. Weights are listed with an empty
magazine in place. Trigger pull is listed in pounds of pressure.
|
Full-Size |
Compact |
Weight |
29.2 |
24.4 |
Height |
5.5 |
4.7 |
Maximum Width |
1.4 |
1.1 |
Overall Length |
8.0 |
6.7 |
Barrel Length |
4.7 |
3.6 |
Trigger Pull |
6.25 |
6.25 |
Magazine Capacity |
17 |
12 |
I fired the P250 with several types of 9mm
ammunition, through both the full size and the sub-compact
pistols. I fired a variety of ammunition over the chronograph to
check velocities, with the results listed in the chart below.
Velocities are listed in feet-per-second. Bullet weights are
listed in grains. JHP is a jacketed hollowpoint bullet. DPX is a
hollow nose homogenous copper bullet. FP is a frangible,
pre-fragmented flatnose bullet. FMJ is a full metal jacket
roundnose bullet. Velocities were taken at an elevation of 541
feet above sea level, with an air temperature of ninety-two
degrees Fahrenheit and seventy-nine percent humidity.
Ammunition |
Bullet Weight |
Velocity
(Full-size) |
Velocity
(Compact) |
WCC NATO FMJ |
125 |
1183 |
1117 |
Buffalo Bore +P JHP |
115 |
1408 |
1342 |
Buffalo Bore +P JHP |
124 |
1333 |
1277 |
Buffalo Bore +P JHP |
147 |
1174 |
1119 |
Cor-Bon +P JHP |
115 |
1346 |
1288 |
Cor-Bon
Pow’RBall |
100 |
1450 |
1344 |
Cor-Bon +P DPX |
115 |
1213 |
1193 |
International Cartridge
FP |
100 |
1248 |
1225 |
As can be seen in the chart above, the 4.7
inch barrel of the full size pistol produced higher velocities,
as expected, than the shorter 3.6 inch barrel of the sub-compact
gun, but the loss of velocity with the shorter pistol is not
enough to make a big difference upon impact. Accuracy was very
good. It was easy to keep all shots well within the vital zone
of a standard human silhouette target at 25 yards rapid fire,
with either pistol. Rested handheld groups at 25 yards ran
between a best of less than two inches to a maximum of three and
one-quarter inches, depending upon the ammo chosen. All
ammunition tested performed perfectly in both weapons. There
were no failures of any kind.
The SIG-Sauer P250 2SUM is an excellent
weapons kit, offering maximum versatility, at a price that is
much less than buying two complete pistols. The P250 is a
welcome addition to the SIG line of firearms, and offers
ambidextrous controls, making the SIG brand much more appealing
to those of us who are left-handed, along with a very good
trigger pull, tritium night sights, a durable finish, and
legendary SIG quality. Check out the extensive lineup of
SIG-Sauer products online at www.sigsauer.com.
Jeff Quinn