[jburke]

Well after much studying, finally strayed away from a 1911. As much as i like my 3" barreled Colt, just didn't trust it's reliability as a defense weapon. Found a Sig P220 at a local gun shop that had been purchased from Homeland Defense. Upon inspection, only wear i could find was where something had been attached to the front rail. The P220 was not the cleanest either. Could see lint fibers inside of the action giving evidence that it likely had been a carry weapon. The P220 came with 4 magazines and the original box with paperwork. Also is equipped with night sights. Took it home for $600. Didn't think that was too bad of a deal.

Took it to the range yesterday. All i can say is wow. Very accurate and tight. No misfeeds for the 100 rounds i put through it. Most rounds were my handloads. Cant say that for the 1911. I'm very pleased with my new addition.

 

[Water-Man]

Good choice. The Sig P220 is accurate and very dependable. $600.00 is a decent price.

 

[Rangeguy]

P220

jburke,
I own and have carried subject/gun for many years and find all your statements about it very credible, but you never described any of the reasons as to why you found the 1911 "unreliable"..!! What happened to you while testing it that drew you to that decesion...???

 

[fyimo]

Congratulations on the purchase of the Sig P220 as they are indeed fine pistols.

 

[gendoikari87]

jburke,
I own and have carried subject/gun for many years and find all your statements about it very credible, but you never described any of the reasons as to why you found the 1911 "unreliable"..!! What happened to you while testing it that drew you to that decesion...???

Ditto, other than the large size the 1911 is just about paramount in the history of the automatic pistol. it's simple and reliable, yet in a good High power but not hand jarringly large caliber.

 

[pfoxy]

I contracted the Signess via a P226 9mm. I liked it so much, I immediately started looking for a 220 I could afford. Got a nice used one (privately owned) and I LOVE that thing. I don't intend to get rid of my Colt any time soon, but I do like that Sig!

Once you get used to that double-action first round, I think it's actually quicker to get into action than a single action with a safety, at least for me. Another factor in my case is that the trigger on my Colt has been tweaked and is lighter than I feel is a good idea for a carry weapon.

 

[JPaulF]

You should carry what you feel comfortable with. For me, it's been a Commander, cocked and locked - for about 35 years.

 

[Rangeguy]

220

pfoxy,
I will have to disagree with your assertion that a 220 is quicker to get into action than a 1911 because of the safety. For some it might be, but the quickest into action(in the hands of a skilled shooter) is normally a Glock. This is followed by a 1911, than your standard DAO and double/single models. The "dirty little secret" is usually the amount of dry practice that the shooter puts in with his weapon.
As I stated earlier, I have carried both and like both. Where a 1911 shooter gains his advantage is during the presentation to the target. As he clears his holster, his supportside thumb is depressing the thumb safety and his trigger finger is on the trigger and the slack is out...!! This all happens as he acquires the front sight and and the target. In a nano second the shot breaks..... I was always faster with my 1911.........1.23 seconds from the holster @7 meteres.......two shots to the Thoracic cavity.

 

[andy]

I bought my used P 220 quite a while ago, and it has always been accurate and reliable. What's not to love, solid design, high quality and a great caliber.
Andy

 

[jburke]

jburke,
I own and have carried subject/gun for many years and find all your statements about it very credible, but you never described any of the reasons as to why you found the 1911 "unreliable"..!! What happened to you while testing it that drew you to that decesion...???

Found my 3" Colt Defender unreliable when i started having trouble extracting spent cartridges. Sometimes the extractor wouldn't catch. Other times the cartridge wouldn't clear the ejection port before the next round attempted to chamber. Since then i have retensioned the extractor twice. Intention is to order a new extractor from Wilson and go from there. Fought with that problem for quite some time until a good friend of mine advised me to take a look at the extractor...he's got the Kuhnhausen book (now I do too). You know how you feel when you've had something mechanical that just gives you fits. Can't seem to quite figure it out, but then finally do. For quite some time, you question if the problem will re-occur. Well, i just don't feel comfortable trusting MY life or the lives of my family on whether or not that Colt will have extraction problems again. That's just ME. The track record of the 1911 is incredible. It will take a while for me to regain confidence in them again.

Accuracy from the 3" in mine...sucked. You're doing good to put all 7 rounds in a sheet of notebook paper at 7 yards. Doesn't matter if factory 235 gr ball ammo or any one of the assortment of my reloads.

 

[Rangeguy]

Great reply, jburke and it appears that you are on top of your "mechanicals" with your OM. By the by, those problems are very common with handguns of that barrel length....too much going on in too short a distance... !!! I tell all my students to go to a Commander sized 1911 and your can lose all those problems. They just need to learn to handle the grip safety related issues. There are several solutions to that problem and once mastered, you well have an excellent carry gun. I thought the grip safety issue was what you were alluding to with your "unreliable" comment. A 3" OM is fine for carry for a few reasons and a problem for many reasons. It is not on my "recommend for carry list".

 

[jburke]

Great reply, jburke and it appears that you are on top of your "mechanicals" with your OM. By the by, those problems are very common with handguns of that barrel length....too much going on in too short a distance... !!! I tell all my students to go to a Commander sized 1911 and your can lose all those problems. They just need to learn to handle the grip safety related issues. There are several solutions to that problem and once mastered, you well have an excellent carry gun. I thought the grip safety issue was what you were alluding to with your "unreliable" comment. A 3" OM is fine for carry for a few reasons and a problem for many reasons. It is not on my "recommend for carry list".

Had considered going with a commander 4" barreled 1911. Good friend of mine just bought a new Kimber in 5". Not sure which one, but is stainless/aluminum frame, meprolite sights, and crimson trace grips. His failed to feed with factory ammo on two occasions the first day he took it to the range. That was in a course of 100 rounds. His ejects spent casings all over the place, which makes me think that his needs some extractor work as well. After having issues with mine and him having issues with his new Kimber, caused me to question the design's reliability...at least out of the box. A 1911 will always have a place of reverence in my heart, just likely won't be my carry gun.