this is a range report I did a little while ago and never posted it here. I love rimfires and have since added a Ruger SR22 pistol to the mix. I will have a report on that one soon also.
Sig P226 Classic http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p226-classic-22.aspx
It poured out all last night and this morning.We're talking biblical storms here. It screwed up our production schedule and allowed me to get out just as things were clearing up and getting warm.
I took the opportunity to go try out my new toy, a P226 Classic. I have Sig's X-Change kit on order to give me the 9mm top. Buy purchasing the Classic in 22 and getting the upper for their various calibers, you almost get two pistols for the price of one the way Sig lets you "step up" with the X-change kits. A pretty good deal the way I see it, seeing how I shoot rimfire 90% of the time.
Today, I took just two rimfire pistols. My new Sig and my trusty Ruger MK II. I felt it best to check my accuracy of the new pistol against my known accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the MK II.
Here's how it did:
I fired slow at targets at 30 feet, 45 feet and 60 feet, marking 5 shot groups with each pistol. The sights on the Sig are very nice. Well contrasted with the three dot sight system and a fairly big notch. I found the notch not to be quite as deep as the standard Ruger sights on the MK II. Still, very easy to align and keep on target.
The trigger is nice. It will be great to plink with the same trigger I will use for 9mm, as the lower part of the pistol is the exact same as the standard P226. So grip ergos and handling is all the same on either system, however, with the Classic 22, the slide is aluminum and feels nice and light. It was very comfortable to shoot and fills the hand well. I think my wife will much prefer the MK II over the full sized pistol. The trigger was smooth in it's decocked full pull as well as single action. This was a pleasant experience. My buddy has the Mosquito and the triggers between the Skeeter and the P226 are as expected, night and day. The Skeeter feels gritty and has areas of drag, the P226 was classic Sig. There is no comparison between the two for those unfamiliar with the Mosquito which is not made by Sig, but by Umarex. These are two totally different animals.
I fired CCI mini-mags in it alongside my MK II for comparison. At all ranges, the MK II had it all over the Sig, as expected because of the type of pistol it is and my familiarity of the MK II. What I did notice was that I really pulled my groups together as I got used to the P226 Classic. I can even say it fared better than I thought even for my limited shooting abilities At 45 feet, my groups stayed tight with the Sig (3 1/2'' with the bench for support) I opened up to 4 1/2'' at 60 ft with the occasional flyer (1 in every two groups on avg.) The Ruger, welll.....it stayed nice and tight as usual.
The comparisons were made with CCI mini-mags, but I also then used Blazer. The groups opened up a little. By then I was fairly consistent and watching those groups open up worried me a little, but i believe the Blazer would be a great plinking ammo and it fed well. I did not have one FTF or stovie in the bunch using these two ammo brands. Then I tried my "junk box" The first five of "mixed bulk crap rounds" went well, after that I had problems with not fully cycling. It was to be expected. Maybe after a few thousand rounds I'll try again.
I then finished up the day with my new steel plate target I made with three different sized plates on stainless rods hanging in eye-hooks on a frame that folds down. I used this for shooting off hand and follow up shots. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did and after a while, knew I had made a good pistol decision. It comes back on target quick and feels full and yet light in the hand. The sights are very user friendly for this and it helps that recoil is minimal.
While it is no target pistol, I believe in the hands of a skilled shooter with consistent ammo, this is one solid 22. It is very well built and it should be for the $ spent. I do have some aftermarket parts coming for it to hold the bolt open on the last shot (Sig!....... Really?) That kind of sucks, but while upgrading to a new follower, I also got new springs and plugs to gain extra capacity in the magazine which will soon hod 15 rounds instead of ten. I will also be replacing the polymer guide rod with a stainless one. These are just a few of the issues I have with the pistol, all which can be fixed, but I feel I shouldn't have to. So it's not all wine and roses. Like every firearm, it's got it's pros and cons.
So. Great day at the range all alone as usual and a new toy to play with. It's even better when your toy is as good as you hoped it would be.
ETA: The aftermarket mods work great and were worth the $ spent to have mags that hold open on last shot and have 15 round capacity. Since this range report, my groups have tightened up with practice.
Sig P226 Classic http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p226-classic-22.aspx
It poured out all last night and this morning.We're talking biblical storms here. It screwed up our production schedule and allowed me to get out just as things were clearing up and getting warm.
I took the opportunity to go try out my new toy, a P226 Classic. I have Sig's X-Change kit on order to give me the 9mm top. Buy purchasing the Classic in 22 and getting the upper for their various calibers, you almost get two pistols for the price of one the way Sig lets you "step up" with the X-change kits. A pretty good deal the way I see it, seeing how I shoot rimfire 90% of the time.
Today, I took just two rimfire pistols. My new Sig and my trusty Ruger MK II. I felt it best to check my accuracy of the new pistol against my known accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the MK II.
Here's how it did:
I fired slow at targets at 30 feet, 45 feet and 60 feet, marking 5 shot groups with each pistol. The sights on the Sig are very nice. Well contrasted with the three dot sight system and a fairly big notch. I found the notch not to be quite as deep as the standard Ruger sights on the MK II. Still, very easy to align and keep on target.
The trigger is nice. It will be great to plink with the same trigger I will use for 9mm, as the lower part of the pistol is the exact same as the standard P226. So grip ergos and handling is all the same on either system, however, with the Classic 22, the slide is aluminum and feels nice and light. It was very comfortable to shoot and fills the hand well. I think my wife will much prefer the MK II over the full sized pistol. The trigger was smooth in it's decocked full pull as well as single action. This was a pleasant experience. My buddy has the Mosquito and the triggers between the Skeeter and the P226 are as expected, night and day. The Skeeter feels gritty and has areas of drag, the P226 was classic Sig. There is no comparison between the two for those unfamiliar with the Mosquito which is not made by Sig, but by Umarex. These are two totally different animals.
I fired CCI mini-mags in it alongside my MK II for comparison. At all ranges, the MK II had it all over the Sig, as expected because of the type of pistol it is and my familiarity of the MK II. What I did notice was that I really pulled my groups together as I got used to the P226 Classic. I can even say it fared better than I thought even for my limited shooting abilities At 45 feet, my groups stayed tight with the Sig (3 1/2'' with the bench for support) I opened up to 4 1/2'' at 60 ft with the occasional flyer (1 in every two groups on avg.) The Ruger, welll.....it stayed nice and tight as usual.
The comparisons were made with CCI mini-mags, but I also then used Blazer. The groups opened up a little. By then I was fairly consistent and watching those groups open up worried me a little, but i believe the Blazer would be a great plinking ammo and it fed well. I did not have one FTF or stovie in the bunch using these two ammo brands. Then I tried my "junk box" The first five of "mixed bulk crap rounds" went well, after that I had problems with not fully cycling. It was to be expected. Maybe after a few thousand rounds I'll try again.
I then finished up the day with my new steel plate target I made with three different sized plates on stainless rods hanging in eye-hooks on a frame that folds down. I used this for shooting off hand and follow up shots. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did and after a while, knew I had made a good pistol decision. It comes back on target quick and feels full and yet light in the hand. The sights are very user friendly for this and it helps that recoil is minimal.
While it is no target pistol, I believe in the hands of a skilled shooter with consistent ammo, this is one solid 22. It is very well built and it should be for the $ spent. I do have some aftermarket parts coming for it to hold the bolt open on the last shot (Sig!....... Really?) That kind of sucks, but while upgrading to a new follower, I also got new springs and plugs to gain extra capacity in the magazine which will soon hod 15 rounds instead of ten. I will also be replacing the polymer guide rod with a stainless one. These are just a few of the issues I have with the pistol, all which can be fixed, but I feel I shouldn't have to. So it's not all wine and roses. Like every firearm, it's got it's pros and cons.
So. Great day at the range all alone as usual and a new toy to play with. It's even better when your toy is as good as you hoped it would be.
ETA: The aftermarket mods work great and were worth the $ spent to have mags that hold open on last shot and have 15 round capacity. Since this range report, my groups have tightened up with practice.
