by Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
Close-up of Dawson Precision sight for a better, easier to acquire sight, while the cocking serrations aid in doing a press check.
A couple of years ago I was visiting my mother in Texas. As with any other family moment you need a break from “bonding” so I ventured around and came upon this indoor range and firearms dealer: Off Duty Armory (Phone: 817-295-3373; Online: offdutyarmory.com). The indoor range was well kept and the shop had an excellent mix of firearms. Since I had been traveling to the Surefire World Championships, I used the range to verify my handguns were functioning well.
Fast forward to the summer of 2016 when I was back in Central Texas for a Three-gun match. I needed to kill some time so I dropped by Off Duty Armory. Like there was a magnet, I was drawn to this nearly new Sig X5 Competition. I could tell it was an early model from the lack of light rail and the traditional style of the slide; later models are rakishly styled with a rail. Owning an X5 Tactical and having run it hard and heavy, I knew this pistol would be a perfect primary pistol since it is all stainless. After some back and forth emails and phone calls, the X5 Comp arrived at my abode.
Close-up of the extended mag release and Talon Grip.
Yes, I know a gun writer actually purchasing a firearm from a gun shop; it’s possible that my gun writer club card could be revoked. Even having worked with Sig on many projects it is hard to obtain this pistol. The X5 Competition is built in Germany and very sparingly imported. This pistol is built for competition and is a pistol that only a limited number of folks would know. The young man behind the counter was one of those, and he knew it would be a tough sell, but the original customer had to have an AR10 so they purchased the pistol. Knowing it was going to get a good home and it would not sit in inventory, the owner of Off Duty made me a good deal.
Now back to the X5 Competition. This is a 19-shot 9mm pistol roughly the same size as a 1911. This single-action pistol arrived with a Sig 19-round magazine and a MecGar 15-round magazine. The Sig mag has an aluminum magazine pad that fits the Jet Magwell. MecGar’s extended magazines will fit too, but you will need to take a small sanding drum to the well for them to fit. I did this because I have several that I use in my P226 Blackwater/TacOps. Thanks to these weighted base pads, Jetwell, and extended magazine release, mag changes are smooth and quick.
The ambidextrous safety is frame-mounted like it should be for those of us who were weaned on 1911s and Hi-Powers. Activation is smooth and positive. Unlike their competition, Sig’s safeties do not have a sharp edge anywhere on them. When you launch thousands of rounds downrange you will appreciate this. The rest of the pistol is just as void of sharp edges, showing how Sig pays attention to what shooters want/need.
The Jetwell to make reloads smooth and quick while the weighted mag pad aids in ensuring the magazine drops free.
Next the rear sight is an adjustable low-mounted model. I have found Sig’s adjustable sights to be tanks. This sight has “c-clamps” to secure the pivot pin; where others use simple press fit, or they have a small stake punch. Using these clamps allows Sig to use a heavier pivot pin to reduce the odds of breakage. Between this and a Sig Super Match there have been over ten thousand rounds fired and the pins are still factory original. I have seen many other adjustable sights fail with fewer rounds.
The weak point of this pistol was the all black partridge style front sight. It filled the 0.125” front sight nearly filled the 0.146 notch, which may be great shooting bullseye, but not so good for action pistol or Three-gun. Fortunately, Dawson Precision (Phone: 866-300-191; Online: dawsonprecision.com) offers numerous sizes of their fine fiber optic front sight for Sig’s P series. These sights are the best $39 you will ever spend. Dawson’s fiber optic sights are a god send for those of us with well over 50 eyes. They are the perfect front sight for the X5 Competition.
To make press checks easy there are stylish unobtrusive front cocking serrations. Since this is an early model the grips are polymer (they are now checkered wood). Even with the front strap being checkered the grip was not great. So to Talon Grips (Phone: 970-879-9600: Online: talongrips.com). At $17.99 the black granulate grips solved slippery grip issues. Talon Grips are die-cut to fit a specific pistol, in this case a Sig P226. After a year of hard use the grips still have positive purchase in any weather condition. Like Dawson sights, Talon Grips are a favorite addition to several pistols and are an accessory I regularly suggest and use. With Talon Grips and a Dawson Precision fiber optic sight the X5 Competition was as close to perfection out of the box that I could find.
There are no sharp edges on the ambi-safety to make shooting uncomfortable while the beavertail reduces felt recoil.
From discussions with the crew at Off Duty Armory, I knew the X5 ran like a champ. After all, they do have to make sure used firearms work for prospective customers. Even with their input, I put several hundred rounds from various manufacturers of bullet weights and designs through it. The only load it had issues with was a load designed for Steel Challenge; I would have been surprised if this load ran the pistol without changing the spring rate. The X5 C was dead on POA/POI at 25 yards with all the loads I had.
To test the accuracy of the X5, I shot Atlanta Arms 115-grain FMJs (Phone: 770-788-5200; Online: atlantaarms.com), Black Hills 115-grain JHP EXP and 124-grain JHP (Phone: 605-348-5150; Online: black-hills.com), Federal 147-grain TMJ and 115-grain Syntech (Phone: 800-379-1732; Online: federalpremium.com) and Freedom Munitions 147-grain HUSH (Phone: 208-746-3668; Online: freedommunitions.com). Over the years I have found these loads to be accurate out of all pistols, and am finding Syntech rivals Federal’s 9BP load. I would like to say there was one load that stood out or one that was not spectacular, but I cannot. At 25 yards off a rest, the X5 Competition consistently averaged sub-2.75” groups. This pistol rivals its sibling the P210 which is regarded by many to be the most consistently accurate production 9mm pistol ever produced. All I know is this pistol makes this old guy look like he can shoot.
The 47.6 ounce weight of the X5 Competition reduces recoil to feel like you are shooting a rimfire pistol, even hot loads like Black Hills 115-grain EXP. Sig further reduces the recoil with their proprietary dual recoil spring system. The recoil system not only reduces the recoil pulse but it reduces battering to the frame.
Author put the X5 through its paces as his well-worn Safariland GLS Pro shows.
For competition I have been running Safariland’s GLS Pro (Phone: 800-347-1200; Online: safariland.com) for Three-gun and USPSA, thanks to the ELS. The GLS Pro is a level two retention holster that adjusts to fit and fit well virtually any pistol on the market today. You will find the GLS Pro retention lever impossible to miss and requires no real time to get used to. This holster works well for competition and duty, at $55 this is one of the best holster values on the market today.
Over the last 18 months I have use the Sig X5 Competition all over the country. It has flawlessly and accurately fired rounds in the monsoons of The Rockcastle Pro/Am Three-Gun to the scorching temps of Shooters Source 3-Gun and the dustbowl of the Surefire Amateur World Championships. During the 2016 shooting season, the X5 C beat the best custom-built 1911s, while with just lubrication this pistol performed flawlessly.
Because this pistol is a rare beast, it commands a premium price on the various firearms sites. I cannot say it’s not worth the prices being asked, because the pistol does perform well. As I sit writing this article, I have the X5 Competition out of the vault to go over details and I am looking forward to shooting it in the USPSA Multi-gun Championships in a few weeks. With this pistol and my other gear; I will be off to shoot safely, accurately and will have fun with my fellow shooters. Remember, that is what shooting is all about. See you on the range.
