The author’s personal SIG P 220 Carry Elite, shown with Viridian combat light, has given excellent service.
by R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
As time flies by and my personal mission and choices change, I find that often convenience and tactical readiness sometimes are a compromise. I still carry a cocked and locked 1911 if the threat profile is elevated, and carry a .44 Special or .45 Colt revolver when hiking. But sometimes a do-anything go-anywhere handgun with excellent handling qualities is appealing. If that handgun is also low maintenance and proven reliable in some of the most grueling contests every conducted on Planet Earth, well, it is worth a few moments of your time to investigate. So read on and take a look at an argument for a capable and effective double-action first shot .45 automatic pistol.
I have preferred the .45 caliber handgun for all of my shooting life with good reason. Just the same I have often stated that the compact 9mm loaded with +P cartridges offers a high standard of protection for those that train. Achieving a higher degree of protection rexquires more practice and more investment in learning to control recoil. For those that prefer the .45 ACP and do not find the polymer guns or the 1911 appealing, the SIG P220 is a well-respected alternative. The SIG P 220 may convince the shooter that there are higher standards for accuracy and reliability than they may have thought. The P220 Carry Elite is the subject of this review. The 220 Carry is a shortened version of the full size P 220. With a 3.9 inch barrel and a weight of 30 ounces the P 220 carry is the ideal size for personal defense. The Carry Elite features a beavertail type grip frame as well as night sights. My personal pistol is finished with a Nitron slide. The aluminum frame is anodized. There are bright stainless slide options and even custom grade grips. My personal Elite version features an upswept grip tang, aluminum grips, and night sights. The heart of the gun, the action, is the same in each version.
During high speed drills the P 220 Carry Elite proved a formidable combat handgun.
The P 220 is a double-action first shot handgun. The pistol is loaded and the hammer lowered by use of a frame mounted decock lever. Your hand need never touch the hammer. To fire the pistol a long trigger press cocks and drops the hammer. The slide recoils and cocks the hammer so subsequent shots are fired in the single-action mode. At close range good hits are possible to seven yards with the double action mode. The single-action trigger breaks at a smooth 4.25 pounds, allowing excellent practical accuracy well past 25 yards.
When I first obtained the P220 carry I was impressed by the smoothness, attention to detail, and a lack of tool marks. The pistol is very smooth in all operations including loading, unloading, field stripping and cleaning. The pistol features a large ejection port to positively clear spent cases and allow administrative loading and handling. The extractor was redesigned a few years ago and is even more reliable than the first editions. In lockup there is absolutely no lateral play in the slide. The fit is tight. A fit of this nature ensures that there is no slop in the lockup which means no eccentric wear. Accuracy should also be enhanced. The pistol features a positive firing pin block or drop safety.
SIG has done an excellent job in redesigning the P 220 Carry Elite grip frame. The grip fits my average size hands well as well as everyone that has held and fired the pistol. The S curve of the grip keeps recoil coming straight to the rear making for a comfortable firing cycle. The beavertail grip tang makes firing heavy loads more comfortable. The sights are well defined offering rapid sight acquisition. When you need deliberate fire, the sights are also well designed for accuracy. Field stripping the SIG is simple. Unload the pistol, lock the slide to the rear, and rotate the disassembly lever. Release the slide lock and control the slide as the slide is run forward off of the frame. This is a simple handgun to maintain, clean and lubricate. The receiver features a Picatinny rail. While I do not normally carry the light attached I often use the Viridian CTL for home defense. It not only features 100 lumens of continuous 60 minute illumination, there is a 140 lumen strobe option. A strobe light prevents the assailant’s photoreceptors from resetting after exposure. They do this by leaving a temporary visual imprint. The duration of the exposure affects the total disorientation, but strobe lights are a worthwhile tactical effect.
The weapons system is a good one but too many hand held weapons place the technical above the tactical. How does the SIG P220 carry perform on the range, in difficult and fast paced drills? I have fired the SIG P 220 extensively during the past eight months with excellent results. For this Gun Mag report I took the SIG to my weekly practice session. I did not lubricate the pistol but took it straight from the Nightingale holster I carry the piece in, replaced the duty loads with Winchester’s 230 grain FMJ, and begin firing. Firing at a man sized target at 7 yards the pistol delivered an X-ring hit. The shooter that practices and understands the long smooth double action trigger press of the SIG will prosper with the SIG P220. Recoil is modest considering this is a thirty ounce .45. Double action controlled pairs are closely spaced to ten yards. In executing hammer, speed drills and even firing from the retention position the SIG gave good results. There were no failures to feed, chamber, fire or eject. The pistol has proven reliable with a wide variety of loads. However, there is an incompatible situation. The SIG magazines are as compact as possible. Defense loads from several makers use the Barnes X bullet in 185 grains. These bullets are light but long for the caliber. These loads will not fit into the magazines past the second or third cartridge and will not properly function. Keep this in mind when choosing defense loads.
At present the ammunition shortage has abated and we are able to choose our ammunition rather than take what we can find. Some prefer a light bullet at higher velocity and others favor a heavy bullet at moderate velocity. The typical standard pressure 186 grain JHP will break 940-990 fps from the SIG P 220 carry, while 230 grain JHP loads usually generate 790-830 fps. With a properly designed bullet and good shot placement either will do the job. At present I am deploying the Winchester 230 grain PDX. This JHP bullet is designed for the worst case scenario and offers a good balance of expansion and penetration. As for accuracy the SIG P 220 Carry is among the most accurate short barrel .45s I have fired. A five shot 25 yard group will break two inches with concentration and proper trigger press.
The SIG P 220 Carry has demonstrated excellent reliability, accuracy and handling. This is a first class handgun free of compromise; it is built of the best material with attention to detail. It is well worth its price.
