Thoughts on P220 Compact for EDC

[ARonBoard]

Hey all,

Ive carried many many different types of autoloaders from multiple manufacturers. I currently carry a G19 and have adopted AIWB. I carried a HK45c for a while and it did great, as I prefer having a hammer to ride while re holstering. I actually owned a p245 in my younger years but at the time I felt it was too heavy to carry. After carrying "compact" combat weapons for the last few years I am re evaluating the p220 compact for AIWB. Fully loaded the p220 compact will be a bit under 4oz heavier than the 19. I like the thin profile, DA/SA, and the ability to use full size 8rd p220 single stack mags so capacity does not concern me much. Also Ive experienced great accuracy in previous full size p220s but currently do not own one and have also traded away the HK45c.

I DAFS and did not find anything addressing this weapon. So Im curious why the low adoption rate around these parts. Is it the poor Sig CS of late (is this an internet myth), MIM parts, low capacity, limited accessory market? Some other issues?

Appreciate all the advise.

[JodyH]

I've heard good thing about Sig customer service, it's their quality control that took a dive a while back but most indicators are it's coming back up.
As far as low adoption rate around here? That's probably due to the HK45C and 1911 being the "go to" .45's on this forum.
Most Sig shooters here are going with 9mm, John Hearne being the notable exception and resident expert on .45 Sigs.

[John Hearne]

I have a P245 that I carry as an on-duty BUG for magazine commonality with my P220. I rarely carry it off-duty because I can conceal the P220 almost as well. I find that I either carry the full-size pistol (including a 5" Match P220) or something much smaller like a Kahr P9 Covert. I have some concerns with running 45's out of shorter barrels unless you're buying a short barrel load like Speer offers and I find that I'll take as much sight radius as I can get.

If I were going down your road, I'd strongly consider picking up a P220 Compact and then dropping a real P220 slide (4.4" barrel) on top. This would give you a shorter grip for ease of concealment but the benefits of a longer barrel/slide assembly. You can do this with a P220 Compact but not with a P245. I keep threatening to do this myself but never quite get around to it. I'd make sure that my hand size worked well with the shorter frame. I was amazed at how much I gave up in terms of performance when my P220ST died in a class and I finished the class with my P245. I couldn't figure out how much was the result of less hand on the gun, how much was lighter weight, and how much was less sight radius but there was a distinct difference.

[Tikrit Tourist]

I have carried a P220 Compact SAS Gen2 with short reach and short reset trigger!!
Heavy, outdated DA/SA trigger system, hammer fired, low capacity.......so why do I love it so much?

Carry mine in a TT Gunleather IWB. Super accurate, tight fit and finish, and just a......solid feeling pistol.

[MGW]

I have a P245 that I carry as an on-duty BUG for magazine commonality with my P220. I rarely carry it off-duty because I can conceal the P220 almost as well. I find that I either carry the full-size pistol (including a 5" Match P220) or something much smaller like a Kahr P9 Covert. I have some concerns with running 45's out of shorter barrels unless you're buying a short barrel load like Speer offers and I find that I'll take as much sight radius as I can get.

If I were going down your road, I'd strongly consider picking up a P220 Compact and then dropping a real P220 slide (4.4" barrel) on top. This would give you a shorter grip for ease of concealment but the benefits of a longer barrel/slide assembly. You can do this with a P220 Compact but not with a P245. I keep threatening to do this myself but never quite get around to it. I'd make sure that my hand size worked well with the shorter frame. I was amazed at how much I gave up in terms of performance when my P220ST died in a class and I finished the class with my P245. I couldn't figure out how much was the result of less hand on the gun, how much was lighter weight, and how much was less sight radius but there was a distinct difference.

John, how do you carry your 220 off duty and what holster do you use? I only ask because I would like to experiment with a P220 that I have owned for about 18 years.

[John Hearne]

Depending on clothes, either a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 or a Blade-Tech/Comp-Tac belt holster. I'm planning on picking up some Ravens, one for WML and one without.

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[NavyEngineer]

I frequently carry a twin to Tikrit Tourist's pistol in a Crossbreed Supertuck holster. My hands are medium sized, and the grip still feels too short for ideal control for me. I find I can shoot it pretty accurately, although recovery time for the second shot is slower than on my P220 Carry model. If I'm not carrying the P220 Compact, I'm usually carrying another small pistol, an old S&W 3913 9mm. I'm probably more complacent about carrying low capacity smaller pistols than I should be because I live in an area where the violent crime level is very low, and I've never had a malfunction with either of them. During a recent deployment to Afghanistan, on the other hand, I usually carried 3 mags for my Beretta and 4 or 5 for my M4 and still felt that I was too lightly armed. If I lived in an area with a higher crime rate, I'd probably carry my older 9mm SIG P226 with an 18-round MecGar magazine.

[ARonBoard]

Thanks for all the pics and info guys. Great looking weapons and definitely tempting me.

I have a P245 that I carry as an on-duty BUG for magazine commonality with my P220. I rarely carry it off-duty because I can conceal the P220 almost as well. I find that I either carry the full-size pistol (including a 5" Match P220) or something much smaller like a Kahr P9 Covert. I have some concerns with running 45's out of shorter barrels unless you're buying a short barrel load like Speer offers and I find that I'll take as much sight radius as I can get.

If I were going down your road, I'd strongly consider picking up a P220 Compact and then dropping a real P220 slide (4.4" barrel) on top. This would give you a shorter grip for ease of concealment but the benefits of a longer barrel/slide assembly. You can do this with a P220 Compact but not with a P245. I keep threatening to do this myself but never quite get around to it. I'd make sure that my hand size worked well with the shorter frame. I was amazed at how much I gave up in terms of performance when my P220ST died in a class and I finished the class with my P245. I couldn't figure out how much was the result of less hand on the gun, how much was lighter weight, and how much was less sight radius but there was a distinct difference.

John,

I appreciate all the valuable info. I believe every single platform out there has inherent reduced accuracy with shorter barrel length. That being said, I like your solution but am concerned with the cost. I am definitely willing to spend money if it gets me to a perfect point of carry bliss. Are the 4.4" P220 slides available without picking up another full P220? If thats the only way, then so be it. It wouldnt hurt to have another proven handgun like a second P220. Also, would it work with the SAS compact or only the railed version?

[GJM]

I believe every single platform out there has inherent reduced accuracy with shorter barrel length.

If you are referring to mechanical accuracy, this hasn't been my experience. If you are referring to the effect of sight radius, than possibly, depending upon how short and the sights. For example, with a RMR, I wouldn't expect any reduction in accuracy going from a Glock 34 to 19. I do shoot a G34 with iron sights more accurately than a G26.

I would find the shorter grip of the P220 Compact more detrimental to my accuracy than going from the full size 220 slide to the shorter Carry slide.

[John Hearne]

I believe every single platform out there has inherent reduced accuracy with shorter barrel length...Are the 4.4" P220 slides available without picking up another full P220?

As I understand it, you can get some interesting lockup dynamics in shorter 45's such as the P245 or Glock 30 that make then more mechanically accurate than their full-size brothers. The extra sight radius allows me to more readily access the weapon's accuracy more than make it more accurate per se.

You can get a "conversion" kit from Sig that gets you the barrel/slide assembly and a spare 8 round magazine without buying a full gun.

As far as I know, the slide swap works on any P220 Compact.

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