Earlier, in another thread, some of you expressed a desire for me to more completely share my P210 experience in a separate thread, which I'm happy to do.
I owned a SIG-Neuhausen P210-for about ten years; I obtained it from a local Seattle-metro gunshop in LNIB condition, and with 3 (count 'em, 3!) magazines. Although I'd have to look up the specifics, as I recall, it was a fairly late production gun, which had been languishing in SIGARMS' vault until they released them at significantly discounted prices to a distributor during one of their organizational upheavals/house-cleaning episodes. The P210 originally came with black-on-black sights, with a fairly narrow rear sight aperture, which a senior gunsmith at SIGARMS switched out for the correct pattern bar-dot von Stavenhagen configuration sights, which I much preferred.
In the relative hierarchy of SIG P210 variants, I think many purists considered these later-production P210-6s to be relatively low on the P210 desirability totem pole, but in my mind, it was somewhat akin to debating the respective merits of earlier-versus-later production Lamborghini Miuras; at the end of the day you're still talking about an extraordinary capable, limited production tool.
The accuracy, action, triggerpull, and slide reciprocation on mine were exceptional to the point of being in a class of their own; the pistol was literally that good. While I never used it as a carry gun, I did use it for occasional steel plate competitions, where I carried in in a canvas authentic Danish Army flap holster, that I obtained brand new from another P210 aficionado for a very reasonable price.
Cons of the P210: 1) Due to the slide being enclosed by the frame, the slide grasping grooves were relatively small and of limited area; combined with the positioning of the slide stop/release lever, the best way to insure a slide going into battery from slidelock was to trip the slide release with the weak hand thumb as part of the reloading sequence; 2) The magazine release was a butt-heel release, and the magazines were seemingly also friction-fit-"drop free" was deliberately NOT a design feature (presumably to minimize magazine loss on a battlefield when reloading). While not necessarily un-ergonomic, out of all the butt-heel release magazine systems, the P210's was definitely the slowest in terms of magazine extraction and re-insertion. Newer/current SIG-Sauer "Legend" models offer a push-button alternative if you want a speed-loadable P210. 3) The safety lever's positioning and activation was an acquired skill; it was effective, with decent sized shelf, but the ergonomics of use were, well, somewhat challenging. Pretty much next to those required of a Beretta 1934/1935..., and equal to the earlier-generation Ruger P85 safety levers.
Why did I sell mine? Well, as magnificent as it was, I was very rarely inclined to shoot it. And once IDPA became my main competitive venue, almost never. I'd be surprised if when I sold it if I had put much more than 500 rounds through the gun. One IDPA fellow competitor who also had a P210 and I talked about jointly campaigning out respective P210s in an IDPA match, but we never got around to it. Quite simply, in my arguably stilted mind, I ascribe a higher value to a gun that I can both appreciate, admire, and use in my shooting venues of choice.
And then I had an exceptionally evil "friend," AKA the Nighthawk Custom Account Rep, Rob Potter, who had been systemically twisting my arm to acquire one of Nighthawk Custom's 1911s. Rob and Mark Stone at Nighthawk Custom really went out of their way for me to get exactly what I wanted, and then some, and in a reasonable timeframe to boot. Selling the P210-6 fully financed (with a bit left over) my truly custom spec'ced (pretty much by individual component) Talon II. I had an opportunity to commission a custom-spec 1911, and I have no regrets about sellng the P210 as the vehicle necessary to accomplish it. Also, at the time I sold the P210-6, the series was discontinued, and my perception was that SIG would be capable of increasingly diminishing levels of support. So, due to no brilliance on my part, I sold at pretty much at the top of the market for my specific P210 variant, and at a time that I was concerned that rudimentary parts stockages (such as recoil spring assemblies) would become increasingly difficult (and disproportionately expensive) to find. While I considered my P210-6 to be at a higher level of individual and collective component durability than, say, may HK P7 PSP (which I also had previously sold), it was still a concern (although considering my useage level, probably not really a significant one), and there were no indications that SIG-Sauer would re-introduce the P210 (as the subsequently did). Was the P210-6 a superior gun to my Nighthawk Custom Talon II? Probably. But the Nighthawk is to my specifications, and meets my specific needs better (and you can dub this sentence in a Bart Simpson voice for maximum effect).
Is a P210 a viable purchase today? Absolutely. The guns are at the pinnacle of where manufacturing meets art. Their accuracy and fit is superb, and finishes are very nicely applied nd relatively durable. Its a gun that you can use without in my opinion significantly diminishing your investment value (relatively speaking, and albeit relatively sparingly and carefully, in at least somewhat controlled/constrained environments). They are a great "bucket list" pistol, and still relatively available, and at somewhat accessible pricing.
Are they a viable duty/carry gun? C'mon. Yeah, you could-they were, after all, a post-WWII duty pistol for several armed forces, notably the Swiss Army, the Danish Army, and the West German Border Police. While they're accurate as all get-out, and easily maintained, it makes far, far more sense to simply go with a Glock G17 (or similar) these days for a duty/carry pistol in it's size configuration. My P210-6 was probably one of the best pistols I've ever possessed (or will likely ever possess-but my needs and inclinations have shifted. It's an itch I'm glad I was able to scratch-but I get far more use out of my Glocks (yeah, I hear the burning-on-the-stake mob gathering force on the streets below...), as well as the Nighthawk Custom Talon II that I had commissioned on the proceeds of the P210's sale.
My P210-6 was a pleasure to own, hold, manipulate and shoot. Unfortunately I don't have any images of it to share, but it was a box-stock, matte blued, standard-gripped P210-6, so images are easily acquired with a modicum of internet searching.
If anyone has any more questions, feel free to ask on the thread, and I'll (or others) will certainly do my best to answer.
Best, Jon
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Originally Posted by JHC
