Should I buy a new P226 X-Five Allround (or two), or am I dumb?

[jwperry]

That's wild! I'm looking forward to seeing the 3D printed grips. For right now, I think I'll go with option B and just try to adjust my grip. If I can manage to shoot a full mag through the gun without a light strike, I'm sure I'll like it more and get a little bit of positive reinforcement out of shooting it.

Easiest way to figure it out would be single handed operation (assuming you're right handed). I prefer the P224/Legion controls for the decocker over cutting down the lever. I cut down the lever once and didn't like it. I'd put a cut down Sig decocker as easy to activate as the Beretta Stealth levers on the PX4 series...only more sharp.

[taadski]

Well, I might shoot the P229 until I can't bubba it up anymore.

My next plan is to do some Gucci laser marking all over it. I think I might make a random repeat camo pattern of the cattle brands I have. I have the ranch, my initials, and my kids names in a modern logoish design.

Then I'll 3d print some grips and a flared magwell that will unbubba the bulge.

I might try my hand at a Keeper type holster to fit the P229 and a WML.

By that time, the ACRO will be vetted and I might direct mill one onto the top. ( I really want to shoot irons as long as possible)

Sadly enough, how stupid would it be for me to bubba up the X-Five as soon as I get it? Is that sacrilege? I don't think I'd be able to resist.

That poor 229 didn't ever do anything mean to you. I think you should leave it "Bubba free".

But regardless since you mentioned shooting games and the LDC not being production legal, I figured I'd point out that the grip enhancement mods you're posting (specifically adding material, etc.) aren't legal in production either. FWIW.

[tyrusasmith]

That poor 229 didn't ever do anything mean to you. I think you should leave it "Bubba free".

But regardless since you mentioned shooting games and the LDC not being production legal, I figured I'd point out that the grip enhancement mods you're posting (specifically adding material, etc.) aren't legal in production either. FWIW.

I'm not set on what division I'll shoot yet. I'll probably shoot limited minor anyway for AIWB, but if not... changing the grip is easier that buying a whole new gun. My hopes would be that the X-Five, due to natural recoil mitigation, wouldn't require any grip mods, and maybe only cut controls.

But Damn... you might be right.....
Only $1750 too, AND the short extractor

[Jim Watson]

Seems like a lot of thought, work, and expense for

My wife said I can start shooting up to 6 matches a year

It takes perfect health and weather to hit them all, but when things are just right, I can get six matches a MONTH.
I don't have a wife, though.

If you just must, Bruce Gray makes an upgraded internal extractor. Requires milling and fitting to the whole gun, therefore expensive.
https://grayguns.com/sig-sauer-p-220...l-extractor-2/


For a while I campaigned a P226 with every GGI upgrade allowed in IDPA.
Never had trouble with interference from the decocking lever but the miniscule slide stop was an annoyance to me shooting IDPA where slide lock reloads are common and after long experience in 1911 with prominent slide stop.

I was briefly tempted by a Legion SAO in spite of that, then I got to shoot a P226 Elite SAO which I preferred. But it is discontinued and the guy wouldn't sell me his. Just as well.

[OlongJohnson]

I'm not set on what division I'll shoot yet. I'll probably shoot limited minor anyway for AIWB, but if not... changing the grip is easier that buying a whole new gun. My hopes would be that the X-Five, due to natural recoil mitigation, wouldn't require any grip mods, and maybe only cut controls.

But Damn... you might be right.....

Don't forget that the ability of the cheap knockoff of the Sig that beats it in the "stomp it in the mud and don't dunk it in a river before firing it" test likely does so only because of its LDC keeping crap from sticking to the sides of the slide and getting dragged into the rails.

[tyrusasmith]

Don't forget that the ability of the cheap knockoff of the Sig that beats it in the "stomp it in the mud and don't dunk it in a river before firing it" test likely does so only because of its LDC keeping crap from sticking to the sides of the slide and getting dragged into the rails.

You killin me dawg. That's one of the reasons I like my P229R so much. There isn't much slide dust cover sticking out. I put my P229 in the mud like MAC and it did great.

On the LDC, I don't like how far forward the rear dovetail is though. That's the only knock on it I can see.

Decisions Decisions.

[OlongJohnson]

You could probably have a smith make a filler and cut a standard dovetail in the standard location.

[tyrusasmith]

Well, I've been listening to Scott Jedlinski, and I'm getting seriously interested in red dots again. That would negate my sight radius issue. And I feel like my grip mod is giving me good enough recoil mitigation. I can run my P229 as a test mule and see what happens.

I 3D printed a fit check bridge mount for an old Burris fast fire 2 to do dry fire index practice, and I'll print a more durable one to live fire with soon enough.

I also 3d printed an Aimpoint ACRO mockup to fit on the gun and check how it prints in the holster. Not too bad.

I'll play around with this for a while and see how I like it. If it all checks out, I'll probably direct mill (I'll be milling with a lathe, should be fun) an ACRO to my P229 at work and train with that for a while to see if it will satisfy my itch for a more competition orientated gun that will also be suitable for daily carry.

[tyrusasmith]

So I did some more T&E among my main P229 with Trijicon HD XR iron sights, a stock Full-size P320 with white 3 dot sights, and my main P229 with a different slide equipped with a dovetail mount Burris Fast fire 2 RDS.



I dry fire with my main P229 for 10 - 90 minutes daily, 15 minutes average. Live fire 50 rounds or so every week, and every 3 weekends I might put 100- 500 rounds through it.

I haven't shot the P320 much, and never dry fire it. Shot maybe 500 rounds total through it over the last 100 days.

For the RDS slide, I put about 20 minutes of draw and transition practice through it, and shot 50 rounds of .40 through it.

I set up a drill to test my performance of the guns. 2 targets @ 7 yards, 4 ft spacing. From low ready shoot T1 & T2 with 2 rounds each.

Here are the average results using USPSA minor scoring after taking out the highest and lowest score:
Main P229: 7.9 HF
P320: 8.35 HF
P229 RDS: 9.5 HF

That means I shoot the P320 5.3% faster, and the RDS 16.8% faster than my main gun.

It is killing me that the P320 is faster with no practice whatsoever, and I'm super excited that the RDS is faster. I'm wondering if it is time to switch configurations.

On these drills, my splits with the 229, RDS or not, average .24, and the P320 averages .21. Transitions are the same, and the time to first shot is quicker on the P320.

I'm struggling with the idea of carrying a P320 AIWB because I put so much value into thumbing the hammer when reholstering. Although if I'm super duper careful and look the gun in like a hawk, I might be able to be comfortable carrying a striker gun without a gadget AIWB.

The P320 also just feels faster for some reason, I can get my bill drill splits down to .17 with it rather than .21 with the P229. I think the slide and recoil spring weights might have a big part in that feeling. It seems like speed might have been a consideration in the design process of thr P320 whereas the P229's older design philosophy might have just focused on it being a reliable gun.

I'm wondering if a P226 LDC II or a P226 X-Five Allround might have that same feeling if speed, or it will be just a more accurate softer recoiling version of my current P229.

I'll mull over it some more and see what else I can come up with. I think I might end up running a RDS AIWB from concealment in Open division. If that is on a P320, P229, or P226 variant is still up in the air.

In short, I'd like to have equipment that might give a huge performance jump, and based on this little test it seems that I could get a boost either with a P320, RDS or both. The main point is that I was immediately better without much practice on those platforms.
Opinions welcome.

[tyrusasmith]

Here are the average results using USPSA minor scoring after taking out the highest and lowest score:
Main P229: 7.9 HF
P320: 8.35 HF
P229 RDS: 9.5 HF

That means I shoot the P320 5.3% faster, and the RDS 16.8% faster than my main gun.

Went out again today to try to beat the P320 times with my P229. I dry fired the drill for about 5 minutes, then did about 30 reps and came out with a 9.21 HF average.

So now I can shoot my P229 about 12% faster than the P320 again. I improved over my time yesterday by about 15.5%.

I'm happy with my P229 again.