I have wanted a P225 for several years now and I am ready to buy one.  I have a P220 .45 and a P229 .40.  I hoped to find a CPO P225 at a decent price.  I have found 2 today--neither are CPO.  One I have completely ruled out as much too expensive.  It is brand new and they want around $850 for it.  The second is well-used, has a silver-colored (nickel?) slide and comes with one magazine.  It is right at $500.  While I was out, I found a Walther P5 (not the compact).  It is in very good conditon and comes with one magazine, a holster and mag case.  The holster is a shiny black leather.  The holster/mag case don't interest me at all.  They look like some sort of European police surplus.  They are asking $550 for the gun and leather.  How does the P5 stack up to to the P225?  Will it reliably feed HP ammo?  If I would decide to carry it concealed, how hard will it be to find holsters for it?  The guy at the gun shop told me that he thought it used standard P38 magazines.  Is that correct?  Any input will be appreciated.  

The P-5 is an outstanding pistol. Mine came with two mags so I haven't really looked into getting more, don't know the price. They are not the same as the P-1 or P-38. The SiG is a nice handgun as well. While I really like my SiG the Walther is my favorite. The only thing that might be an issue is the location of the mag release.

The SiG will be around for a long time, meaning you could pick one up in the future. The P-5 is a comparative rarity that you don't see everyday. This might be a factor also.

I would suggest the Walther. I've never heard a bad review of it. Just that the mag release is not to everyone's taste.


Editted: Mine's accurate as all hell. Also it eats up hollowpoints just fine. Leather can be an issue. I bought an HK holster that it fit into. One day I'll get around to wet forming it.

Looking at the P5, I thought it would be a very accurate gun.  I noticed that the barrel stays horizontal when the slide is retracted.  

Do you fire hollow-point ammo through yours?  If so, any feed problems?  

No problems with the hollowpoints. I would imagine mags are gonna be expensive. It seems as if more P-5s are coming into the country. Old German police guns. Mags shouldn't be far behind.

225 is one of the most accurate guns I have.  Size is great for my hands and it conceals well.  Milt Sparks will make you a VM-2 for it and you will be good to go.

where can i get ahold of a 225 i've been trying gunbroker and other online auction with no luck

Try gunsamerica.com.  They have them ranging from $450 to $899 now.  I was trying to find one locally that I could handle before agreeing to buy.

No experience with a P5, but I will say that the P225 is an ergonomic miracle.  No handgun has ever felt so perfect in my hands.  $850 for a NIB P225 sounds pretty high, check with James at ordnanceoutsellers.com, see what he has.

The ergonomics on the Walther are great! There is one lever to release the slide and drop the hammer. Good trigger too. That said, I did put a nice set of Nills(?) grips on it. Beautiful grips, nice feel to them, but they aren't very comfortable to shoot lefty with.(due to the thumbrest, right-handed they fit my hand perfectly).

I can possibly see people with very small hands having a problem with the P-5.

I put the well-used (nickel slide, W. Germany marked) P225 on layaway today.  I was able to get them to come down $25 on the gun and they discounted an extra magazine for it by $5.  I've got 3 months to pay it out.  It won't take that long, though.  

The Sig 225 is a great pistol.
It has been my carry pistol since 1994.
I've hdd it sent back to SIGARMS once during this period to get it refurbished and had it k-koted.
I carry Remington 9BP JHPs, 124 gr.