Posted: 12/29/2010 11:04:17 PM EDT
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Firearm tested
SIG P250 Compact Ammo used 100 rounds - Blazer Brass 180gr FMJ http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r89/PlayboyPenguin/P250c.jpg INITIAL IMPRESSION Looks: This gun is not at all bad looking. I like the traditional simple lines of the SIG brand. I also like the "badging" and slide logos. Nothing to gaudy or overdone like some guns these days. The stainless also looks nice on the matte black frame and the engraving is actually engraved and not laser etched. I hate laser etching. I am always happy that SIG does not feel the need to add the caliber designation to the name. That way when you change barrels you do not end up with a XX40 shooting a .357sig or something similar. Build quality/Design: This is where I had some reservations about this gun. The matte finish of the polymer combined with the simple lines and fat surfaces do not make the gun feel at all "fancy" like the Rugers or Springers. It almost seemed a bit cheaply made at first. The mechanics at the rear of the gun look a bit odd to because of the unique design of the gun (See pic below). The rails are actually part of a third piece and not part of the frame. The slide is typical SIG. It is well made, clean, and solid. After getting used to some of the more unique design characteristics of this gun and then letting the simple lines grow on me I am getting to be quite fond of how this gun looks and feels. I am actually liking the design. Being able to change a full sized gun into a compact or sub-compact and vice versa without buying a new registered piece is pretty cool. FYI, this is a newer model gun so the spring is the traditional braided SIG coil and not a more standard spring like in the old model of the P250. http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r89/PlayboyPenguin/P250cSlide.jpg Materials: The materials appear to be quite nice actually. The polymer frame seemed strong during shooting and I did not notice any flexing. The slide is all stainless and the mechanics seem well made. AT THE RANGE Trigger pull: The trigger is long and deliberate but very smooth and consistent. It breaks very nicely and has a decent reset. I do not like too short of a reset on a trigger. It was very easy to get used to for me since I prefer a good DA trigger over any other kind. I really, really like this gun. I would say it rivals my Kahr pistols for best semi-auto trigger IMHO. Recoil: Recoil was almost non-existent even with the snappy .40S&W round. The slide has some good mass to it and the frame is pretty large for a compact. It really absorbed a lot of the energy and dispersed the rest evenly into a large portion of my hand. It was a very easy to shoot gun. The shape of the grip was a big aid in reducing the recoil. It fit my hand very nicely. Mine is the mid sized version of the three available grip diameters and it is like it was made for my hand. Reliability: The gun performed extremely well right out of the box. I only had one stove pipe and that seemed to be ammo related. The round did not seem to be nearly full powered when it went off and the slide did not cycle fully. I could really feel the difference when it went off. It was like a cap gun. Otherwise it was flawless. Keep in mind I only had the time and ammo to shoot 100 rounds though. Accuracy: I am not sure why, but I was not expecting great accuracy from this gun. I think I might have been a little hung up on the "duty level" performance for which the gun was designed. I was pleasantly surprised. The gun was dead on accurate. Any mediocre shot like myself could do quite well with it and a good shot would be able to hit most anything at which they aimed. I was able to get very tight groups at 10 yards and had no trouble consistently hitting 6" steel spinners at 30 yards. The range was pretty much under water (well, it was really muddy anyway) so I did not get to retrieve any targets (because I was wearing mesh running shoes)so I am sorry for the lack of pics. The gun balances very well. I was concerned because of how it felt unloaded but once there is ammo in the mag the gun feels like it could balance on a pic and points very naturally. The gun came with SIG night sights. I found them to be very visible and they were sighted very nicely right out of the box. Clean up: The gun is super easy to strip and clean. You can easily do it with your bare hands in no time at all. This will be a very easy gun to maintain. Final overall impression: This gun turned out to be a very nice firearm. I am very pleasantly surprised. The more I shot it the more I liked it. I think this gun will have no trouble becoming my standard hiking/camping companion. It will be every bit as good a performer as my two-tone H&K USPc but I will not be as fearful of damaging it since I can always replace the slide or frame. I will be extremely curious to see how well this new three piece design by SIG works out. I hope it does well. I love the idea of being able to change the body and the slide. My only issue is the polymer is a bit plastic feeling, but I can live with that since it seems to perform quite well and can be replaced if it gets damaged. In the end, I find myself liking this gun more every second. What I once thought might have been an impulsive selection (even though it was bought for me as an x-mas gift after I picked it out) has turned out to be a real performer. |
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I would say it rivals my Kahr pistols for best semi-auto trigger IMHO I've shot one Sig P250 and 4 or 5 Kahrs, and I've owned one Kahr. I'd put the Sig P250 near the bottom of the barrel as far as trigger pulls on semi auto pistols run. Right above an out of box Kel-Tec, right below the Sigma, about 4 or 5 steps below a stock Glock and not even in the same zip code as a good 1911. As long as you're happy with it that's all that counts, but this is the only review of the Sig P250 I've seen or heard that didn't come right out and say the trigger sucks ass.
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Quoted:
I would say it rivals my Kahr pistols for best semi-auto trigger IMHO
I've shot one Sig P250 and 4 or 5 Kahrs, and I've owned one Kahr. I'd put the Sig P250 near the bottom of the barrel as far as trigger pulls on semi auto pistols run. Right above an out of box Kel-Tec, right below the Sigma, about 4 or 5 steps below a stock Glock and not even in the same zip code as a good 1911. As long as you're happy with it that's all that counts, but this is the only review of the Sig P250 I've seen or heard that didn't come right out and say the trigger sucks ass. +1 If you hate a short reset on a trigger, then, buddy, the P250 is the one for you. |
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Quoted:
+1 If you hate a short reset on a trigger, then, buddy, the P250 is the one for you. I am not the biggest fan of a short reset. I place much more importance on a smooth and consistent pull combined with a clean predictable break. Probably because 90% of my background with firearms is with revolvers. 
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Quoted:
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+1 If you hate a short reset on a trigger, then, buddy, the P250 is the one for you. I am not the biggest fan of a short reset. I place much more importance on a smooth and consistent pull combined with a clean predictable break. Probably because 90% of my background with firearms is with revolvers.
I agree, I liked the trigger on the unit I shot. It was smooth as silk, and consistent with a predictable break just as you described. Just like a nice revolver . |
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I've only shot the P250 once. It was at a class I was attending and a Sig rep was there with the then new P250. I asked him if he was going to convert me over to a Sig shooter. He looked down at my holstered G17 and said "Nope, not with this". He was right.
I still shoot mostly revolvers and I think the P250 sucks. I'd take a S&W Sigma over a P250 any day. I used to be issued a Sigma and shot them for years. I don't like them, but they are still better, for me anyway, than a P250. |
| I had a P250 for a while in 9mm. I was drawn to it because I'm left handed and the P250 is very lefty friendly. The gun ran fine for me, but I found it to be basically the same width as my Glock 21SF which just didn't seem right. The worst thing for me however was the trigger. I just didn't know if I could ever get fast with that trigger. I liked it, but ended up selling it and replacing it with a Glock 19. |
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In my opinion, the biggest "advantage" the P250 brings to the table is the "gee whiz" factor of the caliber and size conversions.
The biggest drawback, as several have mentioned, is the trigger. A friend of mine owns one and I was at first impressed with how it fit my hand and because right out of the box, it worked with whatever ammo we threw at it. However, as we fired it more and compared it against my P228 and M&P 9c, we both were shooting my guns better than the P250. It's not a bad gun. I just shoot other guns better. |
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Quoted:
In my opinion, the biggest "advantage" the P250 brings to the table is the "gee whiz" factor of the caliber and size conversions. The biggest drawback, as several have mentioned, is the trigger. A friend of mine owns one and I was at first impressed with how it fit my hand and because right out of the box, it worked with whatever ammo we threw at it. However, as we fired it more and compared it against my P228 and M&P 9c, we both were shooting my guns better than the P250. It's not a bad gun. I just shoot other guns better. In my opinion the greatest advantages to this system are the fact that the slide rides on all steel rails and does not contact polymer, the fact that you can not only replace the slide and internals if damaged but can also cheaply replace a damaged grip frame, and the smooth consistent DAO trigger. I know a lot of people have a great deal of trouble mastering the physical skills to properly shoot a DAO trigger (especially if they have no revolver experience) but I find the platform to be one of the most trusted and reliable ones available. Not only do they allow for double shots on a misfire but they also foul less often than striker fired pistols since the firing pin does not have to travel as much. |
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I never understood the arguement about striking a round that misfires a second time. If it fails to fire, eject the round and engage. Wasting the time to hit a defective round again can get you killed. The tap/rack/assess/fire drill should become second nature, which it won't if you are programming yourself to try to fire a defective round again.
A DAO fouling less than a striker fired pistol? I've never had a problem with excessive fouling in any striker fired pistol, including the M&P, many Glocks, and even several Sigmas, back when I was issued them. I shoot mostly cast bullet reloads, too. I will agree with you about the problems most people have with DAO pistols and no revolver experience. I shot only revolvers, including competition and carry, up until my mid 20's, when I become an LEO. That made me gravitate more towards DAO autos, like the 3rd Gen Smiths. My DA revolver shooting experience has made it easier for me to adapt to just about any trigger mechanism out there. I'm not saying the P250's trigger is unshootable, I'm just saying that it could use a huge improvement. |
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It is a nice gun. Sig would be selling more if they have the caliber conversions for sale. They have waited so long after debuting this at Shot Show a few years ago. Still they are not available. I think that killed the sales. No...there have been other things that killed the sales. |
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PBP didn't you tell me the Sig P250c was a peice of crap a year or so ago on TFL? I'm just messin with ya, I'm glad you like it. I love mine, but I'm a little biased as it was my late uncles carry gun. Heck, I was telling people just a week ago that I had made a big mistake and I did not know what I was thinking when I bought this stupid gun.
Then I started taking it apart and paying attention to the build quality and the finer points of the design. I started warming up to it then. After that i actually took it shooting and felt how comfortable and easy it was to shoot. I saw how accurate it was and how balanced it felt and I was hooked. Now I am so glad I bought it and even picked up the subcompact. This is one of those guns that you start to like more each time you handle/shoot it. |