Sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find much in the 30 day search function.

I was wondering what people's experiences with this are?  I am looking for a new .22 to replace my Browning Buck mark.  I didn't like it because the rear sight base kept coming loose.

I am also considering the Ruger MKIII hunter but it is awfully heavy.  Is it true that you shouldn't shoot Hi-vel or hyper-vel ammo through the Trailside?  Is it really that delicate, this is only .22 we are talking about, not .44 mag right?  

The P22 and Mosquito seem to be out due to all I have read about reliability probs and bad triggers.  And the rugers seem to be hard to disassemble compared to the trailside.

JMN69

I have a Trailside Competition model.  It is GREAT!  I have no complaints at all.  I have not heard about limiting the ammo through it.  I had a regular Trailside before I bought the competition model  Had no problems with it either.  Great gun, IMHO.

My uncle has one, it shoots great and was reliable for the 100 rds I put through it.

If you didn't knbow already, sig is discontinuing the trailside.  Although I am very happy with the way mine shoots, I have had my share of problems (see link below).  If you search in rimfirecentral, you'll hear the same from others.  The manual clearly states that it is ok to use standard or hi-vel ammo.  My brother-in-law has a browning buckmark and seems to be happy with it.  It looks like a better quality pistol than the trailside.  Give it a look, unless you really want the trailside.  good luck.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105221

I just bought one last week.. I have yet to take her out and put her through a good shakedown.

mags are pretty pricey too! ($35-40 range)!!!!!!

Quoted: If you didn't knbow already, sig is discontinuing the trailside.  Although I am very happy with the way mine shoots, I have had my share of problems (see link below).  If you search in rimfirecentral, you'll hear the same from others.  The manual clearly states that it is ok to use standard or hi-vel ammo.  My brother-in-law has a browning buckmark and seems to be happy with it.  It looks like a better quality pistol than the trailside.  Give it a look, unless you really want the trailside.  good luck. www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105221

wow, intersting read... I highly recommend potential purchasers of the Trailside to take a look..  I probably would have opted for something else or still be pondering the decision to purchase.

Damn, now I'm thinking of selling my NIB Trailside 6" target.

I diidn't like the BUckmark because the rear sight base always came loose.
Rugers seem hard to fieldstrip.

Now what should I do?

I have a Trailside that I've used for a couple of years now and have put countless rounds of all types through.  I have had zero problems (and lots of fun) with it.    I would agree that the mags seem to be expensive, but I bit the bullet and bought 4.  

My shooting buddies, who have Buckmarks, Rugers, and even one with an S&W 41, like the way the Trailside shoots, too.   I'm hanging onto mine, and have no reservations recommending it.

well even given the stuff written above, I've decided to keep mine after further reading...

I went and bought 3 extra mags and just got home with 1500 rounds of target ammo for it (wolf and win)

The key, I think, is to not use hyper-velocity ammo at all and to use high-velocity sparingly.

I love mine, probably have 4000+ rounds of Winchester golden bullets through it without a mechanical problem.  Will check today to see if I have any triggerguard cracks.  Only gripe that I have is that the finish on the slide is begining to flake off in the breachface.  I have had this pistol for a little over a year.

Quoted: I love mine, probably have 4000+ rounds of Winchester golden bullets through it without a mechanical problem.  Will check today to see if I have any triggerguard cracks.  Only gripe that I have is that the finish on the slide is begining to flake off in the breachface.  I have had this pistol for a little over a year. i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Sgian/DSC00570.jpg

those grips look interesting, tell us about 'em

ooops  double tag!  

They are Xesse grips that were the stock ones on this pistol when it was made by Hammerli.  I didn't like the cheesy plastic ones that came with the pistol, and the full-on ergonomic ones just didn't do it for me.   I posted back in October asking about aftermarket grips for these and Drew5337 directed me over to Sigforum.com where I found this store www.larrysguns.com/hammacc.asp (oh, this is the page that you can find the grips at, all the way to the bottom, labeled 1 230 450 Sport grip, composite) .  The grips set me back about $72 +shipping, but are well worth it for me.

It seems like the older models had problems.   They serial number on mine is 41XXX.  It came with a few empty shells in an envelope dated Decmber 2002.  Does anybody know if this is an "older" or a "newer model"?

Quoted: Rugers are easier to field strip than the Browning, The Buckmark should have no problem with the sight base comming loose unless you lost the beveled star washers under the bolt heads. A tiny drop of blue locktite would always hold it if needed.

My experience leads me to disagree with the Ruger being easier to fieldstrip than the Buckmark.
I agree with the necessity of the star lock washer and a VERY small amount of Loctite.

I have a 4" blued Micro Buckmark.

Even with the star washers in place and the screws tightned securely it still came loose after 100 rounds or so.  This started happening the 5th or 6th time I reassembled the gun after cleaning.  This caused me to dump the thing.

JMN69

I took the 6" Target model sn E0041xxx to the range yesterday and shot 260 round through it.  I had not ftf or any malfuntions of any kind.  The slide did lock back on each empy magazine.

I shot 60 rounds of CCI Mini-mag round nose and 200 rounds of Remington Thunderbolt round nose.  I did have 2 dud Thunderbolts.  From a sitting position I was able to make one ragged hole at 10 yards with the iron sights if I really concentrated.

I inspected the trigger guard area and found no evidence of a crack, and the slide release has no evidence of peening.  No eveidence of shoddy construction as has been discussed on other boards but I guess only time will tell.  Who knows what will happen after 5000 rounds.  Overall I really like the feel of this pistol.

CDNN has them on sale in there most recent catalog for $369 for the model with adjustable sights and less for the fxed sight models.  They also have extra mags for $28. This is the best deal I have seen on these.  I say get one before they are discontinued.  Peace.

JMN69

Thanks for the report

I have a Trailside I used for Steel Plate shooting.  It has a nice rail on the top of the barrel, so you can mount an optic, but if you do, you can't break it down to clean it without pulling the optic off - the bolt won't clear over the optic.  Stupid design!

Also, they have a cheesey piece of non-functional plastic that screws under the barrel, so the lines of the gun look better, and you have to unscrew the damn thing every time you want to clean it.  Anyone who adds parts to a gun for the sole purpose of looks, especially when the part is a detriment to ease of use, makes me suspicious.  They should not let the marketing guys into the design office!

I am a huge SIG fan: 210, 220, 220ST, 225, 226, 229, Trailside), but I truly feel their last few offerings to the market (Trailside, GSR, and Mosquito) are not up to the SIG standard.  There is hope for the GSR, since the basic design it true and tried - SIG just needs to work out the manufacturing bugs.


Art