Sig X5

[MattR]

I'm interested in maybe getting one of these in 9mm. Just wanted to see if anybody has one, what they thought of it and maybe get together and shoot it to see if I really would like one.

[Fromk]

I have some friends back in Cali with these. They're great, nice shooters. They are also compatable with the 226 .22 conversions which is awesome. They also accept normal 226 mags which is a very important thing to know. This lets you spend $20-30 on a 20 round mag instead of $80+.

The common problem they have is the extractor. You have to remove it and give it a little extra bend to add tension to it. It's not hard to do at all on your own which is a good thing since sending back to the factory won't result in it getting fixed. In fact, you might want to have a spare ordered just in case it goes too far. I don't think they're that expensive if you shop around a bit. I've seen this in 100% of the X5's that belong to people I talk to. Like pretty much all high-end guns there's tuning to be done and the X5 is no exception. The other weird thing is that there weren't a lot of holsters available as of a couple years ago. Then again, bladetech makes one and that was all that mattered.

Since that extractor problem is so easy to fix I wouldn't let it alter your decision. I hope you get a chance to shoot one since you'll know pretty fast that you want one.

[CO-Exprs]

The X5 is a love it or hate it type pistol. Those who love them, really appriciate the merits of the design. Those who dislike them, dislike them almost entirely. Most high end pistols of this type require a little tuning to make them run 100%, but most Sig pilots are not tinkerers and expect the guns to run perfect out of the box. For this reason the X5 gets a little more criticism than it should for reliability. A custom STI or Tanfoglio would require far more tuning to keep running and they have a larger following because the people who run them expect to tune them and replace parts from time to time. As far as target pistols go, they are very nice to shoot and very accurate. Here is a nice little article http://www.handgunsmag.com/2010/09/24/featured_handguns_sigxfive_011306/ The pistol was designed to compete in IPSC, but you don't see them much at competitions (at least here in the US). X5's come in a variety of flavors ranging from $1400 to $2300. If you are looking for a fun to shoot target pistol any of the X5's will be good. If you want something to be more competitive in USPSA look to the custom STIs or maybe a custom CZ Tac Sport. I believe Angus Hobdell sells a nicely souped up Tac Sport for around $2k.

[MattR]

I have an Infinity that I shoot in Limited, and a Tanfoglio that I bought for steel matches. I saw an X5 and messed with it at the gun shop and I think I'd really like it, but $2300 is steep to find out its not as cool as I thought.

[cysoto]

I know two guys that have had them and they both had extraction issues. One of them sold the gun and the other fellow sent his to Bruce Gray in the hopes that his voodoo magic will cure the extraction problems. He just got it back from Bruce but he hasn't had the change to shoot it yet to know if its fixed.

Outside of that, they both loved the pistol's balance and accuracy. I have shot the second fellow's gun and I can say that the trigger is really sweet. Overall they are really nice pistols but way too overpriced.

[SA Friday]

I guess it depends on your use for it. If you are going to use it in competition, for the price, you might want to just get another 2011 in 9mm. I have yet to meet someone who has augmented their competition guns with a 2011 9mm that didn't love it. They primarily use them for multigun and steel challenge. Some of the more crazy ones use them in limited.

[Hoser]

Some of the more crazy ones use them in limited.

You rang?

[MattR]

I guess I just kind of want shoot one, I like the feel of the gun. I'll probably convert my Infinity to 9mm someday.

[Monky]

I've played w/ the .40.. it's a dream.