SigsRule
09-06-2008, 08:46
I just discovered Sig now has .22lr conversion kits for P220, P226, and P228/229. I ordered one for my P226s (I have two, a ST and a Blackwater). It was ordered from Top Gun Supply on the evening of the 1st and in my hands on the 4th. Yesterday, I put it on my P226ST and hit the range.
First, the bad news. The magazine doesn't hold the slide open on the last shot. It's a plastic magazine with external ribs for strength. There's an open window the full length of the magazine so you can see exactly how many rounds you have loaded, but since the .22 is so much narrower than the 9 or .40, the follower isn't designed to catch the slide catch lever after the last round. That's all the bad news because the rest is great.
The kit consists of an aluminum slide, barrel, recoil spring, and plastic recoil rod and comes in an abbreviated size Sig box. The slide is annodized and makes my stainless P226 look like a nice two tone pistol. Unless you are close enough to read the markings on the slide or notice the much smaller hole in the barrel you wouldn't think it was anything but a standard, full size P226 in 9mm or .40/.357. The sights are typical three dot but fully adjustable target type. Obviously the standard ejector wouldn't work with .22 so the barrel has a slim metal arm attached with the .22 ejector at the end. The crown of the barrel is neatly recessed.
I liberally oiled the appropriate portions of the new slide and barrel and spent about five minutes manually cycling the slide to break it in a little bit. Then off to the range. All I had was CCI Minimags, but in both hollow point and round nose. The manual suggests staying with high velocity .22 loads to ensure good cycling of the action.
I put 200 rounds through the conversion kit with absolutely no failures or issues of any kind. It was flawless with both types of rounds. And it was a shooter. Rapid fire 10 shot strings between 5-10 seconds at 25 feet resulted in groups of around 2-3 inches. I was unsteady because of my cardiac rehab workout earlier in the day, so my friend took over and using a sandbag, managed a 10 shot group of a little over an inch at 25 feet. By the way, this particular pistol is my newest and least shot so it's trigger hasn't achieved that smooth, polished feel of my other Sigs yet,
Total price of the kit including tax and shipping was $320 and it's worth every penny. My new SWR Warlock paperwork just came in and I'm picking it up next week from Alan, so the new .22 barrel is off to be threaded after I put another couple hundred rounds or more through it this weekend.
First, the bad news. The magazine doesn't hold the slide open on the last shot. It's a plastic magazine with external ribs for strength. There's an open window the full length of the magazine so you can see exactly how many rounds you have loaded, but since the .22 is so much narrower than the 9 or .40, the follower isn't designed to catch the slide catch lever after the last round. That's all the bad news because the rest is great.
The kit consists of an aluminum slide, barrel, recoil spring, and plastic recoil rod and comes in an abbreviated size Sig box. The slide is annodized and makes my stainless P226 look like a nice two tone pistol. Unless you are close enough to read the markings on the slide or notice the much smaller hole in the barrel you wouldn't think it was anything but a standard, full size P226 in 9mm or .40/.357. The sights are typical three dot but fully adjustable target type. Obviously the standard ejector wouldn't work with .22 so the barrel has a slim metal arm attached with the .22 ejector at the end. The crown of the barrel is neatly recessed.
I liberally oiled the appropriate portions of the new slide and barrel and spent about five minutes manually cycling the slide to break it in a little bit. Then off to the range. All I had was CCI Minimags, but in both hollow point and round nose. The manual suggests staying with high velocity .22 loads to ensure good cycling of the action.
I put 200 rounds through the conversion kit with absolutely no failures or issues of any kind. It was flawless with both types of rounds. And it was a shooter. Rapid fire 10 shot strings between 5-10 seconds at 25 feet resulted in groups of around 2-3 inches. I was unsteady because of my cardiac rehab workout earlier in the day, so my friend took over and using a sandbag, managed a 10 shot group of a little over an inch at 25 feet. By the way, this particular pistol is my newest and least shot so it's trigger hasn't achieved that smooth, polished feel of my other Sigs yet,
Total price of the kit including tax and shipping was $320 and it's worth every penny. My new SWR Warlock paperwork just came in and I'm picking it up next week from Alan, so the new .22 barrel is off to be threaded after I put another couple hundred rounds or more through it this weekend.