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In the gun industry, we don’t see a lot of innovation and maybe the SIG P250 is an example of why. Companies become complacent in their products and then, when they take risks, they tend to flop. I feel it’s my duty as your humble author to inform and educate (and perhaps even persuade you to purchase this hand held innovation).
The SIG P250, in my view, is the most underrated gun of all time.
The SIG P250 isn’t necessarily a total flop, but it was not adopted by any police force and was rejected by the ATF. (I like the gun more just because the ATF doesn’t like it.) There were a few initial problems with the compact SIG P250, but these issues have all been fixed in the newer generation of pistols. Unfortunately, it seems, the gun community doesn’t know that and SIG really hasn’t gone out of their way to advertise the gun.
Now why do I say the P250 is innovative? First off, I love SIG weapons and always have. They’ve always been expensive, though — too expensive to collect
SIG seems to recognize this with the P250 and the SP2022. These are polymer frame weapons, which is unusual for SIG because they’re known for their all-metal handguns.
The SIG P250’s price point is about $400-$500 new for a 2nd generation, and the less reliable generation one models go for around $350 on the used market. This is a great price point for such a well-known company and a well-made weapon.
So the main selling point for the SIG P250 is its adaptability. The only part that is considered a firearm is the fire control group. This is the part that is registered with the ATF as a firearm and is subject to federal firearm laws. Similar to this is the AR-15’s lower receiver, the part that is considered the firearm regardless if it has the barrel and upper receiver required to fire the weapon. The fire control unit contains the trigger, hammer, and all the necessary linkage and springs. The fire control group is the serialized part of the weapon.
This fire control unit is installed into the frame and then a slide and barrel is installed to complete the firearm. This fire control unit can be swapped out to different frames and slides. SIG produces full-size, compact, and subcompact frame and slide kits. These are essentially shells that become firearms when the fire control unit is installed.
How to hide your guns, and other off grid caches…
The big picture, being once you own the fire control group, is that it can be rotated between frames and slides and you can have three different sizes of firearms to adapt to your situation. Besides size, the different frames are the same weapon. This cuts down on time you have to train. Your full-size weapon has identical controls to your sub-compact weapon.
You can also order the frames, slides, and barrels over the Internet without having to use a federal firearms license or a background check. A slide, barrel, and frame set will cost less than two hundred dollars. So, for under a grand, you can effectively have three different guns. The compact and full sizes have three different grip options, as well, so you can find any size for any hand. The subcompact is the only one that has one frame and grip size. You can actually swap the parts around quite a bit to an almost foolish level. You can place a full-sized slide on a compact frame or vice versa. The gun will still function fine too.
The Sig P250 comes in a variety of different calibers, including 9mm Luger, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. More adaptability comes from the fact the .357 SIG, 9mm, and .40 S&W all share the same grip frame and the availability of caliber. X-Change kits allow you to convert your SIG to different calibers without any tools. The large .45 ACP is unable to change calibers, though.
Now that I’ve gone into the unique factors this weapon has, I’ll educate on the same old features every gun has. The SIG P250 does not have a manual safety. Like all SIGs, the weapon promotes readiness. I personally do not like safeties on double-action handguns; I do not find them necessary on a fighting handgun. The long dual-action trigger pull is safety enough.
The Sig P250 is double action only and it is hammer fired. This is the only downside to the pistol that I see. I have always had a preference for double/single action pistols. Maybe I’m just a trigger ninny though. The trigger is excellent, like all SIG triggers. There is no stacking and the trigger is firm but smooth.
The P250 is designed to be ambidextrous. The slide catch lever is completely ambidextrous and the magazine catch is reversible. The controls and ergonomics are brilliant on this weapon. I do like how the SIG fits in my huge hands. The full size is perfect for me. I can’t stand my pinky hanging off the edge. I only face that problem with the subcompact frame.
The magazines come in different sizes for the different frames. The 9mm variant I tested used a 17-round box magazine for the full size frame, a 15-round box mag for the compact, and a 12-round mag for the sub compact. There is plenty of firepower packed even in the subcompact package. It’s important to remember that first generation magazines are not compatible with second generation guns. The full and compact size also features a full-length Picatinny rail for mounting whatever accessories you desire. My SIG was equipped with SIGLITE night sights and I love them. They are perfect for both precise and quick shooting.
Speaking of Shooting.
I can honestly say I had did not have a single failure to fire, or failure to eject, and I didn’t even suffer a stovepipe. I ran mostly Winchester white box through the gun. I ran a box of Hornady TAP and a box of Tula, just because. The dual-action trigger was incredibly smooth and very enjoyable. Double taps were easy even with the double action-only trigger. I attribute this to the smoothness of the trigger.
I averaged a little over 2 inches at 15 yards, but remember I’ve always been more of a rifleman than a pistol guy. The controls were all very easy to access and as I said before, the ergonomics were amazing. Of course the recoil was easy to control, but the pistol is lightweight, so I wonder how it handles a high pressure round like the .357 SIG.
The SIG P250 is a great pistol. Its modularity is unmatched in the pistol world. The weapon has had a bad reputation attributed to it, but the generation two fixed this. I’m hoping in time others will realize this pistol is quite the gem.
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