Over the years I’ve had a number of carry guns and, admittedly, some were the result fads in CCW. With a little age and experience, I’ve narrowed my carry choices down to two different pistols – one for outside the waistband and one for inside. I’ll start with a review of my IWB option, the Sig Sauer P225.
Maybe because it is a single stack 9mm, the P225 seems to be a bit of an oddball. It is one of “those” guns that provoke a debate on either magazine capacity or caliber choice and I occasionally find myself defending my choice to carry it.
A Little Background
Other than being a single stack, it is the close mechanical cousin of the P220. The P225 came about in mid-1970s and entered service with the German police as the P6 until about 1995. In P6 form it may have a heavier trigger pull as well as a Deformationssporn, which means “deformation spur”, on the hammer. If the pistol was dropped on the hammer, the spur would bend and be an indicator to the armor it was in need of inspection.
This is the first Sig I’ve owned and for an odd reason – I never liked the stamped trigger. There is no rhyme or reason to that opinion, it was just rattling around in my head. It doesn’t seem so strange now that I own one and is actually something I like about the pistol. The trigger has a smooth profile and is very rigid.
But you are reading this to get the good, the bad and the ugly – let’s get to the heart of the review.
PROS:
- Accurate beyond need. I bought the pistol new and straight out of the box, it has been a great shooter. It is one of the guns that make me look like I can really shoot.
- Reliable. I have zero tolerance for guns that don’t work – they make me insane. I’ve read reviews of P6s that won’t cycle hollow points, but I haven’t had that issue in my P225.
- It is a slim gun and I’m not a slim guy. It carries really well IWB.
- A grip profile that agrees with a variety of shooters. Most importantly it agrees with me in a big way – this gun fits!
- Second strike – just pull the trigger again.
- Fires without the magazine inserted.
CONS:
- Controls are not familiar to many shooters. It takes regular practice to master the manual of arms.
- The slide release is where you’d expect a safety
- The decock lever is where you’d expect a slide release.
- The grips are marginal at best– really, I think they are the worst attribute of an otherwise excellent pistol. There aren’t many options to replace them either.
- Stock magazines don’t have a base pad. With meaty hands like mind, that’s a downside.
- No chambered round indicator. My XD-40 spoiled me on this one. It’s comforting to have a visual and tactile loaded chamber indicator.
What? No range report!!!
Here is the rundown – this gun shoots very well for me while also being absolutely reliable. That’s my version of the range report.
Bottom Line
So, what do I really think? This is one of the best IWB choices out there, even if it is underappreciated. The things that are most important to me – reliability and accuracy – are top notch in this pistol. This is an option that requires range time to make sure you master the muscle memory on the controls.
I’ll leave you with one puzzling observation: First of all, I always introduce shooters to an empty firearm and take them through the operation of that particular firearm. For some strange reason, almost everyone has this urge to put his or her damn finger on the trigger while using the decocking lever. Maybe it is an ergonomic issue and they are grasping for leverage. Regardless, be aware of the phenomenon.
Be Safe!
