Monday, March 31, 2014

SIG SP2022 at the range...

SP2022
I hadn't fired a SIGPro in... well, probably since Marko had that one in .357SIG; Clinton must still have been president at the time. That was a 2340, and although I haven't taken a tape measure to them, I'd swear that the grip on this 2022 is smaller in diameter, despite wearing the larger of the two supplied grips.

The original SIGPros also gave a choice of two grips: a hard plastic unit with a notional "texture" to it that was more visible than tactile, and a larger hard plastic one with patches of a tacky rubber-like surface here and there. Both the newer 2022 grips have SIG's grippy texturing just like on the current metal-framed P-series, which is not only "grabbier" to the touch, but also provides brand continuity in a showcase. (Sorry, thinking like a retailer is a hard habit to kick.)

I ran the gun with the "large" grip on it, but I may try the small one next time, as the gun tended to nose low when I extended it; it took conscious effort to bring the front sight up into the rear notch as I was coming on target. The smaller grip has more area scooped out at the top of the backstrap area, which might correct that.

The other thing that took conscious effort for me was getting the slide to lock back on an empty mag. See, the gun has a nice metal ledge more or less right where years of 1911 shooting have conditioned me to park my thumb, except this isn't a thumb safety, but rather the slide stop. I need to keep my strong-side thumb lower on the gun to avoid depressing it and preventing it from activating.

The double-action pull stacks pretty heavily towards the end of the pull and feels incredibly long to me; I thought that surely the trigger was about to bottom out against the frame before it went off. Single action pull is good and has a nice short, tactile reset.

A lot of people talk about Glocks or other polymer pistols being "top heavy", which is something I've either never noticed or paid attention to, but with the SP2022, I was aware that I was holding a fairly light piece of plastic with a lot of heavy, reciprocating clickety-clack going on atop it.

Mags dropped free cleanly and the controls were easy to operate, albeit in their accustomed SIG-like places, which is to say bass ackwards from the rest of the pistol world with the decocker ahead of the slide stop. Even shooting rather fast (for me, at least), everything stayed easily inside the A-zone except for two low shots that clearly said "Oh, hey, that's a long double action pull!" one each, from me and Shootin' Buddy.

I'll be taking it to the range again this week. I want to try the smaller grip, and I want to see how well I can run the controls weak hand only. See, I'm actually a natural lefty who shoots right handed only because, well, everybody else shot that way and it never occurred to me that you could shoot any other way; by the time I realized you could, all the right-handed habits had been ingrained. Some day I'm going to make a serious attempt at shooting southpaw...

12 comments:

  1. I warned you about the slide stop! If it wasn't for that, I might not have bought my M&P.

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  2. Funny how resistant consumers are to a "standard layout".

    And, since you are left hand dominant but already shoot right handed, will shooting left handed make you meaner?

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308120028.htm

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  3. Try placing your strong hand thumb over your support hand thumb like Kyle DeFoor does with his grip. It has helped a few of my students with slide stop issues, but it feels alien to me.

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  4. Tam: Try kicking your right thumb out to the other side of the base joint on your left thumb. Seems to solve most Sig slide lock issues I've encountered.

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  5. "Yer holdin' it wrong!!!111!!!"

    Snicker.

    Good luck with the southpaw stuff. Shooting Distinguished Expert with my left hand was bloody annoying.

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  6. Off subject,am I the only one who finds the Glock (Model 17, Mk 3) magazine release awkward? Have now trouble with almost all thumb releases I've used, but cannot reach the Glock's without twisting the grip out of firing position. (Big Al)

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  7. Do you shoot rifles righty as well?

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  8. Thanks for the update Tam, and your 'experience' mirrors what I encountered... Muscle memory doesn't deal well with things NOT being where one expects them to be... Either that or I'm just too damn old to relearn things... sigh

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  9. Tam wins another internet.

    A whole gun review without the phrase "recoil was brisk but manageable."

    My hat is tipped.

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  10. Excellent review. You sound like a gun writer!

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  11. First pistol I bought was a sigpro 2340 back in 2001. Only reason I bought it was because the store clerk recommended it as an alternative to the 239 they didn't have. I found it to be very accurate, but big for my hands, wound up selling it and buying a Springfield XD that fits my hand like a glove. Glocks have never felt right when I hold them, with the exception being the 36. The new gen 4's with their changeable backstraps might be a good idea though.

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