SIG designed the SP2022 (a.k.a., SIG Pro 2022) as France’s replacement for the aging PAMAS handgun (licensed copies of the Beretta 92FS). Le SIG built the SP2022 for a service lifetime of 20 years, hence the model designation. Just to keep the two’s in fashion, Les Français began replacing the older SIGs with the newer nine in 2002. Some 250k SP2022′s are now in Gallic hands. While the cheese eating you-know-whats might not plan to keep the SP2022 around forever, the handgun may have found a long term home in the American market . . .
They’re everywhere. My local guns store (San Antonio’s Academy) stocks SP2022′s aplenty. Internet-oriented buyers can mouse click a SP2022 to their local FFL via Bud’s Gun Shop and CheaperThanDirt. In fact, the sexy SIG’s made the top 20 list for the best selling guns.
Price has a lot to do with it. The SIG SAUER P226—my favorite handgun of all time—costs nearasdammit $800. The smaller, lighter SIG SAUER SP2022 clocks in around $400 to $430 retail. That’s cheaper than its big brother and Gaston Glock’s ever popular nine. So is the SP2022 a SIG lite? Well . . .
The SP2022 may look a tad different than the P226 on the outside, but it bears a striking resemblance on the inside. The guns’ functions are identical, both in terms of trigger feel and the single action/double action mechanics. The grip shape is close enough for rock and roll. The SP2022′s slide’s general design and extractor echo classic SIG cues. But there are some distinct differences . . .
The first thing SIG aficianados usually notice: the SP2022′s grip. Unlike Yael Goldman’s cleavage, it’s made of plastic. While the SP2022′s polymer handle may not be as strong as steel who’s gonna break it? You? The SP2022′s significantly lighter than the P226 (a.k.a., ballistic boat anchor); suitable for everyday carry. The younger sib’s improved texture also makes it a lot more grippy.
The SP2022′s “chassis” is made of steel. The actual bits that move along the rails of the slide and keep the gun running are also metal, set into the grip. The SP2022 doesn’t have full-length rails like the P226, but again, do you need that level of build quality for non-special ops? And if you do, pay up. Meanwhile . . .
The SP2022′s slide stop extends past the trigger. That’s because the SP2022 uses a 1911-like system to hold everything together. The same pin that holds the slide stop in place keeps the barrel link and the slide together. The SP2022 also takes down much like a 1911; the slide stop comes out when you match up the right holes.
Flip the SP2022 over and you can clearly see the slide stop pin. Just like a 1911, it goes all the way through the gun (and needs to be pushed back out to strip the gun). It’s a necessity; the SP2022′s polymer frame isn’t strong enough to take the recoil of the barrel and stop it cold. The metal slide stop pin takes the brunt of the force and distributes it into the frame.
Another nifty feature: the improved decocker. It’s shorter, quicker, and feels a little better than the old version. SIG’s redesigned the magazine release in a Benelli-style triangle shape instead of ye olde SIG circle.
The SP2022 comes with a standard Picatinny rail on the front for all your accessories needs.
I’m not a fan of the SIG’s loaded chamber indicator (LCI). I reckon it ruins the gun’s minimalistic magic. Plus, if you’re out of ammo, the LCI advertises the fact to the SIG-savvy bad guy you’re holding at gunpoint. Nevertheless, the SIG needed an LCI to make it onto Massachusetts’ approved handgun list. So there it is.
The SP2022′s trigger is almost identical to the P226′ go pedal—which means it’s not perfect. Even in single action mode, there’s more slack than a coiled rope. The break is nowhere near as crisp as the P220′s, which ain’t exactly a fresh carrot. You can make a cup of coffee (and take it to the condiment bar) in the time it takes the SP2022′s trigger to reset. Still, you can’t argue with the results.
I take full responsibility for the group growing a bit to the north and south. If I’d been a better shot, you’d be looking at a 1/2 inch group at 15 yards. That’s damned impressive for a $400 gun.
All that said, the SP2022 is SIG SAUER’s red-headed stepchild. SIG’s marketing department is busy pimping 1911s and the Mk25 over their 10-year-old polymer-framed pistol. Aftermarket parts are noticeable by their absence. Grips and holsters are as rare as an RF edit without a supermodel link. There isn’t a 22lr conversion kit for maximum plinkage. And yet they’re selling like hotcakes.
No wonder. The “Poor Man’s P226″ is a perfect poor man’s P226. It offers less weight, looks great (for the most part) and shoots as well as any $500 gun you can name. It hasn’t replaced the Glock 17 as my go-to recommendation for first time 9mm handgun owners, but I’m thinking about it . . .
Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum / 40 S&W
Barrel: 3.9″
Overall: 7.4″
Weight: 29 oz. empty
Capacity: 15 +1
MSRP: $494 ($400 Buds)
Ratings (out of five stars):
All ratings are relative to other similar guns, and the final score IS NOT calculated from the constituent scores.
Accuracy: * * * * *
What you’d expect from Sig. And for $400, that’s pretty damned good.
Ergonomics (Handling): * * * *
I really liked the way it feels. Its a touch top heavy thanks to the metal slide and polymer grip, but it works. And if you don’t like it there are always replacement grips available.
Ergonomics (Firing): * * * *
The trigger is a touch south of perfect, but as expected for a P226 trigger.
Reliability: * * * * *
I don’t have any data on this from personal experience, but French police tested the crap out of this thing and 400,000 rounds later it still worked perfectly.
Customization: * * * *
The only people really making aftermarket parts are Sig Sauer themselves, but they’re turning out a ton of stuff. New triggers, new grips… You want it, you got it. Holsters, on the other hand, are a little hard to come by.
Overall Rating: * * * *
For the money, this might be one of the best handguns on the market. Sig Sauer quality with a sticker price below Glock’s “perfection.” The only sticking point is the trigger, which could stand some improvement and might be a little hard for newbies (what with the DA/SA action).
Wow a SIG Glock, Thanks Mitt!
Nick, I’ve owned a 2022 for almost six years and have frequently praised the 2022 here many times. I consider it the most underrated and under hyped Sig out there. Nite sights, de-cocker, 15 +1 capacity, weight and price, what’s not to love! And in a Cross Breed STD, it’s a pleasure to carry all day. I realize Sig wants everyone to buy their higher priced models and yes I would love a new 226, but I think they need to advertise this little jewel more. Had a RO shoot my 2022, he had just purchased a new HK, and he said he liked the trigger on my Sig better. And I think he paid around $1,100.00 for the HK.
THANK YOU for reviewing this! I’ve been looking at getting one for a while and its hard to find in depth reviews. Seems like this thing just kind of gets forgotten, undeservingly.
$800!? Wow, I must be lucky then, I got my SIG 228 for about $500, and thats including shipping and payment to my ffl…
the 226 and 228 are different beasts… My 2-tone 229 was 732 at buds used.
what sights are on your 228? contrast?
Does is take Sig mags?
It does take sig mags, mecgar also makes some. They run between $ 35-40 a mag.
I believe mec gar is the supplier of the factory mags. They are usually about 66% of the cost of factory and they work great. I run the 19s in my 226
My 9mm SP2022 does not take P226 mags.
This pistol is the first gun I bought a couple of years ago. I like it. I wasn’t competitive in the local Monday night pistol league with the oem sights not being easily adjusted and all. It now is solely my home defense weapon since I now use other hardware for the league. I never had a problem hitting a “bad-guy” sized target at league distances. But alas the league targets are much smaller than that. If I could only have one firearm, it would either be the SP2022 or a .357 magnum revolver. I like the 15 round magazines for the hopefully never occurring SHTF event.
An LCI indicates to the bad guy you are holding at gunpoint that you are empty?
I’m sorry, but that seems like a super Jack Bauer fantasy reason to ding a gun. If you are thinking like that, you are FAR too deep down the rabbit hole.
Or a super Jack Bauer fantasy reason to take a shot at Mitt Romney 6 days before the election. As I have said before, Romney gets the NRA endorsement because he kept it from being worse for Massachusetts gun owners. You’re lucky you can still legally own a handgun with 85% Democrats in the legislature. Don’t screw it up for the rest of us just because you don’t seem to have much influence on local politics.
Romney reference removed.
As I have said before, Romney gets the NRA endorsement because he kept it from being worse for Massachusetts gun owners.
If you say so. Every MA gun owner I’ve come across outside of TTAG has said Mitt royally screwed them and they provided links showing how the NRA has been white-washing what Mitt did to make it look like Mitt helped them out.
I agree. The vast vast majority of criminals know a whole lot about drugs and alcohol, but precioius little about guns. How many would have the presence of mind to know that the position of an LCI device can signal whether a gun is loaded? Very few, if any. I’m sure that most criminals would not even be smart enough to tell a Red Ryder BB-gun from a AR-15 during the heat of a battle.
As for Mitt Romney: I still can’t believe that their are 2AD supporters out there who would vote for OBummer. That’s the rough equivalent of being a flat-earther or a Holocaust- denier. Obama second term = AWB, plain and simple.
Not likely to happen, IMO.
http://monderno.com/monderno/gun-control-and-the-2012-election/
I think he might notice the locked back slide before he noticed the indicator.
Actually I think he would be noticing the barrel, and only the barrel pointed at his head or torso, not the indicator!
It doesn’t look as sexy as a 226, but it costs half the price to take home. Winner!
Stop hating on the loaded indicator man. I understand the political angle you’re putting in there and it might not suit your aesthetics, but BS’ing that a bad guy can use it to tell if your gun is loaded is just pushing it too far.
Agreed. I can understand being annoyed if it interferes with drawing the gun from a holster, but other than that who cares. I do love the loaded indicator on my Steyr M9-A1 though – it’s a little pin that pokes out just a fraction of an inch on the back of the slide and there are horizontal serrations on the back of the slide, so you can easily brush your thumb over it when gripping your gun and tell if there’s one in the chamber or not.
After the last shot, doesn’t the slide lock back? Is so, what’s purpose of an LCI?
Just an extra way to tell man. It allows for an extra safety check and means you don’t have to half cycle the slide open to check for a loaded chamber when picking it up.
Would also allow for an extra check if you’re in pitch black conditions by feel. What if the adrenalin let you load an empty magazine in the gun or a round never went in because of a dented feed lip?
The purpose of an LCI is that when you have a gun holstered or otherwise stored, you can easily tell if the gun has one in the chamber or not.
How can you not know if your chamber is loaded. You woke up, got ready, secured your sidearm… and your telling me that you dont know if you have a round in the chamber? The process is the same everyday and everytime. Firearm mechanics 101.
A loaded chamber indicator may be good for a dope head who cant remember what he did 3 minutes ago (much less function a firearm properly). But I know damn well if I have an empty or loaded chamber. Come on guys.
It still weights more empty that a glock 19 does loaded. That and a crappy trigger with crappy reset. What’s not to love?
+1
Yep.
+2. Right there with you.
Can it take the Short Reset Trigger upgrade/fix?
+1
No, no SRT for the SP2022 or the SIGPRO that came before it.
“SIG Sauer quality”
lol
Nick, you’re a SIG fanboy but you’re still an alright guy. Personally, the only one I want is the P210 but I don’t have a bazillion dollars.
Well, in fairness, the P210 is not really a bazillion dollars, but merely a little south of four times the cost of a P226. My P226 X5 tactical shoots pretty close to what my P210 does and it is a bit cheaper – only about twice the cost of a regular P226.
As for Sig Sauer quality, while I’m sure that there have been issues, I own a few Sigs myself both German and U.S. made and can’t say that they have been any more trouble than other guns I have owned but in fact a good deal less trouble than some. The good thing though is that customer support is very good at least in my experience.
By definition, if he were really a “fanboy” I don’t think he’d have found a single bad thing to say about the gun.
i have shot one in .40 and agree that it’s very much like the 226.
i’ve heard that extra mags are pretty expensive.
I got lucky and found some at one of my local dealers. (PT Firearms, Cross Plains, Wi…Great place with outstanding help!) and the owner hooked me up with 3 spares for $20 each. The list is around $40, so YMMV…
See the mec gar comments above
The ones I picked up are factory original and new. Mec-Gar makes some great products (I highly recommend their 8 round 1911 mags), but I have had mixed results with some.
(oops) Just read the above post…I will look into it.
If you register your Sig, they’ll send you an email giving you 20% off accessories. I bought 3 spares at $36 a piece. Not great, but beats $46 per (Sig shop price)
I recently picked up a 2022 and retired my trusty P225 as a result. The light weight and extra magazine capacity were great, but at $50 each for the almost disgustingly impossible to find magazines, the 2022 beat the snot out of it. Not to mention that the P225 would bind up when shooting cast reloads, and so far the new kid has had not one hiccup. High quality at a low price? Hell, I should have bought 2.
I liked the one I set up for HD so much I did buy a second one. One has night sights and a streamlight TRL-1. The other Bone stock and I shoot USPSA production class with it. I’ll probably replace it with a M&P Pros for the longer sight radius.
Is that 400,000 rounds from one gun, or are you talking the whole of the French Police trials?
400,000 rounds is more than the entire French Army fired in WW2.
…by at least three orders of magnitude.
Here is a video on YouTube that shows 5000 continuous shots from one SP2022. Zero jams, and the only break it gets is to get totally submerged in water 8 minutes in and then back to shooting. Dependable when it matters? Check.
OK, now I know what I want my wife to give me for Xmas… it’ll make a nice companion to my old P226…
My sights are plain old night sights, mine is just black
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this review for a year and change (when I started visiting TTAG). I love my SP2022 and take every opportunity to tout its budget awesomeness. The only downside is the lack of product support from Sig (they hide this gun like a red-headed stepchild), though if you call the customer service line they have more accessories and parts for it than are listed on the Sig Shop site.
Great gun, great price. I think everyone should have one.
That’s odd, why would they not list all the accessories on their website?
More accessories available = better value. it shouldn’t matter that the 2022 isn’t their flagship product or not.
I had one and sold it. Worth every penny but, like all Sigs, had a looooong DA trigger pull and very high bore axis, resulting in a very jumpy muzzle. I would recommend this gun to folks that aren’t yet comfortable with a strikers fire pistol. Very well crafted and engineered piece, not to mention ergonomical and tough as nails. Eats any ammo, but some of the wolf ammo gets jammed in the mags due to the rough metal they use for the mags.
(Nonetheless, I did sell it and replace it with a Glock. Hard to beat the ugly duckling in terms of accuracy.)
Gluck; when it absolutely must fire every time
I have two, one in .40 and one in 9mm. Great guns, shoot very well. My only complaint is the mags. How I wish Sig designed the 2022 to use the same mags as the P229. That way there would have been a little bit more interchangeability.
don’t know if someone else mentioned this but the loaded chamber indicator shown in this review is not the Massachusetts model. The MA compliant model has a hole drilled into the top of the chamber to visually see the round in the chamber. There are other states that require an LCI like this besides MA (stupid loves company). The MA models also come with a 10 round magazine (likely to ensure the criminal has a fighting chance). the MA model code is SP2022M-9-BSS. I’ve seen them at my local store for $399.99. May pick one up myself.
Where in MA have you seen the SP 2022?
I have owned my Sig 2022 9mm going on 1.5 years now and am happy
with it so much so I carry it every day. Have not had an issue finding magazines
and paid $28 ea. last year which was a decent deal so I bought 8 of them.
Having fired roughly 1800 rds. of various 9mm I trust the weapon to do
its job when needed. Cleaning is straight forward and as simple as it gets.
I did swap out one item however by replacing the plastic guide rod with a stainless
steel guide rod. Just a personal pref.
As for Glocks I could care less. Never liked them & never will own one.
Sig Sauer, Colt, SA, and Berettas are the go to guns IMO.
Thanks for the review – I’ve wanted to hold one for the longest time, but my LGS never seemed to have them in stock, even when they were supposedly “on sale.” I finally got the chance this week, and I liked the look and feel. It’s good to hear so many people with positive opinions articulated.
How is it as a concealed carry gun?
Looking for something smaller than my M&P40. Been leaning towards a Glock 19 a few months, but this seems pretty damn good.. $460 w/ Night Sights @ Buds.
Meh. Decent gun for the money but the current version is way overrated as a best buy. The reason this gun got the reputation it did was because of the first German-made SP2022s that came ashore as contract overruns which is why they sold at such a great price. You know,the ones that came with night sights, internal extractor, 2 mags, laser, Nitrite finish and an actual case etc. etc. If you’re hellbent on getting a SP2022 track down one of those while you still can.
With the current Exeter SP2022 gone is the German quality, better finish and 2 Mecgar mags and all the other goodies. Now you get a cardboard box with a pistol and ONE mag. Extras are $40-50 a pop and they’re not made by MecGar anymore, generic Checkmate has taken over that role. Add a mag or two and a case and there goes the best buy status, you’re not too far off from getting a much better pistol at this point.
Don’t forget this is a polymer pistol weighing in at a porky 29.5 ounces. Compare that weight to an all metal but lighter CZ-P01 or a polymer FNX-9. Then there’s the mile high bore axis and 3.9 barrel in a gun with an overall length of 7 and a half inches.Yeah, forget concealed carry.
My advice? pass this one up and save up just a bit more for something better. CZ-P01, Beretta PX4, FNX-9 or a quality used 229 come to mind. Overall it’s a good gun but overweight and overrated. Sold mine after 4 months and used the cash as a down payment on a two-tone PX4. Which btw only cost me about $75 more with two 17 rd mags and an actual case lol
cheers
Excellent firearm for the money! I got mine last Jan 2012 for $416 with nite sights @ cheapertthandirt. Now they’re selling the same gun for $510….still a lot cheaper than local dealer. It’s very accurate even wih the cheapest ammo!
Great review Nick but could you or anyone on TTAG explain why a Glock 19 empty weighs about 8 oz less than the Sig SP2022 even though both use polymer frames?
I bought the SP2022 based off of this review and a little hands-on time and have to say that I love it. It’s lighter than my P229 and much cheaper to shoot than the .357 Sig rounds.
It’s slowly replacing normal carry gun as my go to gun. Finding a holster was a bit difficult though. My only complaint is the slide lock lever – I sometimes accidentally touch it when shooting and then the slide won’t lock open. It’s going to take some training to correct that habit.
Overall, I’m very pleased. Especially for the price.
I purchased both the 9mm and the 40. Took both to my hunting lease to plink away at targets and to get the feel. The 9mm jammed on almost every other shot. The 40 worked beautifully. I was using 9mm Winchester full metal jackets. Any suggestions on why I am having this problem?
Use the “super lube CRC 150″ on the ammo pointed downward when lite spraying. Lite spray the magazines working the loader spring up&down once or twice wipe off, lock n’ load and Not 1 hiccup; It is Amazing; goes for ANY Pistol.
A friend of mine just bought one of these and loves it. I was just about to do the same today until I read TTAG review and looked at the stoopid lever one more time and the pin it is connected to, poking out the other side of the gun. I don’t care if it is the most accurate 9mm ever made, that lever and pin has got to go.
There’s a pretty awesome deal for this gun right now… $350 + free shipping.
http://www.slickguns.com/product/sig-pro-sp2022-9mm-or-40-350-free-ship-34999
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Not all SP2022 pistols have loaded chamber indicators. I bought a new one in 40 cal a few weeks ago and it does not have one. Also, the magazines for the 40s are the exact same (marked with both calibers) as the ones for the .357 sig. If your SP2022 does not have the loaded chamber indicator, you can convert it from 40 S&W to .357 sig by merely replacing the barrel only. It’s like having two pistols for the price of one and a barrel.
Just bought one, brand new, a few weeks ago (9mm). Mine doesn’t have the LCI either.
I just got a sp2022 But mine says US Secret Service on it. Was that a limited thing Because all the ones I have found online dont say that.
Well if it says US Secret Service then that is a special gun issued to the SECRET SERVICE. have it checked out and serial numbers ran to double check its not been a stolen gun
My 2022 digested every bit of crap ammunition that I threw at it without a single complaint. Reliability-wise, the pistol has no equal. The accuracy aspect left me questioning. No matter what I did, I could not shrink the groups down to where I felt comfortable with the pistol. I ran a bunch of different loads off my single stage press and concluded that the pistol and I were just not going to get along.
2 weeks ago, the SIG was traded for a beautiful stainless Beretta 92. Straight up. I think I came out ahead on that score.
Yes, I still carry my P220. The elder SIG is tried and tested to the point that trust is ingrained. There was just no way I could work up that kind of relationship with the new Tupperware-SIG. I tried, I failed.
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I picked one up on special at Turners here in sunny southern Kommiefornia….$469 for the .40 with nite sites. Just under $500 out the door after taxes, fees, and paying homage to the deities in charge. Extra mags are definitely expensive, but i did find a nice holster by Blackhawk (if you are into the whole SERPA thing). No concealed carry here in this state unless you’re Sean Penn, so my holster options list was probably a bit wider than most.
Only had it to the range a few times but really like the feel of it. I agree that the double-action pull takes a very long time and makes getting the first shot off difficult, but the single action is crisp & clean…much better than my Glock IMO. Accuracy has not been an issue, nor has digesting ammo.
Just typing this has got me shifting my weekend schedule to get back to the range….darn desk job is getting in the way of my trigger time!
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