My p220 has at least 1500 rounds put through it. It's consistent and I'm a firm believer that holster wear is addition to character. Only modifications I've made to it are Hogue grips w/ the finger grooves and a 20lb factory replacement recoil spring (green).

I got bored today and hadn't been shooting in a while, I decided to make my own little performance test. I fired at least 3 mags of each type of ammo. I shot at least 1 mag of each @ 7 yards, 15 yards and 21 yards. I also did a quick field strip in between ammo switching to check and then clean.

Winchester "White Label" .45ACP 230gr FMJ: This was the cheapest FMJ I shot and what I started off with. No feeding problems (didn't have any the entire day for the matter). I wasn't expecting much out of it since it was cheap but it did the trick. My spread at 7 yards wasn't any different than the other rounds (I guess it's possible it could have been different but it was close enough eye to eye that I did not measure.) I didn't feel these rounds weren't "clean" as they left a lot of surface residue and it seems I had more unburnt particles from them versus the others. But as you guys know you get what you pay for, I think 100rounds cost me $25.00 even. I give it a 2.5/5 simply because it's a basic factory target round that performs as intended.

Remington "Green/Yellow" .45ACP 230gr FMJ I'm not gonna say much about these rounds. Price was comparable to the Speer's, just slightly less expensive. It shot clean and almost as good as the Lawman's did at distance with a touch less residue than the White Labels. Going to go with a 3 out of 5 for them, but with the price so comparable to the Lawmans, I'd recommend the Lawman over this round.

Speer "Lawman" .45ACP 230gr FMJ I picked this up in my on going quest for a good FMJ paper round. It was slightly more expensive than the Winchesters (I think I was paying $16 per 50 round boxes). Now I have one of my .38's loaded with Speer Gold Dot hollows and I've always liked the way they shot. I did notice a small difference in my spreads above 7 yards vs. the Winchester and Remingtons. So far I think this is my favorite reasonable priced selection as far as target rounds go. Also they didn't seem to leave my sig quite as dirty as the Winchesters did, so I'm going to give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Hornady "Tap" .45ACP 230gr "+P JHP I was trying to make up my mind about which rounds to keep in the p220 at home. I decided to get a little box of these guys and break my wallet at the same time. I also had never put any +P rounds through .45 unlike I had with my .38's and 9mm's. I couldn't really feel a noticeable difference in muzzle snap with the round. Now don't get me wrong, I could tell a difference with the +P's in both my .38 (speers) and my Beretta M9 (Remingtons). It could just be the Sig or the round. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. The ballistics for the round were a lot more impressive on paper than I felt shooting them.. plus they left my barrel and feed ramp caked in residue. I guess they function as intended and on a good note they did fire smooth with accuracy about on par with the Lawman's at max distance. I just personally don't see a need for a +P round from a defensive standpoint as far as the .45 is concerned at least. Last, they are a big hurt to the wallet as I compare price vs. quality vs. performance. I will give the round a 3 out 5 as far as the defensive loads go, scoring them a bit low just because of the mess I had to clean out my Sig.

Winchester "Ranger SXT" .45ACP 230gr JHP This was my favorite firing round out of my Glock22 so I figured I wouldn't be disappointed when it came to the .45, and I wasn't in the least. IIRC the SXT is pretty much the same as the old Black Talons were but that makes no difference. They shot clean and effectively for me, and if it wasn't for the last contender I would have loaded my .45 at home with them. 4/5

Federal Hydra-Shok .45ACP .230gr JHP All I can say is wow. I was seriously impressed with these rounds. I don't know if they just fit me or fit my Sig but they were definitely the highlight of the night for me. I had my best max distance spreads with them, they shot smooth and fairly clean in the process. It was these rounds that inspired me to write this review, they impressed me just that much, I guess I found my niche with personal defense rounds and my p220. Pricing is decent per quantity and the performance was unsurpassed for me. I have to give them a 5 out 5.

Anyways, I hope this small review can help anyone out there that's debating on what defense round to use with the p220. I know everyone is different and has different preferences and may not share my same view. I respect everyone's views as it all comes down to what you can shoot accurately and effectively. Please don't take this review personally, that is the opposite of my intent. Just sharing my views and hopefully it can lend some ideas to some of the newer p220 owners such as myself (well, kinda new )

- I'm also curious as to what you guys prefer as defensive loads for your Sig's

Federal Premium Personal Defense Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Hydra-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point.
I buy boxes of 50, and I have never had a FTF or FTE, even with a problem 220 that I had. I was told by a Sig Sauer CSR that 220's function well with Hydra Shoks, and in a popular book about Sig pistols, the author recommends them for personal protection in the 220.

I enjoyed reading your post, it was very informative.

Details on your 220? Stamped slide, Stainless steel slide, model? Internal or external extractor?

I, too have had good results in my 220 w/the 230 gr Fed HS. Granted, it's an old design & I'm sure we all have read about some quirky things happening w/them in some gel tests, etc., but it has always been an accurate and mild recoiling round for use.

quote:

Originally posted by huskytaio:
Details on your 220? Stamped slide, Stainless steel slide, model? Internal or external extractor?

Internal extractor. The gunsmith I talked to about having it refinished said it was stainless steel but it looks more like carbon steel to me. It is stamped but no where do I see stainless in said stamped.

quote:

Originally posted by nlzn:

quote:

Originally posted by huskytaio:
Details on your 220? Stamped slide, Stainless steel slide, model? Internal or external extractor?

Internal extractor. The gunsmith I talked to about having it refinished said it was stainless steel but it looks more like carbon steel to me. It is stamped but no where do I see stainless in said stamped.

If your 220 has a separate steel insert for the breach block, it is stamped. It usually has a hollow pin going through the slide. If is a stainless slide, it will be one piece up to the barrel, and have a solid pin.

quote:

Federal Premium Personal Defense Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Hydra-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point.

I load my P220's with this round and find it to be a very good defense round in that caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by jerseyshoreshot:
Federal Premium Personal Defense Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Hydra-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point.

I have been using these in my 645 for many, many years and love them. I will continue to use them in my new 220 Carry DAK when it arrives.

You can't go wrong with these babies!


Bob