I think I'm suffering from what's called : "The SIGNESS"

Since buying my P226SCT I've recently "re-discovered" the fun in practical handgun shooting again..........AND the $$$$ in ammo that goes with it!
SO that in mind, I've been considering a '22lr "plinker" to #1 save on said ammo $$$ and #2 still practice my shooting skills w/o the fear of creating any "bad habits" that may/will carry over.
I was originally considering a Walther P22, but since "the SIGNESS" has taken over....I looked at a Sig Mosquito in desert camo yesterday:



I can take it home for $435. A stock non-cammo all black - $350.
By comparison the SIGSauer .22lr conversion for my P226 is $349.
So It's a toss-up. I luv the desert-cammo for the "coolness looking" factor, but I've NEVER shot one vs. a few Walther's I have.

So alright all.......

PROS & CONS of the Mosquito in general and using it vs. my P226 w/conversion kit.

thankya

I just had the same problem. I own a P226 and I recently acquired a Mosquito and more recently a P226 Classic 22.

I have to say that if I were you, I'd skip the mosquito and get a full size classic or classic conversion (for the price difference, I decided to get another complete gun).

I really didn't like the mosquito; I strongly suggest you try it, even if you could just hold it, it would be a good thing. It felt like a toy in my hand; and I don't mean to nuke plastic pistols here (I like glocks too you know). The mosquito is made of plastic (frame, trigger) and is much smaller than a full size P226. The trigger is really heavy in DA and has a completely different feel than a 226 classic. With the classic or conversion, you'll have same trigger, same controls, same size; a much better training tool imo.

BTW since I acquired and tried the classic 22, my mosquito has been sold.

You should check out that video review from nutnfancy on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqcTuE_3pso



In summary:

Mosquito:
PROS
-Cheaper (than a full size classic 22)
-Slide locks back on last round

CONS
-Smaller
-Made of plastic
-Not the same size

Classic 22/22 conversion
PROS
- Same pistol, same trigger
- same size, same feel
- Similar weight (slide is aluminum)

CONS
-Slide doesn't lock back on last round (But you can order some parts from forum member to fix it)
-More expensive

I believe that the classic 22 two step is the way to go (or the conversion). I have been wanting a 220 and decided to get the 220 22 cal with the certificate for the slide upgrade. Although I have not yet been to the range with it, I have shot a 226 with this combination and felt that it was indeed a very good substitute for the full power weapons. What I like is that it has the same size and feel as the regular caliber weapons.

I have a Mosquito and I absolutely love it. I have about 2000 rounds through mine and it has been flawless. When the Mosquito's came out they got a bad rep, but they are a lot better now. I have a couple of other Sigs (228, 245, 220, 229)and the mosquito does a good job of overall replicating them. I originally thought about buying the conversion, but now that I have shot the Mosquito a lot I am glad I did not. I'd rather wear out a $300 gun than an $800 one IMO. Also you should be able to get a better price for it. I have the plain black and got it for $299 at Academy. Hope this helps.

I have the mosquito and find it great for training and transaltes well enough for my 2022 and p6.

One thing to consider is that .22 rounds will make your 226's action much dirtier than you may want.

After considering a Mosquito I purchased a new P226R-22 Classic this year. I love it and it goes bang every time.

I have purchased a .40S&W slide / barrel assembly off a forum member and it works flawlessly also.

All told I have about $750.00 in the gun and couldn't be happier.

My advise would be to go with the 226.

LTC47

Whats the point of having a 226(in .22) for training if the slide won't lock back? That's what just doesn't make sense for me. Also why not have another gun in your collection instead of a spare slide.

I went with the 22 conversion for my P226 and I love it.

Guy over in classifieds has 226 conversions pretty cheap in my opinion. Take a look.

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums...50601935/m/676106121

I had the same decision to make and recently purchased a P229 in a .22LR. Today I fired it at the range with the CCI Mini Mags and 100 rounds went thru it without any problems. The only thing I do not like about it, is that this .22LR conversion does NOT have the Last-Round-Hold-Open. This can be fixed by going to www.sigpower.com and purchasing a new magazine follower that will allow this. I will be purchasing 2 additional magazines and adding the new follower to them and also the new spring and magazine plug which will allow me to have 15 rounds per magazine, instead of the factory stock 10 rounds. I hope this helps. God Blesss

quote:

Originally posted by VBVAGUY:
I had the same decision to make and recently purchased a P229 in a .22LR. Today I fired it at the range with the CCI Mini Mags and 100 rounds went thru it without any problems. The only thing I do not like about it, is that this .22LR conversion does NOT have the Last-Round-Hold-Open. This can be fixed by going to www.sigpower.com and purchasing a new magazine follower that will allow this. I will be purchasing 2 additional magazines and adding the new follower to them and also the new spring and magazine plug which will allow me to have 15 rounds per magazine, instead of the factory stock 10 rounds. I hope this helps. God Blesss

the sigpower parts are great.

Looks like a few of us have been there. I bought a skeeter for my first sig less than a year ago. It does have its advantages and disadvantages. After lots of reading on the forum I decided to try to find a 229 two stepper, which I did. Try r2mach1 for the conversion kits, I highly recommend him. Then get the followers that will make the slide stay open from jeffsig. The 229 is hands down a better training feel, as mentioned above, you're using the same frame and action used for your centerfire shooting, and the kits are actually very nice. Good luck to you.

Little bit of a drift here but I had both the mosquito and the 226 two step .22. I sold the Mosquito to buy the 226 and after getting a 9MM upper, I sold the .22 upper. I have had several .22 pistols over the years and finally pulled the trigger and bought a S&W M41. I got the 5" barrel and this, in my opinion is the ultimate .22 plinker. I will never let it go.

My wife loves the 226ST with the .22cal conversion, but I was fondling the mosquito the other day and thinking this would make a decent self-defence gun for the wife. she wants to be able to use a gun, but won't invest the time to practice enough to be decent with a full size gun and won't even practice with a 9mm. She shoots decently with the .22cal. I know peoples opinion of the low stopping power of a .22cal, but any gun is better than no gun. te only drawback I saw with the mosquito for her was the DA trigger pull, mind you it was a brand new gun out of the box.

cupsz71, there have been a lot of good points made so far but one point also worth consideration.

Are you a high volume shooter?

With the price of ammo a 22lr pistol is a must own in my opinion......a 22LR may very well become one of your favorites on the range. There is nothing like burning going through 550 rounds of 22lr for the samce cost of 100 rounds of 9mm.

I am a fairly high volume shooter and the reason I decided to get a Mosquito verses a 22lr conversion is that I did not want added wear and crud from 22lr ammo on my 226 frame. The stupid as hell decision by Sig to leave off a lock back on empty feature for the 22lr conversion kits also made my decision easy.

22lr is pretty dirty stuff to shoot and would require you to do a full detail strip more often in my opinion. You would also be putting more wear and tear on the springs on your pistol.

Granted it took about 10,000 rounds to do it I broke a trigger return spring on my Mosquito that was easily fixed but for a gun I would plan on using for home defense......I would want to try to keep the round count as low as possible or be extra careful with maintenance and spring replacement.

I now am well over 27,000 and my Mosquito's slide to frame fit is sloppy as hell compared to when it was new so even though 22lr ammo is weak compared to centerfire ammo I am thinking any aluminum framed 226 or 229 would also exibit a good deal of wear after a similar round count.

Also, if you can learn to shoot well with the horrendous and heavy DA pull of the Mosquito your other Sigs will feel that much better. My shooting skills with my 226 and 229 improved drastically because of the cheap and frequent practice with my Mosquito.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
cupsz71, there have been a lot of good points made so far but one point also worth consideration.

Are you a high volume shooter?

YES.

You hit it exactly. One of the main reasons I backed away from practical shooting in the past was that I just couldn't contine to AFFORD 200+ rounds of ammo every trip to the range once a wk.
I don't re-load - and have no plans to start - so the local walmart was my main source of 9mm until spring '08 when it all but disappeared from shelves and the $$$ skyrocketed where I did find it. So priorities shifted...but have swung back full circle......hmmmm.... 3 more guns in 2 months.......

Anyways, there seems to be almost a complete 50/50 split in the answer to my query. ALL have valid points of consideration & I appreciate it!
I'm pretty much set on most likey getting a '22lr pistol shooter simply because of the volume of ammo I intend to put thru it..........but I'm waiting till the new yr. WHY? I just bought a new RUGER 10/22 for my youngest boy (14) for xmas.
He's become my "sidekick" this yr at both the indoor & outdoor ranges this yr shooting my Single Six & older 10/22. (he also did pretty good with a few of my larger pistols)

SO.... I thinks I's gots me a plan...of sorts when he's old enough....

Thanks all.

I had a Mosquito at first. It was ok.

However, once the .22 conversion kits came out for Sigs, the Mosquito went bye-bye!

I can attest to the Walther/Mosquito compare. I had a P22 and traded it for the Mosquito. The Walther is about the same size and feel as a water gun. I had to actually move the gun around in my hand to manipulate the controls. I love my Mosquito though! While it is a bit smaller than say a 226, it isn't too small that it doesn't feel like a Sig. Plus,after a trip to the range if I don't feel like cleaning it right away I'm not to concerned. If I had a 22 slide on my 226 I don't think I'd want to shoot it as much. It just seems like a lot of wear and tear on an expensive gun versus a $300 gun.

The wife and I just got back from an afternoon of shooting with friends who are new to firearms and are loving it. They loved shooting the Mosquito.
The mosquito is a nice training/cheap to shoot plinker. I like the fact that I can loan it or hand it off & go to firing my others.
Mine took some breaking in though and only likes CCI's HP & hotter 22s but I think thats a fair trade off for a trainer with the controls in the same location as its big brothers.

And here I thought I was the only one who was hacked off that the conversion doesn't lock the slide back!

To the OP; I like the Mosquito (though I wonder why it had to be downsized 10%). Get one with a serial # starting with "F" rather than "A", break it in, and it'll be great. My only real gripe is that the decocker can be a minor pain to reach, but that's true of the 2022 as well - and few people I've talked to seem to even notice it.