Early on, my 9mm P226 X5 Comp, manufactured late 2013, suffered several FTEx failures. Researching the issue, I found many reports of other folks suffering FTEx failures with 9mm XGuns. The 40 S&W caliber models didn’t seem to have the issue though.

The general consensus was that the extractor was positioned a bit too low to securely grasp the 9mm case rim. In fact, GGI designed and sold an extractor to fix that FTEx problem. Its claw extended a bit higher, and the slide had to be milled a bit to accommodate the claw extension.

But the last of my FTEx failures was at round 300 or so, and I now have several thousand rounds through my pistol. And it’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen reports from others about the issue, so I’m thinking it was partly an infant mortality issue. Still, I think the extractor is positioned a bit too low.

BTW – SIG produced a redesigned version of the extractor after the XGuns had been in production for awhile. Same claw height, but a different spring shape. I don’t know when the transition occurred, but my X5 has the newer extractor, which has a semicircular loop in the spring.

Thanks; I was not aware of all that.

The problem was significant enough that a number of Team SIG members, before nearly all were shooting the P320, had to either have their X5s rebuilt or were given up for other options. Though a few members of this board have brought up the poor reliability of these models when they are discussed, we’re generally drowned out by the fanatics whose first and foremost requirement be that any X gun not be made of plastic.

quote:

Originally posted by Dan:
The problem was significant enough that a number of Team SIG members, before nearly all were shooting the P320, had to either have their X5s rebuilt or were given up for other options. Though a few members of this board have brought up the poor reliability of these models when they are discussed, we’re generally drowned out by the fanatics whose first and foremost requirement be that any X gun not be made of plastic.

I don’t think that I understand this post. Maybe need some more coffee…

1. The internal extractor problem was known.

2. Team Sig members were shooting the X5

3. Team Sig members now shoot the P320

4. Team Sig members had their X5's rebuilt or were given other options.

5. People on the board have brought up this weakness in the X5.

6. Those people are drowned out by all metal X5 enthusiasts.

7. IMO if it's plastic it's not an X5, Sig should have went with a new designation rather than trying to coattail on the name of the the X-Five series.

Dan is trying to educate you if you’ll listen.

Damn, jones, how many times are you going to change your post?

Last revision is less challenging but factual.

That revision gets it across if he wants actual information.

I was just laying out what Dan said with a personal opinion at the end.

But to respond:

I have an X5 tactical that has never had an issue. That doesn't absolve the fact that the internal extractor guns can have an issue, so much so that Gray spent the time to develop a fix for it. The issue goes back to even the Sport line, one of my 220's had to go back for factory fix when they still had parts for them in NH.

At the time the P320 didn't exist, we are talking about a time pre export ban.

-um ok?

-It's my opinion based on reading forums so yes I say so, feel free to ignore it if you want.

quote:

Originally posted by a.lol.cat:
I was just laying out what Dan said with a personal opinion at the end.

But to respond:

I have an X5 tactical that has never had an issue. That doesn't absolve the fact that the internal extractor guns can have an issue, so much so that Gray spent the time to develop a fix for it. <snip>

Apparently you failed to read my OP, where I described that GGI fix.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Damn, jones, how many times are you going to change your post?

I always cut jones some slack in appreciation of his rollicking good humor.

What Dan was accurately trying to explain is that the problem with these guns were wide spread.

To say that "Team SIG" was/is a marketing ploy doesn't do it a service. Team SIG, long before Max or Lena, was about shooters that had faith in the product. Some got support from the mother ship, others not so much. I was on Team SIG for about five years. As was Dan.

The rollout of the P320 led to a pretty big expansion of Team SIG. The official number of sponsored shooters was never known, even to everyone in management. It was somewhere around 40 shooters, I think. It had shooters from all walks of life. All skill levels. Team SIG shooters were ambassadors to the sport and the brand. SIG eventually, for internal reasons that I won't go into, had a purge of EVERYONE that wasn't named Max. Guys that had been really loyal to them were cut off mid season in a conference call with no warning. Ever seen those movies were commandos are left to die behind enemy lines by their commands? Yeah, it was like that with a "Office Space" kind of feel. "Meah, I'm going to need you to turn in your jersey by next Monday, mmmkay?". The shooters found it to be pretty fucked up. But, that was something like seven Marketing directors ago.

The problems or legality of the P226 X guns isn't the reasons as to why the guns are in competition these days, or even supported. SIG is producing and selling P320s at a rate that doesn't come close to filling orders. That is saying something in such a soft handgun market these days. I often wonder if they would have discontinued the P226 if it hadn't been for Jeff Creamer's stroke of brilliance with the Legion series of pistols. That breathed fresh life into the metal guns.

I can tell you that "TEAM SIG'S" current crop of P320s get love. None at the hands of SIG, and SIG has nothing to do with it. There isn't even one vendor that works of the guns for the team. Each shooter has their own favorite gunsmith that does work for the shooter, not for the company. I think as of right now there are three different shops that work on the present crop of guns.

SIG doesn't even make a standard catalog all steel gun any longer. Looking around on their website, they don't catalog a current production ST or Stainless Elite. And it is a shame because it was a beast in IDPA. They had LDC runs from time to time in the stainless, but it isn't in the US catalog (that I have seen).

And that is a shame.

Was this the milled slide internal extractor?

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
Was this the milled slide internal extractor?

Yes. The external extractor guns worked pretty good.