goodheart
| I tried a little bit to see if I could find a direct source, no luck. Te Wayback Machine, however, provided this gem, by Benjamin Worthen of net gunsmith.com, Apri 1, 2012 (no it's not an April Fool's joke): quote: Sig SP2022
Sig doesn’t occupy a position in the gun world that causes people to find excuses to buy other brands. Sig has people trying to find excuses to buy Sig firearms. Well, they gave people another good reason by making the SP2022: the descendent of the original Sig Pro model 2340 released in the late 1990’s. It’s a gun that has already enjoyed much success on the international stage in law enforcement and military and should be considered as a better alternative to many of the higher priced polymer framed pistols.
It’s not typical that Sig is the low price leader in any market segment; but then again, they have never really had to be. They have enjoyed success worldwide because of their heavy R&D, innovative designs and (usually) flawless execution on model runs.
The talisman of the Sig line in the United States was the original alloy frame handgun which felt as though it was manufactured in a precision watch factory, with its ultra smooth actions and the incredibly high tolerances as well as the ridiculous reliability, which seems unmatched in most circles.
The SP2022 takes a place in the Sig Law Enforcement hall of fame
Sig has a pretty good history with law enforcement as well; they are on the shortlist for just about every agency on the planet each time there is a contract to be fulfilled for a duty weapon. It is this relationship that probably provided a catalyst for the SP2022 to be made. There are rumors, that I have not verified with Sig factory that state the SP2022 was named such as it was a gun made in the year 2000 and slated to be part of the pistol lineup for 20 years, hence the service life ending in (SP)2022. The SP stands for SigPro. There are also rumors that the SP2022 were discontinued; that is not true. As you will see in the remainder of this specific article, the business of the SP2022 is far too lucrative for Sig to discontinue such a gun at this point. There were suggestions from the Sig factory that the debut of the Sig P250 would make the SP 2022 obsolete in some markets, but the only thing that suffered was the sales of the P250. In one of Sig’s biggest markets and one of the biggest in the world for guns: California, the Sig SP2022 is still alive and well; thriving as part of the handgun roster.
Since Sig was known for its alloy framed service weapons and the venerable Sip P210 All steel target model, as well as other special pieces scattered around the archives at factory, it was finely tuned to receive the indications that is was losing the law enforcement war to newcomer Glock, and stalwart competitor Heckler and Koch in the 1980’s and 1990’s, both who were utilizing polymer frames at the time with excellent profits and wonderful success in large domestic U.S. law enforcement contracts. Sig couldn’t compete on price, and so they decided to join the polymer fray. Originally Sig came out with the SP 2340 in 1998. A year later they began seeing interest from Law enforcement and military procurement teams for their now increasingly important SP2022. It was a gun which enjoyed an incredible reputation, without ever having to fire a shot; had a parent company full of LE and MIL experience, and had all the right features at the right price point. The SP2022 has been the subject of some pretty interesting and high profile agency purchases, including the National police force of France which has order totaling more than a quarter of a million SP2022 handguns. The US DEA also chose the SP2022, buying up more than 60K units. Colombia’s Policia Nacional purchased over 55,000 units on the recommendation of the US DEA that was training them for a continued success in the region in the war on drugs. Special forces groups and police agencies in Switzerland (by the way they have a long and storied with Sig pistols including the P210), Portugal and Malaysia also can be counted amongst the users and “early” adopters of the SP2022 as a duty gun.
Many others have begun to research and take the SP2022 on trial in the US and abroad. As the economy worsens globally (with the exception of certain European, Middle Eastern and Asian countries) HK has seen a price increase, and is therefore on the lower end of the shortlists in some cases; Glock experienced some difficulties in the first several production runs with their new 4th Generation pistols, and now that the SIG is so widely adopted, it makes the (approximately) $375-$425 SP2022 a much more attractive option, even though it has always matched the Glock and HK on reliability and performance.
Good enough for elite units and good enough for Civilians: SP2022
It’s not that an agency endorsement guarantees performance for a civilian user of a specific firearm, but the good performance of such an agency gun does impact its marketing and help people determine if it has the capabilities to meet the demand they will expect it to handle. The real benefit to the SP2022 is that you get EVERYTHING for the price it costs to get a much lesser gun usually. The ergonomics and the control of the SP2022 are spot on, and it is customizable without altering the firearm too much. You also get the Sig name; brand image; research and development team, state of the art materials and the backing of one of the biggest names in firearms when you buy an SP2022.
The SP2022 You get a gun made in the image of greatness (the other Sig pistols from various stages of their history), with an attached rail for accessory mounting; a great trigger and the lightweight of a polymer pistol. There is nothing in the SP2022 or any Sig for that matter than leaves you feeling remorseful about a purchase. Out of the box, you get a quality firearm every time with few exceptions. In the event of an exception, Sig takes care of you quite well.
SP2022: A Sig for less than the price of a used Glock
Sig finally has gotten to the point where they can offer the polymer weapons at a steep discount to their competitors, which proves something telling: Guns can be had for less money which can perform above their pay grade.
The combination of the massive purchase orders from LE and MIL, with the tooling having already largely been paid for, as well as the now ancient (though the gun doesn’t present this) R&D costs, give a great indication as to the reasons Sig can provide the SP2022 for such a low price. Usually we are convinced that if something is too good to be true, it probably is; the SP2022 isn’t too good to be true. The SP2022 is a great value.
The SP2022 isn’t perfect, but it’s VERY nice. The tolerances aren’t QUITE what Sig’s other guns are, it might look tactical, but it’s nowhere near as pretty as some of the other Sig guns; and it is a bit top heavy compared to other pistols in the line. The last comment is a disease of polymer framed guns, and not indicative of a shortcoming of the SP2022.
Don’t kid yourself, the SP2022 is the real deal
The SP2022 is the lowest priced full power Sig; a unique and wonderful alternative to the Glock and HK pistols, as well as the Springfield and S & W polymer guns (amongst others). It’s a gun equally at home in a woman’s hand as a man’s, and one which is so good you’ll find yourself going to it time and again to use for carry and target shooting. You can find it in three calibers if you look hard enough: .357 Sig; 9 mm and .40 S & W. The SP2022 is a perfect first handgun; it’s inexpensive, infinitely usable and highly regarded. The SP2022 is not going anywhere and it provides a solution to a problem that cannot be matched at the same price point by many competitors. If you need a no mess handgun, take a look at the venerable Sig SP2022.
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“ What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.”— Lord Melbourne
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