Guys, this is just an amateur write-up.

Comparisons of the Swiss, German, and American P210s

Part 1 - Characteristics, pluses, minuses, etc. (today)
Part 2 - Range shooting (will be at a later date)

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Swiss P210-5LS - Long Sport
The original SIG company in Switzerland already sold all of its firearm related business in 2000, and the new firearm company was now named SAN Swiss Arms AG. Made in 2003, this P210 is technically Swiss Arms P210. My reading tells me that about 200 of this model were made, and 2003 - 2005 was the last period that the P210 was made in Switzerland, ever. Obviously it is a long slide gun, sporting a 150 mm long barrel. It has heavy frame, target sight, and the American style mag release. The target grip looks funny but superbly ergonomic, and it is exactly the same as the other two P210s. Frame-to-slide fit is tight as a drum, with zero play. Slide riding on frame is smooth, but not as smooth as the American P210. Trigger on this one is the best of the three. The 2-stage trigger starts with the smooth uptake, and broke like glass at 3 lbs. Insane, as far as I'm concerned. I'll admit that I'm a trigger snob, and this one has the best trigger of all the guns I've ever had.

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German P210 Legend Super Target Silver 5" - I'd call this the P210 "LDC".
BH date code (2017). Has a 120 mm barrel, full length dust cover, full length guide rod, front strap checkering, target sight, and Super Target controls. Frame-to-slide fit is tight as a drum, with zero play. Slide riding on frame is the worse of the three, not glass smooth like the American. The 2-stage trigger has a slightly creepy uptake, then broke like glass at 3.5 lbs.

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American P210 - P210A-TGT
Yeah, I know. I swore to wait until next year. But seeing all these early good reviews, I said to myself, "To hell with it, I'm jumping on the band wagon!"
And, I'm glad I did. Man, this gun, just from a handling perspective, exudes quality at a fraction of the costs of its father and grandfather. Kudos to SIG USA for taking the time to get this right. Barrel is the same length as the German (120 mm). Frame-to-slide fit is not as tight as the Swiss and the German. There is a little play, there. But, the slide ride is the best of the three, almost as glass smooth as the Beretta 92FS. The 2-tage trigger on this one has the smoothest uptake of the three, before breaking like glass at 3.5 lbs. A production gun from SIG USA with an incredible trigger. This is a SIG that really deserves the SIG Custom Shop label, imho.
Love the fiber optic front.
Hate the front slide serrations.

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*** BONUS: *** All the mags are interchangeable on all three guns. Thank you!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 12131,

Gotta love the gun porn!

NICE! Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the detailed comparison, 12131. The American P210 display models which I've handled at SHOT and Annual NRA Show the past several years have felt very smooth, but one always suspects that those examples are given a little extra treatment for their intended purpose. It's encouraging to hear that your production example satisfies your expectations, from an initial comparison standpoint. Based on price-point in today's market, the American certainly appears to hit the mark regarding value.

Thanks for sharing.

I was curious to see how the US version would compare against those manufactured in Europe. Thanks for taking the time to post this Q.

I picked up my P210 last week. Haven't been able to spend too much time with it, but, I would echo your take on the smoothness of the slide as well as how the trigger feels. I don't have a pull gage, so, I can't verify if the weight is consistent with yours.

As of now, I think it's well worth the money and even a bit of a bargain considering what some are selling for on GB. I lucked out and was able to get one for under $1300 shipped.

Q, thank you for the write up. Look forward to the range report.

Will you have a comparison of the internals?

I was able to handle a display model last week, it felt great. Nice balance, like the grip.

One item I noticed with the slide catch lever was the frame marring to the right of the lever from the use of the lever.

Terrific! Thank you for the review.

Beautiful pictures. But, I noticed something; The Swiss pistol shipped with a 50 meter target. The German pistol shipped with a 25 meter target. The US pistol shipped without a target. Hmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by MG34_Dan:
Beautiful pictures. But, I noticed something; The Swiss pistol shipped with a 50 meter target. The German pistol shipped with a 25 meter target. The US pistol shipped without a target. Hmmm.

Sounds right. After all, NH usually makes the end user be the beta tester. Besides, it's more fun when we create our own 'test' targets.

Great comparison. So where was the German P210 sourced from (beside the obvious 'Germany')?

quote:

Originally posted by MG34_Dan:
Beautiful pictures. But, I noticed something; The Swiss pistol shipped with a 50 meter target. The German pistol shipped with a 25 meter target. The US pistol shipped without a target. Hmmm.

Did SIGSauer Exeter made pistols ever come with test targets?

quote:

Originally posted by OTD:

quote:

Originally posted by MG34_Dan:
Beautiful pictures. But, I noticed something; The Swiss pistol shipped with a 50 meter target. The German pistol shipped with a 25 meter target. The US pistol shipped without a target. Hmmm.

Did SIGSauer Exeter made pistols ever come with test targets?

The P220 Super Match comes with the factory test target, shot at 10 yards. That's the only I can think of.

quote:

Originally posted by soggy_spinout:
So where was the German P210 sourced from (beside the obvious 'Germany')?

Roco.

The stainless long dust cover model is gorgeous!

The original Swiss model has impressive accuracy!

How come nobody ever complained about the long extractor on these beauties?!? JK!

Thanks for the great post, Q. The P210A is beautiful – except for those front slide serrations.

The shooting comparison will be very interesting!

Thanks for posting this excellent description and photos. Looking forward to the range comparisons. Also looking forward to when you post one of your famous pics spelling out P210 using P210 pistols!

Hoo Boy! Nice!!!

I want that P2105LS !

Congratulations...

Q, thanks for the awesome review. You made the right choice in not delaying your purchase any longer.

Great pics and write up. Beautiful pistols! Thank you!