same length, 3.9" per specs...

I'm having a devil of a time getting my new to me P225 to print anything better than shotgun groups. Like, embarrassingly bad. All other pistols, I get between 2-4" groups offhand at 18 yards, shooting at steel. P225? 18" "pattern." One in the head, one in the belt buckle, a few scattered in between. I shoot the P226, P228, P220 well. Have won a couple local matches with P226. Can't shoot this thing.

Crown looks good, bore looks good, OEM barrel serialized to frame, overall condition of pistol looks excellent. Can't hit anything. Disappointed would be an understatement. I waited 30 years to buy this pistol.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 1KPerDay,

I don't think a 228 barrel will work....but I think I remember one of the gunsmith's using a P226 barrel...I just don't remember who....
Gerry at Total Automation in Va.!

quote:

Originally posted by ace73:
I don't think a 228 barrel will work....but I think I remember one of the gunsmith's using a P226 barrel...I just don't remember who....
Gerry at Total Automation in Va.!

True, but he did some machining to make the P226 barrel work.

Sometimes, rarely, a barrel will be slightly oversized. You can "mike" the barrel by driving a cast, soft lead bullet down the barrel and measuring the overall diameter with calipers. If that's a huge hassle, try finding some soft lead loads and firing them. I had a Ruger P85 that had a over-large bore. It wouldn't group with anything but cast lead 147 grain projectiles at moderate velocities. With that load, it performed wonderfully.

I'm wondering if a P229 barrel might not be a better choice and fit. Anyone?

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:

I'm wondering if a P229 barrel might not be a better choice and fit. Anyone?

I'm pretty sure a P229-1 9mm barrel will not fit and the old style 9mm P229 barrel is basically the same as the P228 barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by wgsigs:

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:

I'm wondering if a P229 barrel might not be a better choice and fit. Anyone?

I'm pretty sure a P229-1 9mm barrel will not fit and the old style 9mm P229 barrel is basically the same as the P228 barrel.

Exactly!

I recently got a P225 barrel from EFK, I wasn't testing for accuracy but it shot a ragged hole at 5yds anyway. It was the only P225/P6 barrel of any kind I could find. Stainless, dropped in, but locked up tight.

Cant help with the barrel swap possibility fix.
I own 10+ Sig pistols of various calibers, including 3 P225s of varying ages. Of all the Sigs, the 225s are the most accurate. Cant say why, maybe I just shoot the gun well. If this was me, I would send the gun back to Sig. Accuracy of the type you describe is unacceptable in a Sig. They can make it right.

Make sure you let another person who is a decent shot try it first. Never know, even if you're awesome with other guns, sometimes a particular just doesn't work for someone. Even a worn ass rattletrap classic Sig with hardly any rifling left should do better than 18" patterns at that distance. Check if sights are loose maybe. If the barrel locks tight into the slide and the bore/crown is as good as you say, it seems impossible to not make some sort of group unless the sights are loose or the gun simply does not suit you. Maybe mic the outside of the barrel and check for bulges/cracks from previously shot out squib load.

good ideas, thanks.

I definitely need to have more people shoot it, good shooters. I will mic the outer surfaces and slug the bore. My P226 has a .357" bore and likes .358 lead, but shoots factory FMJ and plated .356" reloads perfectly. Even shooting at 7 yards I'll get like 2 shots dead center then one 4" away, holding the exact same place. It's like twilight zone.

I'll try some .358" lead ammo through the P225 and see if there's any improvement also.

Sounds like inconsistent lock-up. I'd push down on the barrel hood with the slide forward and see if you get excessive movement.

You describe a shot pattern from head to belt buckle. This suggests vertical stringing. There are pages of explanations on this topic with reasons quite diverse. I wonder if the previous owner had this concern and sold the pistol with the unresolved problem.

Could be a inconsistent lockup issue from a weak old recoil spring.

How much movement of the barrel hood is deemed excessive? There is some movement but there is also on my astoundingly accurate 226.

It's not vertical stringing; those are just the edges of the pattern scattered all over the torso. I'd post pics if Photobucket weren't holding them for ransom.

How does the barrel crown look?

Looks and feels flawless. Bore looks perfect to the naked eye.

Shot some .358-.3585" MBC smallball reloads that my P226 loves through it. Better... at least I could hold them all on a 12" plate. I hit 14 out of 16 8" plates which is better... but I was having to go quite slow and concentrate. With my other pistols they are an automatic hit.

But better. OD of barrel is .531" consistently, so no bulge. Hood has some normal-looking wear but looks symmetrical with no raised edges or galling. The only thing possibly out of order is the FRONT edge of the locking block, from the front edge maybe a 16th of an inch back and a quarter inch wide, has a kind of galled-looking or raised bit, juuuust slightly higher than the rest of the surface. Can't figure that out... any ideas what would cause this? I wish I could post pics. Stupid photobucket. Is that surface involved in lockup anyway or is lockup only the barrel hood against the slide, with the recoil spring and guide rod pressing back on the locking lugs?

Will slug the bore tonight.

Pressing down on the barrel hood in lockup produces barely discernible movement.

quote:

Originally posted by 1KPerDay:
The only thing possibly out of order is the FRONT edge of the locking block, from the front edge maybe a 16th of an inch back and a quarter inch wide, has a kind of galled-looking or raised bit, juuuust slightly higher than the rest of the surface. Can't figure that out... any ideas what would cause this?

The tiny raised bump at leading edge of locking insert is normal. It's simply caused by the battering of the barrel's foot against it over time. Does not affect accuracy as this leading edge only unlocks the barrel during recoil. It is the back-curved side of the takedown lever pivot that pushes the barrel back up into the locked position as the slide goes home after recoil.

I have a P6 which is the German police version of a 225. I just put a 228 barrel in it and could not rack the slide. So I don't think it will work.

Slugged the bore: .357-358" depending which groove you measure. Both my German P226 and my Beretta 92FS have .357" bores and shoot standard factory and plated reloads well.