Originally posted by JasonEuc: The Montage Suisse P-series are great. I found my P225 in a Gander Mountain probably 20 years ago…
BTW for anyone reading, that “lanyard loop” is the magazine release. Definitely don’t want to lose it on this pistol…
They’re talking about that little bagged piece of metal in one of my pics. It fits onto one of the grips at the bottom and protrudes out the side. And is for a lanyard. What I really need for a correct LE gun would be the piece that replaces the lanyard spot and blocks the heel release on one side. I guess these were used to prevent accidental mag release. Maybe while sitting in a patrol car?
Dump1567 the shield at the heal mag release was used by the Swiss Customs guards not the Swiss police that I'm aware of. Swiss Customs would be handling and inspecting luggage and bulky packages taken from cars, buses, trains, trucks and aircraft. Part of the problem was possibly that the Customs holster rode lower than the Swiss military P-75 holster. Under most conditions the magazine heal release is quite secure.
Originally posted by Kobren: Dump1567 the shield at the heal mag release was used by the Swiss Customs guards not the Swiss police that I'm aware of. Swiss Customs would be handling and inspecting luggage and bulky packages taken from cars, buses, trains, trucks and aircraft. Part of the problem was possibly that the Customs holster rode lower than the Swiss military P-75 holster. Under most conditions the magazine heal release is quite secure.
I’ve seen them on some other Swiss LE 220’s from that era and thought they would be correct?
Here’s one very close to my serial number that’s a PD gun that has it.
Swiss police P220s, like those issued to the Lucerne (and other cantonal) police forces, featured the heel-mounted magazine release with a metal guard (often called the "heel release block") to prevent accidental activation. This setup was identical to the configuration used by Swiss Customs (Zoll), which also had the protective guard on their 9mm P220s. Both were distinct from the standard Swiss Army's Pistole 75 (P220), which had the heel release with an integrated lanyard loop but without the added block for extra security. The heel release—standard on early European/military P220 variants—prioritizes preventing inadvertent magazine drops during holster use or rough handling, a key concern for law enforcement. The block is a simple metal shield over the release lever, common on Swiss federal and cantonal agency guns to enhance reliability in duty scenarios. In contrast, U.S. commercial P220s shifted to a side-button release by the early 1980s, but Swiss service models retained the heel design.
Dump1567 I was aware of Customs P-220s having the shield but I wasn't aware of the canton police pistols also having the shields, stand corrected. A US side button magazine release would of been a better design, also a full flap holster covering the butt of the pistol would of protected the heal magazine release. Strange that the Swiss military P-220 didn't have this feature where the military pistols would be used in rougher conditions than the customs and police.
I was thinking if you rub the butt of the gun on the seat of a car, it might activate the heel release and cause the mag to pop out. Just speculation. I know seat belts have hit button releases causing the same issue.
Anyway, I love this gun and wish I could find the same version with a mag button release. I did bid one up on GB before I bought this one, but lost out. And I haven’t seen any mags for those guns. And have no idea how rare they are (guns or mags)?
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