First Range trip with Sig 1911-22

[willhud]

I got to take my Sig Sauer 1911-22 to the range for the first time today. It’s the first semi-auto pistol that I have owned, and the first brand new gun I have owned. The pistol shoots really nice. I had read that some people didn’t like the trigger out of the box, but I didn’t have any issues with it. Being a new shooter (or at least not having shot guns since I was a teen), I don't expect to be a great shot at this time. I am definitely going to have to develop some muscle control to keep my hands from shaking. That was actually one of the reasons I wanted to take up target shooting again after almost 25 years. Being diabetic, my hands shake some normally now and I don’t want that getting any worse. This is a fun way to develop techniques to deal with that.

I was using .22 LR Federal Champion Target Auto Match 40 Grain Solid point rounds. I shot about 60 – 70 rounds through it. Between my pistol, my wife's pistol and our new rifle, we went through about 285 rounds total. In the Sig I had 3 rounds that had problems feeding, that I believe where because the previous round was a little underpowered. Other than that, all the rounds went through it like a champ.

I was shooting at a target about 10 yards down range. I figure I can increase the distance as I get better. The pistol shoots an inch or two low. Sig includes three different front sites with the gun, so I can possibly change out the front site to correct this. That said, the pistol is far more accurate than I am at this time. I have seen video’s and posts of other people that are good shots, so I know how accurate it can be. That said I was really happy with how well I did with it.

As far as function and shear fun… my wife said I was grinning from ear to ear! I love the way it shoots and feels in my hand. We were also shooting my wife’s brand new Browning Buck Mark Camper. It shot much more on target (i.e. It wasn’t shooting low), and it was fun to shoot, but I like the feel and recoil of the 1911-22 better. My wife would have said the exact opposite, so I think we each picked the right pistol. I am looking forward to several years taking this baby to the range.

The 10 Body shots are my last ten from the pistol. The 10 Headshots are from the new Ruger 10-22 we purchased.

[Marquezj16]

Sounds like a good day at the range. Congrats again with your pistol.

[Aguila Blanca]

That group doesn't appear low to me. A couple of shots are low, but a couple are high. Overall, the center of the group is pretty well centered on the bullseye.

Keep in mind that your shot placement will probably change vertically if you try different ammo, so shoot some more and decide what ammo you like and plan to use before you start changing out sights.

[Sevens]

Here's a couple really quick tips that will serve you well as the proud owner of that new Sig 1911-22.

That pistol is Sig branded and backed by Sig, but for the purpose of discussion and research, you have the GSG 1911-22 pistol as imported by ATI. If you have a prodblem with it and need service, you contact Sig and they back their guns very well. But if you wish to search around here on TFL Forums or other places online for discussion regarding your model of pistol, it truly is the same thing as the GSG 1911-22 and the magazines are interchangeable.

Second tip is that this pistol takes a good 20-40 rounds to "work in" back to it's top accuracy potential after any time that it's been taken apart for cleaning. And by taken apart, I mean after that right side screw has been extracted and the barrel removed from the frame.

Not that it won't shoot right after a cleaning -- it certainly will, just be warned that it won't shoot it's tightest groups in the first mag or two until it's worked itself back in to it's "spot."

NOTE: This has been -my- experience with my pistol in 3,592 documented rounds since April 30, 2012 when I purchased my GSG 1911-22. If anyone else's experiences are different, they differ from mine.

[qwiksdraw]

If you want to tighten those groups, practice on smaller targets. Start with a 10 or 12 inch target and practice until you get a consistent grouping, then go smaller.

At some point you will go back to a silhouette target and you will be surprised at what you can do.

It's sure makes target shooting more interesting.

My Sig 1911 22 is fun shooter, too.

[willhud]

Thanks for all the comments. I had no idea about the "Spot" after taking the pistol apart.

I had went through a lot of rounds by the time I shot this grouping. That said, I was trying to adjust for it shooting low. It was much more obvious with the first few mags, but then again I didn't know about letting it break back in after cleaning.

I did know about it actually being he same as the GSG pistol. I was looking at their magazines to get extra ones, since they are a good $10 - $15.00 cheaper then the Sig Magazines.

Trying to be the good little gun owner, I took the pistol apart and cleaned it again after going to the range, but to be honest, after the 60 to 80 rounds I had put through it, it really didn't look dirty at all. I went ahead and cleaned it anyway. I figured it won't hurt.

I was very happy overall with the day and how it performed, which makes me happy with my purchase. I have owned a several guns in my life, but never a 'NEW' gun. Even my pellet rifle as a kid, was an old Benjamin Franklin .22 pump that was (from what my dad told had told me) close to 100 years old. So it was nice and a bit nervous having a brand new gun to try out.

[Sevens]

I'm a long time handgun owner, shooter and enthusiast and it's been my experience that this pistol runs so well that I keep it on a "clean about every 750-1000 rounds" schedule. I will give it a nice light lube to ensure the slide moves freely but I prefer not to take this pistol apart anymore than I must simply because it does take down via a screw and I prefer not to screw/unscrew it any more than is necessary.

I stick specifically to bulk Federal Champion ammo which is a 36-grain plated bullet load. The only time I've been able to make the pistol consistently fail to operate was with 40gr lead bullet ammo, both Federal American Eagle and CCI Blazer. The Federal American Eagle is a very poor ammo in most any of my semi-automatic firearms. The failures I experienced with these two brands of 40gr lead bullet ammo were both on range days when I was running "testing" on my GSG and the pistol had already digested more than 1,200 rounds of the plated Federal Champion ammo (flawlessly) before trying it and finally finding failure with the 40gr ammo.

Simply given the materials it's constructed of, I truly do not expect this pistol to last forever. I'm almost sure that I will shoot this pistol to breakage/failure at some point if I keep it on this pace. It comes with a 2-year warranty, so I suppose that's what I'm attempting to do-- I'm attempting to use it at an accelerated pace to make it quit working within that first two years. Having 5 magazines helps in this endeavor.

It's one of the most enjoyable experiments I've undertaken!

[willhud]

That's too funny Seven. I often feel that way about the computers in my life.

I am confused about the ammo thing. I would have assumed that 40 grains (since it's more) then 36 grains, is a hotter load, ie more powerful. Is that not the case? I ask because I had some ammo .22 ammo that was too 'hot' (or so I was told) for my .22 High Standard double nine revolver, yet worked fine in the auto. And I had been told (again, just repeating something here) that semi-auto's needed a more powerful round then the revolver could handle.

The last time I shot regularly, I was a kid and .22 ammo seemed to be .22 ammo. I don't ever remember having to have different rounds between my semi-auto rifle I had then and the revolver. Ammo seems to have evolved a lot in those 25+ years.

[Sevens]

I think in this case, the weight difference isn't the big factor -- it's the copper plating on the bullet that makes the difference. I can't be sure of this, but I do know that my pistol runs well with the 36gr copper plated rounds.

On one hand, you can look at the weight difference and say, "sheesh, 4 grains, that's like NO difference." 4 grains really is hardly any weight at all. However, it's TEN percent of the bullet weight, so it's not really accurate to say, "meh, no difference between the two weights..."

Do note that my testing wasn't scientific and I truly did set the 40gr loads up for massive failure: I had run that pistol to complete filth on the 36gr plated ammo, all outdoors on scorching hot days in the sun. When I tried the 40gr loads, it was at 72 degrees inside, no sun, and with an extremely dirty handgun. It was, quite simply, my first successful attempt at getting the pistol to quit running.

I'm skeptical of it's chances of running another 3,000 rounds without breaking something. I have no logical basis for this opinion other than--I just don't think my luck is quite that good.

[willhud]

The ammo that worked in my revolver was Remington Cyclone .22, which the box says is:

Caliber :22 Long Rifle
Bullet Type :Hollow Point
Bullet Weight :36 GR
Muzzle Energy :131 ft lbs
Muzzle Velocity :1280 fps

The ammo that didn't work was Remington Golden Bullet .22 which is also 36 Grain hollow point, but like you said, I think the jackets are different. Either way, its frustrating to have to keep track of. I am going to have to find either something that works good in each one, or one that works good in both and then memorize that and only purchase it.

However, the Golden Bullets seemed to work fine in my Sig 1911-22 and our Ruger 10/22 rifle. I didn't try the cyclones in that. I may next time. I was primarily shooting the Federal, because the guy at the LGS said they make good ammo.

[Sevens]

Ha ha, I don't want to sound like I have all the answers (for certain, I do not) but for all the things that shooters and gun owners have differing opinions on -- one thing is a no-contest. Remington bulk .22LR ammo is some of the worst stuff you can buy. WORST. Cheapest, most prone to failure, almost to the point of pure comedy.

There are a few folks who might not agree...I would really question how much of it they have shot over the years to formulate that opinion.

If I wanted ammo that WORKED, I'd pay twice as much for something else than I'd ever bother spending on Remington bulk rimfire. That Thunderbolt is maybe some of the poorest ammo on the market today.