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100-Meter Hits with the SIG-Sauer P226 My introduction to the SIG P 226 came some years ago with the visit of a staff writer for Combat Handguns Magazine. An assortment of 9mm pistols brought along by the writer included a P 226, as well as a recently released pistol from another manufacturer. Richard Savino was on assignment to evaluate the new gun. The SIG and two other pistols were included for comparison. My job was to shoot the guns at long range. To facilitate the task, I set up one of my steel "John Dillinger" targets. I shot the various 9mm guns at 10, 20, and 50 yards. It's worth noting that the new pistol from another manufacturer received favorable reviews in the press, with cover spreads on a couple of magazines. Apparently the pistol I commenced to try hadn't read the reviews, for by 50 yards Mr. Dillinger could hardly contain its cone of dispersion. Shooting at 100 yards just wasted ammunition. The P 226 pulled away from both of the others at 50 yards. The SIG held 1-foot groups at 100 yards, while its competitors spewed 2- and 3-foot patterns. Finally, we taped off 140 yards, the farthest distance we could get. As Savino set up the spotting scope, I made ready to shoot the SIG prone. Holding the front sight above the top of the rear sight, I squeezed. Savino yelped, "Hit!" The clink of a bullet on steel drifted back. Three of the next four shots hit. Score: 4 x 5 at 140 yards. One may argue we haven't the right to expect such accuracy from a 9mm auto pistol. Nevertheless, a tool of superior intrinsic accuracy fortifies confidence. Since that auspicious afternoon, I have fired numerous SIG handguns. Experience with SIG "nines" enables me to report accuracy of a very superior standard. A greater variety of 9mm pistols is manufactured today than at any time since the 9mm Luger cartridge was introduced at the beginning of this century. The Luger pistol, which gave its name to the cartridge, was at once wonderfully accurate and woefully susceptible to feeding failure. The fixed barrel, in conjunction with tight tolerances to which the gun was produced, enabled the marksman to hit at outlandish distances. But the gun was not the sort you'd carry if you had a choice. The disciplined marksman in search of a 9mm will find the P 226 reliable, durable, accurate, and very well made. It's as safe as a tool that fires ammunition can be. Pull weight and cleanliness of the SIG trigger in single and double-action modes hardly varies from gun to gun. Such consistency results form meticulous manufacturing. One example: the pivot hole in the trigger is drilled, then reamed for an exacting fit. A clean letoff facilitates deliberate shot placement. Of course, accuracy begins with the barrel, not the trigger; but a good barrel, sloppily fitted, won't make the nut either. An autoloading pistol works as a union of harmoniously mated parts. Otherwise, accuracy suffers, no matter how well a few of its parts are built. Practicing for Metallic Silhouettes The exploration of a pistol's intrinsic accuracy and the development of the shooter's ability to utilize it begins at 10 yards. Plain brown cardboard, cut into 1-foot squares or similar-sized rectangles, offers a neutral aiming point, enabling you to square the front sight in the rear notch, while focusing on the front sight. Center the cardboard. Read the sights. Squeeze one round. Keep the sights squared while focusing on the front sight. Squeeze four more shots. Deliberately. Advance to check the target. If your group exceeds 4 inches, return to the 10 yard line and dry fire five "shots." Dry fire reveals whether you (a) jerk the gun off target, (b) close your eyes, or (c) look at the target instead of the sights. It's important to know your point of impact (POI) immediately upon firing, without taking your eye off the sights. Try to get your groups down inside 3 inches at 10 yards. Tight shooting is the compression of a balanced stance, full rhythmic breathing, and focused sight alignment into a hydraulically smooth trigger press. Sight with your dominant eye, and take care of the sights; the bullet will take care of the target. Every SIG 9mm I have fired shot to, or very close to, point of aim at 25 yards. Remarkably, most of the ammunition targeted in the P 226 prints close to point of aim at 50 meters. Bullet weights ranged from 88 grains for some high velocity European rounds to 147 grains from Federal and Winchester. German 9mm ammunition is arguably the most accurate manufactured; since it's exceedingly expensive and poorly distributed in the States, this reporter stuck with selected domestic loadings, notably Federal, Winchester, and Hornady. Matches sanctioned by the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA) call for shooting at steel silhouettes at 50 meters (chicken), 100 meters (pig), 150 meters (turkey), and 200 meters (ram). Loaded with accurate ammunition, you'll be surprised at the ability of your P 226 to take on the chickens and pigs. The 100 meters for the pig silhouette represents one football field and end zone downrange of your muzzle. The targets appear small, a temptation to let your eye off the sights. Try a steady sitting position, prone, or from a benchrest if one is available. A steady position eliminates most of the gunwobble which distant targets seem to amplify. Likenesses of the IHMSA chicken and pig may be painted onto brown cardboard, using the cheapest available acrylic house paint. White or off-white is desirable, as bullet holes show up readily against the light surface. If the chicken looks too small, try the pig at 50 meters (or yards). Hold center. As your eye sharpens the front sight, the target turns to lintlike fuzz. This sight picture-sight sharp, target fuzzy-produces accuracy. Your son and daughter, seeing through elastic young eyes, may tell you the front sight, rear sight, and target "all look perfectly clear." Just point out hits are made at the front sight. Target shooters prefer black sights, but I prefer to practice with a firearm in the same mode in which its carried; I like the SIG's whitedot system for the little edge it gives me at twilight. Ammunition Performance The rapid growth in sales of 9mm pistols is reflected in the wide selection of 9mm ammunition offered by the major manufacturers. It's beyond the scope of this report to include all of the ammunition suitable for extended-range marksmanship. With notable European exceptions, ball (full metal jacket-FMJ) ammunition falls short of the accuracy attainable with the better jacketed hollowpoint JHP) loadings. Both Federal and Hornady 115-grain JHP loadings have established records for combining accuracy with controlled terminal expansion, enough so that in this writer's experience the respective loads serve as benchmarks in evaluating other 9mm ammo. In connection with my metallic-silhouette shooting, I tested several kinds of ammunition in the P 226. With 115-grain JHP Federals, accuracy was excellent: Five and 10-shot groups at 100 meters hovered at 8 and 14 inches, respectively. Groups at this distance with Hornady 115-grain XTP loadings averaged 10 to 16 inches (although one group of 10 measured only 12 inches). This ammo required holdover at 100 meters. Winchester 147-grain JHP Subsonic rounds were the most accurate tested: five and 10-shot groups of 5 and 12 inches, respectively, at 100 meters. To compare point-of-impact shifts at various distances, I charged a magazine with 15 rounds of 115-grain JHP Federals and engaged a painted cardboard pig at 10 yards, 20 yards, and 50 meters. At each distance, five shots were fired from the sitting position. With a centershoulder hold, above the front leg, five shots at 10 yards measured 13/4 inches, extreme spread. The same point of aim produced a 20-yard group of 2 3/4 inches, a hair right of the first. Using my breath to control the trigger at 50 meters, I squeezed off five more. The tape measured a diminutive 2 1/8 inches, an unusually tight cluster. This group, too, drifted just slightly right. The salient feature of this composite group-aside from the tight showing at 50 meters-is revealed by the registration of shots at a common point of aim over various distances. Tips for Long Range Shooting Having carried and hunted with magnum handguns for a quarter of a century, I find the prospect of carrying a heavy handgun less and less attractive. Consequently, a light, accurate autoloading pistol accompanies me on an increasing portion of my trips afield. Fine intrinsic and practical accuracy earn the P 226 a place on the trail. Exploration of the 9mm SIG's potential should include shooting sessions at 100 yards or 100 meters, whichever is available. Scoring hits at 100 meters requires a perfect sight picture. Tunnel your concentration. Keep the top of the front sight level with the rear, an equal bar of light to either side of the blade. Hold high shoulder on the pig, near the hump. A relaxed grip preserves sensitivity to the pad of your trigger finger. Let your sight picture squeeze the trigger: sights on/pressure on; sights off/ pressure off. Fire no more than five shots before checking the target. An above-center shoulder hold compensates for bullet drop between 50 and 100 meters. In this respect, the 9mm has a much flatter trajectory than a .38 Special or .45 ACP. The high-center hold will get the SIG on at 100 meters with most of the more accurate factory ammunition. Maintain a consistent sight picture, front sight sharp. You're shooting for group. Inspect the target. Shots massed low indicate the need to hold higher. In shooting at long range, remember that a small movement of the sights produces a large movement in point of impact. To score consistent hits with Hornady 115 XTP ammunition at 100 meters, I had to elevate the front sight above the rear. Holding the front sight in this fashion enabled me to see the shoulder of the pig on the front sight. (Maintaining this hold, I lowered my eye until front and rear sights were level. In this attitude the sights pointed to a spot 6 inches over the pig's back.) Holding front sight is an art, not a science, learned through practice. In this instance, a dead-level sight picture would completely obscure the target. Between range sessions, dry-fire practice can tone your breathing and your eye-and-trigger coordination. Finally, the pure recreational enjoyment of scoring hits at previously unimaginable distances is reason enough to shoot metallic silhouettes with the SIG P 226. David Bradshaw has won the IHMSA (International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association) International Championship, served as an officer of that organization, and developed data for the Sierra Bullets Handgun Loading Manual. He is recognized as one of America's outstanding pistol marksmen. |
Written By David Bradshaw
