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Selected Handgun Detail

SIG
Model P220
SIG Pistol P220 .45 Auto Variant-5
Scale To:
Gun Dimensions Width:1.4-in
Length:7.8-in Height:5.5-in
Barrel:4.4-in Weight:31.2-oz
Variant 5 of 8
Gun Rankings
  • Power Factor (230 grain bullet)189980
  • Recoil Factor (230 grain bullet)8.14 ft-lb
  • Total Capacity9 rounds
  • ConcealabilityFair
  • Defense Factor79%
Gun Specifications
Type:Pistol
Caliber:.45 Auto
Action:recoil operated semi-automatic
Trigger:double-action (DA/SA)
Safety:frame mounted decock lever
Magazine:8-round
Frame:anodized aluminum
Grip:black polymer
Sights:SIGLITE night sights
Notes:P220-1 variant, two-tone, accessory rail
Manufacturer
SIG SAUER GmbH & Co. KG
More Info
About the Gun

The P220-1 variants introduced for the U.S. and export markets adopt a thumb-operated side magazine release on the frame. They encompass all-black Nitron finishes offered both with and without an accessory rail, two-tone combinations of nickel finish slide and black frame in railed and non-railed forms, a two-tone model with diamond plate engraving on the slide, a rail-equipped version fitted with Crimson Trace grips, and the Equinox model featuring its characteristic contrasting slide finish and nickel-plated controls.

Production

Production of this variant ran from the mid-2000s to the early-to-mid 2020s.

Market value
Last updated: 4/19/2026

MSRP at production was around $1,100. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $700–$900.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge: .45 Automatic
Alias: .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP)
More Info
Ballistics for This Gun
Selected Bullet Mass:230 grains
MV:826 ft/sec ME:349 ft-lbs
Analysis

The P220 and P220-1 models together document the transition within the series from the heel-mounted magazine release used on the initial European military and police contracts to the side-mounted thumb release adopted to suit U.S. shooter preferences beginning in the late 1970s. In the handgun market of the 1980s and 1990s, these full-size .45 ACP DA/SA pistols provided a metal-frame option as law enforcement agencies and civilian users moved from revolvers toward semiautomatic designs. The short-recoil locked-breech operating system and decocking mechanism remained consistent across the group, while the P220-1 configurations added accessory rails and varied finishes to accommodate mounting of lights or lasers and to respond to demands for different appearances. The platform served as the basis for the broader P-series lineup and reflected SIG Sauer's approach to refining an established design through production changes such as milled slides in later units before the shift toward polymer-frame striker-fired pistols.

User Rating
1 User Ratings
1 User Comments
User Comments

4 of 5 Stars
The world's most popular DA semiauto .45
By ArmedPartisan on 28 Apr 2020
Although the SIG-Sauer P220 was originally designed and intended to be 9x19mm, it was robust and durable enough to be chambered in cartridges with higher base pressures (but lower chamber pressures), such as .45 ACP and .38 Super for the export market. The first version of this pistol imported to the US was marketed as a Browning design (although it used the now-ubiquitous Browning system, it was wholly of German and Swiss design, based on Charles Petter's elegant 1935A, which was the forerunner of the more-successful SIG P210) and sold as the Browning BDA with a heel-magazine release, carried over from the SIG P210; (Side note: nearly every nation which adopted a heel-release magazine system after WWI had previously used a button release on issued pistols) this was not popular with American buyers, and was dropped from import after a few years. When it was re-introduced to the American market as the SIG-Sauer P220, it used the button release, which allowed higher capacity.