It feels like ages since I bought a new toy. I suppose it wasn't that long ago if you count the Stag 10, but cabin fever was getting the best of me and I caved.
I'd been watching all these great reviews of the US Army's new pistol, the Sig M17, based of the Sig P320, but before that, I really didn't have much experience with this pistol. I'd heard that it was selected from the trials, and I also heard that it would sometimes fire if dropped, but apart from that, I knew next to nothing, and still don't, lol!
The M17 came in this lockable hard case, embossed with the Sig logo. I've heard this is one of the first times Sig has released a pistol with a hard case. My P226 Tacops came in a cardboard box. Interestingly, I also read that the US Army took delivery of their M17s which came in cardboard boxes, and if you bought one of those commemorative M17s (with the FDE controls), you also got it in the same, or similar cardboard box instead of this plastic case.
Next to the box that my Tacops came in.
All the goodies that come with the M17. The pistol, two mags, an M17 patch, a Sig sticker, a rubber band that has US Army printed on it, the manual and cable lock.
It also comes with factory night sights and the slide is side cut if you want to add a reflex sight.
I'm not really sure what the deal is with the rubber band, but the patch I can understand is just another piece of swag along with the sticker. Like anyone in their right mind would actually wear this patch on their jacket, carrier or uniform to tell the world they bought the M17 version of the Sig P320, lol! Wait.....how much more did I spend just to get the M17 roll mark over a plain P320?
OK, so I'm a bit of a casual collector when it comes to roll marks, but I got a good deal on this pistol and in reality, it didn't cost me much more than a regular P320, so I figured what the hell. Thanks Hermes, for the wicked deal!
The finish on the slide is pretty nice, but I honestly have no idea how long it will last. My G19x has a slightly different feel to it, but only time will tell which one will last longer.
Apparently the triggers were all redone after a bunch of P320s went off when dropped. I honestly have no idea how the old trigger felt, but what I do know is, this one doesn't feel that great. Maybe it will be better after it's broken in, but for now, it isn't a smooth ride getting to the second stage (I think it's a two stage....feels like a two stage...someone correct me if I'm wrong), then you can feel the slide move a bit as you add more pressure at the second stage, then there's a bit more creep, then sproing.
Rack the slide and it's not exactly a smooth ride to the reset point either. There's a slight....I want to say click and you think, wow, short reset...but then you release some more and you can feel another, more noticeable click and it feels like the actual reset.
Anyway, not exactly a match trigger, but this pistol wasn't exactly designed for civvie competitions. It was designed to be idiot proof, for the lowest common denominator who may have eaten crayons as a child.
The M17 version comes with a manual safety, which the regular P320 does not. I know some people hate these, but this is what the US Army wanted, so Sig made it happen.
No fancy polishing on the feed ramp, but I've heard that this has never given anyone grief.
The inevitable comparison with the Glock 19x, one of the Sig's competitors in the M17 Modular Handgun System competition.
As you can see, the Glock (civvie version) comes with a few more items, like an extra mag, a speed loader, and a bunch of different back straps (with the Sig, you yank the trigger group and drop it into a whole new lower).
I got both for their respective IOP programs, and the Sig set me back about $100 more than the Glock. I did however cheap out on my Glock and opted for regular sights instead of the night sights....I only saved about $70, so the Glock would only be about $30 cheaper if I got the equivalent sights. The Glock still comes with one extra mag and different back straps, but if you wanted to add a red dot, you'd have to get the Glock slide cut for it I think.
The Glock is definitely smaller than the Sig, and feels a bit lighter.
Takedown is pretty simple, but the take down lever on the Sig is a bit stiff. Maybe it will loosen up over time,
Compared to my P226 Tacops. It's lighter, but isn't that much smaller.
The trigger pull on this particular M17 was about 7lbs. I've read 6.5lbs, but maybe it's just mine, or maybe every one is different.
At 4.5lbs, my Tacops has one of my favourite triggers (all time favourite pistol triggers belong to my 1911s).
The G19x isn't a bad trigger at 6.25 lbs. I've felt other Glock triggers and the G19x has one of the best Glock triggers...I would say even comparable to some after-market Glock triggers (like Zev Tech).
Anyway, as with many of my new toys, I'll have to find some time to shoot this. With the new addition to the family, it's been pretty damn hard to get rounds down range.
