When it comes to personal-defense handguns, those chambered for rimfire cartridges have found a place.
No, no, these light recoiling firearms aren’t meant to be primary arms. Heck, they aren’t even backup guns, by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, models chambered for the venerable and ubiquitous .22 LR are training tools — dang good ones at that.
In short, handgun fundamentals can be drilled on the cheap with the generally economical round. And this is a feature many gun companies have caught onto, offering .22 variations of their most popular centerfire pistols.
Count SIG Sauer among them, with the international gun company expanding its pistol selection with a rimfire option. But it being SIG, there is a definite twist to what they are offering in this new handgun.
Modularity has been the catchword as of late for the American-German-Swiss manufacture. And the P250-22 continues in this vein.
Like the rest of the P250 line, the new .22 model has a serialized fire control group, that is easily removed and placed in a different frame. This ingenious piece of engineering — unveiled by SIG in 2014 — creates a staggering amount of versatility in the line of hammer-fired pistols. The P250 can go from a full-sized pistol to a compact or sub-compact in a matter of seconds. And it can jump between calibers — 9mm, .40 S&W, .357SIG and now .22 — in the blink of an eye.
The latest addition to the P250 lineup is intriguing on a number of levels.
First off, there is the training aspect. A shooter gets all the benefits of learning the ins and outs of their defensive pistol, while saving money by running .22 ammo through it. But, as the company itself points out, the new rimfire variant of its flexible pistol design is also ideal for new shooters.
“This allows newer shooters to work up to the more powerful cartridges, (and it) is a great tool for introducing youth to the shooting sports,” John Brasseur, SIG’s director of product development said.
One more point, one not to be discounted, is the P250-22 looks to make a heck of a plinker to boot. At 21.2 ounces in its compact configuration, the pistol has heft to drill bull’s eyes all day when chewing through .22 cartridges.
P250-22 Compact Specs
Caliber: .22LR
Action Type: DAO
Trigger Pull Weight: 6.5 pounds
Overall Length: 7.2 inches
Overall Height: 5.3 inches
Overall Width: 1.4 inches
Barrel Length: 3.9 inches
Sight Radius: 5.8 inches
Weight w/Mag: 21.2 ounces
Capacity: 10+1
Sights: Adjustable or contrast sights
Grips: Modular black polymer
Frame Finish: Interchangeable grip shell with stainless steel serialized frame insert
Slide Finish: Black hard coat
Features: Centerfire modularity, replaceable grip modules
MSRP: $434.00
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