I am considering a roughly Commander size (for the convenience) polymer frame (for the weight) .45 (for the obvious reasons) as a carry gun. I am not a fan of striker-fired guns and distrust my dexterity with a 1911 platform. I'm not sure what else is out there in a DAO pistol these days, but if any of you have had experience with these, please share it.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

I've got two in both 9mm and .380 - but they're sub-compact. Haven't fired either much - but they've been 100% so far. I really like the DAO from an AD standpoint. The fire control units are pretty beefy and I haven't heard of anyone having any problems with them. Easy to swap the FCU's between grip frames - I picked up a spare Medium from SiG for $40-ish. The medium is the smallest grip frame with a rail. I'm old-ish ... ... and the whole round-in-the-chamber thing with a striker-fired pistol makes me nervous. I'm very comfortable with a chambered round in the P250's for HD. The triggers are long but predictable and not too heavy - and much, much better than the DAO on my .380 Bodyguard. Pretty soon there should be an integral laser grip frame from SiG - supposedly for 150-ish. I've got a Streamlight on the 9mm and nite sights on the .380. I highly recommend them - they're cheaper than the Glocks - I bought the 9mm at Gander for $399. I think the only downside is magazines are pricy - just ordered a third .380 mag from CTD and it was almost $40 - but they appear to be MecGar's.

Edited to add: I'm not completely sure about this - but I think the .45 grip frames are not interchangeable with other calibers. But, the FCU's work with everything from .380 to .45 as far as I know. Forgot to mention - one quirk is that the rear sights cannot be adjusted for windage because of the height of the hammer, if you will, in the slide. Fronts have to be drifted for windage. This will be a moot point to me once the laser grip frames are released...

You want the 320. It's the 250 but better. No seriously it's what the 250 should have been. Same idea with the interchangeable frames and slides but the 320 has a much better trigger all be it a striker and it's not plagued with the reliability problems the 250 was.

Before a bout of unemployment two years ago, I owned two P250 fire control groups. I owned compact and sub compact kits in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The only reason I sold all of it was to pay a few bills. Why haven't I bought it again? I transitioned from a collector to owning just those firearms I truly enjoy shooting and will shoot often.

Otherwise...

The P250's DAO trigger is smooth, barely perceptible stacking. I've known revolver enthusiasts who pay $$$ to have their revolver's trigger tuned, yet end up not as nice as the P250's out of the box DAO trigger pull. The pistol is easy to fire quickly. Man up, press the trigger straight back, release full out. Since the trigger is easy to stage right before the break, making precise shots easy.

The pistol is easy to clean. The upper cleans up traditionally. The lower is easier than others. Pop out the fire control group. Take the frame to the sink and wash it like tupperware. Take the fire control group and hose it off with CLP.

If you feel like carrying the sub compact, do it. When you get to the range and want to shoot a larger gun, buy a full size X-Change kit.

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-John

Fired a 320. It's nice. Not quite VP9 or PPQ, but better than the "normal" striker fired pistols (Glock, XD, Ruger).

If you do buy a P250, make sure it isn't the 1st generation. Those were the ones that had issues.

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-John

I like my p250's a lot. They are the perfect semi auto for a revolver guy. The trigger is long but very smooth. I have a 9mm but have never shot it, I used the fcu in a subcompact .45, the compact .45 is nice too. Night sights are standard.

I can carry the compact size (9shot), with the subcompact as a bug (6shot), and full size magazines (10shot) for reloads in both guns. All for less money than 1 lightweight 1911.

Mine are very accurate, and 100% reliable. But you have to like real dao, as in old school revolver dao, not typical striker fired sort of dao.

I've owned 3 (two 9mm, full and compact- one .45 sub) and liked them enough to give to my 2 nieces and a close friend. Put a combination of over 500 ball and HP thru each to make sure they are dependable. They are to the max. Great triggers, simple to learn by non gun folks, and I trust them with my loved one's life's.

Thanks, all. I am an old-school revolver type, think SA is for target shooting and don't mind a long trigger pull, so long as it is consistent and smooth. I especially appreciate the graphic on telling the difference between the old and new issues. I will likely never need the rail, as I am looking for something for concealed carry and my Sam Browne is hung up for good, but I can use it to remind myself that in this case only, flat is better.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Be sure to let us know how it works out for you.

I'm going to +1 to all of those who like their P250c's. The above posts have summed it up quite nicely. I have a .45 and it has been very reliable. I carry it quite often and it is a regular for me at the range. The trigger pull while long, is very smooth with a clean break and quick reset. It's accurate and natural pointing. It is one of my few big bores my wife will shoot.

There are occasionally very good sales on the P250 if you keep an eye out and are a bit patient.

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paws for friendship

If you don't want a rail the only one that comes that way is the sub compact and has a 3.6" barrel . Good size carry pistol that has a 2 finger grip . Some guys will buy a longer compact grip and cut the rail area back to fit the shorter slide and have a full grip .

The other odd thing about them is you can miss match for custom set ups. I have put my compact slide and barrel, on my subcompact grip frame. For a long slide subcompact. It looks a little funky, but functions perfectly.

Or as pointed out you can cut the rail off, shorten a trip frame etc. The grip frames are cheap, so experimenting is fun.

Full size 45acp 250 sits by my bed. 7# 5oz trigger, about same weight pull as my Python. Nephew, brother and friend all like their 250c in .40. Good value for a pistol with night sights and rail.

The p250 was the first Sig I ever purchased in 40 with an extra 357 sig barrel. I was disappointed in the loooooong trigger pull. The other problem I had was that certain 357 ammo (can't remember which brand) would not go bang on the first strike because of the hard primers. I ended up selling it.

I suggest if possible - try a friend's or rent one before buying it to make sure you like it.

Good luck!