Here's my well worn SIG P220 that has been the primary home defense gun for the last 30 years, with a used P227 I recently added to the collection.
The P220 has been 100% reliable. Never had any kind of failure with it. Need to replace the tritium night sights; the lamps are too dim to see now. This is a single stack .45. The old mags I have hold 7 rounds each. Current mags hold 8 rounds. This is the old style grip. Newer one piece grips have a more aggressive texture and are a bit thinner, being similar to the P226 E2 grip. The slide finish is worn from use (mainly concealed carry in the winter), but the anodizing on the frame looks almost new.
The P227, though used, is a currently available variation, with a Cerakote flat dark earth finish. It's an engineering combination of the P220 and an upsized P226 frame. The slide and barrel will interchange with the P220. The frame steps up in width in the grip area, like a P226. Despite being a 10 round double stack .45, the frame and grip width are not much more than the newer slim style E2 grips available as an option on the P226. I'm surprised how well this fits my hand, as most double stack .45's are very bulky. The wide backstrap makes for very comfortable shooting. If SIG ever makes one of these in all stainless, especially with a long slide, I'd be on it for gun games like a pitbull on a bone. Anyway, changed out the tritium night sights for Tru-Glo TFO (Tritium Fiber Optic) so they glow day and night, important for my aging eyes. The take off sights will probably wind up on the P220. The gun came with the light unit. Need to practice with it before deciding whether it is a good idea for me or not. If this passes reliability tests (and it should) it may wind up becoming the new primary home defense handgun.
Both of the above guns have full size slides with 4.4" barrels. Both are available in compact ("Carry") versions with shorter slides and 3.9" barrels, but the grip frames are the same size. You only save a half inch and 1.5 oz with the carry model.
At the time I bought the P220, its nearest competition was the S&W Model 645, and my choice came down between the two. The P220 won because it fit my hand better. Had the 645 been available with a Model 39 arched backstrap, I would have gone with it. Instead, it had the straight Model 59 style backstrap, which I didn't care for, and no provision to change it. Love the 39, dislike the 59.
