In January 2005, the U.S. Army Tank/Automatic Weapons Command adopted the SP2022 pistol under the name "M11". This gun is the second SIG product after the P228 pistol to become the standard pistol of the U.S. military. Although only 5,000 pieces are used this time, the significance is far-reaching.
The SP2022 pistol is an improved version of the SP2340/SP2009 sold in 1991 under the name "SIGPro". The SP2340 pistol is SIG's first semi-automatic pistol with a plastic frame.
A few years ago, French law enforcement authorities conducted a pistol selection test. Among the products that participated in the competition, the final winner was the SP2022 pistol. In addition to SIG, companies participating in the competition include Beretta, HK, FN, Glock, CZ, Ruger, Walter/Smith & Wesson, etc. Except for the first three companies, other companies were quickly eliminated.
Finally, SIG Sauer and the French government signed a supply contract for up to 270,000 SP2022 pistols, scheduled to be delivered from the second half of 2007 to early 2008. The huge order is enough to impress its peers.
The SP2022 pistol uses large-capacity magazines such as 15 rounds (9mm) and 12 rounds (40SW/357SIG). Although it slightly lacks stopping effect, the charm of the 9mm caliber SP2022 with a capacity of up to 15 rounds is irresistible. As long as you choose heavy bullets, this gun will become the most convincing pistol in terms of protection. The standard model of the SP series pistol is a small pistol, so the SP2022 has excellent carrying performance and has the full charm of a portable pistol.
Among SIG's products, the originally inconspicuous SP series of plastic slide mounts began to attract the attention of the world with the debut of the SP2022 pistol.
Development History
Polymer slide mounts are becoming the standard feature on today’s handguns. Although the German HKVP709mm pistol debuted in the 1970s, it was the Glock pistol that really made the polymer frame develop. The gun was introduced to the U.S. market in 1985, and its reputation rose rapidly, thus occupying the U.S. military and police pistol market. For example, SIG-Sauer SP2022 pistol Glock 17 occupies 40% of the police automatic pistol market in the United States.
Polymer materials have the advantages of low cost, small mass, corrosion resistance, and suitable for use at different ambient temperatures (the thermal conductivity is much lower than metal, and they are not sticky at low temperatures). The success of Glock proves the effectiveness and high practicality of polymers as new materials for pistols. Of course, its success is also related to the low cost due to fewer parts and simple structure, as well as the easy-to-operate and reliable trigger safety device to ensure the safety of the gun.
Glock's trigger safety device has many advantages: it is easy to use, it is automatically in the safe state when your finger leaves the trigger, and there is no need to set up a manual safety outside the gun; the trigger force is uniform for each firing, and the trigger movement is small , excellent continuous shooting performance.
The success of Glock has caused other companies to have a strong sense of crisis. They feel that the automatic pistols they produce will fall behind the times if they do not use polymer slides. As a result, in the mid to late 1990s, many companies introduced polymer frame pistols.
In 1999, the original SIG company grandly launched the 0.40-inch SP2340 pistol with a plastic slide base. This was the first semi-automatic pistol with a plastic slide base designed by the company itself. Soon after, another plastic frame pistol designed by SIG, the 9mm SP2009 pistol, came out.
It is worth mentioning that few people know the order in which SIG launched these two new plastic frame pistols. According to SIG's original plan, the 9mm SP2009 pistol should be launched first. However, considering the sales of 0.40-inch pistols as police or protective pistols in the North American market and the limited loading capacity of North American civilian pistols, SIG decided to take the lead in launching the 0.40-inch SP2340 pistol, which is easy to launch rapid fire.
Another purpose of SIG’s name “Pro” is to emphasize the convenience of the tool. The SP series is the first semi-automatic pistol to feature auxiliary equipment mounting rails as a standard design.
Due to the use of plastic materials, when designing the plastic slide seat, the internal components are arranged more rationally based on the advantages of the P220 series pistols. As a result, the SIGPro series of pistols has added some features that were not found in previous products.
First of all, during the design process, the characteristics of the material itself were cleverly used to enable the SP series to have the function of replacing grips of different sizes. The replacement method of the grip is very simple. In addition to the standard size grip, it also comes with a large replacement grip with a protruding back, which can be easily replaced without tools. Another feature is that the modularly designed trigger assembly is replaceable and can be easily replaced with a double-action trigger.
To better illustrate the advantages of the SIGPro series, here is a review of the development of the P220. In the 1970s, as a successor to the P210 pistol, Switzerland developed the P220 pistol as a military standard pistol.
The main method to reduce costs at that time was to use casting processing in the manufacturing process of sleeves and other components. In addition, the use of aluminum alloy sleeve seats not only reduces the weight of the gun body, but also is easy to process, which plays a certain role in reducing costs.
However, in the SIGPro series era 20 years later, gun-making technology has developed rapidly. The best example is the processing of the sleeve. In order to reduce costs, the slide of the P220 pistol deliberately avoids cutting processing. Nowadays, with the introduction of computer-controlled CNC equipment, cutting can be performed at low cost.
Currently, among the SIG series products sold in the U.S. market, starting from the P229 series pistols, the sleeves are processed by U.S. factories. The processing method is to cut the entire piece of stainless steel and cut out sleeve. The SIGPro series is no exception. The cut-and-formed sleeves are not only strong but also resistant to rust. The P226 pistols launched in the past also began to use cut-formed slides.
In addition, the various operating levers of the SIGPro series abandon stamping parts, and the design of the disassembly lever (sleeve clamp) also borrows from the P210 method. The decomposition lever also serves as the barrel tilt axis, and the rear end of its extension also serves as the slide release lever. The part where the fingers come into contact significantly improves the operating performance.
Sig Sauer SP2022 Pistol In order to occupy the pistol market, Sig Company launched the Sig Pro (SP) series pistols equipped with polymer slide seats. The company first launched the 0.40-inch (10.16mm) S&W caliber SP2340 pistol in 1999, and then launched the 9×19mm caliber SP2009 pistol.
The 0.40-inch S&W caliber was first recommended. This was because at that time, police and self-defense pistols were mostly equipped with 0.40-inch S&W bullets. When the magazine capacity was strictly limited, the use of this bullet could enhance the stopping effect. , and Glock pistols and other pistols are also equipped with this ammunition.
The SIG pistol did not adopt the simple approach of "using polymer materials in existing series of pistols to reduce costs", but redesigned the SP series pistols with polymer slide seats as standard accessories and will sell them The products are clearly divided into classic series and new SP series.
The product promotion does not claim that "the SP series is superior to the P220 series", but treats the SP series as a new product with different characteristics compared to the past metal frame pistols, and promotes the two series of products in parallel Sales policy, so as to avoid the sales of SP series pistols making consumers feel uneasy about metal frame pistols.
So, what are the characteristics of the SP series compared with the P220 series? Its characteristic is that the retail price is 100 to 200 US dollars cheaper due to the use of polymer materials. The SP2340 can be said to be a variant of the small series of SIG-Sauer P229 pistols. Its retail price is the same as the SP2009 at US$400, which is lower than the price of the P229 (US$600) and lower than the Glock 37 (priced at US$562). The Ruger P345 ($548) is both affordable.
Therefore, the SP series pistols are quite attractive in the market price war. In addition to the price advantage, the SP series pistols adopt a modular structure, which is convenient for production, assembly and maintenance. Their small size, light weight and easy operation are also favorable factors for their entry into the market.
In 2000, not long after the SP series pistols were launched, the Swiss Sig Company transferred its small arms division to the German Sauer Company. After negotiations, Sauer Company obtained the "Sig- The right to use the trademark "Sauer SP2022 Pistol SIG". In order to participate in the French government law enforcement agency's pistol selection test in 2002, Sauer's former SIG small arms division improved the SP2009 pistol and named it the SP2022 pistol in accordance with the French government's bidding requirements for a pistol with a service life of at least 20 years.
Companies participating in the election include Sauer, Beretta, HK, FN, Glock, CZ, Ruger, Walter, Smith & Wesson and other companies. In the end, only the SIG-Sauer SP2022 and the HKP2000 were left to compete. Although the performance of the two guns was similar, the price of the SP2022 was lower at 280 euros. The French government finally ordered more than 270,000 SP2022 units, requiring delivery from the second half of 2007 to early 2008.
In the United States, the current sales situation of SIG-Sauer pistols is unprecedentedly good. It has been receiving orders from the U.S. government one after another. In 2005, it received a large order from the Ministry of National Security, totaling 23.7 million U.S. dollars, including U.S. coasts. The Patrol's order is for $4.2 million. This has changed the long-standing situation in which Glock pistols have had an absolute advantage in the law enforcement agency market.
In January 2005, Sauer officially announced that "the U.S. Army Tank/Motor Vehicles and Ordnance Command (located in Rock Island, United States) decided to adopt the SP2022 pistol manufacturing system." information. As a result, the SP2022 became the U.S. military’s standard pistol after the SIG-Sauer P228 (U.S. Army standard name M11).
Although the order quantity is only 5,000, for Sauer, the most important thing is not the current order quantity, but getting an order from the US government, so that it can take the opportunity to become famous and continue to launch SP2022. The commercially available model competes with the Glock pistol for the U.S. civilian handgun market.