By Dave Street (Retired RSO)
The Sig Sauer P-Series pistol (P220, P226, P229, etc.) is an exceptional handgun. Strong, reliable, highly accurate, Sig stands out from the crowd and is used by a multitude of law enforcement agencies across the nation. Like many other high-capacity pistols, Sig uses double-stack magazines in most of its pistols. This can cause a problem for some shooters because the wider magazines require a larger grip and folks with medium to small hands often have trouble reaching the trigger. In fact, many shooters have to twist the gun slightly to the right (or left if you’re left-handed) to get a better finger position on the trigger. This can affect the shooter’s accuracy and recoil control because the gun is no longer lined up with the shooter’s wrist and forearm (see photo #1).
To see how well a gun fits your hand, first unload your gun, release the slide and de-cock the hammer. Then push the grip into the web of your hand, make sure your wrist is straight and put your finger on the trigger. If the trigger is centered on the first pad of your finger, that’s a good fit. If you have difficulty reaching the trigger because your trigger finger is too short or your hand too small, then the grip is too big. This makes the gun harder to shoot and this is where Sig engineers have come up with two new solutions to better fit the gun to your hand.
The first modification was to shave off the inside radius of the trigger making it easier to reach (see photo #2). This is called a “short trigger” referring to people who have a short reach due to shorter fingers or smaller hands. By reducing the trigger thickness by just 0.4 inches (10mm for you metric folks), many shooters have reported a better grip and more comfortable finger position. Since they no longer have to twist the gun in their hand, accuracy and comfort improves plus it’s easier to control recoil. This trigger can easily be installed by a certified Sig armorer.
A second modification developed by Sig engineers was in the grip itself. By reducing the circumference of the grip, especially on the back strap where the web of your hand fits, this enables your trigger finger to reach further forward and secure a better position on the trigger. This smaller grip reduces trigger reach and improves the shooter’s grip on the gun. Sig calls this the “E2 Enhanced Ergonomics Grip” and it replaces the two grip panels that are on your Sig now (photo #3). This grip needs to be installed by a certified Sig armorer, because a special hammer strut, mainspring seat, mainspring and decocking lever are required. Other than the mainspring, all of these parts are included with the Sig E2 grip kit.
Depending on the length of your fingers and the size of your hand, one or both of these modifications may be needed to better fit the gun to your hand. They are both made by Sig Sauer and certified under their warranty.
