ENDURING AND ENDEARING

Fueled by the continuing interest within the special-operations community for hard-hitting sidearms, several pistol manufacturers are offering new variations on the tried-and-true .45-caliber semiauto pistol theme. That's the case at SIGARMS Inc., whose popular, alloy-frame P220 SIG Classic has much the look - though not the feel -- of the SIG Sauer .45 that was introduced about 18 years ago.

The now-familiar P220 (.45) and P226 (9mm Luger, .357 SIG, and .40S&W) lines incorporate updated safety features over their predecessors, including decocking levers and firing pin safety blocks, allowing them to be carried ready for use. These features are among the selling points that originally sold Navy SEALs on the P220.

About two years ago, the SIGARMS team unveiled the results of the venerable P220's latest return to the drawing board. In place of the alloy frame of its predecessor, the P220ST (Stainless Steel) sports not only a stainless frame but also a stainless slide. Some internal changes were also made, including the addition of a rugged double-strand recoil spring to increase the pistol's reliability.

The switch to a stainless frame and slide added more than 10 ounces - a 25-percent increase - to the pistol's unloaded weight, which now tops 40 ounces. But that additional weight, of course, lessens the recoil from powerful .45-cal rounds, enabling a shooter to more quickly reacquire a target. And it was the P220ST that the SIGARMS team was anxious to put into the hands of this year's evaluators.

"Very well made; easy to shoot fast and accurately," said an evaluator who is a competitive pistol shooter. "Good balance; very good trigger in both single- and double-action shooting."

"The stainless steel-framed .45 seemed easier to handle than the 9mm P226" that the evaluators also fired, said another. "I also like the integral sight rail."

Another old hand at pistol shooting found the integral sights - there's a white bar on the fixed rear sight -- made it a "little easier to acquire targets when transitioning from close-in to distant targets."

"A very nice update of a classic package," another said.

SIGARMS' SG 552 got very favorable reviews  from our evaluators, who were impressed with the  firepower the 7-pound package delivers.

COMPACT PACKAGE

There's no shortage of 5.56 assault rifles available today, a fact that challenges weapons manufacturers to distinguish their offerings from the rest of the pack. SIGARMS' response to that challenge is a compact shooting package called the SG 552.

At 7 pounds, the SG 552 carries an integral Picatinny rail, and features an ambidextrous safety lever and folding stock. With an overall length of less than 29 inches, the weapon has a barrel that's just 8.9-inches long.

The select-fire system (single, three-shot and fully automatic) keeps its weight down when loaded, thanks to lightweight, transparent magazines designed to reduce chances that its user will be unpleasantly surprised by an empty (or nearly empty) magazine. Those magazines, by the way, form a patented system that can be stacked easily and changed quickly.

The weapon's weight was a hit with all who shouldered it. "I really liked its size and weight," said one evaluator.

"The best assault rifle shown this year," said another.

"A great example of a compact 5.56 platform. Controls are clean, it has a good trigger, and good recoil control," said a third evaluator.

Another found it to be "easy to load, and easy to shoot from either shoulder" - a good skill to have in an urban combat environment.

"A very compact, ergonomic package," noted another. "Excellent trigger for an assault rifle. It had significant rise in three-round-burst mode, but that's to be expected in such a short, light weapon. Overall, very handy and well-balanced."

The only negative concerned the selector switch, which "seemed a little stiff; awkward to go from single-shot to three-round bursts. Otherwise, very good."

REACHIN' OUT THERE

What SIGARMS' P220ST pistol and SG 552 assault rifle are designed to do at close range, the Blaser LRS93 Tactical does way out there. The four- or five-shot (depending on caliber) long-range rifle, with its straight pull-back bolt, fully adjustable trigger and adjustable synthetic stock was one of the surprise hits of Shoot-out 2003. If the volume of evaluators' comments are an accurate indication of this weapon's attributes, the .308 Winchester model that they fired is one impressive system.

"Very easy to shoot," said one. "Superb bolt action - very smooth; little effort required. Outstanding trigger."

One of his colleagues found that the bolt "takes a little getting used to, but that's not a detractor." He felt the weapon's design made it easy to "reacquire the target after firing."

"Love the trigger," noted another. "As a left-handed shooter, I also like the interchangeable bolt that can be operated from either side."

The overall design impressed another shooter. "Ergonomic design perfectly matches form to function. Light, crisp trigger, features that easily adjust the weapon to the user, and a smooth bolt action make this sniper rifle an optimum weapon."

"The great trigger, straight-pull bolt and safety are revolutionary design elements," said another. "This is a very easy-to-shoot rifle." He went on to note that in his third shot group, fired at a distance of 50 feet, all holes in the target were touching one another.

"Can't miss; precise," said another shooter. "Exceptional accuracy. Very impressive. Designed like a custom-made rifle."

The Blaser line is available in calibers spanning from .223 Rem to the powerful .338 Lapua. All barrels, except the .338, are interchangeable.