Sig P225

History

The P225 is a variant of the SIG Sauer P220, which was developed for release in 1975 for the Swiss Army as a replacement for the SIG P210. The P220 was adopted by Switzerland as the Pistole 75 (P75) chambered in 9 mm Parabellum. The P225 variant was used by the West German police as the P6. It is also used by the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Forces Military Police, as well as various police departments.

Design

The P225 shares the SIG Sauer locking system introduced with the P220. This system uses an enlarged breech section on the barrel locking into the ejection port, rather than locking lugs and recesses. After firing, the slide and barrel move back together, then the chamber is pulled downward by the cam surface to unlock. The slide is a heavy-gauge sheet metal stamping with a welded-on nose section and a machined breech block insert attached by a roll pin.

The frame is forged alloy with a hard-anodized coating. The P225 incorporates a hammer-drop lever to the rear of the trigger on the left side, a feature that first appeared on the Sauer 38H. The double action / single action trigger design is similar to the J.P. Sauer & Sohn 38H pistol. Design refinements include a hammer decocking lever and a positive firing pin block safety.

Variants

The P225 is a variant of the SIG Sauer P220. The original P220 had a heel-mounted magazine release lever at the rear of the magazine well and a lanyard loop. Newer P220s use a push button magazine release to the left side of the grip and do not have lanyard loops. The P220 was later modified with a redesigned slide, grips, and other minor frame changes.

In 2007, a Picatinny rail was added to the frame under the barrel as standard on models whose number ends in R. Older model slides were stamped, while current production slides are milled on a CNC machine. The P220 also comes in P220R and P220ST versions. The P225 variant is used by the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Forces Military Police, and was used by the West German police as the P6.