At one time in the not too distant past, the term “understudy” (or “sub-caliber”) handgun (or rifle) meant a firearm that was a good facsimile of a full-power centerfire original but that was chambered instead in the light-recoiling and inexpensive .22 LR rimfire cartridge.
The Colt Ace was the first true understudy handgun made available to the general public — at least to my knowledge. The Ace was a full-sized 1911 pistol chambered in .22 LR instead of .45 ACP. The Colt Ace featured a special patented “expansion chamber” that helped simulate the recoil of the .45 full-power variant, so the training experience was as real as one could possibly get.
Today’s sub-caliber understudies don’t go to that level of special effects, but they are good replicas and, for those who have shooting space available, they can help the user save money on ammo. In addition, the quality models make great self-defense, plinking or small-game hunting firearms in their own right. There is only one issue: They need to be fired in locales that can safely accommodate firing live ammunition — which means many of us can’t just walk out our back door and start blasting away.
I live in an unincorporated township, which means I have the legal right to shoot in my backyard, front yard or side yard. However, just because you can do a thing doesn’t mean you should.
While I live on a ¾-acre lot, my neighbors are “suburban close” on either side of me. Behind me is an oddly shaped and unused wooded lot that borders a very busy road. There’s a factory on the other side of this two-lane road. Shooting back in that direction with even a .22 rimfire round would be unsafe. If I put a nice big dirt berm in my backyard, I would be set (at least for .22s on a limited basis). Oddly enough, my wife nixed that idea. So I am left with air-powered weapons for use in my backyard, which also keeps the neighbors happy.
Airsoft guns are out as far as outdoor understudy arms go. Airsoft pellets lack accuracy on windy days, and I don’t want my yard littered with white plastic pellets. Fortunately, SIG Sauer has provided an answer to my situation in the form of their line of replica CO2-powered .177-caliber pellet and BB pistols and rifles.
These aren’t your daddy’s replica guns. They are built to original size specifications and are designed to handle like their cartridge-firing brethren. They will fit in holsters designed for the real deal, and their accessory rails will mount laser or light devices that are designed for use with Picatinny rails.
SIG sent me two of their latest models — their P320 Air Pistol and their 1911 Spartan BB pistol (which, as of this writing, is not yet on the SIG website) — for testing. But before I describe them, let me make a qualifying statement or two.
First, these handguns are extremely close in all possible ways to the real thing, which brings me to a cautionary point: They are not toys. If you are foolish enough to point one at the police or even brandish it, your CO2-powered BB or pellet will be met with powder-powered full-sized lead bullets in return … so don’t do it. Because of this reality, I would introduce young children to traditional BB guns first and let them learn on those until they are older and can fully distinguish between real and realistic-looking “firearms.” Keep these replica guns under your control so that a tragic mistake can’t be made when you aren’t around.
Second, while these SIG pistols are very realistic, there are accommodations made to allow them to function with CO2 as the source of power. Both guns have similar functioning characteristics; the slides move back and forth with each shot fired (but eject nothing) and the controls are pretty close to the real deal. But both pistols’ magazines are much different than their real counterparts and won’t stand up long to heavy-duty slam-bam reloading drills. Now, that doesn’t make them bad or useless for training, but you can’t practice heavy-duty drills without the risk of breaking a magazine. Now on to the guns.
The P320 in Coyote Tan is at first glance a dead ringer for the newly selected U.S. military pistol. The weight, balance and feel of the pistol in the hand are true to form for the original. The CO2 version actually weighs more (2.2 pounds) than the full-sized “real” 320 (1.84 pounds) to bring it closer to the weight of its fully loaded 9mm brother.
The CO2 P320 has a trigger very similar to the P320 I tested awhile back. The magazine release button is on the left side only. There is no slide release on the left since the slide on this model does not lock back when empty. There is a faux slide release on the right side.
In place of the left side release is a horizontal sliding safety lever. The takedown latch is also simulated. The frame is polymer with a Picatinny front rail. Sights are fixed 3-dot. The P320 shoots steel SIG BBs (I would recommend using the SIG brand only) or lead alloy pellets. Pellets are preferred, because they shoot more accurately for a further distance, and velocity is a bit higher.
The magazine is plastic, and different than the previous SIG P226 Air Pistol I tested. It uses a unique system that looks like a looped bicycle chain and holds 30 pellets or BBs. Velocity with pellets is listed as 430 feet per second on a fresh cylinder.
The Spartan 1911 CO2 BB pistol is a dead ringer for the .45 Spartan. The only major difference is that the .45 version does not have a frame rail built in like the CO2 version. The BB-only magazine is smaller than the chain-driven P320 mag and holds 16 BBs. The slide locks back on the last shot, and the slide release is functional. There is also a functional grip safety. The thumb safety appears to be ambidextrous, but the one on the right side is non-functional. The left thumb safety has an additional button on it that must be pushed as the safety is slid off. This modification requires pushing directly down on the button as the entire lever is pushed down. It is the only criticism I have of this gun as an unnecessary additional safety measure. Hopefully it can be eliminated in the future, but it doesn’t prevent one from enjoying the gun. Sights are fixed, 3-dot Novak-style combat sights. The front strap is checkered in the SIG pattern, and the back strap serves to charge the pistol with a CO2 cartridge. Velocity is listed at 410 feet per second.
I enlisted the help of my neighbors, Manuel Martinez and his son Tomas, to help me test the guns in the backyard. Tomas had never fired a pistol of any kind before, but took to the P320 like a duck to water, drilling the center of a B27 silhouette target at 20 feet. Accuracy was fine for the P320 (the barrels on both guns are rifled) and both he and his father had a great time. There were no malfunctions.
They did not test the Spartan 1911. It uses a different system of locking the CO2 cartridge in place than does the P320, which thumbscrews into place. As a result of not looking at the directions closely enough, I blew out two CO2 cartridges while attempting to seat them. Follow the picture directions more closely than I did, and you should have no problems. I tested the Spartan 1911 the next day. Accuracy for a BB pistol was very surprising and very close to that of the pellet-firing P320 at the 20-foot mark — about 2-3 inches.
These SIG air guns are not only great understudies for your centerfire SIG pistols, they are great trainers in their own right. All the basic skills that are needed for centerfire (or .22-caliber) guns are needed for these CO2 guns; proper sight alignment, trigger squeeze and safety skills are all involved in their operations. MSRP of the P320 is $119.99. MSRP of the Spartan 1911 is $110.99. Like I said, these aren’t toys; they are quality training tools. Check out the entire line that includes CO2 AR-style rifles and target systems.
More info at: www.sigsauer.com
