54 replies to this topic

[Joe L]

I sent my X-5 All Around to Gray Guns to be lightened to 43 oz. and some action work on the trigger. Got the gun back and have put about 300 rounds through it. So far, so good. I still have to get used to it as I have put about 6000 rounds through a CZ 75 since sending this one off.



This was from today after work. I shot many groups like this one from 25 yards, good, for me.

Joe

[DoubleL]

Hey! No gun p0rn?? I've always admired the x-5. Just a bit outside my price range....Pics!!

[huskerlrrp]

Any comments on the trigger?

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

I sent my X-5 All Around to Gray Guns to be lightened to 43 oz. and some action work on the trigger. Got the gun back and have put about 300 rounds through it. So far, so good. I still have to get used to it as I have put about 6000 rounds through a CZ 75 since sending this one off.



This was from today after work. I shot many groups like this one from 25 yards, good, for me.

Joe

Congrats on getting it back. Hope you have better luck than I did. One match and my 226 wouldn't reset and that was after the second trip

[blaster113]

yes, need pics . one of the new shooters in our club was running a .40 X5. I'd love to get some trigger time on it

[Joe L]

Any comments on the trigger?

Buttery smooth DA pull. The little roughness I had when the gun was first purchased is gone. The single action release is nearly perfect for me at 3.5 lbs, as requested. Overall very happy with the trigger work as far as feel and action are concerned. Definitely better than what I have been able to achieve on my own on my alloy guns.

Joe

[Joe L]

I have over 1000 rounds through the X-5 since getting it back from Gray Guns. I have reverted back to the stock extractor and removed the firing pin safety block (FPSB) until I can figure out how to get a little more travel to lift it far enough to completely clear the firing pin. These are my only two concerns with the gun, as the lightening work and trigger work done by Gray Guns are excellent. Not sure yet how I am going to resolve the extractor and safety block lift issues. Can't run it in IDPA without the FPSB installed.

Joe

[Racer377]

I have over 1000 rounds through the X-5 since getting it back from Gray Guns. I have reverted back to the stock extractor and removed the firing pin safety block (FPSB) until I can figure out how to get a little more travel to lift it far enough to completely clear the firing pin. These are my only two concerns with the gun, as the lightening work and trigger work done by Gray Guns are excellent. Not sure yet how I am going to resolve the extractor and safety block lift issues. Can't run it in IDPA without the FPSB installed.

Joe

Is it legal for IDPA? I had thought it was too heavy (according to Sigs specs) and wouldn't fit in the box.

[Joe L]

Is it legal for IDPA? I had thought it was too heavy (according to Sigs specs) and wouldn't fit in the box.

Legal for ESP if the frame is trimmed back to 43 oz. Never legal for SSP. I also had to cut 0.030" off the beavertail to get the length down. Gun fits box easily now. Gun was a couple of ounces too heavy as delivered and too long.

It ain't no stock X-5 any longer. It's mine.

Joe

[Racer377]

Is it legal for IDPA? I had thought it was too heavy (according to Sigs specs) and wouldn't fit in the box.

Legal for ESP if the frame is trimmed back to 43 oz. Never legal for SSP. I also had to cut 0.030" off the beavertail to get the length down. Gun fits box easily now. Gun was a couple of ounces too heavy as delivered and too long.

It ain't no stock X-5 any longer. It's mine.

Joe

Nice!
If you ever want to sell that, let me know!!!

[Joe L]

Here is a post from the SIGForum about the X-5. Lots of comments on how the gun looks, especially with the SSE grips on it.

Just thought I would show how similar the X-5 and Stainless Elite are, at least cosmetically. I have already put the SSE wood grips on the X-5 and put the mag well grips on the SSE. The X-5 has had a couple of ounces trimmed from the frame along the dust cover, trigger guard, and beavertail to get the weight down to 43 oz. The X-5 is beautiful. The SSE is functional.









Joe

[Ausman]

Joe L.. The X5 looks great! Thanks for posting the photos. Truly have been wanting to see what Bruce's XLP package looks like in the flesh.. since all you can do is read the words on the website.

I have a X5 L1 that is going to head over to Bruce Gray this winter for the same treatment you had done. A little while back I started having problems with the infamous extractor. Set it over to Bruce and 2k rounds later it seems to be corrected. Actually a completely different extractor was installed. Don't know what Sig it came from.. but so far so good. Just an FYI for you if the problem shows up on X5.

[Joe L]

Ausman, I have tried three different design extractors in mine and still have one or two failures every 50 rounds. There is something about the machining on this particular slide that is different. I'm going to increase the tension on this latest extractor from TGS and see if that helps. The latest Gray extractor was the least reliable in this gun and no one knows why yet. But I'm working on it.

I bought a Stainless Steel Elite to use in IDPA. I'm learning to shoot it.



This is a slow group, but I've done some plate drills with good results compared to my alloy P226.

Joe

Edited by Joe L, 06 June 2012 - 05:30 AM.

[Ausman]

Grouping at 20yds looks pretty good to me! Sorry to hear that you are still having extractor problems. So Bruce did his extractor upgrade and it did not work? Is the extractor he put in wider than the OEM piece?

[Joe L]

Gray's is wider but without much of a hook. Both SIG extractors work better in my gun. Grouping above is with the SSE. The X-5 group in the first post is tighter, but there isn't much difference at 25 yards. Everything is good on the X-5 except for the extractor. Even that is OK for a range gun, but I was trying to build an IDPA gun.

Joe

[lcambre]

I was talking to Gray Guns (didn't get name of person) earlier this week and they are still working on getting an extractor to fix the problem.

[Joe L]

I was talking to Gray Guns (didn't get name of person) earlier this week and they are still working on getting an extractor to fix the problem.

Don't I know it! This gun was going to be one of the beta testers!

Joe

[Joe L]

I've found a combination of extractor tension, magazine spring strength, and recoil spring that seem to work well with the latest SIG factory extractor, modified by me. When you use enough tension on the extractor to prevent it from slipping off the casing on recoil, getting a round to move up in to the breech face as the round is chambering is difficult. I had to go to a +10% magazine spring and a pink multistrand recoil spring to get reliable feeding with the tensioned SIG extractor. My bet is that these changes will also work well with the latest Gray Guns extractor, but I haven't tried it yet. I am going to run this combination for a few weeks and see for sure.

If nothing else, adjusting the stock extractor and checking the results at the range has been educational. I understand what is going on in and X-5 a lot better now. It's a shame we have to go through this exercise, however.

Joe

[-JQ-]

It's a shame we have to go through this exercise, however.

Joe

Don't forget this is from their "custom shop" too... And it has been on the market for MORE than enough time to have been "fixed" by Sig.

Bruce, et al should NOT have to be the R&D department for such a well established company...this is Sig Sauer we are talking about not "little johnny's basement gun corp"

FWIW...my X5 tactical which is/was aluminum never had these issues...just the big stainless one I had...

Bitter...maybe - better educated for sure.

I don't keep guns around that I don't feel I can trust...old sigs yes...new sigs...not so much

<sorry about the rant - I've been trying to keep my sour experience out and not ruin some one else's potentially great experience>

Good luck to all involved

[Joe L]

Don't forget this is from their "custom shop" too... And it has been on the market for MORE than enough time to have been "fixed" by Sig.

Bruce, et al should NOT have to be the R&D department for such a well established company...this is Sig Sauer we are talking about not "little johnny's basement gun corp"

Agreed. It is a shame that Gray Guns AND their customers have to deal with the 9mm extractor issue. The problem is SIG's design, not their customers' limitations.

Joe

[spd522]

My AA has been to Bruce twice. First for the action job and min 3.5 SA trigger so it would be legal for Bianchi.
It later had a couple of extraction issues but always with my reloads which are 99% on picked up mixed range brass. And the gun was rather dirty. Never had an extraction issue with factory ammo but it is also hotter than the reloads I was using.

I talked to Bruce about it and he wanted to do his extractor fix on it so I sent the top end to him. So far, one failure to extract out of several thousand rounds snce getting it back. Again, with range brass reloads. And, as with the previous times, when the gun was dirty.

Since keeping the gun cleaner between outings, it hasn't bobbled at all.

Joe, I love the looks or your AA after the diet. I would have that done to mine but it would kick it out of the production divisions in USPSA and NRA Action Pistol that I use it for.

Craig

[Joe L]

My X-5 is still running fine after I reworked the latest SIG extractor and reworked the firing pin so that the firing pin safety block would clear it. But, I don't have very many rounds through it, I've been shooting the SSE, which I worked over myself and it runs 100%.

Joe

[JGus]

I own a Sig P226 X-5 Competition .40s&w model that I use in USPSA Limited. It's a really nice set up. I bought an aftermarket magwell from a member of this site, and extended basepads that get me to 18 rounds.

I don't have a tremendous amount of rounds through the gun, around 700. But, I have had only one issue with the gun and I don't think it was the gun. I was shooting some WWB when I pulled the trigger, the hammer dropped, and nothing happended. I dropped the mag, cleared the round (bullet was still attached to cartridge), checked the barrel (all clear), inserted a mag, chambered a round, the gun shot, and I've never had another problem again. I believe it was just a bad factory round.

I also have an STI Tactical that I purchased recently. Geez, has that been a learning experience for me! The gun needs to be tuned, the mags need to be tuned (bought 5 STI mags and not a single one of them would let the slide move forward after racking the slide). I've never owned a gun that needed so much pampering (and cost) just to get it ready for shooting. I know it's a great gun and I look forward to shooting it regularly when it's ready, but it's been more of an ordeal than I anticipated. And, I plan on keeping my X-5 as my primary Limited gun. The STI Tactical will be backup and just another fun gun to shoot.

But unlike the STI Tactical, the X-5 Competition was ready to go out of the box. I bought 8 Mecgar 15 rd mags, shaved a little off the side so they would fit fine in either the factory or after-market magwell, and just recently replaced the base pads on six of them with the new extended base pads to hold 18 rds. So other than a few minor adjustments to the mags, I haven't done anything necessary to get it shooting ready. And that gun has eaten many different types of factory ammo from 155gr to 185gr, both JHP and FMJ. It's trouble free.

[Joe L]

JGus, good report on the 40. I never hear of any problems with the 40 cal versions of the X-5. The extractor has enough contact with the 40 cal rim to eliminate the problems that show up sometimes on the 9mm versions. My 9mm is doing pretty good right now, too.

Joe

[JGus]

Joe L, was the trigger work worth the time and wait to send it to Gray Guns? I've thought about doing the same with mine. The trigger isn't bad right now, but I'd like to remove the slight amount of creep in it and improve the reset. It's really my only complaint about the gun, and it's just a minor complaint, but something I've considered. While the trigger has improved the more I've shot it, and I figure it should improve slightly more, it's still not quite where I'd like it. The X-5 Competition model I own doesn't have the adjustable trigger feature.

The trigger on the STI Tactical I recently purchased is better than the X-5 (as I would expect with a 1911 version gun), but I prefer the weight and feel of the X-5.

Thanks.

Attached Files

•  Sig X-5 Competition 40s&w.jpg   75.64K   151 downloads
•  Sig X 5 and STI Tactical.jpg   121.03K   166 downloads

Edited by JGus, 12 July 2012 - 06:03 AM.