Single-action semi-automatic handguns are de rigeur among practical shooting aficionados primarily because they allow the skilled shooter to deliver an accurate first shot faster than other pistol types. Accordingly, the M1911-style pistol dominates every practical pistol sport in which it is used. In late 2004, however, SIGARMS brought the new single-action semi-automatic P226 X-Five to American shores as an alternative to that venerable design.
     The X-Five features all-steel construction, a 5" barrel, adjustable target-type sights, and a host of ergonomic and functional modifications for competition, including an ambidextrous sear-blocking thumb safety, reversible extended magazine release, front slide serrations, and beavertail frame extension. At present, two calibers are offered: 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W.

The X-Five’s lockup (A.) will be familiar to fans of SIG pistols. The generous magazine well (B.) permitted bobble-free magazine insertion, and the oversize magazine release gave the shooting-hand thumb easy access to the release button without having to rotate the firearm in the hand (as is often the case with the M1911). Pointability of the X-Five was also judged to be very good. Accuracy of the X-Five is excellent, as shown by the 1.4" group with Federal’s 180-gr. HST hollow-point (C.), and the 1.2" test target supplied with the pistol. The short reach of X-Five’s smooth 31⁄2-lb. trigger made it easy to get the most out of the gun’s inherent mechanical accuracy.

     Internally, the pistol offers few surprises for those familiar with SIG Sauer guns. The barrel retains a square shoulder which locks against the ejection port, as well as a large underlug whose angled cams engage matching surfaces on the blued steel locking insert. Sear release is actuated by a stamped steel trigger bar linked to the pivoting trigger. When the slide recoils, a semi-circular recess in the right slide rail cams down an upward-protruding tab on the trigger bar, disconnecting the bar from the sear and allowing it to reset and hold back the hammer. Other characteristic SIGARMS features are the spring steel claw extractor on the right side of the slide, stamped-steel ejector and inertia firing pin, whose passive safety is disengaged only when the trigger is pulled.
     Mechanically, the most distinctive feature of the gun is its single-action trigger for cocked-and-locked carry. The trigger mechanism is user-adjustable for trigger position, and a gunsmith can adjust the trigger pull for pull weight and overtravel.
     Precision sights include an undercut 0.14"-wide front post mounted in a transverse dovetail, and a wide rear blade with a 0.016" notch adjustable for windage and elevation.
      Our .40 S&W X-Five test pistol came with two 14-round steel magazines with extended aluminum basepads. Standard 12-round .40 S&W P226 magazines will also work in the X-Five. Loads from Black Hills, Federal and Winchester were used in our accuracy and reliability testing. Results are shown in the accompanying table.
     No malfunctions were noted during the 140-round test-fire session, although ejection was a little anemic with the lightest loads. A situation easily remedied through the installation of a slightly weaker aftermarket P226 recoil spring. Accuracy of the X-Five was excellent: all ammunition tested grouped less than 2", with enough groups in the 1.1" to 1.4" range to back up the 1.2" 25-meter test target supplied with the gun.
     SIGARMS’ factory testing shows that X-Fives typically group into 2" or better at 50 yds., a level of accuracy equaling or surpassing most custom-built M1911s. Recoil was controllable thanks to the gun’s weight, ergonomics, and mechanics, like the dual-spring buffered recoil system. Our test gun’s trigger was also excellent, breaking crisply at 3 1/4 lbs. with no discernible creep.
     In a pistol intended for practical shooting, ergonomics and “feel” are as important as accuracy. Two experienced practical shooters who put the X-Five through its paces gave high marks to the gun’s slightly undercut trigger guard, 30 line-per-inch frontstrap checkering, beavertail grip contour, target sights and extended ambidextrous thumb safety, which could easily and comfortably be ridden by the strong-hand thumb.
     Though slightly longer and wider than a comparable full-size 1911, and about a quarter-pound heavier; the X-Five handled nimbly in multiple-target drills. Its double-column magazine made its grip almost 3/16" wider than a single-stack M1911, and its grip circumference roughly 1/2" greater; nonetheless, the X-Five’s trigger reach was actually slightly shorter than a typical M1911 pistol with a long trigger. The comfortable grip contours made the X-Five’s larger grip size less apparent.
     With an MSRP of $2,499, the X-Five carries a hefty price, but no more than a custom 1911. The X-Five is the first pistol we’ve seen the capable of dethroning the 1911 from its position of preeminence in practical pistol competition.