Joe Chicago
New member
Anyone here have a Sig-Hammerli Trailside .22? How does it shoot? Is it easy to break down and clean? Does Sig still make them (I couldn't find it on their website)?
Sig-Hammerli Trailside
- Thread starter Joe Chicago
- Start date
Sig stopped making them in 2003. Hard to find. I've been looking for one for some time, just not quick enough to buy one on line. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hämmerli
The Trailside is on my list of 22lr pistol wishlist. The others are the Hammerli Xesse and the Baikal IZH-35m.
A lucky owner will chime in soon.
The Trailside is on my list of 22lr pistol wishlist. The others are the Hammerli Xesse and the Baikal IZH-35m.
A lucky owner will chime in soon.
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The Hammerli X-esse is the same pistol.. Larry's Guns has them or can get them.
I have a 4" with the target sights. WAY more accurate than I am. I have had it since about 2002.
The only problem other than trying to find them, was part of the saftey. Seems that it (the part inside the slide) was made from soft metal and the cup where the ball and spring would reside would deform. I think I got the lever, a new ball and spring from Larry's for like $10 and took me a few minutes to fix.
Stock trigger is wonderful.
If I could do it over again, I would also get another 6" Target.
There is one other downside. It is very hard to mount a red dot, then be able to strip it and clean it. Anything on that rail on the top has to be removed in order to get the slide off. However you can just boresnake it and toothbrush the crud off the extractor area like I do and keep on shooting.
I have a 4" with the target sights. WAY more accurate than I am. I have had it since about 2002.
The only problem other than trying to find them, was part of the saftey. Seems that it (the part inside the slide) was made from soft metal and the cup where the ball and spring would reside would deform. I think I got the lever, a new ball and spring from Larry's for like $10 and took me a few minutes to fix.
Stock trigger is wonderful.
If I could do it over again, I would also get another 6" Target.
There is one other downside. It is very hard to mount a red dot, then be able to strip it and clean it. Anything on that rail on the top has to be removed in order to get the slide off. However you can just boresnake it and toothbrush the crud off the extractor area like I do and keep on shooting.
Technosavant
New member
I have the basic 4" model.
The thing might as well be a laser gun. It's that accurate. It's a shame Sig quit importing them under their name- IMO, it was by far the most accurate .22 pistol for anywhere near the price. As said, they're still available under the Xesse name, but you'll probably have to order one in.
They're definitely worth hunting down.
The thing might as well be a laser gun. It's that accurate. It's a shame Sig quit importing them under their name- IMO, it was by far the most accurate .22 pistol for anywhere near the price. As said, they're still available under the Xesse name, but you'll probably have to order one in.
They're definitely worth hunting down.
Joe Chicago
New member
I was in a gunshop in Lombard, IL on Saturday that had a used Trailside for around $250-$300 (I cannot remember the exact price, but it was less than other .22s like Buckmark). I found some on gunbroker, etc., but the prices were much higher. Would $250-#300 be a good price for one?
I've had a 4" Trailside for years
Pros.
1. Superb trigger
2. Extremely accurate, even with my 4" standrd model
3. Great grip, for me anyway
4. Nice looking, if that matters to you.
Cons.
1. Finicky with ammo
2. Safety issue, as Dondor mentioned
3. Soft breech face, DO NOT Dryfire
4. Reliability can be hit or miss. I had to tinker with mine to get it to run up to my standards. But I know others who haven't had a hiccup when shooting good ammo.
5. I've had 2 magazines crack along the top. But they get kinda rough use while doing fast reloads.
Verdict= It's one of my favorite pistols, and easily the most accurate I have owned
Pros.
1. Superb trigger
2. Extremely accurate, even with my 4" standrd model
3. Great grip, for me anyway
4. Nice looking, if that matters to you.
Cons.
1. Finicky with ammo
2. Safety issue, as Dondor mentioned
3. Soft breech face, DO NOT Dryfire
4. Reliability can be hit or miss. I had to tinker with mine to get it to run up to my standards. But I know others who haven't had a hiccup when shooting good ammo.
5. I've had 2 magazines crack along the top. But they get kinda rough use while doing fast reloads.
Verdict= It's one of my favorite pistols, and easily the most accurate I have owned
Wonderful gun, but has several detracting features:
(1) Plastic magazines. Absolutely NO substitute for steel mags. (I have since, by accident, found some steel mags that work, but they are less common than original SIG mags.)
(2) The plastic filler piece at the front of the frame. Cheap and tacky, and not very secure.
(3) The "ambidextrous" grips. The thumbrest intrudes on positioning of the trigger finger. I purchased an extra set of grips and did away with the RH thumbrest.
The accuracy of the Trailside exceeded expectations, and reliability has been 100% so far, not counting dud rounds.
(1) Plastic magazines. Absolutely NO substitute for steel mags. (I have since, by accident, found some steel mags that work, but they are less common than original SIG mags.)
(2) The plastic filler piece at the front of the frame. Cheap and tacky, and not very secure.
(3) The "ambidextrous" grips. The thumbrest intrudes on positioning of the trigger finger. I purchased an extra set of grips and did away with the RH thumbrest.
The accuracy of the Trailside exceeded expectations, and reliability has been 100% so far, not counting dud rounds.
Master Blaster 2
Moderator
Parts are probably hard to get?
Technosavant
New member
I got to remembering another issue that was on some of the earlier guns...
The trigger guard assembly rotates down and has a slidestop engineered into the front of it. There were some reports and pictures of this piece cracking.
I do not know if it was due to highspeed ammo or not, but I check mine regularly and have yet to see any cracking.
I use CCI STD, and FED bulk as the main ammo I shoot, and probably have put about 8000 downrange since I purchased the gun.
The trigger guard assembly rotates down and has a slidestop engineered into the front of it. There were some reports and pictures of this piece cracking.
I do not know if it was due to highspeed ammo or not, but I check mine regularly and have yet to see any cracking.
I use CCI STD, and FED bulk as the main ammo I shoot, and probably have put about 8000 downrange since I purchased the gun.
CoolhandLuke.
New member
Re joe chicago
Hey Joe, what shop did you see that Trailside for sale in in Lombard if you don't mind me asking/aren't going to buy it yourself?
Hey Joe, what shop did you see that Trailside for sale in in Lombard if you don't mind me asking/aren't going to buy it yourself?
Larry's Guns seems to be the one-stop shop for Trailside/X-esse parts and accessories (as well as new X-Esse guns if you don't want a used Trailside). There's enough there to keep me busy for quite some time.
I've got my eye on the stippled wood sport grip, but I've also seen that Nill makes some very nice looking (but pricey) stuff.
I've got to decide whether to go with competition-style grips or sport grips though. I'm a lefty but I'd like others to be able to shoot the gun as well. I'm going to try to wait until I've put a couple thousand rounds through it with the stock grips before I think about changing them out.
I've got my eye on the stippled wood sport grip, but I've also seen that Nill makes some very nice looking (but pricey) stuff.
I've got to decide whether to go with competition-style grips or sport grips though. I'm a lefty but I'd like others to be able to shoot the gun as well. I'm going to try to wait until I've put a couple thousand rounds through it with the stock grips before I think about changing them out.
If it was in good shape, that is a steal. I'm jealous! Which model did you get (barrel length, fixed or target sights)?
Can't wait to pick mine up tomorrow!
They are plastic. I've read several comments from people saying they don't like plastic mags because they're plastic, but I've read several other testimonials that say they are great with no issues.
I've also read you can use S&W Model 41 metal mags in it, but I wasn't clear on whether they require any modifications.