SIG ASP20..... Color me impressed!

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EdCaffreyMS

EdCaffreyMS

Member
Mar 6, 2020
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Montana, United States
 The SIG ASP 20 (.22) showed up today. Color me IMPRESSED!

First, let me say that SIG know hows to package a gun for transport/shipping. Cut out foam that seriously holds the gun secure…..

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After a good once over, and finding everything tight and secure, and a good cleaning, I mounted a scope and figured I'd have to fire a couple hundred rounds to get the gun to "settle in"….. shooting inside my hot/blacksmith shop, where I can eeek out 15 yards.

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Now, everyone is gona think I'm nuts, but after cleaning the bore with goo-gone, and finding it fairly clean from the factory, I used a bore mop slathered in Mothers Caranuba cleaner wax and waxed the bore. Let it sit for a few minutes, then ran a couple of clean patches through the bore. I did this to another brand new gun, and got/am getting far better accuracy then expected…. so after that, there are the fist 6 shots out of the box……no sighting in. just holding the cross hairs on center of the target…..

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After running 150 pellets through the gun, I sighted the scope in…… and here's what I got ….

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Again…..Color me impressed!!

I doubt I'll stop checking out other guns, but for a magnum piston gun, I'm liking this gun, and as of now, it's a keeper!

It's large, beefy, and the stock is designed in such a manner that I can actually rest my cheek on the stock without having "reach" to look through the scope.

I'm also impressed at the break action/lock up of the gun. You literally have to "pop" the end of the barrel to break it open…..but once open and cocked, it is "free swinging"….. literally no resistance from the pivots. The "wedge" system that SIG created/built into this gun is an simple concept, executed in an outstanding manner. The barrel locks up EXACTLY THE SAME EVERY TIME, which I can't help but believe aids to the accuracy I'm getting. It is a bit louder than I'd like…… I had the shop door open, and my neighbor yelled across the backyard….asking "what are you doin!?"
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"Shooting my new pellet gun!" "Oh! Have fun then!" Gotta love neighbors like that.

The only thing that I am not a big fan of is the safety.....it's just awkward. That aside, the only way I think I'd like this gun more….. is in a repeating/magazine fed version.
 
I got one recently (.22) and was very impressed myself. The hype is TRUE! This is a very impressive rifle. I've been shooting "targets of opportunity" at 50 yards of my home bench and having fun with it. I know I can't do it every time but I actually shot a 1 inch 5 shot group with JSB Hades. In my rifle I found the Hades and JSB Exact Jumbos were very close but the Hades is my go-to pellet. I'm hoping to hunt some with this rifle.
 
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Thanks for the kind comments! If I can be of help with anything knifemaking/Bladesmith related, feel free to call on me!!

You can find a lot of my "tutorials" and such here: http://www.legacystudioproductions.net/knifemakertraining/ My Son Tim Ufferman, who a super talented video guy created and runs that site..... I'm just the monkey in front of the camera! :)

I've not been on Bladeforums in LONG time...those who ran/moderate it let things just go wild and it became the "ghetto" knife form to many of us. I spend most of my online/forum time on https://knifedogs.com/ It's family friendly, owned by Tracy Mickley, who also owns/runs USA Knifemaker Supply, and no bashing, trashing, or stupid behavior is tolerated.

I'm really enjoying this air gun stuff! And all the folks here have been super nice. Nothing more satisfying then getting the SIG, setting it up, and then it shooting like it does! WOOT!! 








 
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I also don't care for the location of the safety. It's not practical to switch to fire while looking through the scope. I much prefer the safety location on my RWS 34's. Not to nitpick but is some of the rear scope ring base hanging past the end of the scope rail ? If so, you might want to move it forward one picatinny notch to allow full contact of the ring base to the rail. Just a thought. Anyway, enjoy your ASP20 and try some different pellets. Mine likes the Sig Wraith alloy. Both Tom Gaylord and Travis of Airgun Depot did reviews on the ASP20 and the Wraith alloy were very accurate. Like 3/8" ctc @ 25 yards accurate! 
 
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Not to nitpick but is some of the rear scope ring base hanging past the end of the scope rail ? If so, you might want to move it forward one picatinny notch to allow full contact of the ring base to the rail. Just a thought.
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It's exactly as you suggested. The pic just makes it look like it's "back". Aside from the safety, there are a lot of things on this gun, that I wish gun makers would take note of....and implement.



this 'win' wont stop you from looking at others, though
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Amen to the Rob!! I spent way too much time yesterday looking at ..... I hesitate to say it..... PCP guns! :) Doing the low end ones right now.... the Seneca Aspen and the Nova Freedom. I saw where a number of owner had issues with the air systems..... and also spoke with a guy from PyramidAir, asking him about it.....he told me that the difference is that once is "cherry picked" from the factory, and the other is just boxed and shipped.....but he wouldn't tell me which was which.

I spent the afternoon yesterday build a new/bigger pellet trap....one I could use both indoors (in my shop), and outside too. This gun is a blast!
 
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Not to nitpick but is some of the rear scope ring base hanging past the end of the scope rail ? If so, you might want to move it forward one picatinny notch to allow full contact of the ring base to the rail. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

It's exactly as you suggested. The pic just makes it look like it's "back". Aside from the safety, there are a lot of things on this gun, that I wish gun makers would take note of....and implement.



this 'win' wont stop you from looking at others, though
Click to expand...

Amen to the Rob!! I spent way too much time yesterday looking at ..... I hesitate to say it..... PCP guns! :) Doing the low end ones right now.... the Seneca Aspen and the Nova Freedom. I saw where a number of owner had issues with the air systems..... and also spoke with a guy from PyramidAir, asking him about it.....he told me that the difference is that once is "cherry picked" from the factory, and the other is just boxed and shipped.....but he wouldn't tell me which was which.

I spent the afternoon yesterday build a new/bigger pellet trap....one I could use both indoors (in my shop), and outside too. This gun is a blast!
Click to expand...

It must be just the way it looks in the photo as you say.

Have you messed with the trigger yet and what are your thoughts about it ? I'd rate it as fair to good. It will be interesting to see if Sig adventures more into the world of powerful airguns. What scope and rings are you using? 

Your shop looks nice from what I can tell from the photo. What brand of end mill is that in the picture? 

Here's an interesting piece on the Nova Freedom.

https://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/american-tactical-nova-freedom-pcp-air-rifle-review-22-caliber/
 
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 To me, for this kind of gun, I found the trigger pretty impressive out of the box. If you concentrate there is a bit of creep before it hits the stop..... but once you're there, at least on this gun, it's nearly impossible to tell when it's going to break. It reminds me very much of the custom trigger that was on my .308, when I was in the military. As it is right now, I don't feel the need to do any adjusting on it.

Since starting my journey with these guns (springers and pistons), I've tried several UTG scopes, and had all of them tear up on me....and thankfully all in the first 30 days...so I was able to return them for refunds. After a while, I only looked as scopes that had "air gun recoil rated" in their descriptions..... and ran across a cheap Tasco, figuring it could be returned if the gun tore it up.....well...... it's lasted for nearly 3 months now, through 4 different guns, and approx 2500 rounds.....and it's still going strong, with no POI wondering, or other failures. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S96HDKN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I purchased a set of low Vortex rings for it. I can't for the life of me understand why everyone mounts scope so darn high! It's bad enough that the rail adds height, but I want my scopes as low as possible..... I hate have to "reach" to look through the scope.

The mill is an old Grizzly...... they don't even make it anymore. It's certainly not a Bridgeport, but I use it mostly to repair other machines in the shops, and face mill Damascus billets, so it's been good for me.

I've looked at that review on the Nova at least a dozen times..... There's also a guy, I think Rick is his name that does reviews where he say "Facts not Fluff"..... and I like his reviews..... he actually answered one of my questions about the self contained pump PCPs..... he told me that the problems in the Nova and Aspen guns where/are because people pump them too fast.... and don't lube them. He went on to say that pumping too fast, without proper lube burns out the seal(s)......and told me they (whomever that is) had done some testing by pumping the guns as fast as they could without any lube.....and toasted the seals....but as long as they pumped approx one pump every 3-4 seconds, and lubed the gun before starting.....all was good. He also explained that the problems came on empty guns....where they had to be pumped a lot versus "topping of" that only required several pumps and no lube. Still seems a bit sketchy to me.


 
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As part of my job (retired now) I had access to old WWII machining equipment to make parts for items I repaired. We had a Gorton end mill and two lathes. A LeBlond and a South Bend. Making stuff was the most enjoyable part of the job. That, and troubleshooting electrical issues with equipment.

My trigger has a more creep than I like before it runs up to the stop. It's not bothersome enough where I would send it back to Sig.

I had a UTG Hunter 3-9x40 on my Sig for some time and no problems. It's now on my .177 cal RWS 34 and performs great. This is the scope. Have you tried this one ? I went with it based on reviews.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leapers-UTG-3-9X40-1in-Hunter-Scope-AO-36-color-Mil-dot-Ring/264666270024?epid=1909873462&_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item3d9f56c948:g:KmcAAOSwQVJebBBe&enc=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&checksum=2646662700245a5a40e4ade94e7385b9e379200ab7a1&redirect=mobile



I've thought about traveling down the PCP road but all the costs involved kept me from taking the plunge. A self contained PCP is a nice concept but I'm leery of the durability of the pump mechanism. I'll stick with my springers for now.
 
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 I actually have that UTG scope on my "wish list" on Amazon..... I was on the fence because I just didn't know if it would hold up to the whiplash these guns put out..... so you've had no issues?? I like the idea of the lite reticle..... easier on the old eyes! :)

I had a "Bugbuster" on the Gamo Swarm Whisper, and it was wrecked in less than 100 rounds! At about 75 rounds the POI started going everywhere, and somewhere around 100 rounds the middle section of the reticle just fell out! I sent it back for a refund rather than taking the risk again. At that time I just wanted to shoot me new gun, rather than wait on another scope. :) I'd read somewhere online that the UTG scopes are all "air gun rated"..... and it seemed like everybody gave the Bugbuster top marks......so was pretty ticked about it falling apart.

Also tried a Hatsan scope, thinking that if they make air rifles, the scopes should be rated for the job.....NOT..... the objective lens fell out inside of 20 rounds!! Another return.

The recoil/whiplash that these guns produce was probably the biggest surprise/issue when I first started.... I went to my gun safe, pulled an old Burris 4x32 scope off one of my 10/22s, slapped it on a Gamo Swarm Maxxim......and was beside myself when the reticle broke out!! I'd had that scope for decades.....and there's no telling how many rounds went through the 10/22 it was on..... and WHAM! Dead in less than a single day on the air rifle! That's when I started doing more homework.

So far (fingers crossed) this Tasco is surprisingly good. At about 500 round through the SIG....and it's obvious this gun has far harsher whiplash than anything else I've had.

I was on PyramidAir today, looking over the Seneca Aspens....and notice they had "refurbs" for sale..... That makes me suspicious..... and leery of the gun. If they have enough returns to offer refurbs.....something is fishy. I remain with you.... I just can't justify the "support gear" required for PCP guns....especially when I have a "springer/piston" as good as this SIG. What I'm afraid of is.... now that I've experienced this SIG and how good it is.... every other "springer/pistion" is gona be a disappointment?
 
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No I haven't had any problems with this UTG scope. The good reviews of this model were instrumental in my decision to buy this one. The crosshairs are a little thicker than I like but that lessens the chance of breakage from a magnum springer. Many UTG (maybe all) are airgun rated but some hold up better than others. That's where analyzing reviews comes into play.

The recoil of firearms is mainly one directional. Springer airguns produce a two way snap. A Ruger 10/22 recoil is next to nothing. Even considering the action of the recoiling bolt upon firing. Magnum springers kill scopes ! It's unfortunate, but it's the way it is for us magnum springer lovers.

There are plenty of good springers out there that wouldn't let you down if you decided to give one a try. 
 
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Hi Glen! Before ordering the SIG, I looked very hard at the two guns you mentioned (48 & 97) but decided to go with the SIG because of the price, and because I could get it from Amazon. Because I'm an Amazon Prime member, I can return pretty much anything, for any reason within the first 30 days. The have the 48 but not the 97. That along with price swayed me to the SIG. 

You say the 97 is more accurate than the SIG? Wow! That would be impressive.

During that search, I stumbled across the WK98.....and it peaked my interest.....but again....price. For twice the cost of the SIG, could it be twice as good? My gut told me now way....so that's how I ended up going with the SIG.

What I don't understand is... for the money, the SIG is such a good gun! Why is it not more popular than it is?
 
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I have a theory about the popularity. I may be completely off base but its an idea. Until now, AFAIK, high quality springers have been the province of European makers. An American designed and built springer/piston rifle that is said to compete with these may give some people pause to where they want to wait and see. I had been strictly a PCP shooter but wanted to get a high quality break-barrel also. My first reaction upon hearing about this rifle was surprise that Sig Sauer made airguns. Some people just may not be aware yet as strange as that might seem. You also see major firearm names like Remington, Winchester, etc. on the big box store inexpensive air rifles. Some people may think this is the same thing but its not. And PCPs are so popular now that new shooters may gravitate to a relatively inexpensive PCP rather than a high quality springer. Just a thought.
 
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