(GunReports.com) — Doc, a Gun Tests reader from Hughes, Arkansas, is having trouble with his SIG Mosquito 22 LR pistol. He writes:
You have probably done a gun test on the SIG Mosquito in previous issues, but I can’t remember your results. I sure hope it was better than mine. I have a SIG Mosquito that has problems — failure to feed, double feed, failure to extract, failure of slide to lock back after firing the last round, and sometimes the slide locks back with rounds still in the magazine yet to be fired. It was like shooting a single-shot pistol.
They give you an extra spring for the slide, that didn’t help! I have talked to SIG customer service, and their response is that this gun was designed to fire high-velocity rounds such as CCI Mini Mags, and that it was designed on German specs so none of the bulk ammo will do. The crazy thing is I was using CCI Mini Mags then. Customer service said they would be glad to check the pistol out for me, shipping it at my expense. This is a new gun! I figure one of the reasons a guy buys a 22 LR is so he can shoot cheap… you know, plink! Shooting the higher-price ammo defeats the purpose for having it.
I shoot bulk ammo with my friends who have S&W 41, Beretta 87, Walther P22, GSG 1911-22, and a S&W M&P 22 pistol, and they all shoot just fine with it. This is very disappointing, because I have a SIG 228 and SIG 220 and so does my brother and son, and they are some of the finest, most reliable guns made. I just expected the same quality out of the Mosquito as I did the others. What is the SIG Sauer slogan? Something like, “When it counts.” This one doesn’t! Is anyone else having trouble with the SIG Mosqutio?
— Doc
Hughes, Arkansas
Ray Ordorica tested the SIG Mosquito ($390) against the Whitney Wolverine ($280) in the May 2006 issue in the story, “A Brace of Full-Size .22 Autos: We Would Buy The Wolverine.” Ray said the Wolverine, an Olympic Arms’ remake of the Space-Age-looking older design, was worth buying. He called the SIG Mosquito ($390) a close copy of that company’s larger pistols. In the recommendation, he said, “Conditional Buy. We loved the feel of this pistol in the hand, but didn’t think it shot as well as it ought to have, all things considered. We were repulsed by the trigger pulls. By contrast, the Whitney Wolverine had a near-perfect trigger, and shot circles around the Mosquito. We also thought the SIG was too big and heavy for most .22-pistol purposes. We realize many folks will prefer the look and feel of this pistol to the Wolverine, and will never be happy with its Buck Rogers look. But if you want to hit your target, save a C-note off the top, can do without the dubious DA trigger so many seem to love, and want a dream of a trigger pull, go with the Wolverine. We’d steer clear of the Mosquito unless we were in love with the SIG pistol world. But if you love the top-heavy look and feel of the SIG pistols, you’ll be right at home here.” In the accuracy/chronograph sidebar, he noted that the light-recoiling Eley Pistol Standard ammo “was not fully functional in the SIG Mosquito as tested.”
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Gene Taylor ran the test of the SIG Mosquito alongside the ISSC M22, $400 and the smaller-framed but ample Walther P22 ($400) in the May 2010 issue.
To see the story, subscribers click here
Taylor wrote, “Checking the trigger pull of the Mosquito proved to be disappointing. In double action, the trigger pull was so heavy that our gauge went off its 12-pound scale. Things weren’t so great in single action either. The gun had a long take up and broke at a heavy 6.9 pounds. This trigger mechanism was judged to be the worst of our three guns by a wide margin.”
Continuing: “Our field sessions began with some fits and starts during break-in period, which were disregarded in our results. When the official firing sessions began, our testers began to have multiple problems with failures to eject and to feed properly. We stopped our evaluation, field stripped the gun, cleaned and lubricated it. The Mosquito was then returned to service. It was still experiencing intermittent problems when a premature detonation occurred. The round went off with an open breech, creating a notable flash and popping sound. Smoke belched from the muzzle, breech, back of the slide, and the magazine well of the Mosquito. Our tester was hit with particles on his unprotected forehead but was uninjured. We retrieved the ruptured case along with a small brass fragment, reviewed the incident, and closed our evaluation according to Gun Tests review policy.”
Later, we spoke with Eric Vonbosse, Product Manager for Sig Sauer, regarding our Mosquito’s malfunctions, and eventual catastrophic failure. He offered some insight into what might have caused some of our problems.
Apparently, the German-manufactured Mosquitos have had chambers that were manufactured to a 22 Match CIP specification. There is a tolerance difference with the SAAMI 22 Long Rifle specification that can cause an overly tight fit with 22 Long Rifle ammo. As a result, rounds fired in the gun could stick in the bore, causing failures to extract. Mr. Vonbosse explained that they had addressed the situation with their German factory, and that their Service Department now routinely checked the bore sizing in all Mosquito’s sent to them for repair. When an undersize condition is noted, a finishing reamer is used to bring the suspect chamber into specification.
Mr. Vonbosse could not provide a ready explanation for the catastrophic failure, however, instead directing us to send the gun in for their Service Department to examine.
