SIG Sauer Mosquito: Another subcompact semiautomatic from Germany

By , August 5, 2010 12:01 pm

(under construction)

The SIG Mosquito is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol based on the SIG Sauer P226 but 10% smaller and chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. The Mosquito is set up with the same decocker and slide-lock as the larger SIG-Sauer pistols, but also features a slide-mounted ambidextrous manual safety. All models have a Picatinny rail on the dust cover of the frame.

With the exception of the slide-mounted ambidextrous manual safety, the SIG Sauer Mosquito handles just like a regular SIG Sauer service pistol. The frame-mounted decocker is placed forward of the slide stop in the same arrangement as a typical SIG Sauer P-series pistol.

Along with extra mags and holsters, factory accessories include a polymer bridgemount that makes it possible to mount a red-dot sight or other scope accessory. Its Picatinny rail makes it possible to mount lights and/or lasers that are available today.

The standard Mosquito model is chambered in .22 LR and has a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger. The polymer frame and small size (compared to the SIG P226) allow the pistol with magazine to weigh little more than 24.6 oz. The overall height is 5.3 inches with a barrel length of 3.9 inches. The Mosquito’s frame has a Picatinny rail, a ten-round capacity magazine, and adjustable sights.

40 Responses to “SIG Sauer Mosquito: Another subcompact semiautomatic from Germany”

  1. Anglo says:

    I mistakenly bought a SIG Mosquito and do very much regret it. I/we use the 22’s for tactical training and the Mosquito is not well adapted for that. The safety is not functional for tactical such as on the 1911 frame. The pistol either misfires (occasional bad ammo though) and often stove pipes. Not a gun to bet your life on.

  2. SLCates says:

    I bought a Sig mosquito and it has turned out to be the worst pistol I have ever owned. I have tried many different .22 ammo through it and it still jams or stove pipes every 3rd round. I have contacted Sig with NO response. DO NOT BUY THIS GUN…….I am very dissapointed with SIG and will never purchase another poduct of theirs.

    • Rick D says:

      I agree!! I bought it used for $200 thinking I got a good deal, but now feel like it was a complete waste of money!!
      Not only is it completely unreliable, but Sig won’t even fix it under warranty because it is over 1 year old and I’m not the original owner. I’d would never again buy any gun from a manufacturer that doesn’t guarantee the reliability of all their products. I have lost all respect for Sig after my experience with them regarding this pistol. The only thing I’d trust this pistol to be 100% reliable is as a doorstop!!

      • Stuart says:

        I used different ammos for the .22 mosquito after using cci i know winchester ammo jammed literarly every single shot remmingtom 550 bulk count jammed a lil and cci never jammed even manual says buy cci ammo

  3. Jonathan says:

    In defense of the Mosquito…I bought my mosquito in January 2010 and have since put at leas 1500 rounds through it. When I first got the gun, I used only CCI mini mags as recommended. No problems. I had some bulk Remington Golden Bullets that I started to try – again, no problems. After all the negative stuff I’d heard, I figured I was just lucky. Then I got some Federal bulk from Wal Mart. What a mess. It seemed that couldn’t get through a mag without at least three FTF/FTE. Once I started sticking with high velocity ammo, the problems really went away. I think the bulk Golden Bullets are the best value for this gun. Oh, by the way, like many semi-autos, the Mosquito is also sensitive to limp-wristing. Nif you shoot crap ammo and hold the gun loosely, it will be total dissapointment.

    I love the little gun, my only complaint is that the front site is so big that it covers my whole grouping. I’m trying to find a good red-dot site to fit it. Any suggestions?

  4. Jonathan says:

    One more thought…the gun works well when you use proper technique. Maybe this actually makes it a better tactical trainer?

  5. Eric says:

    To Jonathon…I know that it may be inexpensive (read cheap to some) but I use a BSA red/green/blue dot that I picked up from Big 5 Sporting Goods for under $40. and put it on my Sig Sauer 522 rifle and am having a blast with it. Each color has three intensities, so inside or out I have a target to lock in on. Holds zero perfectly so far. It’s a 42mm size so it might look a little big on your Mosquito, but once you’re hitting your targets consistently, I don’t think you’ll mind much. BTW, I agree with your assessment on the Mosquito, and think as is in the case with Sig’s 522 rifle, as long as you feed it what it likes (CCI MiniMags or Win HP’s), it can be a great tactical training tool.

  6. millvillan says:

    The worst .22 I have ever owned. Get smart get a p22

  7. austin says:

    love this gun how much are you asking for

  8. austin says:

    you guys have some nice guns

  9. davheb says:

    jammed every third round. found new was to jam a round. had a double fire. i’ve never had a more disappointing experience with a gun.

  10. Bill says:

    I bought a Mosquito early 2009. I tried several types of ammo in it. It did not like Winchester XpertHV’s. It was ok with Winchester 333’s. Federal bulk pack 550 was better, about a 10% FTE error rate. CCI’s always good. The last one that it really likes, Federal Auto Match. No failures so far. Now getting past the ammo. The gun needs broken in, 500+ round minimum. It is also key to keep the gun extremely clean and lubed. TW25B lube works very well on the slide and Rem Oil with Teflon on everything else. Mine works flawlessly when I follow what is recommended.

  11. Rudain says:

    I just bought a Mosquito for the kids. Nothing but FTE and it does not matter what type of ammo. Worst gun I ever bought, SIG ought to be ashamed of this turd.

    SIG, if you are reading this post, please give me a refund or a 9mm, I promise I wont bash you anymore (I will still bash you but I wont mean it as much).

  12. Bob Gifford says:

    I was given Federal 22 lr with Mosquito, jam
    after jam. Very disappointed. But reading
    Manuel recommended CCI mini mags and
    not a jam yet. Being an inexpensive gun I’ll
    feed it what it likes. Want to shoot cheep buy
    a revolver and most will shoot rocks. Clean
    With alcohol 91% and lube with tw25 and good
    Luck.

  13. Jon says:

    I rent a dirty, neglected Mosquito from my local range whenever I’m there (usually every other weekend), it’s one of my favorite pistols. In about ~1200 rounds (all CCI Mini-Mags) I’ve had 6 failures (I fire 200 rounds each session), all of which were failures-to-fire. I’m guessing they were issues with the rimfire primers as all the cartridges fired when chambered a second time.

    Maybe you guys aren’t shooting your Mosquitoes enough? 😀 They seem to work better when dirty.

  14. love mine im wonering if the old mosquito is different from newer models,,,i dont even know when they were started but just bought one july 2-11 two boxes cci thrugh not a jam,,,only the decocker does not work anywon know why,,,love the gun though

  15. any answers to the deckocking problem i am at gasconhound at hotmail dot com..gasconhound@hotmail.com

  16. Observer says:

    I bought this gun for cheap target practice. I have about 800 rounds through it with only 1 FTL every 100-150 rounds. All of the FTL’s were the last round in the magazine.

    Keep it oiled (put a drop of oil in the ejector oil port every couple of hundred rounds or so) and clean it very well when you are done shooting and it does what it is supposed to. …at least mine does anyway.

    During my last visit to the range, and using cheap Wally World ammo, I put 80 rounds inside of a 1.5″ circle at 21 feet with it.

  17. scooter says:

    I bought the Mosquito because it is the same size and controls as my .40 cal. Sig P229. It’s inexpensive practice and a great trainer for getting used to the DA/SA trigger and decocker.
    It failed to load the last round in the first two mags. Since then it has been flawless fun for 900 rounds. I love this little gun. CCI Mini Mags only, just like the manual said.

  18. Oldtimer says:

    This Sig if used for just a plinker is nothing more than disappointing. I’d hate to depend on it. My money was wasted.

  19. Michael says:

    As inexpensive as 22LR rounds are to start with, why does anyone use cheap quality ammo?

    Almost all pistol reviews mention using inferior ammo for one reason or another.
    Is a dollar or two “savings” really worth it?

  20. jeff howell says:

    Bought the Mosquito and ran 375 rounds of CCI 40 grain with no issues. Purchased Winchester 333 38 grain and it jammed every time. Went back to the CCI and shot another 200 rounds without a jam. It is really bad that you cannot purchase cheaper rounds but go with what works. I really like the feel and the looks of the gun but like others I think I would recommend another gun that you can run any type of rounds through it.

  21. labillyboy says:

    I have had mine for a month… put 525 rounds of cheap Federal through it with zero failures in the first two range sessions. I took it out the next time with a new P226 and it shot the first two mags flawlessly, I then shot 5 mags from the 226… I picked it up and the next two mags were constant FTE’s and stovepipes. I could not find any reason as it was pretty clean after only 20 rounds. Took it home and re-cleaned and lubed. Gong to shoot it again tomorrow, also just ordered 1000 rounds of Stingers.

  22. labillyboy says:

    I have had mine for a month… put 525 rounds of cheap Federal through it with zero failures in the first two range sessions. I took it out the next time with a new P226 and it shot the first two mags flawlessly, I then shot 5 mags from the 226… I picked it up and the next two mags were constant FTE’s and stovepipes. I could not find any reason as it was pretty clean after only 20 rounds. Took it home and re-cleaned and lubed. Gong to shoot it again tomorrow, also just ordered 1000 rounds of Stingers. I am looking at the P226 Classic 22 now….

  23. labillyboy says:

    Shot the Mosquito today after a very through cleaning and lube of the gun and the mags. I got a box of 50 Stingers at the range and ran those through the gun first. You can really tell the difference shooting these versus other .22 ammo… not a single failure. I then shot 16 magazines of bulk Federal ammo and only had one FTE which may have been a limp wrist as I was concentrating on the trigger… I don’t know if the 50 Stingers loosened the gun up or if it was the through cleaning but it is back in my good graces…

  24. Tooch says:

    I read all revies about the Mosquito and went against my better judgement in buys not one but two. I am gald I did. My wife loves hers as much as I love mine….remeber people it is a .22. I Put 250 Stingers through mine the first afternoon. (CCI stingers are 32 grain 1640 fps) flawlessly. I broke down and cleaned the pistol before dinner and went back to range and ran through 250 Velocitors (CCI 40 grain 1430 FPS) also Flawlessly. I again cleaned the pistol and two days later tried the standards from CCI (32 grain 1097 FPS) had about a 25% failure rate. Mixed FTF and FTE. It is a picky pistol but if cleaned and loaded with the proper ammo it is fun and realiable. I hope to report back in the near future with atleast 1000 rounds and good results. happy shooting. Overall in my opinion…this is a fun gun to own and shoot…

  25. john says:

    buy american people.

  26. Amy says:

    My husband bought a Mosquito for me at a gun show. It has been reworked, but it still jams constantly. We have swapped the springs to no avail. I wanted something to “plink” with, but this gun has been a disappointment. We have tried CCI ammo, which helped some, but not enough….

  27. Doug says:

    I want to purchase a left handed paddle holster for my mosquito. Does anyone know a brand that makes one?

  28. David says:

    If this were WWII the engineers at Sig would be executed for this absolutely worthless piece of trash. I cannot and I mean cannot express adequately enough what an ENORMOUS piece of junk this gun it. Sig is losing customers for life over this stupid and worthless headache generating paperweight. If I were being attacked I would throw the gun at the people before I would trust my life with it. I have tried everything suggested, springs, different ammo, lube, sent back to the factory on and on and it never works- DO NOT BUY THIS GUN.

  29. Jow says:

    PIcked up one of these at a gun show last week despite what I read here….I know, I know. I have to say, I like it. Nickel slide. Took it home, “new gun” cleaning, prepped it for first trip to the range, where I then put 300 rounds of CCI Stingers through. 1 (ONE!) FTL. That’s it. I have a SS CZ-75 9mm that does worse than that, and those CZs are supposed to be infallible! Anyway, my plan is 200 more CCI Stingers, then try a little bit of something else. But the manual says in plain type “CCI ammo”…seems to be worth the extra pennies–one bad round in 300!

  30. Jow says:

    Another 300 rounds of CCI Stingers….3 FTL. 1 out of 100. I can live with that. I plan to step the ammo muzzle speed down with each 50 rounds now, and find the drop off point. Velocitors, Mini Mags, and then some Rem Cyclones (which are slightly faster than the Mini-Mags). Interesting exercise, if nothing else.

  31. Brian says:

    The gun has several desighn issues and the extractor is the main problem. If you measure the dia. of the rim on CCI’s its .2735 and veries about .0005. You go to some of the bulk stuff it will very anywhere from .2685-.2735 the smaller dia’s is where you start to have issues. The first thing you should do when you get your gun is maually insert a bullet into the reciever under the extractor if it flops around and is not tightly held in place by the extractor that is the problem. I fixed this on my gun it will now shoot anything. This is a quality control issue that should have been caught and corrected by Sig. but it was easier to say use the larger rim higher quality CCI’s. What a shame they could have really hit a home run with this gun. Now all they have done is give themselves a considerable black eye

  32. george says:

    i,have the sig bug,and with cci 22 mini mags, it shoots great and i would trust my life to this gun or the sig 1911-22 for that matter, i have both,alongi with about 15-16 others,allmakes. i,take great care of my guns, and they take great care of me. i, only buy,name brand and the best i can afford at the time,you,only get what you are willing to pay for. i,realy beleive all manufactures,try to do their best, but some time several get by,for one reason or another. i,feel they all want to make good guns/products to stay in busniess and keep their people working,its the american way. none of us are perfect,but yes,some co.are smewhat better than others?

  33. george says:

    i, have both the bug and sig 1911,i,only shoot cci mini mags as per instructions. i can say,with no lie.,i would trust my life with these two sig. 22 cci mini mag pistols,any day. i, also have,kimbers,springfield armory, sig. 1911,mima,mini 14,44 mag,4/357, and i dont remenber all,22rifles all 22 cal.ar 15,m4.i trust each and everyone the same. vietnam 68/69/70 vet.all guns are good if cared for by good people,that follow,the book. thank you all . tis is only my opinion.

  34. baron says:

    bought mosquito used. many problems related to quality. new barrel from sig didnt cure FTF,stovepipes and misfires. only used cci mini mags. the slide exploded in my hand last week. sig will not fix under warranty even though they have been aware of this slide issue for quite some time. will fix the gun and sell ASAP. do not waste your money!!!!!!!!

  35. Uri says:

    I bought a gently used Mosquito from a friend and shot it for about a year and a half. It worked reliably with Mini-Mags and Thunderbolt only. Then the slide cracked; there was no major Boom! – it just quietly broke in two:) SIG replaced the slide free of charge. Sold it to a fellow club member after disclosing the pistol’s history and ammo preferences; he did not mind and shoots it happily to this day. Overall a good gun if you know it’s limitations. Might buy it again one day because of good ergonomics.

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