Sig Sauer P226 Navy 50,000 rounds (update 04/14/2010)

[ToddG]

FWIW, with dedicated care & maintenance I've seen other SIG pistols go high round counts with minimal visible wear. We had an agency P229-357 come back with a reported 104,000 rounds through it and the head technical expert at SIG claimed it was impossible for the gun to be that used. But the agent who'd been issued a gun was (1) a close personal friend of mine and (2) religious about keeping a very detailed shooting log. He was able to prove the round count claim, though only after being calmed down when he found out, essentially, that SIG called him a liar.

Having said that, I'm surprised to hear that the trigger return, decocker, and hammer rebound springs are all original on the OP's gun. That's an unrealistically high round count to expect from those springs. I'd also seriously consider changing the extractor and locking insert at this point if the gun is going to serve any purpose beyond range games.

[ra2bach]

this may be a comment on the lubricant you use as much as the gun itself.

you state you use Weapon Shield and G96? what did you specifically use on the rails?

[jcase64]

That looks substantially better than my 226 with approx 3k rounds through it.

[whitecoyote]

this may be a comment on the lubricant you use as much as the gun itself.

you state you use Weapon Shield and G96? what did you specifically use on the rails?

Weapon Shield oil is used on the rails, and barrel. G96 was sprayed on the internals, then the excess is blown out with compressed air.
Weapon Shield has not been around as long as this P226. Before that FP-10 was usually used.

[ra2bach]

Weapon Shield oil is used on the rails, and barrel. G96 was sprayed on the internals, then the excess is blown out with compressed air.
Weapon Shield has not been around as long as this P226. Before that FP-10 was usually used.

excellent. I just got hooked up with weaponshield and it looks like it may be my lube of choice from now on. thanks for the large, blue, reply...

[MarshallDodge]

Congrats on hitting a major milestone.

I think there is something to be said here about good maintenance. It can only improve the life of the pistol.

I thought the only difference between the "Navy" version and the standard P226 was the anchor symbol? Is there anything else different that would make it a better pistol?

[gtmtnbiker98]

Congrats on hitting a major milestone.

I think there is something to be said here about good maintenance. It can only improve the life of the pistol.

I thought the only difference between the "Navy" version and the standard P226 was the anchor symbol? Is there anything else different that would make it a better pistol?

There's two versions of the Navy (NSW Sigs). The first had NSW serial prefix and had phosphated internals for added corrosion resistance. Then, being the new Sig, they stopped phosphating the internals and still called it a Navy. To the best of my knowledge, Sig started phosphating the internals again.

[Slater]

If you visit the SIG forum, you hear pretty much nothing but complaints about new-production SIGs. Never having owned or fired one I can't comment from experience, but is SIG really having issues these days or is it just Internet hysteria?

[ToddG]

The original NSW guns offered to the public were supposed to be a limited run produced specifically to raise donations for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Dale McClellan of Special Tactical Services and I spent more than a year fighting uphill to make it happen. We even got the WARCOM JAG to sign off on it officially, giving us permission to use the SEAL Trident in advertising, etc.

In the end, between the money raised from the sales and the money raised from auctioning off NSW0001 (thanks to Laura Ingraham and her radio show) the total donation was over $125,000.

The NSW guns were exact copies of the then-current spec SIG was delivering to the U.S. Navy. It was a P226 in 9mm, no rail, with special finish on internal parts to provide superior corrosion resistance, and standard SIG sights. An anchor is engraved on the side of the slide to make the pistols more easily distinguishable from older carbon steel slide guns in NSW inventory. The guns came with three magazines. Because the guns were produced before the end of the AWB, the mags were 10rd instead of the 15rd mags with rubberized baseplates ... but otherwise the package was genuine.

The gun also came with a letter of authenticity and a sweepstakes ticket. Six winners were flown to Virginia Beach for a 2-day "SEAL Team SIG" experience that included a tour of the Group Two facilities, a private briefing on current NSW capabilities and activities by the Group Two XO, and a day of pistol instruction provided by McClellan and Al Clark, both former SEALs.

After the success of the project, SIG decided to continue selling guns with the anchor on them, calling them "NAVY" guns but without always using the Navy internals and without continuing to fulfill the commitment to the WARCOM JAG that part of the proceeds would go to SOWF.

[Shark]

Congratulations! I hope my 226 lasts that long.

Only put 15 rounds down range in this month's 3 Gun match. Just one pistol stage.