Sig P228 Value?

[rob_s]

I have a P228 in my safe that belongs to a friend that moved to Chicago nearly 10 years ago and left me his gun. I've shot it on and off since then and used it as a loaner for other people.

Any idea what this thing would be worth? Another friend of ours wants to buy it from him, but since we're all friends I don't want anybody to get screwed.

[warpigM-4]

i owned a P228 fine weapon:DI would think 475 to 550 used

[eltorito71]

I'd have to agree with warpig on the price range. I own multiple Sigs and from what I've seen, that seems to be a fair range depending on the pistol's condition.

[mattjmcd]

rob- do you know the datecode for the gun? some sig fans will also put extra stock in relatively minor details such as "W. Germany" vs. "Germany" stamping and import location- Herndon vs. Exeter etc.

It is not uncommon to find good used examples of the type north of the $500 price point. Even with a fair bit of wear and tear, I'd ask at least $500, I think.

Hope that helps. BTW- SigForum might be a good place to poke around. You might also try 2aforum.com as well. That's assuming your intended buyer doesn't come through, of course.

[f.2]

If all serial numbers match; barrel, slide, frame, that's a plus. Some SIG certified pre-owned (CPO) 228s that did not have the matching slide serial number and they milled it off and that's a minus. A stock blued finish is desireable, nitron, some don't care, but I like my Made in Germany or W.Germany finish to be stock, blued - preference. Magazines - if you have factory SIG or Mec-Gar they are gtg, don't sell pro-mags as they'll harm your rep as a seller, just throw those out.

The SIG barrel will tell you if it's a low, med, or high round count by looking at the wear, aka SIG smilies. The DA trigger can also tell you if it's been broken in smooth.

A CPO 228 with factory detail strip, worn parts / springs replaced, + 1 year warranty go for $475 - $550 +. Selling yours to a friend, I would say around the low end of those 228 prices, maybe even < $475.

I got a Made in Germany stamped 228 CPO for $575, all matching serial numbers, former LE with suspected armorer trigger job - confirmed when I got it - one of the best SIG triggers, DA and SA, that I've ever fired.

Here are some recent SIGforum ads:


$550.00

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/9761085611?r=9761085611#9761085611

$500.00

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/3471097921?r=3471097921#3471097921

$300.00 two tone

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/8191019821?r=8191019821#8191019821

$510.00 228 CPOs ( "...All have the milled off spot" ) i would stay far away from these

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/7811004031?r=7811004031#7811004031

$679.00 new 228

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/3051091031?r=3051091031#3051091031

$450.00 FL FTF 228, recent SIG service plan

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/7871061231?r=7871061231#7871061231

$475.00 228 used CPO

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/350601935/m/9041032521?r=9041032521#9041032521

[Rinspeed]

I would say $450-500 depending on how many rounds are through it. I can remember when Sigs would bring $550-600 used in good shape but there has been so many police trade-ins in the last five or six years it has driven the price down a lot.

[macman37]

WOW I am in disbelief at those values. I purchased one new 8 or so years ago and it looks like it wouldn't have depreciated much if at all in that time.

I'm not looking to sell it though. It's a phenominal pistol.

[Bigun]

Wow I hope my SAS 229 40 S&W holds it's value that well.

[Bob]

On a vaguely related note, has there ever been an 'official' word on why Sigarms (or whatever the US branch is called) stopped importing the P228 and the stamped-slided P226s? (Not to mention, railed versions of the P228 and non-railed P226s)

From what I gather, they still make them over in Europe, but don't import them anymore...

[ToddG]

The P228 was replaced in the product line by the P229. The P228 continued to be built in Germany because (a) they didn't have the ability to make the P229 slides so it allowed them a more economical way to build guns, and (b) there are/were contract requirements around the globe for P228 pistols. (the P229 slide was developed when testing of the .40 and 357 SIG in a modified P228 didn't go so well)

The stainless P226 slide replaced the stamped steel P226 slide in large part because of some guys in the Navy we've all heard of, who believed that the tougher stainless slides (then standard for the .40 and 357 SIG P226) would serve them better. Rather than make two versions of the gun with different slides, the stamped slide was discontinued.

The same thing has now happened with the P220, by the way.

It's worth noting that these changes also occurred during a period of expansion at SIG's U.S. manufacturing facility in New Hampshire. Once SIGARMS (now SIG-Sauer Inc.) started making frames in the U.S. and buying many of the internal parts from vendors rather than getting them from Sauer in Germany, purchasing the stamped steel slides from Germany was just not profitable. Neither would building/buying the machinery necessary to make the stamped steel slides here in the U.S.

German-made guns are not usually imported because of their cost. It's just much cheaper for SIG to build a gun here in the U.S. with outsourced parts in frames & slides they make themselves than to purchase complete guns from Germany.

[Bob]

Thanks; that all makes sense. And as long as I have Sig on the brain: ;)

Is the Navy still purchasing P226s? (Maybe replacements for worn-out original purchases?)

Also, are the stainless slides actually noticeably 'stronger' than the stamped steel slides? I know its only a few ounce weight difference, but I don't know anything about the properties of the metal itself.

[ToddG]

Any publicly acknowledged purchased of small arms by the U.S. Navy (or other government entities) are easily located at fedbizopps.gov ...

Regarding the new (stainless) vs. old (stamped) slides:

The biggest difference in terms of durability is related to preventive maintenance. Properly maintained, a P228 or stamped P226 will last a very, very long time. But to maximize the durability of the gun, you must replace the two roll pins in the slide every 5,000 rounds. The roll pins keep the breech block in place, which in turn provides rigidity to the slide. If the steel slide is not adequately rigid, the will flex under load (when the gun fires). When the steel slide flexes, it puts torque on the full length aluminum frame rails, which then have a tendency to crack. SIGs had a reputation in the 80's & 90's for cracked frames, and this is the primary culprit.

The stainless one-piece slide doesn't have this problem because the breech block area is just machined into the slide rather than being a separate (pinned in) part. While there is a pin in the same location in the slide, it's a single solid pin as opposed to the two concentric roll pins. The solid pin's only purpose is to keep the firing pin in place when the firing pin lock is pressed. It doesn't ever need to be replaced, though SIG recommends replacing it whenever it is removed from the slide because it is a knurled pin.

[Bob]

Thanks for the information on the stainless slides; I always thought it was purely a corrosion-related change; guess not. And that fedbizopps.gov is a pretty darned interesting site; I have a feeling I'm going to be looking up all sorts of goofy things there...

(And sorry for the threadjack, rob_s!)