View Full Version : Buy me a new SIG *Update: pistol is in hand*
Alpha Sierra
12-03-09, 17:41
Ok, of the three pistols listed in the poll, which one would you buy? They are all 9 mm.
Please explain why too. I am new to SIGs.
I'd try to find an all German stamped slide P226 or P228.
Alpha Sierra
12-03-09, 17:48
How can I tell a stamped slide from a machined one?
The used P226 has German proofmarks on the slide.
How can I tell a stamped slide from a machined one?
The used P226 has German proofmarks on the slide.
A milled SIG slide uses an external extractor, an older German stamped slide will have an internal extractor and have a milled block held into the slide with a roll pin.
Milled US slide, SIG P226 Tactical:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06386a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06389.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06387a.jpg
Stamped slide German P226:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/SIG/P1020212.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/SIG/P1020215.jpg
Alpha Sierra
12-03-09, 18:01
Thank you. I will check them out at the funshop tomorrow again, but I am certain one of the two 226s has a stamped slide. In fact, it is likely both do.
I voted for the used 226 w/ 3 mags but instead of the 250 have you considered the Sig Pro SP2022?
RAM Engineer
12-03-09, 20:01
I'd try to find an all German stamped slide P226 or P228.
What he said. Or possibly a P225, although mags might be hard to find.
Alpha Sierra
12-03-09, 21:12
instead of the 250 have you considered the Sig Pro SP2022?
No, but I will check it out.
Alpha Sierra
12-04-09, 18:49
Well, I went and done the dirty deed........
I am now the owner of a West German made, Tysons Corner Sigarms import P226 with three mags.
The pistol has definitely seen use but it is clean as a whistle and tight. I am liking it. Hopefully tomorrow I can sneak out to baptize it properly.
I'll post pics in the SIG picture thread as soon as I can.
ETA: As a bonus, the Trijicon tritium sights still work well enough.
Good choice. The classic Sigs are great guns (ie, old style two piece slides). These are the guns that Sig Sauer built their reputation on. Do you know the date code on your gun? It's the two small letters stamped on the bottom of the front most portion of the slide.
A=0
B=1
C=2
D=3
E=4
F=5
G=6
H=7
J=8
K=9
Note that the letter "I" is not used. My P228 is stamped KB which means it was made in 1991.
A milled SIG slide uses an external extractor, an older German stamped slide will have an internal extractor and have a milled block held into the slide with a roll pin.
Milled US slide, SIG P226 Tactical:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06386a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06389.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/DSC06387a.jpg
Stamped slide German P226:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/SIG/P1020212.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/SIG%20P226%20Tactical/SIG/P1020215.jpg
The older P220 ST 's have milled slides and internal extractors. All current production pistols have the external extractor.
Of the three pistols listed, I think you made the right choice. The 226 9mm is an excellent weapon. Consider installing an SRT kit.
Alpha Sierra
12-04-09, 20:28
Good choice. The classic Sigs are great guns (ie, old style two piece slides). These are the guns that Sig Sauer built their reputation on. Do you know the date code on your gun? It's the two small letters stamped on the bottom of the front most portion of the slide.
A=0
B=1
C=2
D=3
E=4
F=5
G=6
H=7
J=8
K=9
Note that the letter "I" is not used. My P228 is stamped KB which means it was made in 1991.
JE = 1984
As a bonus, some of my M&P leather fits the gun well enough to get me by until I can get some proper holsters for it.
Sounds like you got a nice piece. I remember those coming in a mustard yellow cardboard box with a test target, back in the day.
I'd go ahead and put a new recoil spring in and you might consider sending it to SIG for a going over to replace anything (like the roll pin) that needs replacing.
With proper upkeep, those guns will perform well for decades.
Alpha Sierra
12-05-09, 07:35
Templar, good advice. Thanks.
PS, the guide rod is steel and the recoil spring is braided, if that helps.
Templar, good advice. Thanks.
PS, the guide rod is steel and the recoil spring is braided, if that helps.
As it should be.....but you should replace the recoil spring on a SIG every 3~5K rounds to prevent undue wear and tear, and since you don't know the history of the pistol, it's a cheap preventative.
Very few pistols fit my bear paw the way a SIG P226 does.
Alpha Sierra
12-05-09, 15:20
Ran about 40 rounds through it, mostly my reloads but a couple of my defense load (147 gr Win Ranger Bonded).
The grip is certainly different from the M&P's so I will need to work on that. Also, the grips feel slick. If someone can point me to someone who makes rougher grips, I'd dig it.
Only one functional issue cropped up and that is occasional failure to lock back when empty. That happened both with reloads and factory loads. I think the mag springs might be on the weak side and will change them all out plus the gun's recoil spring.
The pistol is very accurate, even in rapid fire.
The slide catch on Sigs is set back further than most other pistols. It's not uncommon for shooters new to Sigs to cover it with their right thumb (assuming they are right handed). If you are in fact right handed try shooting the gun with only your left hand and see if the slide locks back. Either way seeing as the gun is used and not a factory CPO I'd probably get new mag springs and a new parts kit.
http://www.topgunsupply.com/sig_p226-9mm_parts-kit.html
Top Gun Supply is a great source for factory Sig parts. The parts kit will have...
Recoil Spring
Trigger Bar Spring
Slide Catch Lever Spring
Decocking Lever Spring
Firing Pin Postition Pin (only needed for newer one piece slides)
Outer Roll Pin
Inner Roll Pin
(4) Grip Screws
Alpha Sierra
12-05-09, 19:13
The slide catch on Sigs is set back further than most other pistols. It's not uncommon for shooters new to Sigs to cover it with their right thumb (assuming they are right handed).
True that. I'll have to check that
Edit: I just checked and I am almost positive that my right thumb is the problem. It rides very very close to the slide lock and just the slightest contact will stop the lever from going up.
I'm going to have to work on that.
If someone can point me to someone who makes rougher grips, I'd dig it.
Only one functional issue cropped up and that is occasional failure to lock back when empty. That happened both with reloads and factory loads. I think the mag springs might be on the weak side and will change them all out plus the gun's recoil spring.
The pistol is very accurate, even in rapid fire.
Check-Out Brownells. I picked-up some Wolff Magazine springs for a few used German mags several years back and improvement in the feeding was noticeable.
Link:http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=37134/pid=27358/sku/_10__Power_Spring__3_pak_fits_Sig_Hi_Cap_P226__P228__P229
Yes, the 226 9mm pistols are usually very accurate. I hope that you enjoy yours as well. I own three 226s and wouldn't part with any of them.
As for leather, Galco has a variety to choose from and make a quality gear. I use a few of their leather holsters and they stand-up to wear well, are comfortable, and fairly reasonable priced. I purchased a Fletch 15 years ago and it still looks great and is a good piece of leather.
As for the grips, you might want to check with SIG SAUER. I picked-up some slim grips from them last year that were not in their catalog for a 220 .45 that were a big improvement from the original grips (tackier pattern and much thinner). They may have something available for your particular pistol (with serial number they will know what you have).
Finally, if you decide to purchase additional mags for the pistol stick with Sig marked mags or the Mecgars (same). Try to avoid aftermarket mags, they are usually garbage. -CDNN is a good place to check for mags.
Have fun with your new 226!:D
SkiDevil
Sweet, that's the one I'd have voted for assuming good condition. I found my W. German P226 LNIB (unfired) for $530 w/ 1 mag a few years ago and I love it!
True that. I'll have to check that
Edit: I just checked and I am almost positive that my right thumb is the problem. It rides very very close to the slide lock and just the slightest contact will stop the lever from going up.
I'm going to have to work on that.
Yep; I'm a 1911 guy so when I shoot SIGs I have to remember consciously to keep that thumb off the slide release.
The cool thing is it totally speeds your reloads up once you're more used to it. Weak hand inserts mag, thumb drops slide, you're ready to shoot by the time your weak hand re-grips the gun.
Couple things I learned:
Mec-Gar mags are great for the gun and make OEM mags. Bonus: they tend to be slightly cheaper than SIG branded mags. Also their 20 rounders fit better with the grip than the SIG ones. No diss on the SIG ones of course.
If there's wear on the gun that you are concerned about rust issues with, check out Customized Creationz for refinishing work. Todd did some work for me that I am entirely happy with.
If you want to add a light, the SureFire add-on rail is very solid.
Dunno if you're set for holsters yet but Raven makes a great P226 holster.
(Not affiliated with any of the companies listed... Just passing along my learnings).
Alpha Sierra
12-06-09, 10:42
Macman, thanks for the tips.
Grip is something I'll have to work on over time.
Appreciate the heads up on Mecgar. Good to know they are OEM and cheaper than SIG branded.
No worries on finish wear.
Won't be adding a light to it.
I have a couple of M&P holsters that fit well enough. I will hold off on buying leather for it until I get more comfortable shooting it.
You are almost certainly riding the slide release lever. The change in grip necessary to overcome that problem is slight, easy, and will not hinder your performance. It will take time to make it something that happens subconsciously when you grip the gun. If you constantly go back and forth between the SIG and a gun that allows you to have your thumb up against the frame/slide, it will be much harder.
Mec-Gar makes SIG's mags to a different spec than the ones they make to sell under their own name. Personally, I would opt for genuine factory magazines for anything beyond fun on the range.
As with any stamped-steel used SIG, the first thing I'd replace is the pair of roll pins in the slide. They play a critical role in maintaining the slide's rigidity which in turn determines the service life of the frame. Sending the gun up to SIG for a check-up per Templar's advice is not a bad idea if you don't know how to detail strip and examine the SIG.
Alpha Sierra
12-06-09, 14:21
Todd. all points noted.
The pistol I have the most muscle memory with is an M&P, which obviously has the slide lock farther fwd. I think I'll just redevelop my grip so that it works for both. Trying to have one grip for this gun and another for that gun is probably not gonna work when the change is so slight.
Mec-Gar makes SIG's mags to a different spec than the ones they make to sell under their own name. Personally, I would opt for genuine factory magazines for anything beyond fun on the range.
So I'm not losing my mind. I ordered two 15 round Mec-Gar mags for my P226 in 357Sig. I sent them back without firing them because I felt like they fed "hard", and were not as smooth feeding as the Sig mags.
I'm assuming there something in the contract that prevents them from selling the same mag (minus the Sig markings) under the Mec-Gar brand?
What he said. Or possibly a P225, although mags might be hard to find.
P6s are a good deal at $350 or under, mags are expensive @$40-50 a pop, but they conceal nicely.
Alpha:
Good choice of pistol. I'm a sig-le armorer like others here. I'm a fan of the stamped steel slide Sigs (I have 2 228's, high round counts). Sig has announced that they will stop making parts for these slides. The frame parts are mostly interchangeable with the new parts (you might need to get new grips if you change the return spring or the mainspring setup). But go buy a some parts for the slide. Off the top of my head:
Firing pin
firing pin spring
Safety lock
Safety lock spring
Extractor
That'll keep you going for a looooong time. Topgunsupply has all or most of those.
N
Alpha Sierra
12-08-09, 17:32
Noops, thanks for the heads up. I will be ordering soon.
Alpha Sierra
12-09-09, 20:33
The late model stippled plastic grip panels came in today from Top Gun Supply. A little grinding with the Dremel to clear the old style main spring bracket and boom, there it is!
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp290/JRossy/guns/DSC00797.jpg
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp290/JRossy/guns/DSC00800.jpg
gtmtnbiker98
12-10-09, 09:03
The late model stippled plastic grip panels came in today from Top Gun Supply. A little grinding with the Dremel to clear the old style main spring bracket and boom, there it is!
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp290/JRossy/guns/DSC00797.jpg
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp290/JRossy/guns/DSC00800.jpgDoes this mean you are going to ditch the revolver and shoot SSP more for IDPA?
Alpha Sierra
12-10-09, 18:22
Does this mean you are going to ditch the revolver and shoot SSP more for IDPA?
For the most part, yes. Will probably use the M&P more than anything but the 226 will definitely see use there too, plus it will be carried. I need to order another #20 from Jim Murnak (FIST).
Once I got my first FIST #20 I found that I could conceal a semi auto as well as a revolver so I pretty much made the switch. I carry wheelguns when the fancy strikes, but not very often any more.
As an aside, I got my new 226 recoil and magazine springs from Wolff today. The recoil spring was standard weight and the mag springs 5% extra power. I was shocked at how much of a set the original recoil and mag springs had taken.
The loss of free length was over an inch for the magazine springs and about 1/2" for the recoil spring.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.