Entropy
10-12-10, 16:46
I recently bought an older, used P229 .40S&W that I found at an online store. As most of us Sig owners know, it's always a good idea to go for the pistols made before 2005. It appears that this pistol was made in the mid to late 1990s. I was suspicious when I received the pistol because it looked like it was brand new, and didn't have a case or paperwork with it. Also, the front sight had a #8 sight on it instead of the standard #6.
I put about 300 rounds through it today with four different brands of defensive ammunition. The pistol will literally move its groups around as I shoot it. Most of the time, the pistol will shoot about 5-10 inches higher than the point of aim, and the groups will drift either left or right. I swapped out the #8 front sight with a #6, but even with the #8 there wasn't much change in elevation. Also, sometimes it will group directly at the point of aim, and then drift out of alignment as I go through a magazine. I have never had a Sig shoot like this before. It is obviously not a sight problem, as there are no consistant groupings at all. There appears to be normal wear patterns on the slide and barrel, and I don't see anything wrong with the bore.
I'll have to make another range trip, but my theory right now is that perhaps it is shooting slighly out of battery. The barrel aligns properly and the action completely closes, so I get a few point of aim shots. However, a very tiny amount of misalignment and the shots fly high and at different angles. This P229 uses the old recoil rod which kinda binds on the frame parts during disassembly so maybe there's something going on with that.
I think I'll replace a few parts here and there with my other P229R and see if I see if there any changes at the range. Just looking for more ideas in case I'm not seeing it. I contacted Sig about the problem, but no answer yet.
I put about 300 rounds through it today with four different brands of defensive ammunition. The pistol will literally move its groups around as I shoot it. Most of the time, the pistol will shoot about 5-10 inches higher than the point of aim, and the groups will drift either left or right. I swapped out the #8 front sight with a #6, but even with the #8 there wasn't much change in elevation. Also, sometimes it will group directly at the point of aim, and then drift out of alignment as I go through a magazine. I have never had a Sig shoot like this before. It is obviously not a sight problem, as there are no consistant groupings at all. There appears to be normal wear patterns on the slide and barrel, and I don't see anything wrong with the bore.
I'll have to make another range trip, but my theory right now is that perhaps it is shooting slighly out of battery. The barrel aligns properly and the action completely closes, so I get a few point of aim shots. However, a very tiny amount of misalignment and the shots fly high and at different angles. This P229 uses the old recoil rod which kinda binds on the frame parts during disassembly so maybe there's something going on with that.
I think I'll replace a few parts here and there with my other P229R and see if I see if there any changes at the range. Just looking for more ideas in case I'm not seeing it. I contacted Sig about the problem, but no answer yet.