Sig P228 Value?

[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!)