P226 w/ Trigger Job - Need for caution?

[Aesir]

I'm looking at making a private party purchase of a Sig P226 .40 s&w. It was purchased new in January 2005 and has probably had about 300-400 rounds put through it, but mostly kept in a safe unused. The owner sounds like a good guy and upfront about the gun.

He says that he had a trigger job done by Bolsa Gunsmithing in Westminster, CA. Took the SA from 5 lbs to 3.5 lbs. as well as had night sights installed. Is there any reason I should be cautious about buying a gun with a trigger job done to it? I know some people go to great lengths to have the "right" gunsmith work on their triggers, but I don't know anything about the quality of Bolsa's work. But maybe I'm over thinking it and any reputable gunsmith can perform a quality trigger job. But any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[J-cat]

Look to see if the dovetails in the slide are absolutely perfect after the NS install. If they are, then their trigger job is prolly decent. If they buggered up the dovetails, they prolly buggered the trigger parts.

I have seen their rifle bedding jobs and was not impressed.

[oghl888]

the trigger on the 226 is pretty darn good to begin with. I wouldn't bother with a trigger job since it's not a competition piece. I would not pay extra for it in a used gun for sure.

[Aesir]

Thanks for the input. I called Bolsa--the shop that did the work. They did it back in 2005, so I don't think it's possible to track down the exact gunsmith that did it. According to the owner, they charged for 1 hour of gunsmithing time (~$95) to do the trigger. When I called them, the guy who answered the phone just said that 5 lb to 3.5 lb trigger jobs are pretty standard and the smith does it by "stoning" certain parts in the trigger, but he wasn't knowledgeable enough to explain what specific parts were affected.

I'm considering buying the gun for $675 (+DROS), so it seems like a fair price, assuming it wasn't messed up with the trigger job/night sights installation. Or do you think I should be looking for more of a discount due to the uncertainty of the trigger job? Just out of curiosity, let's assume the the trigger wasn't done well--roughly what would it cost to replace the affected parts?

[donger]

What is the primary purpose of the pistol?

If for any reason it will be used for defense, I would pass.

[Aesir]

Primary Purpose: Range
Secondary Purpose: Defense

Why would you pass totally for defense? Is it possible that something irreparable was done to it?

[J-cat]

No such thing as an irreparable trigger job. They prolly just polished the trigger bar surfaces and cut the mainspring.

[Mr. Beretta]

the trigger on the 226 is pretty darn good to begin with. I wouldn't bother with a trigger job since it's not a competition piece. I would not pay extra for it in a used gun for sure.

Couldn't agree more! Spot on!

[eric2063]

defense gun trigger job

I would agree with donger and oghl888, the factory trigger is pretty good, the double action is a tad long, but over all really good.
As for why you wouldn’t want a 3.5 pound trigger pull in a defense pistol you have to take in to account that if you’ve actually pulled the weapon out to defend yourself you’re going to be all jacked up on adrenalin and your brain is trying to process a 1000 things all at once.
Now realize that it don’t take much to put 3.5 pounds of pressure on a trigger and you have a recipe for disaster, like shooting your own foot, or the wall that has your kids bedroom on the other side ect.
I have shot my 226 a lot and except for the aforementioned single action travel I would storm the gates of hell with it, a bologna sandwich and a bunch of extra magazines but keep the factory trigger.
The good news is if the deal on the gun is really good then getting the trigger back to normal is relatively cheap. Good luck

[randy]

Sounds like a decent price if you can get another 50 bucks off then for sure go for it. As for the trigger job. Shoot the gun if it is reliable then great you are money ahead. I've owned and own Sig pistols they have a nice trigger compared to an HK, but otherwise nothing special until you get them worked on.

[J-cat]

How so? You are supposed to keep your finger off the trigger against the side of the frame until you are reasy to fire.

[kenjimatic]

How so? You are supposed to keep your finger off the trigger against the side of the frame until you are reasy to fire.

He did mention..

... you’re going to be all jacked up on adrenalin and your brain is trying to process a 1000 things all at once...

so its possible that you may accidentally put your finger on the trigger, unless you've been trained and has prior experience..

To the op, Sigs are good from stock wouldn't recomend trigger job for defense but if you're use to the 3.5lb then it should be good to go, so in other words shoot shoot shoot after you get it..

[Creampuff]

To the op, Sigs are good from stock wouldn't recomend trigger job for defense but if you're use to the 3.5lb then it should be good to go, so in other words shoot shoot shoot after you get it..

This is probably the most important part as kenjimatic stated. Only if you are use to a 3.5 lb trigger pull. I have been shooting DA/SA pistols most of my shooting life. The first time I fired a handgun with a 3.5lb trigger pull, I hate to admit it, I probably shot 3 ft low. It was when I was just putting my finger on to the trigger.

So yes, I was violating one of the cardinal rules, don't put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. It was safely down range, but it was 3 feet too early. Learned my lesson that day.

[eric2063]

may increase that potential. I don't know the OP's skill level or familiarity with this particular pistol so my default value was they had a limited knowledge base and skill set, so I error'd on the side of caution that is all.