I need help with SIG P228

[gaddygat]

I have just purchased a never fired SIG Sauer P228 and I will be picking it up this coming tuesday (my first firearm) and I plan on using it for home defense, but of course I need to take the Mrs out to the range to show her how to use it. My question is: how often should I clean my P228? Every 500 rounds? After every trip to the range? When I do clean it, do I just field strip it and clean the slide and all parts inside, or do I need to do a thorough job cleaning out the contents within the frame and magazine well? Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

[Miltiades]

What I do...

I have quite a few handguns, including Sigs, and go shooting every two weeks with 2 or 3 different guns. Within a day after returning home I will field strip the guns I used and clean them with gun cleaning solvents, brushes, cotton patches and paper towels. Then I lightly lubricate at the appropriate places and reassemble the guns. I know some people will go longer between cleanings, but I just feel better if all my guns are clean and lubricated. I believe it helps prevent any corrosion or rust.

[blikeandy]

Sigs

I have all sigs that's my favorite pistol. I clean mine after I come back from the range, or next day. Make sure that when you lube them you lube the rails or grease the rails sigs run better wet. So just clean after used u should be fine.

[tonelar]

field stripping and cleaning it is a good idea after each range trip or every other if you go more often than once a week or don't blow through five hundred rounds per visit.

...do I need to do a thorough job cleaning out the contents within the frame and magazine well? Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

Detail stripping a Sig pistol is something done yearly for pistols that see a LOT of use (duty weapons etc). the average person's SIG pistol would prolly only need a detail strip and clean a few times in their lifetimes.

[bobnfloyd]

I also want to add weight to the fact that Sigs like to run "wet" meaning use a grease like the one they include in the box (TW-25B) or something like Slide Glide for the rails. You have a Stainless or Folded Steel slide riding on hard anodized aluminum rails. With anodized rails if they get damaged can't really get refinished to fix, so use that grease or slide glide to protect them. Sig Forum is a great place for information. I field strip every time I take the gun out, so 100-150 rounds.

[Zeke003]

I know the Sig can go a while without cleaning and still shoot, but since you said it was for home defense then I wouldn't feel right with a dirty pistol. I know the odds of a malfunction are low unless it's super dirty but I'd clean it after every trip if it was for home defense.

*I had about 800 rounds through my 9mm 229 before I cleaned it and I think it would've gone another 800*