Has SIG honestly declined in quality?

[elsolo]

the only thing sig sauer about that was the rollmark, that thing is from ATI. it is also the same GSG 1911 pistol.

I know, that's why I put "a Sig Sauer" and why I feel sorry for them.
If it was $200 and they knew what it really was...
He'll never shoot it, so it isn't a safety risk.

[straykiller]

My p226 is top notch. I don't believe they have declined I quality i think its more due to their popularity. Hypothetically lets say they sell 1000 guns a year (Not realistic figures but works to prove my point )with an average of one bad gun getting past their QC, and that gun owner post my sig sucks. Next year they sell 10,000 due to popularity increase and 10 guns slip through QC, now theres more people saying sigs suck now. Remember you always hear when things go wrong with something but rarely when they dont.

Either way sig has a excellent customer service if there is something wrong they will fix it. My sig has never malfunctioned and i would trust it with my life.

[unusedusername]

I have a p225 from 1982, a p226 from 2005, an x-five p226 from 2011, and a brand new long extractor p229 from about 3 months ago.

I can honestly say that no, I have not seen a decline in quality.

When the 225 was new there were issues with rusting in the bluing and feeding issues with HP ammo. Now, many years later, all the p225s that are around "just work" because they have all been fixed.

Now they are having issues with extractors of the x-fives, issues with "bare spots" in the nitron, and the jury is still out about the long extractors.

The only real difference that I see is that the firearms market is much larger, so it is able to sustain all the crazy "special flavor of the week" guns Sig has been putting out.

Of course, this only applied to their manufacturing. Their business decisions seem to be less then stellar recently. Compare Sigs old "rebranding" of hammerli 22lr guns to the current "partnership" with ATI (iTAC) for red dots/junk and 22 pistols.

[Fishslayer]

Can't speak for the older ones but my 2 SP2022 would indicate their QA is not up to snuff, but most manufacturers are churning out handguns just as fast as they can.

The first one I bought for the wife was excellent. Trigger a bit gritty out of the box but 100% reliable with a variety of ammos, accurate, good enough to make me buy another for myself. Her trigger smoothed out nicely after 1K rounds or so.

My example was not so nice. This one had a great trigger out of the box, but shoots significantly lower than the wife's, doesn't group as tight, and the front sight was different from hers with a mark in the dovetail that would indicate it had been removed/replaced at some time. The barrel also has some nasty looking tool marks on the lands. Not the sort of pistol I would expect given SIG's reputation. OTOH, it's "accurate enough" and has also been 100% reliable.

[nfong2684]

I can only speak for my own Sig P226 Navy. I think it is great. I was cautious at first of all the rumors of quality decline, but I have not seen a single one of those rumors come to fruition with my Sig. I can not speak to the comparison of having one of the Old W German 226's, but i believe my Exeter 226 is top notch. I have owned it for roughly 5 months and have somewhere north of 2K rounds through it. Never had a single FTE or FTF, has eaten all sorts of factory ammo flawlessly.

I would say if the older W German feels better in your hand you should nab that one up. Or you could always get both and never have to wonder...hahaha.

[Striker]

Only current and past Sig owners need reply. Unfounded opinion is the cheapest talk there is, and im interested in real-world experiences by owners of Sig pistols.

The genesis of this inquiry comes down to a recent tour of my local gun dealers. A new big box store opened up, and after sampling their stock of Sig P226's and P229s I came away nonplussed. Certainly the new handguns with their light rails and E2 grips felt nice -but the pistols felt generic, as if the Sigs were metal frame Glocks with double-action triggers.

Two days later I hopped into a different fun,err, gun store and noticed a Sig P226 CPO with W Germany rollmarks. That handgun felt entirely different in my hand than the new build Sigs, despite obviously being an older example. It reminded me of my 1911s-a charismatic handgun with some careful build and craftsmanship behind it. That struck me as strange, considering allegedly the newer guns are improved with rails and the like.

Another difference-the trigger wasn't as refined on the newer weapons, although that could be just from the CPO model being broken in.

While I usually consider Internet rumors about gun companies to be worthless drivel,this past week's experiences make me wonder if there isn't a kernel of truth to the idea of old Sigs being the best examples.

My experience is that the older triggers are smoother than the new ones. It's still 10 lbs for the DA which is a PITA, but smoother is smoother.

Are the new pistols on the same level as the older ones? Bruce Gray seems the think that Sig is still finest service pistol out there and he sees a lot more Sigs than most people. I don't know if I agree. The newer ones I've run have been fine, but the older guns just seem like they have a higher build quality. And honestly, I'm not sure a DA/SA, metal gun is great choice for most anymore. There are lighter, easier to shoot guns out there that are just as durable and reliable for less money.

[SilverTauron]

And honestly, I'm not sure a DA/SA, metal gun is great choice for most anymore. There are lighter, easier to shoot guns out there that are just as durable and reliable for less money.

Speaking exclusively for my needs, ill break down why im considering a P226 for CCW.

I have large hands and a skinny waist. Hiding a pistol comes easy for me no matter how big the weapon is.
Alas, what you get in one category you lose in something else. My narrow hide is too small to conceal spare mags worth a pot. Thus, I like a 15+ round handgun with all the bullets already contained in the weapon.

Remember what I said about large hands? Shooting compact pistols to me is akin to running 2 miles;its fun -and painful.I also have difficulty getting a decent grip on the draw with them. Thus full size handguns are my forte when it comes to carry.

Comparing a Glock 17 to a Sig P226, they're both full size handguns. Sure the Glock's lighter, but the Sig's weight helps with shooting +P defensive loads quickly. Running Cor-Bon 115 grain +P through a poly frame handgun is not a recipe for quick target acquisition.

And last but not least, the Sig's prettier.

[Lost-trails]

I have a P6 dated 1980, P228 dated 1995, and P226 dated 2011. I have not see a decline with my sig sauer. All three guns are great with no issues.

[Mr310]

Speaking exclusively for my needs, ill break down why im considering a P226 for CCW.

I have large hands and a skinny waist. Hiding a pistol comes easy for me no matter how big the weapon is.
Alas, what you get in one category you lose in something else. My narrow hide is too small to conceal spare mags worth a pot. Thus, I like a 15+ round handgun with all the bullets already contained in the weapon.

Remember what I said about large hands? Shooting compact pistols to me is akin to running 2 miles;its fun -and painful.I also have difficulty getting a decent grip on the draw with them. Thus full size handguns are my forte when it comes to carry.

Comparing a Glock 17 to a Sig P226, they're both full size handguns. Sure the Glock's lighter, but the Sig's weight helps with shooting +P defensive loads quickly. Running Cor-Bon 115 grain +P through a poly frame handgun is not a recipe for quick target acquisition.

And last but not least, the Sig's prettier.

The low bore axis and higher grip you get on the Glock more than negates the weight of the Sig Sauer. Ultimately, it's what feels better for you, though.

[InGrAM]

I think there is a difference in quality between the W. German SIGsauers and the newer ones but not function or reliability.

My brother owns a 2008 p239 and a 2001 p226, they both function just as well as my 1995 p220. The quality of the craftsmanship seems better on my p220 but I could be bias in my perspective. They are all excellent guns and I wouldn't hesitate to use any of them. But there is just something about a W. German P2XX series pistol that is great and I find very attractive.

[xtalpimp]

First guns ever was a west german sig 220. Shoots great but the finish durablility is poor. This is from a late 80s early 90s gun. I have rusted the back of the slide from wear.
I cannot comment on the newer pistols as I haven't bought any as I have moved away from da/sa.

[Striker]

Speaking exclusively for my needs, ill break down why im considering a P226 for CCW.

I have large hands and a skinny waist. Hiding a pistol comes easy for me no matter how big the weapon is.
Alas, what you get in one category you lose in something else. My narrow hide is too small to conceal spare mags worth a pot. Thus, I like a 15+ round handgun with all the bullets already contained in the weapon.

Remember what I said about large hands? Shooting compact pistols to me is akin to running 2 miles;its fun -and painful.I also have difficulty getting a decent grip on the draw with them. Thus full size handguns are my forte when it comes to carry.

Comparing a Glock 17 to a Sig P226, they're both full size handguns. Sure the Glock's lighter, but the Sig's weight helps with shooting +P defensive loads quickly. Running Cor-Bon 115 grain +P through a poly frame handgun is not a recipe for quick target acquisition.

And last but not least, the Sig's prettier.

LOL.

I don't have problems shooting +P ammo out of a Glock, but that's me. I wouldn't presume to tell someone else what works best for them. If you went to the trouble of figuring it out as you obviously have, I think you know better than I do. I think it's best to shoot what you shoot best. But, as I said earlier, most people bypass the DA part of a DA/SA, so when they do that and say it's the best choice for them, that's not correct because they're not addressing the part of DA/SA that's a problem for most people. And a lot don't shoot against a clock to figure out if they really are better with one or they just like it better. One is not necessarily synonymous with the other.

[rogervzv]

No, they have dishonestly declined in quality.

[The Virus]

Honestly.........YES

[Knomad]

My P229 (2009) has been good. I don't shoot it all that often because I've moved away from DA/SA pistols, but after perhaps 1,000 rounds there have not been any misfunctions. Hard to compare build quality without older or newer examples at hand, but it seems fine to me.