Current Sig quality?

[savasyn]

I have a Sig 229 that I got in '93, I believe. It's my favorite handgun and I love shooting it. It's also my go to HD gun. As of late, I've been seeing the value of a weapon mounted light, but I do not have a rail on this frame. As such, I am seriously considering getting a new 229R.

I've heard rumors of the quality of Sigs having gone down hill recently. Is it just the finish or is it build quality as well? Have people noticed reliability issues with newer guns?

I'm not overly concerned about the finish, but I will not put up with reliability issues on an HD gun.

Thanks!

[ar15barrels]

Get a glock.
You shoot them better already.

[RedDawn]

Buy a rail adpater:

https://www.smartgunner.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1524

This is exactly what I did with my Sig P220.
It is very sturdy and can be removed anytime. It also fits most weapon lights such as the Streamlights. I have the Streamlight M6, which fits snug.

[savasyn]

Get a glock.
You shoot them better already.

I've got four and I only shoot better with the one, and only slightly(but notably) so over the 229. It's all about mag capacity on the Glock for matches! I love that!

I do wish I had rails on a few other Glocks besides the 35, though.

[savasyn]

Buy a rail adpater:

https://www.smartgunner.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1524

This is exactly what I did with my Sig P220.
It is very sturdy and can be removed anytime. It also fits most weapon lights such as the Streamlights. I have the Streamlight M6, which fits snug.

Excellent! Done and ordered. If it works, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new one!!
Thanks

[ar15barrels]

I do wish I had rails on a few other Glocks besides the 35, though.

You just reminded me that I'm supposed to go PPT a 34 today.

[savasyn]

You just reminded me that I'm supposed to go PPT a 34 today.

Glad I could help!
Pick me up something while you're there

Speaking of reminding, I've gotta get over to your place and reload all that brass! I'm nearly free of this work project which means I get to go to matches again!!

[ar15barrels]

Speaking of reminding, I've gotta get over to your place and reload all that brass!

Did we already clean it?
This evening is good if you want to drop by...

[RT13]

It's not a rumour, it's a fact. Sig has gone downhill in QA and their CS. I am a long time Sig fanatic and own more Sigs than anything else but here I am saying this. And for QA problems, it varies on which models. The Sig Mosquito is the worse gun they have ever built followed by the problematic GSR 1911. The P220's are currently plagued with FTF extarctor problems which Sig denies having problems with and at times, admit to it.
P229 and P226 may have FTT or FTE problems depending on which caliber too. I believe the .40 cal was plagued with with this. Not every model or every gun of these models will have the problems. It seems like a hit and miss. My new Sig buying days are at a hault now until I am confident that they are once again reliable out of the box. Back to Glock and HK.

[FlyingPen]

Here's what I've found:

A. P220 Compact seems to have issues, I would avoid these
B. I've never heard of widescale or even many issues of P229 or P226 having any failures
C. CPO Guns from 2 years ago had a terrible batch but now they're supposedly okay according to a mass distributor. I have first hand experience that they are ok.
D. The GSR had problems on initial roll out but they've gone through a number of redesigns and the current version post 2006 seem to be top notch.


I also looked at about 10 new Sig P229Rs this week as my buddy and I went gun shopping through all the various socal shops. I field stripped all of them and found absolutely nothing wrong with them. Keep in mind, I'm not even close to being a gunsmith though. He ended up buying a P229R with factory night sites for $869 at ASC in San Diego.

I would have absolutely no hesitation in buying a new Sig.

That said, I'm picking up a P228 Monday just because it seems like it's getting rare and I want to try a folded steel Sig. I currently own both a P226R CPO 40SW that was converted to 357SIG and a Sig GSR Revo XO.

[duenor]

I know a little about SIGs, and I own well over a dozen.

1. Current offerings from SIG have become rather cirumspect. I would stick to the old p22x series which has been tried and true all over the world. I would also prefer a p228 over a p229.
2. NEVER buy a CPO unless you really look it over. REALLY look it over. They are notorious for being cosmetically beautiful but functionally poor in terms of reliabilty and accuracy.
3. Used (not CPO) SIGs are always great buys. Never pay more than 600 for a used SIG, preferrably out the door.
4. The SIG Mosquitor was not made by SIG, but by the same company that makes the GSG-5. It is a piece of crap. I own it. I hate it. The only thing it's got going for it is the same manual of arms as the p22x series (for the most part, they still buggered this up because it has a retarded mag disconnect and a safety - why a safety on a DA/SA decocker?). for this same reason, i refuse to buy a gsg5 but will rather wait for the keltec offering.

For $500, the absolute best handgun you can buy (if you have no other handgun) is a SIG P228 in excellent mechanical condition. Finish wear doesnt matter. Check fit of slide to frame (is there slop sideways?), tritium vial life, slide rails, excessive wear on metal contact surfaces, bore condition.

For $250, the absolute best handgun you can buy is a SIG P6.

For $200 the absolute best handgun you can buy is a Bulgarian Makarov or CZ82.

For $100 the best handgun you can buy is a CZ52.

And if $50 is all you can afford, Nagant revolver.

[trinydex]

what vintage of sig does not have problems

[RT13]

It doesn't have to be an older stamped slide Sig to be a good gun, and it depends on the model. As a matter of fact, these problems only started to arise around 2005 or 2006. Some think it may have to do with changes in the company that occurred a few years ago. Their machines at the factory are top notch but somehow, the QC and QA went down hill. In 2000 Sig started venturing out to make "new" stuff. They produced the Sigpro line which was and is great. They also built the P220ST. Some of these models had an extractor issue, some as in a small number. I happen to own one from that first batch but luckily mine has been flawless since day one. Again, it is a hit n miss! Sig decides to put rails on all Sigs. Then their new nitron finishes were too abrasive which ended up in harsh to severe barrel wear. Those issues were eventually corrected. These things were minor compared to the stuff happening now. In 2005, they started producing the GSR 1911 which had a majoy issue from FTE's to FTF's and some. Seemed like 75% of these models had problems. Then they produced the .22 caliber Mosquito which became the biggest bomb of all. This thign was and is basically a POS. If you have one and it works, then good on you. But for more than the majority of them, they are POS. 2006 rolls around and the President or CEO of Kimber is now Sig's. People called it the Kimberization of Sig as they started coming out with funky looking models. Only the Equinox line made it big and is a great gun unless it is the P220Carry version due to the FTF of the last round issue. This is then followed by other models like the Blackwater, Elite, and X5. They start slapping on some fancy nice looking wood grips to these guns which helped sell them. Turns out, these POS grips were not made of one piece real wood but a laminate/compressed wood. Most of rhese grips cracked easily and they were too fat and slippery to really be functional. Right around 2007 they started the CPO whic turned out to be a headache for most of their buyers. Sig started a chop shop and started slapping on parts from different beat up guns together and supposedly refinished them which turned out to be almost liek spray painting the gun. These finished flaked off, these CPO's had problems which wa smostly cosmetics. Some were really good but alot were just nightmares for the buyer's. Then certain models did not come with what they were suppose to come with. Examples would be like the Equinox or Elites which are suppose to come with the wood grips were sometimes sold without them. The P220 Combat which is suppose to have hardchromed barrels and phosphate internals. Some did not have them, WTF! Then the new P220's started having FTF issues on the last round. The P220 Carry was affected the highest but any P220 model was infected with this problem. The QA and QC is the main culprit here followed by designers of their current line ups. If you are familiar or experienced enough or I should say own enough Sigs where you can compare them side by side, you may see the difference. The newer Sigs are not as clean atleast internally as the ones made 2002 or earlier. Lack of attention to details and whoever their QA/QC people are suck because they are letting a bunch of no go's go out to the market to be sold. You can't look at a neew Sig and say it looks good. You won't see problems until you closely inspect it and after you shoot the hell out of the gun. And sure Sig, the older Sigs, and other brands have their problems here and there, but the issues with Sig lately is too much and a bad trend. I would still recommend buying a Sig to a friend but it depends on the model. Again, you have to do your homework and know it may be a hit n miss. And maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones.

[whoismastre]

Okay so now I have a new excuse for my groupings being a foot wide.

[FlyingPen]

I think without any real statistical data, all of it is conjecture and hearsay. There are definitely problems with some models of the GSR from first production and there are currently problems with some models of the P220 but other than that, it's all he said she said.

Your best bet is just to go look at the pistol and examine it yourself carefully, bring a bore light.

I'm comfortable enough with Sig's QC that I bought a new GSR and I'm going to be buying a P229 (sight unseen, new production) or P228 (W.German) soon. If something is wrong, they seem to respond quickly and promptly and will send you a new gun if you're a reasonable person with a reasonable problem.