[newartist]

Anybody know how many standard load rounds you can shoot through an early (12,XXX) 9mm Sig P226 before you gotta wonder about the frame? Mine is up around 6,500 rounds and I'm getting nervous. My uncle has a P226 with a serial number that is 10,000+ numbers higher but had a frame rail split with under 500 rounds through it.

[Runningman]

I know of two early West German P226s that cracked the frame rails. One cracked at about 5500 rounds another cracked about 11,000 rounds. So I'm not sure if round count to predictable as to when it will happen. Both got their frame replaced free under warranty.

Did your uncle get his frame replace for free?

It wouldn't hurt if you replace the recoil spring if you have not yet done so. I've been told that Sig recommends replacing the recoil spring after 5K rounds. I did mine at 3K rounds to be on the safe side. Mine only has about 4K rounds thru it. So far its OK.

[newartist]

Runningman,

Like I said I'm getting nervous so I went and bought a nice new DA/SA Sig P229 in .40S&W to use as my primary house and range gun. I'm thinking I'll send my old P226 into Sig once my 10 days are up here in California and I get a couple of hundred rounds through the new P229 next weekend. One good thing about the Sig family of handguns is they all work the same among the particular action types so I'll be right at home handling the new P229.

Has anybody taken advantage of Sig's in-house smiths and had them go through their gun? I want to have Sig overhaul my old P226 and if the frame is still looking good get Sig to rework/lighten the DA/SA trigger pulls along with some hone and polish work on the trigger. Any experiences with Sig's smiths?

Both my own P226 and my uncle's P226 are early serial number guns with the two piece slides. I've never had a single malfunction or misfeed using factory RN FMJ, HST, Silvertip or Black Talon HP or my own reloads with RN FMJ and various HP bullets. I've never run any +P or +P+ through the gun and at this point don't intend to given the problems I've seen and heard about.

TIA

[hksw]

I had about 8,500 rounds through my early '90s P226 before the right front frame rail cracked. S/N was in the U401000 range.

[Jim Watson]

The old Handgunner, Ltd. magazine showed a rental range P226 in England, back when a Free Englishman might shoot a pistol, with 80,000 rounds. It had gone through several sets of roll pins and trigger bar springs, and the grip screw bushings were stripped, but the rails were not cracked.

I don't know how many rounds had gone through the instructor's P226 at a shooting class I took, but he had done a lot of demos with that gun. It was worn and loose, but not cracked.

[newartist]

Runningman,

Oh I forgot to answer about my uncle's frame! In a word NO! This was back in the early-mid 80's and Sig claimed my uncle was trying to defraud Sig claiming that he replaced the barrel and that the gun was no longer covered by warranty. My uncle still has that busted Sig P226 and is still sore about it but he still buys every new Sig handgun that comes out.

I've never done anything since new (1984/5) to my old P226 except for the standard field strip and clean after every use. I've brushed under the grips but never touched or lubed anything internally. So I'm pretty sure I need to get the internals cleaned, inspected, lubed and all of the springs replaced.

[jaysouth]

I knew a PD range/firearms instructor that claimed he put 90,000 rounds through his Folded steel slide 226. Remaining finish was at about 10%. Only parts replaced were springs and pins.

The department went to SigPros. He got to guy his 226 and still keeps it around as an off duty carry piece/house gun.