Old Sig 226- send if off?

[defjon]

I'm getting an older Sig p226, looks a little rough. Should I send it to Sig? Anyone ever done that? How much does it cost to have it refinished and checked out by the factory? Looks like there is some wear on the frame and slide.

 

[Airman193SOS]

If it has wear, why not leave it as is and use it as a "working" gun? For what you will pay to get it refinished you can get a sample with much less wear. In addition, once you pay to refinish the gun you'll be afraid to ding it up, whereas one that's already rough is one that you can toss around without feeling bad about it.

 

[rskent]

I’m with airman. Give your new SIG a good cleaning and a good lube and then go shoot the crap out of it. Spend the money on ammo.
Steve

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Is there an echo in here?

The gun plus the refurbish will likely total more than getting a different gun with less wear.

 

[silversport]

I've sent a pistol to SiG for a refinish and the SiG Service Package...at the time, it was $99 to have the pistol gone through, all (main) springs changed and new Meprolight night sights (current SiGlights) installed...
...the P225 I had bought had ruined sights so I needed new ones and the frame had scratches from the previous owner's wedding ring...I knew the round count was relatively low but it is a Tysons Corner SiG and I wanted to bring it to near new...
...as for the refinish, I had the whole pistol Nitron'd...yes, they can (could) Nitron the alloy frame and it has been fine since having this done several years ago...I don't know that they offer the Nitron frames any more and many think the anodized frames should be left alone...
...Good luck with your choice...there is good advice here and above...
Bill

 

[Fremmer]

I would have it refinished. It'll come back looking sharp. I've heard that Sig does a fine job with refinishing. The refinish on the CPO guns always looks good. Call 'em up and ask, and let us know what they say.

 

[Strahley]

You could just check their website

http://www.sigsauer.com/CustomShop/SSP.aspx

http://www.sigsauer.com/CustomShop/SpecialCTU.aspx

 

[NG VI]

Money on ammo, you can't have only guns that look new after all.

 

[rellascout]

If you are going to have it refinished I would not send it to Sig. Nitron is not a great finish. Their blueing has never been anything to write home about.

W E Birdsong inc is where I would send it. Get the black T treatment. http://black-t.com/index.htm

 

[W.E.G.]

Have you looked at the prices for shipping a handgun?

Aint cheap.

 

[rellascout]

My FFL ships mine for the cost of a flat rate Priority mail box. Cost less than $20 with insurance most of the time.

Shipping through Fedex or UPS 2nd day air should be around $35. Most people do not know the rules and think they have to ship all handguns overnight which is simply not true.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Shipping through Fedex or UPS 2nd day air should be around $35. Most people do not know the rules and think they have to ship all handguns overnight which is simply not true.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are incorrect...

UPS's rules for shipping handguns state that overnight is your only option:

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/guidelines/firearms.html

Handguns, as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 921,will be accepted for transportation only via UPS Next Day Air® Early A.M.®, UPS Next Day Air®, or UPS Next Day Air Saver® services

Fed Ex states that ALL firearms are shipped overnight:

http://fedex.com/us/services/terms/

Firearms must be shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight service.

 

[rellascout]

Must be a recent change. S&W shipped things via call tag using 2 day Fedex all the time. I sent them a pistol that way in Dec.

Either way it does not effect me as I stated my FFL will ship it for me. IF you have a good relationship with your FFL most will do the same. The other way to do it is use a business account which give heavy discounts for volume. My company gets 30% or so off published rates via UPS and Fedex.

 

[silversport]

if you go through SiG they will print you a tag and charge their rate as well...
Bill

 

[wojownik]

As for the p226 finish, I've considered sending in my old p226 and p6 for a Nitron refinish, but after a few months of carrying, I figure the finish will be more or less back where it was in the first place. There are other companies out there that seem to do a good job with more durable finishes - some cost a little more, some a little less than Sig factory.

As for sending it up Exeter to be checked out, you could save a lot of time and money by just having a competent gunsmith check it out. Is there anything that makes you think the pistol needs a check, or are you just being abundantly cautious? Sig has some packages on their website for checking and tuning pre-owned pistols, but if its just a once-over you're looking for, consider your local gunsmith.

For my p226, I'm going to send it up to Exeter for a tune up and trigger job, since I've shot the heck out the the thing and the original gritty trigger has always bothered me. Aside form that, I'm leaving mine alone. I'd rather put the money into a tune up than a refinish, but that's just me.

My 2 cents - which is more that its worth - is maybe to sit on the idea of refinishing your p226. I did that, and found that the finish wear didn't bother me so much after all, particularly as a work horse pistol.