P226 new vs old

[train6933]

I have a p226 west german and it is one of my favorite handguns in my collection. it shoots great and I like the way it feels in my hand. the finish is crap now and its pretty dinged up so I was thinking of getting a new one and selling this one to my friend whos had his eye on it for a while. I really like the sig platform but my question is are the new railed sigs as reliable and as well made as the west german variety. I've put almost 2000 rds through this one without a jam. can I get that kind of reliability out of the new sigs either p226 p229 or p220 (those are the new models Im considering in either 9mm and 45acp), or am I better off just refinishing the wg one and keeping it and if so gun-kote duracoat or any other suggestions. thanks for your opinion.

 

[Pilot]

Just get the one you have refinished.

 

[sgb]

The newer guns IMHO are not as well QC'd as the older guns. I'd have it refinished in Hard Chrome.

 

[saemetric]

P226 New vs Old

What do you mean by new vs old P226's. Mine is Made in Germany in the early 90's. Is mine old or new?
Bruce

 

[train6933]

I was refering to the west german version as old and by new I was talking about brand new or made since the rail was added. All the sigs that I own (2 p225's, p226) are west german made and I'll I was asking is if the current sigs in production are as good as they used to be since I havent had the chance to fire one made later than 1991. I have read that the QC is not what it used to be and they aren't made as well anymore but I don't know thats why Im asking.

 

[bluto]

It's true. Older W. German Sigs were all sprinkled with pixie dust that made them better. New ones come straight from the factory with certificates that read: Inspected by Homer Simpson.

Seriously, I own 9 SIGs (all classic P-Series) from W. German to just plain German to half-American/half-German to all American. They're all great. But there are a couple of things to note:

- Many Sig enthusiasts prefer the older "stamped" metal slides of P-Series models to the newer all stainless slides found on newer railed and some non-railed models. The claim is that the balance is better. Personally, I don't feel a significant difference, but that doesn't mean there isn't one for some shooters.

- Quality control. There's a lot of debate, some with real merit I think, about SIG's expansive new line of models. There are a lot of variations and some of the newer models have reported some minor, but irritating, problems like failure to feed on the last round of a magazine. SIG usually promptly fixes this with a quick trip back to the factory. Has QC dropped off? I don't think so. SIG definitely has gone through some growing pains with their customer service, but I've used them several times and have been treated to some great service.

- All my new SIGs, with and without rail, have been the equal of my German made SIGs in accuracy, quality and reliability.

- The real issue for me is the dreaded "rail". I just don't like it. Have no use for it. And probably won't buy another new SIG with one. But that's because I don't have to.

 

[1BLINDREF]

I agree with all of blutos' post .... pixie dust? ..... LOL

I have 13 Sigs - 12 "P"s and a Trailside.
7 are the newer milled slide (only 1 has a rail ) and 5 are the older stamped slide.

Two are P226 9mms, one is a "KA" (1990) stamped slide W.German and the other is a milled slide PME (poor mans equinox) with a rail that was made in 2006. Both shoot equally well - extremely accurate guns.

I shoot the W.German in IDPA matches and do very well with it. I would shoot the PME if something broke on my older P226.

I can feel the difference in balance between the newer milled slide Sigs vs. the stamped slide Sigs. The milled slides are a bit heavier, but not enough to make a difference in how well I can shoot them.

I have not had any trouble with any of my Sigs.

My "KA" P226 was an LEO trade-in that showed lots of wear, but it shot like a dream. I decided to send it out to CCR for a reverse two tone job (I always wanted a reverse TT Sig ) http://www.ccr-refinishing.com/
I had a fresh set of Mepro night sights put on and replaced all of the springs.

Here are some pictures before and after.








Here is my PME

 

[Lightsped]

I agree. I MUCH prefer the "old" SIGs. I have an almost new P226, a NIB P228, and a P229 in .40. All of my SIGs have no rails. My P226, and P228 are W. German guns made in the early 90s. None of my SIGs have any bling on them. They are very professional looking.

I can't see myself buying any new "railed" SIGs, that are all bling bling and have weird limited edition this, or limited edition that to them. What happended to the "all business" look and feel of the original SIGs??

 

[MK11]

Shooters tend to be a conservative lot, and that tends to go hand in hand with "Oh, things were so much better way back when..."

I've got a W. German P226, a late '90s vintage P226 and a P220ST from around 2003-2004. I prefer the balance of the W. German P226 to the newer one but they both run fine, as does my P22ST, which is my now favorite Sig. I will say I haven't been able to adjust to the look of the Sig Elite series.

 

[wnycollector]

Proud owner of two W. German SIG's (P220 and P226). The P220 is a LEO trade, its finish is worn through in many spots but...its a shooter! The P226 is in better condition, but it is nicked and scared also. I have put ~ 1500 rounds through the P220 and ~800 through the P226 personally, not one FTF or FTE. When I carry, it is usually the P220. I would stake my life on either of these pistols.

I will probably add a P225 to my collection of classic SIG's

 

[bluto]

1Blindref - Nice lookin' Sigs. Very nice choice on the refinish for the P226.

 

[saemetric]

P226 Old vs New?

Still confused on old vs new P226. Mine looks like the older one pictured but says Made in Germany not W. Germany. S/N is U542XXX. When did they make the change.

 

[default]

There's an easy way to tell, saemetric: The older pistols with the stamped slide have a concentric roll pin towards the rear of the slide amidst the cocking serrations, an internal extractor, and no radius on the slide cutouts above the front of the dust cover. Later ones with the machined slide have radiused cutouts, an external extractor, and a solid pin. Look at 1BLINDREF's pictures and you'll see what I mean. I'm not sure when the change was made, but I would guess that the stamped 9mm and machined .40SW and .357SIG models coexisted for a while in the '90s before the entire range went to machined stainless slides. I have no idea when the last new-production stamped slides were imported, though.

 

[1BLINDREF]

default is correct.
Sig went to the solid milled slides when they chambered the P226 in .40S&W and brought out the P229 in .40S&W. I don't know the exact year, but it was somewhere around 1995.
The P225 and P228s were/are the last model Sigs being produced with stamped slides.

1Blindref - Nice lookin' Sigs. Very nice choice on the refinish for the P226.

Thanks! I've shot over 2k rounds through it and broken in a new leather holster since it was finished. It looks exactly the same as those pictures of when I first got it back from CCR.
The only place that the finish has worn of is on the tops of the rails where the slide travels.

 

[saemetric]

Thanks for the info. Now I see the differance. Mine is the old type!

 

[FlyPenFly]

I guess I'm the only one who vastly prefers the railed version but I'm a new/young shooter.

 

[saemetric]

P226 old

Here's my P226 that I talked about earlier. It's the old type. Grips are Hogue Extreme Aluminum w/clear finish. Bruce

 

[strambo]

Unless you really, really want a rail...no reason to spend all that $$ to switch. I have a W. German P226 and want to get a similar vintage P220 just because I don't like the rail. The older style grips have better checkering than the new ones and I like the balance.

Now, if you want a new one that has different features you like such as the elite or tactical models, or the DAK trigger it might make sense to switch. Old classic P series to new classic P series doesn't seem worth it IMO.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I had an old one like yours and it was nice. It looked like hell, but what a shooter. Do not get rid of it, you will regret it like I did.

I have a new P226R Navy that is very nice and beautifully made. 100% reliable and accurate. I'd rather have a rail-less model though.

 

[phantomak47]

What about the issue of when Sig got all of those government contracts and started cranking out Sigs in huge numbers? I did notice on the Sig forum that there seemed to be some slight and varying QC problems.


Thoughts on this issue?

 

[1BLINDREF]

I did notice on the Sig forum that there seemed to be some slight and varying QC problems.

I'll agree with you about more QC issues with the new Sigs vs the old ones.

There are so many more variants and styles available today then there were back in the 90's when Sig started coming into the gun market hot and heavy. Sig is probably producing many more guns today than back then.
I'm sure that they are looking to cut costs (like most manufactures) to stay competative with all of the other gun makers.
The law of averages states that there will be more problems with more guns being produced.
I think as a whole, the quality of many products today is not as good as they were back "in the old days".

Having said that, the information highway and the different forums today make it much easier to share knowledge and experiences with other people, good and bad.
I know typically that most people will go out of their way to complain about a product when they have a problem much faster then to tell you when they have a good experience with one.

It's just human nature to want to tell "everybody'" when they've had a bad experience.

My personal experience with Sig - products and CS, over the past 15 years has been very good.
I guess that's why I have so many more Sigs than any other guns (S&W is catching up )
I personally like the older stamped slide Sigs better, but I do like the SAS and ST models.

 

[rjk2475]

handled a cpo 226 at a local dealer this evening and
on further inspection, there was no made in W.germany nor made in Germany; just the NH importer. it honestly felt tinny. disassembly was rough. what's happening to Sig?

 

[FlyPenFly]

Ten years from now, this thread will be recreated with a lot of genuflecting on the old Sigs of Yore with just the rail and not the fancy corner shot features with laser bullet guidance. Those were the days!

 

[Firepower!]

Sig P226 W. German

I have the old one from W. Germany. I recently bought hogue grip for it but does not fit quite properly! Plus it has made the pistol a bulkier.

Any advice on grips for Old P226, and other things that I might be aware of since its been long time that was made and I am sure new things or improvements are out there, which might be of crucial importance.

 

[cyberiad]

Sig has had some problems (GSR, Mosquito, older P220 (ST?) extractor) but I can't recall any problems in the past several (or many) years with the P226. If one wants a brand new P226R today I think they're every bit as good or better than the older German-produced P226 pistols. The "QC problems" didn't affect all models so discussion of the problems should be more precise. Glock has had what, dozens of "recalls" over the years? But Glocks are generally still considered one of the most reliable pistols on the market.