P6 / SIG 225 inspection

[DavidMS]

I purchased a ex West German Police P6 and am waiting for the MD waiting period to run out so I can take possession.

I found instructions on Chuckhawks for a handgun inspection.

I handled it at the shop and it seems to be in good shape externally (did not take it down). All controls seem to work. It does have a layer of cosmoline or heavy grease.

I could take it to a local gunsmith for inspection or I could make it a DIY project (take it completely apart, clean with mineral spirits, oil and reassemble). Then run snap caps though it to confirm function before taking it to the range.

How hard is it to check out a surplus pistol?

 

[Giterboosted]

I took mine down to the bare bones very easily, if you're mechanically inclined whatsoever then it won't be hard, also there's a video on YouTube of a p6 being disassembled a d reassembled, btw my p6 is one of my most accurate guns I own

 

[SteampunkQueen]

I would field strip it and check for any obvious signs of excessive wear on the major parts, ie barrel, slide, recoil spring and check for cracks along the frame rails.

But they always say the best bet is to take it to a qualified gunsmith and have everything checked out.

 

[briansmithwins]

Biggerhammer has a .pdf of the Sig armorer's manual. It's for a P226 but size aside, they work exactly the same.

I'd strip all the old lube off, re-oil, and shoot it. That will tell you if it works or not.

BSW

 

[Loosedhorse]

Use a pencil inside the barrel resting on the breechface to test that--with the gun in battery and unloaded (Check check check!)--the firing pin protrudes when the hammer is dropped by the trigger (the pencil jumps), but not when dropped by the decock. With the slide off the gun, you can check if the firing pin comes forward when you press on it from the rear without depressing the drop-safety plunger; if it does, the gun is not drop-safe.

You can use dummy rounds to check feeding from the mag.

Before shooting, check the chamber and frame for cracks (or missing pieces! ), and the barrel for obstruction or bulges. Springs are hard to check, so consider just replacing the recoil spring for good measure.

Any additional checking (mag springs, etc.) can be done by live-fire.

IANAL, IANAPG (I am not a professional gunsmith). I have been to two courses where a gunsmith went over all of our pistols before allowing us to use them in the class. The above was what he did (minus the dummy rounds and recoil spring replacement. Oh, the live-fire--we students did that!).

 

[rellascout]

At the very least field strip the gun and inspect it as others have suggested. That is a very simply process. If you need to you can look up a video on youtube. Make sure you lube it up properly. Sigs like a lot of grease on the rails. They are a wet gun IMHO compared to a Glock which is more of a dry gun.

If you have the proper roll pin punches, steel punch etc... you can get the Sig Armorers DVD from Top Gun, or use one of the youtube videos, and detail strip it to the frame and then clean lube and reassemble. I personally like to do this with used guns that I pick up. This is really the only way to fully inspect the pistol IMHO.

I would also consider picking up a parts kit which Top Gun sells as well. These are always good to have in the cleaning kit/tool box. I keep one for each of my Sigs.

 

[mgmorden]

Just clean it up and shoot it. As long as there is no obvious broken parts or damage it'll be fine (or at the worst you'll get a jam or something - not an explosion on your hand).

The "all used guns should be inspected by a trained qualified and anointed gunsmith" line is just a CYA line sellers use. If you did that for every gun you bought then the price of the inspection tacked on would usually make buying a used gun financially unwise (since the price of such an inspection is often about the price difference between a new and a used gun).

 

[gb6491]

...or I could make it a DIY project (take it completely apart, clean with mineral spirits, oil and reassemble).

If you do go this route, you might want to order and install a P225 mainspring. I finally did this after rcmodel reported his results after doing it several years ago: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=358615
The improvement is quite noticeable and IMO well worth the small cost and time/effort involved. BTW, the cost for the part is still the same as rcmodel posted in 08
Regards,
Greg

 

[rellascout]

I personally think there is a big difference between your avg "used gun" and surplus gun like a P6. These guns have been taken out of service god only knows when. They are often packed into creates and stored in warehouses for years.

They often do not inspect them in anyway before importing them. People like PW Arms then ship them to wholealers and retailers who unpack grade and sort them. I agree you will most likely not be in harms way but if you do not look them over closely and clean them very well it can be a dissapointing first range session.

My Zurich P228 had more crud in it than any gun I had ever seen. It required a detail strip to get it clean. Once cleaned up it was excellent inside and out but had I shot it without that detail strip it would not have performed like it should.

I know that some people who are not comfortable with detail stripping the Sigs will remove the grips and leave them in a tupperware full of hoppes overnight to dissolve the crud and the perservative oils. Not my preference but it works.

 

[rellascout]

If you do go this route, you might want to order and install a P225 mainspring. I finally did this after rcmodel reported his results after doing it several years ago: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=358615
The improvement is quite noticeable and IMO well worth the small cost and time/effort involved. BTW, the cost for the part is still the same as rcmodel posted in 08
Regards,
Greg

I also recommend this mod. The P6 is sprung way to heavy IMHO. The commerical P225s are not nearly as bad. Without this mod the DA pull is very heavy.

 

[Giterboosted]

Also if you check Wolff they have a full rebuild kit for a p225 which is the same as you know

 

[rcmodel]

My advice on the P6 is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Anything you need to do as far as cleaning the internals can be done with a can of gun scrubber, some pipe cleaners, and a can of Rem-Oil.

I have a shop full of gunsmith tools, and I don't take SIGS completely apart unless something is broke and has to be replaced.
Which is almost never ever.

If you insist on taking it completely apart anyway?
DO NOT even try to drive the double roll pin out of the slide that holds the breach block in place!!

rc

 

[Creature]

My advice on the P6 is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I concur with this!

 

[rellascout]

If you insist on taking it completely apart anyway?
DO NOT even try to drive the double roll pin out of the slide that holds the breach block in place!!

Why not its easy enough to do? Sometimes they break but most of the time if you have cleaned the gun properly and regularly they do not.

I have taken them out on every single Sig I own. The only one that broke the was the one in the Zurich P228.

 

[DavidMS]

Thank you for the advice. Having pin punches from Mosin project, I will take it down (save for the breach block!) and clean, oil and inspect. I might as well replace the recoil spring and mainspring at the same time. I will pick it up this Thursday or Friday. Also will do the pencil test.