Sig Sauer...what's the big deal?

[altitude_19]

So it came up at work the other day, as it often does in Afghanistan. We spend most of our time talking about what we'll be doing with our combat pay when we get back and somebody was undecided on which pistol he'd be buying. Of course everyone present had an opinion but the loudest of the group was quick to tout Sig as the END ALL BE ALL PISTOL EVER MADE. I've handled them, looked them over real thorough-like, and they struck me as a solid, well-built piece...but they sure didn't blow my hair back and the price tag was quick to counter any merits they had in my eyes. So what is the big (deleted -- <Sam>)deal with these things? Is there some INCREDIBLE feature they have that I don't know about? Automatic target acquisition? DNA actuated trigger lock? What makes Sig Sauer so FRIGGIN' AWESOME?

 

[LRS_Ranger]

Excellent quality and reliability. We each have our pet models, although I do take advice like your friends with a grain of salt, as I don't trust people that tout one model to be the end all. I bought a Sig after my last deployment because I had the extra coin, and I wanted to see what it was all about. (And I don't like Glocks. So get the tar and feathers ready) I love it. The only gun I like better is the 1911. So to each their own, the bottom line being, if it fits you and you love it (and have the cash) then get it. The satisfaction you will have from having what you really love for years will offset the extra initial couple hundred bucks. But what better is time in the box than to debate all kinds of things, most of which aren't very high road... ;-)

 

[Voimakas]

Well, if you talk to my wife, she just LOVES the look of them. Aesthetically, Sigs push her buttons.

Which sucks for me since Sigs are so expensive. I asked her to find something else she liked and she found HK's website...

 

[GZOh]

SIGs are pure quality, accuracy and durability. One of the best metal-pistolas out there... PERIOD!!
The best you can do for yourself is get one of their 'classics'... the P226 , P229 or the P220 (.45)... and put a couple of hundred rounds thru each and see what YOU think!... Then let us know. Words are words... but until you shoot one of these babies, you'll never know.

 

[SOUTHPAW]

From all the great things I've heard, a Sig P220 just might be my next hi-dollar pistol. That is, if another 1911 doesn't follow me home again...

 

[BridgeTooFar]

Sigs are nice. I've owned two 239s, a 226SCT (which was "the cats butt" - a friend's way of saying "way awesome" that I've now somehow picked up), a 232, and a Mosquito. I've sold every one of them for just about what I paid for 'em.

I like their pistols a lot, but money's tight and with a baby on the way, they had to go as I've now put that money into other things (like a crib, paint for the nursery, etc.).

If I have the spare change around down the road a ways, I'll probably buy another 226SCT (presuming they still make them when that time comes), but as far as the "end all be all" of pistols, no way. They're great, but (in my experience and IMHO) there's plenty out there that's just as reliable, just as accurate, for less money.

 

[greyeyezz]

At one time Sigs were the Cadillac of handguns. Nowadays its quantity over quality. For the asking price there is much better options out there.

 

[LHshot]

The tolerances are very precise. Extremely smooth action. I also like the workmanlike, no-nonsense aesthetics of the basic p226.

 

[wbwanzer]

Here is my 229 in 9mm. It's one of my favorites. This model came with the FO front sight. I added the grips, which I've since taken off as they were a little too wide. It's just a solid gun that's a reliable shooter.

 

[Sam1911]

They have a reputation as a high-quality handgun.

Once upon a time they were just about as good an autoloader as you could buy -- if you had decided a 1911 wasn't for you.

Nowadays there are lots of competing designs that work just as well or better for a lot of people and usually for less money. A lot of the tech SIG still uses is distinctly stuck in the '70s-'80s. (DA/SA trigger, high bore axis, fatter than neccessary grip, and so on.)

But, as you've discovered, there are folks for whom a SIG is just THE gun. Some of those folks shoot them better than other designs and some just believe in the product, like the looks, and appreciate the experience of owning one.

Some folks love them. Some folks hate them. No pistol is "the end-all, be-all" of the handgun world.

 

[Voimakas]

And now Sigs make 1911 so you can own a Sig and a 1911 without buying more than one gun!

 

[JohnBT]

"They have a reputation as a high-quality handgun."

After buying an X-5 TAC I joined sigforum to learn about Sigs. I know, I know, backwards.

There is a great deal of hatred for the current made in America Sigs. Hatred, with pics and complaints. No pics of U.S. customer service workers, but they hate them too.

John

 

[Sam1911]

John ... Note that I said that in a very specific manner. "They have a reputation as..."

Just like every other manufacturer, they're either improving, or getting worse, or the best, or they suck, or they're just "meh" ... all depending on who you ask.

Anyone who will argue that they (or really any other gun) is "the END ALL BE ALL PISTOL EVER MADE," usually is long on opinion and advertising, and short on experience.

 

[rellascout]

At one time Sigs were the Cadillac of handguns. Nowadays its quantity over quality. For the asking price there is much better options out there.

+1 They were at one time the best DA/SA gun out there. Today not soooo much.

 

[texagun]

Sigs outstanding reputation is mostly based on their earlier German-made stamped slide guns which were supremely accurate and reliable. They usually command a premium in today's market.

 

[Gun Noob]

I wouldn't pay what they want for new ones. Their CPO guns are priced about right, IMO.

 

[schmeky]

I've had three, a 226/9, 226/40, and a 220/45. While I liked them, the Sig magic dust never came out of the muzzle and cast a mesmerizing spell on me.

Stamped sheet metal parts (and people complain about MIM), anodized aluminum frames that the slide eats through the finish virtually immediately, heavy DA pull, on and off QA/QC, so-so service, and the prices are no longer realistic. God forbid a spring or small part should break in the field (I believe Sigs are the guns people throw at other people in the movies), if so, you've lost your paddle.

You also better like the out-of-the-box trigger, if not, the vast majority will have to ship the pistol off for some pricey work.

Before anyone starts throwing A-Merc brass at me, this is just one persons opinion based on a 4 year period of Sig ownership. I like Sigs, I really do, but I can't think of any "be all end all" pistol for everybody.

Sig lovers (there's a lot of them out there) please don't be hatin' on me

 

[Pilot]

I don't like how they fit me nor how their controls are set up. Nice guns for sure and I've got a P228 that collects dust in my safe, and will probably get sold when I get around to it.

 

[Warner]

I've owned five Sigs over the years.

I currently have none.

They are of great quality. They are accurate and look great.

However . . .

1911 and Glock owners / shooters should know from experience how much pure GUNK can accumulate in the firing pin channel (or area) of autoloaders, and even after just a few range sessions. They know that because their weapons can easily strip down to provide access to that area for observation and cleaning. My Sigs never could; and that always concerned me no end.

Thus Sigs are not on my serious list of defensive handguns.

It's all about putting the odds in your favor and Murphy's Law.

W

 

[IMTHDUKE]

You goin get..."Their not worth the price" to "you get what you pay for opinions". Opinions are like elbows, everybody has em. The only way to know what "you" like and what fits "you" best is to fire one. I have a P230 I bought for my daughter and a P239 that I carry sometimes. To me they are not in a class of their own....but it doesn't take long to call the roll. To me their like HKs...I want another one. What can I say...I like your wife have expensive taste. Everyone chooses how and on what they want to spend their $.

 

[rellascout]

I don't like how they fit me nor how their controls are set up. Nice guns for sure and I've got a P228 that collects dust in my safe, and will probably get sold when I get around to it.

W. German? If so give me a call when you dust it off.

 

[Maelstrom]

I'm a 1911 dude and all three of mine are nice (Kimber, Detonics, STI) but my wife is in love with her Sig 220.

I'll admit, if I suddenly grew an opposition to single action autos I'd likely switch to Sig.

 

[saturno_v]

To me, the real appeal of SIG is their jewel like finishing...very impressive....if you want and care for that you have to pay.

Aesthetics is subjective...personally I'm not crazy for them nor I think they are ugly...they leave me indifferent.

I like much more the look of a Beretta 92/96 or my Bersa Thunder.

That said, I may soon consider purchasing a Mosquito to have a full featured 22 pistol.

I do shoot SIG often...I did not feel any difference in the ergonomics nor they were more accurate than my autoloader which cost less then half the price.

In life it's a matter of priorities and tastes.

 

[bg226]

The "big deal" is the DA/SA with decocker only that is sort of unique.

 

[easyg]

I think that Sigs are nice, but overpriced.
They are very accurate, very durable, and very robust handguns....but so are a lot of other guns that cost much less.
Sometimes you get what you pay for, but sometimes you just pay more for a name.

The "big deal" is the DA/SA with decocker only that is sort of unique.

Not really unique.
There are quite a few gun makers that offer pistols with DA/SA and decocker (Beretta, Ruger, CZ, and HK to name a few).