SIG 229 R ...advice needed ASAP
- Thread starter tac223
- Start date
What do you mean "nobody touches Sigs"?
The gunsmith from TSE is Swiss, IIRC. I've got $10 that he knows more about Sigs then the next 100 people to reply to this thread (myself included)
229 parts are available, you just need to know where to order them from or who to order them through. The 229 itself is one of the finest defensive handguns in the world, and I've never heard of this "takedown pin" issue you speak of.
I'd buy with confidence.
The gunsmith from TSE is Swiss, IIRC. I've got $10 that he knows more about Sigs then the next 100 people to reply to this thread (myself included)
229 parts are available, you just need to know where to order them from or who to order them through. The 229 itself is one of the finest defensive handguns in the world, and I've never heard of this "takedown pin" issue you speak of.
I'd buy with confidence.
I have a P226R and a P229. Quality is excellent for the long term.
The only issues are repeated dry firing (thousands) may result in a broken firing pin so the use of a snap cap is recommended. Thats advice from the factory, and yes I have had one broken and seen others broken as well.
also advice from the factory is to not use the "over the top" method of racking the slide as the downward pressure on the slide causes the sides of the bottom of the feed ramp to be pinched. They recommend racking the slide with the your fingers pinching the rear of the slide.
These are issues that are sometimes seen in thousands of examples and are no different then the idiosyncracies that any firearm has. Also, they will only manifest themselves after serious and repeated long term use.
The only issues are repeated dry firing (thousands) may result in a broken firing pin so the use of a snap cap is recommended. Thats advice from the factory, and yes I have had one broken and seen others broken as well.
also advice from the factory is to not use the "over the top" method of racking the slide as the downward pressure on the slide causes the sides of the bottom of the feed ramp to be pinched. They recommend racking the slide with the your fingers pinching the rear of the slide.
These are issues that are sometimes seen in thousands of examples and are no different then the idiosyncracies that any firearm has. Also, they will only manifest themselves after serious and repeated long term use.
Sig pistols are all great, But why are you going with a 229? The 226 is a better range pistol due to the longer sight radius.
The only problem they had was afew pistol had defective takedown levers which had loose rivets. They have fixed the problem, so no worries.
As for anything else breaking "good luck I have seen pistol with 30000 rds through them with out a falure". I would replace the recoil spring every 5000 rds though.
The only problem they had was afew pistol had defective takedown levers which had loose rivets. They have fixed the problem, so no worries.
As for anything else breaking "good luck I have seen pistol with 30000 rds through them with out a falure". I would replace the recoil spring every 5000 rds though.
The 29 is easily one of the best things going in handguns IMHO. I wouldn't really worry about the parts that much. I have a whole drawer full of SIG parts, "just in case", and have not really used them - other than replacing the recoil spring every 5,000 rounds, and one time I lost a grip screw.
All the "Classic" SIGs are extremely durable. They do show wear more than something like a GLOCK, but that is just cosmetic. The guns themselves keep functioning as designed for a very long time. I have what must be close to 20,000 rounds through a 29, and it still works perfectly. I was just shooting it yesterday afternoon. Accuracy is just as good as ever, never really had any malfunctions with it (other than ammo related stuff, not gun problems). It takes 10 or 20 thousands rounds before you get an appreciation of how durable they really are. The finish wears on the barrel, and the finish on the frame can get nicked up. The finish on the rails wears a bit too. Make sure to use some kind of grease on the rails.
There have been some reports (on the net, for what that is worth) of the firing pin positioning pin breaking if you dry fire a lot (tens of thousands of times) with no snap cap. I have never seen this myself, but the firing pin positioning pin is not as hard to change as people claim. You need a 3mm cup tip punch (available at Brownells) and a bit of skill, but it is not that bad. The firing pin positioning pin is part of the "Parts Kits" they sell at Questar and other places. You get extra grip screws and a recoil spring in there as well. The other springs it comes with are pretty much just in case you lose them (in my view). If you can wear out your trigger bar return spring or you de-cocker spring, then you are one seriously long term user of your SIG!
In terms of no gunsmiths working on SIGs... I don't know, you can do it yourself anyway. Buy the SIG amourer's DVD. That pretty much explains it all. SIG Classics are not all that hard to completely disassemble. If it is a catastropic failure of the slide, frame or barrel (which is unlikely) there isn't really anything a gunsmith can do for you anyway. Everything else is a part change.
Buy the gun. Shoot it and enjoy. It is one of the best on the market. Buy a parts kit if you like. Other than the recoil spring you won't need much of it.
Also, on the accuracy of different models, having owned and shot just about all of them, there is no perceptable difference between 26's, 28's, and 29's. I would even extend that to the 39's. The P230/232-type guns are less accurate, and the famous 210 is of course more accurate (everything about those from the trigger on up is completely different than wha we think of as a "SIG" though). The X5's are also a little more accurate. Among the standard SIGs though, they are all about the same. It just depends on what feel you prefer. I prefer the 29's and the 28's as I think the "handling" and controllability is better than the bigger guns. Similarly I prefer the P2000 to the USP, the GLOCK 19 to every other GLOCK, etc., etc. YMMV Every shooter is a bit different.
All the "Classic" SIGs are extremely durable. They do show wear more than something like a GLOCK, but that is just cosmetic. The guns themselves keep functioning as designed for a very long time. I have what must be close to 20,000 rounds through a 29, and it still works perfectly. I was just shooting it yesterday afternoon. Accuracy is just as good as ever, never really had any malfunctions with it (other than ammo related stuff, not gun problems). It takes 10 or 20 thousands rounds before you get an appreciation of how durable they really are. The finish wears on the barrel, and the finish on the frame can get nicked up. The finish on the rails wears a bit too. Make sure to use some kind of grease on the rails.
There have been some reports (on the net, for what that is worth) of the firing pin positioning pin breaking if you dry fire a lot (tens of thousands of times) with no snap cap. I have never seen this myself, but the firing pin positioning pin is not as hard to change as people claim. You need a 3mm cup tip punch (available at Brownells) and a bit of skill, but it is not that bad. The firing pin positioning pin is part of the "Parts Kits" they sell at Questar and other places. You get extra grip screws and a recoil spring in there as well. The other springs it comes with are pretty much just in case you lose them (in my view). If you can wear out your trigger bar return spring or you de-cocker spring, then you are one seriously long term user of your SIG!
In terms of no gunsmiths working on SIGs... I don't know, you can do it yourself anyway. Buy the SIG amourer's DVD. That pretty much explains it all. SIG Classics are not all that hard to completely disassemble. If it is a catastropic failure of the slide, frame or barrel (which is unlikely) there isn't really anything a gunsmith can do for you anyway. Everything else is a part change.
Buy the gun. Shoot it and enjoy. It is one of the best on the market. Buy a parts kit if you like. Other than the recoil spring you won't need much of it.
Also, on the accuracy of different models, having owned and shot just about all of them, there is no perceptable difference between 26's, 28's, and 29's. I would even extend that to the 39's. The P230/232-type guns are less accurate, and the famous 210 is of course more accurate (everything about those from the trigger on up is completely different than wha we think of as a "SIG" though). The X5's are also a little more accurate. Among the standard SIGs though, they are all about the same. It just depends on what feel you prefer. I prefer the 29's and the 28's as I think the "handling" and controllability is better than the bigger guns. Similarly I prefer the P2000 to the USP, the GLOCK 19 to every other GLOCK, etc., etc. YMMV Every shooter is a bit different.
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RE: chambering " something to consider
p226 in 9
Never heard of that over the "over the top " racking as being problem ! but if there's even a chance of loosening the receiver ,( im guessing that's end result ),i may have to pay more attention to racking with thumb and forefinger .
p226 in 9
I love my Sig 229, some Sigs have had issues with takedown levers breaking, apparently they used MIM parts for them. If it breaks the factory will send you another one. You might have an issue with the aftermarket barrel competing in IPSC, not sure how IPDA deals with this isse.
They did not break, the revit just became loose. Which caused the lever to spin freely and not letting you be able to take it apart. If this does happen take a centre punch and stake the rivet, allowing it to hold so you can then take the pistol apart and replace the part.
Shooters,
Thank you very much for your educated insight towards Sigs. This makes the purchase much easier. As a result of your input, I have purchased the Sig 229R in question.
I really appreciate your opinions and suggestions since purchasing a firearm or any warranty work is a pain (I did it once with a Marlin 1894 lever action gun, the ejector and breech face were poorly machined and upon closer detailed inspection aka a complete disassembly that determined metal shavings ???? were in the firing pin channel....took 4 months to get the gun back home after doing alledged easy 'return to the store/factory repair'.....
Range report to follow, I am guessing in 2 weeks!
All the best and keep your powder dry.
Thank you very much for your educated insight towards Sigs. This makes the purchase much easier. As a result of your input, I have purchased the Sig 229R in question.
I really appreciate your opinions and suggestions since purchasing a firearm or any warranty work is a pain (I did it once with a Marlin 1894 lever action gun, the ejector and breech face were poorly machined and upon closer detailed inspection aka a complete disassembly that determined metal shavings ???? were in the firing pin channel....took 4 months to get the gun back home after doing alledged easy 'return to the store/factory repair'.....
Range report to follow, I am guessing in 2 weeks!
All the best and keep your powder dry.
Sig makes some of the highest quality pistols in the world.
Sig P229 does not have a takedown pin....unless you are referring to the takedown lever, which (a) does not need replacement and (b) would be very easy to replace even if it did.
Any decent gunsmith should be able to work on Sigs. There is nothing particularly complicated about these guns.
You absolutely will not go wrong with a Sig P229. It isn't the most amazing pistol I've ever shot. I prefer the CZ SP01 Shadow or a well tuned 1911. The 229 is a fantastic pistol and in my books is in my top five of my all-time favourite pistols... and I've shot a lot of pistols. I'm a very discerning customer and if I worked for the O.P.P. I'd be DAMN proud to be carrying a 229 as my sidearm.
Oh, jeez, whatever you do, DON'T BUY A P229!!!one!!!exclamation!!!I bought one and one time I was cleaning it, it had up to about 8000 rounds through it at the time and I messed up and kinked the recoil spring. THE SPRING ONLY LASTED ANOTHER 2000 rounds after that! Absolutley no durability!
I say stay away from SIGS! If you want a good, no a great competition gun, buy a Norinco NP-34 instead.
I bought one and one time I was cleaning it, it had up to about 8000 rounds through it at the time and I messed up and kinked the recoil spring. THE SPRING ONLY LASTED ANOTHER 2000 rounds after that! Absolutley no durability!
I say stay away from SIGS! If you want a good, no a great competition gun, buy a Norinco NP-34 instead.
Hey, does you Norinco walk on water too?
If you want to check if your firing pin is broken then you can do two things.
First, with the slide disassembled, slap it against your hand with the breech face forward. The momentum will slide the broken tip of the firing pin out of the breech face and you will see it sticking out. If it doesn't, no worries.
The second test is to depress the firing pin safety (nomenclature?) on the slide, then push the firing pin through until it extends outside of the breech face and examine the tip.
I detected a broken firing pin on my own firearm by the first test, although it still operated fine.
I also saw a Sig P229 fail to feed for a few rounds and when I examined it, I completed the first test again and the tip of the firing pin came through the breech face and remained there.
First, with the slide disassembled, slap it against your hand with the breech face forward. The momentum will slide the broken tip of the firing pin out of the breech face and you will see it sticking out. If it doesn't, no worries.
The second test is to depress the firing pin safety (nomenclature?) on the slide, then push the firing pin through until it extends outside of the breech face and examine the tip.
I detected a broken firing pin on my own firearm by the first test, although it still operated fine.
I also saw a Sig P229 fail to feed for a few rounds and when I examined it, I completed the first test again and the tip of the firing pin came through the breech face and remained there.
