Hello,

I have recently picked up a German-made 1994 P220 to go with my P220 Stainless Elite and my P226 Nitron.

Considering the caliber of the '94 P220 [.38Super], I plan on using a 9mm barrel in it, and keeping my .22lr conversion on it most of the time. In other words, I'll be removing the slide more often than 'normal' cleanings.

I noticed that the take-down lever is very flat, as opposed to those on my P-series from this century.

I am considering swapping to a modern take down lever that has more of a 'lip' to it, as this is a shooter, not a collectible gun [for me]. IF I did this, I would keep the parts with the gun for future resale- so that it is possible to go back to the original condition.

I've already tossed in the SRT kit and plan on using the E2 grips [as I DO like them better].

I even found another replacement 8mm steel trigger and ground the face down to make it a bit of a shorter reach than the factory one [short triggers aren't available anymore for this 8mm trigger].

I have the original 8mm wide trigger and other parts in a bag.

So- this is already a non-original configuration pistol.

What I am wondering is if there is any DISADVANTAGE to swapping the takedown lever, beyond collectability?

Question:
Should I put a 'modern' P220 takedown lever in my 1994 German P220? [please read my message- and answer the followup question of if there is any disadvantage to doing so, in my situation.]

Choices:
Yes- swap that lever out!
No- never change it from original!

 

You said it’s a shooter, not a museum piece. If you want to swap out the takedown lever, go right ahead. You could always put it back to original.

The early-style takedown lever is probably a better quality part, but really, it’s not a big deal.

As long as you keep the original parts, it doesn't matter, since we're talking about a part which can be swapped quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
As long as you keep the original parts, it doesn't matter, since we're talking about a part which can be swapped quickly.

I agree.

I actually prefer the flat style but Para is spot on. As long as you keep the original it really doesn't matter if you change to the new style.

While Armorycraft makes one more in the style of the X-Six, as I understand it, the more desirable Sig model has a bullseye (?) stamping on the right side.

quote:

I plan on using a 9mm barrel in it, and keeping my .22lr conversion on it most of the time.

Hope that works for you, it won't work for my .38 Super and P220 .22 conversion kit.

Thanks for the support on the take down lever, everyone!

Stiab- what doesn't work for your .38Super and P220 conversion kit?

Is it the 9mm barrel/magazine combo that doesn't work in your .38Super? I know from my 1911 that sometimes the extractor needs to be modified to work with both, or it will cause feed issues/extraction issues.

What type of issue are you having? PM me if you prefer, but I'd appreciate any insight you can share.

quote:

Originally posted by bczrx:
Hello,

I plan on keeping my .22lr conversion on it most of the time. In other words, I'll be removing the slide more often than 'normal' cleanings.

My Father got a 22lr conversion slide years ago....for his West German P220

Could never it get it to work properly...consistently.

He recently sent it to Sig because he was having so many problems.

They gave him a new milled steal slide for the trouble. (The 22lr slide was not shipped back...)


I find the newer takedown levers are easier to work (clearly), but there is something nice about original.

quote:

Originally posted by bczrx:
Hello,

I have recently picked up a German-made 1994 P220 to go with my P220 Stainless Elite and my P226 Nitron.

Considering the caliber of the '94 P220 [.38Super], I plan on using a 9mm barrel in it, and keeping my .22lr conversion on it most of the time. In other words, I'll be removing the slide more often than 'normal' cleanings.

I noticed that the take-down lever is very flat, as opposed to those on my P-series from this century.

I am considering swapping to a modern take down lever that has more of a 'lip' to it, as this is a shooter, not a collectible gun [for me]. IF I did this, I would keep the parts with the gun for future resale- so that it is possible to go back to the original condition.

I've already tossed in the SRT kit and plan on using the E2 grips [as I DO like them better].

I even found another replacement 8mm steel trigger and ground the face down to make it a bit of a shorter reach than the factory one [short triggers aren't available anymore for this 8mm trigger].

I have the original 8mm wide trigger and other parts in a bag.

So- this is already a non-original configuration pistol.

What I am wondering is if there is any DISADVANTAGE to swapping the takedown lever, beyond collectability?

If it's going to be a shooter changing the lever is a good idea along with changing the recoil spring.

If the guns round count is greater than the recommended life of the recoil spring, the takedown lever winds up taking a beating and will eventually break if the RSA is not changed.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig M11:

My Father got a 22lr conversion slide years ago....for his West German P220

Could never it get it to work properly...consistently.

He recently sent it to Sig because he was having so many problems.

They gave him a new milled steal slide for the trouble. (The 22lr slide was not shipped back...)


I find the newer takedown levers are easier to work (clearly), but there is something nice about original.

Interesting.

Do you remember what type of issues he was having? Inconsistent ignition? Poor cycling? Erratic ejection? all of the above?

I have no issues with my .22lr P220 conversion kit on my other P220, and got it working reliably on my P226. If it doesn't work on the .38Super German P220, I will not send it in to get it fixed- noted.

I wonder what they would send me if I DID send it in? A .45acp upper and locking block and slide stop/ejector? After all, they really can't send me anything for the .38Super upper or even a 9mm upper for my P220.

But, I don't want to sacrifice my .22lr conversion kit.

quote:

Originally posted by HCM:

If it's going to be a shooter changing the lever is a good idea along with changing the recoil spring.

If the guns round count is greater than the recommended life of the recoil spring, the takedown lever winds up taking a beating and will eventually break if the RSA is not changed..

I did some reading and found that the .38Super recoil spring used a 14 lb spring in the mid 1990s, but they are stiffer now. I sourced a 15lb spring and will swap it in.

However, this pistol looks like it was in a safe for its entire life. I don't see enough wear marks to lead me to believe it has fired over 500 rounds.

Yet, it sat with that 14lb spring under tension for 27 years.

I'm going to swap the spring- that is for sure.

I am just trying to figure out why the folded slide german made P220 in .38 or 9mm [plus the Browning BDA in .45acp] had a recoil spring rating of 14, the early P220 in .45 had a recoil spring rated at 15lbs, and the modern P220 .45 has a recoil spring of 20lbs.

Is it because the 20lb RSA is paired with a 20lb hammer spring, but the 14lb RSA was paired with a 24lb hammer spring?

^^^Well for one, the 'modern P220' Slide is a milled from one piece of stainless steel vs. the folded carbon steel of the 'early p220', so it's heavier. Also, it should be noted that the KE (1994) W.German P220 featured an upgraded (beefier) frame compared to the previous version (specifically in the area that supports the locking insert), so SIG apparently saw the need to improve the durability of the P220 in order to ensure 'To hell and back reliability'.

Put another way, it's just another example of continuous improvement...

Also, the fact that your P220 sat (in a safe?) 'with that recoil spring under tension for 27 years' should have little if any impact on the life the Recoil Spring. Only round count will impact it's service life.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
^^^Well for one, the 'modern P220' Slide is a milled from one piece of stainless steel vs. the folded carbon steel of the 'early p220', so it's heavier. Also, it should be noted that the KE (1994) W.German P220 featured an upgraded (beefier) frame compared to the previous version (specifically in the area that supports the locking insert), so SIG apparently saw the need to improve the durability of the P220 in order to ensure 'To hell and back reliability'.

Put another way, it's just another example of continuous improvement...

Also, the fact that your P220 sat (in a safe?) 'with that recoil spring under tension for 27 years' should have little if any impact on the life the Recoil Spring. Only round count will impact it's service life.

Thank you.

Yet, if the folded steel slide is lighter, wouldn't it need a stiffer recoil spring to control the weight- compared to a heavier slide that could use a lighter spring- since the recoil impulse has to overcome the static weight difference?

But, if it was ok with the 15lb RSA in .45 in 1995, why did it need to jump to a 20lb RSA with the heavier slide? The heavier slide will be more resistance to begin with. It makes more sense to me to have a 20lb RSA with a lighter slide, and a 15lb RSA with the heavier slide.

3.5" 1911 Officer's pistols have heavier RSAs than 5" 1911 GI pistols [22lb vs 16lb]. Admittedly, maybe we should use the Commander 4.25 vs GI 5" comparison [18 vs 16], but- the principle is the same: lighter slide = heavier recoil spring.

Kind of like how a P226 uses a different spring weight than a P229, as the 229 has a lighter slide? [15 vs 16, in 9mm]

I ordered the 15lb spring as that is what the P226 uses for 9mm, and it seemed a 1lb bump up might be wise if I plan on lightening the hammer spring for better trigger feel. After all- this IS a .38Super, with a 9mm barrel- not a .45acp.


I was aware that the 1994 frame was upgraded, but don't know how that would affect a .22lr conversion kit on top.

At one time Numrich had new Iafalon TD levers for like <$20. Might not have even been that much. I switched all my TD levers over. I kept the originals in the SIG cases. Just as I did when I switched to Bedair guide rods. I just like the looks of the newer TDL. And since the colors of the frames have varied over the years it’s not real noticeable. Not that I’ve ever had a problem with the older style, i just like the bump look. And it seems just a little easier to use them.
It’s your firearm, do what you want.