Is it better to grease or oil the takedown lever? It is extremely tight.... or do you have a better idea?

The lever may be to tight due to the o-ring and Nitron finish. It's not uncommon with some pistols. You can contact SIG to see what they say.

I simply used a (green) 3M Scotch pad and lightly scuffed off some of the Nitron on the shaft, then applied a liberal amount of grease/oil and worked it a few times. Problem solved.

I used a tiny drop of something called Slip 2000, I believe, and it loosened up. I now include that in my cleaning routine.

Thanks for the tips..

To get the take down lever to turn properly I have to wiggle the guide rod, if it's not in the correct position or tilted slightly the lever won't turn.

quote:

I used a tiny drop of something called Slip 2000

Same here

If it's hard to start, jiggle the guide rod. Something binds a bit sometimes. If it's hard in the middle/towards the end, that's it engaging the mag safety. Just gotta live with it.