So there was a brief run of the P228 with a railed German frame? I’d honestly rather have that than a current production P229R 9mm.

Does anyone have one? Mind telling me what you paid? How does it shoot compared to the P229 milled slide (if you have that data point).

I have one, I got it new many years ago.
Think it was $800 or $900 area

I have rarely shot it, been over a decade
But also remember liking it better than the p229

These were released in 2009 and 2011. It's just a P228 upper on top of the old P229(9) lower with rail. While it's not as common as the non-rail P228, it's not rare as a group. What do I mean by that? There are three variants of the P228R, listed below in ascending order of "rarity" (i.e., the least common is variant 3).

1. Most of these 2009 guns are just plain Jane P228Rs, with single serial number on the frame and nowhere else. The major parts were made in Germany, but final assembly was done here. Hence, no German proof marks.

2. Some 2009 guns had the “US" "M11” on the frame’s right side etched out. These “US" "M11” guns were never officially adopted by any US military outfits, despite unverifiable claims (mostly by sellers) on the internet that they were military contract overrun. The fact that they don't have corrosion resistant phosphate small parts and no "MP" on slide, breech block, barrel and locking insert lends support to the no official military adoption theory. "MP" = Magnetically Particle inspected to detect microscopic defects. The real story of the "US" "M11" P228R remains a mystery. This variant was also US assembled from German parts, has single serial on frame and no proof marks, like variant 1 above.

3. The 2010 guns, date code BA, were made, assembled and proofed in Germany, and have triple serial numbers (on frame, slide, barrel). These were imported by SIG NH and sold in 2011.

As to how it shoots, it shoots just like any other P228. And, comparing it to the real P229 (original or newer 229-1 version), some folks will tell you the P228 feels and shoots better, while others will say they shoot the same. There seems to be more folks in the former camp. To me, the P228 will always look like the king, but shooting wise, they are the same.

Here's mine, Serial number starts with B

http://rconnelly.com/sig228r.png

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:...
2. Some 2009 guns had the “US" "M11” on the frame’s right side etched out. ...

My suspicion is that the frames may have been mis-marked (rollmarked) with the "M11" and it was caught before assembly, and why they were "etched over".

Perhaps as the frames were incorrectly introduced as a "P228 Frame SKU/component" in the assembly of actual M11 (P228 non-railed) production, a number of frames were roll marked, realized to be incorrect for the Mil-Spec, so they were pulled, etched over, before they were ever assembled into functioning lower with "pencil marked" components, and then "assembled as run-offs" in the iteration we saw hit the market.
(Since leftover parts were being shipped from SIG DE to SIG USA part mix up is not unheard of in manufacturing/assembly)

Rather than destroying the frames.

According to a SIG CS Super I corresponded with several years ago, they had an overrun of about a thousand P229 railed frames, so they made the P228R out of those. So, it's not a mistake. As to how many "M11"Rs were made, and what military affiliation, he just said that info is "unavailable to the commercial matket", just that "the us and m11 were stippled out for commercial purposes".

I meant the mistake as only pertaining to the M11 ending up with a railed frame.

As the M11 pistols were never intended as railed versions, (unless there was an order/contract for M11 "railed" that may have been cancelled during production) the railed frames may have simply been put into the M11 production line as "P228" frames by someone not paying attention. (once they were "OK'd" for P228R run-off).

Example. M11 line needs frames, someone grabs a basket/pallet of frames listed as "P228" and puts them on the line.
They end up being the P228R frames not P228 non-railed frames.

(having been in manufacturing and production and observed all manner of screw ups by people)

It really doesn't matter how they came into existence, I was offering a hypothetical thought.

Well, someone other than myself snagged the one Inwas eyeing in Gunbroker for a buy it now price of $599.99. After shipping, tax, and transfer, it would have run me about $700 OTD. Oh well. Guess I’ll keep my eye out for the next one. I really want a nice P228 but the railed version is one I wasn’t aware of and now it’s officially on my list of Sigs to own.