Does anybody know how many of these were made? I've heard 2,000 but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

I think 2000, I thought that was etched on the slides? I should go look. But there were 2 versions; the regular and one that had some engraving so is that 2,000 for both or 2,000 of each version?

I’m guessing that the number may be significantly higher. There was a big push of them, and were available for quite sometime. So much so that the price had dropped as low as $649 at one point. Some members on another forum were even buying 2-3 of them at that point. I think that Sig overestimated their demand for them when they were produced.

Yeah. Kicking myself for not grabbing one when they were sub-$800.

They're not worth a premium IMO.

The one without the billboard is no different than any other short-extractor P226 without a rail, of which there are plenty on the secondhand market. The one with the billboard gives you no way of knowing how many were actually made because each one says "1 of 2000" instead of the actual number.

All you're left with after that is a replica yellow box.

quote:

Originally posted by Vgex:
Yeah. Kicking myself for not grabbing one when they were sub-$800.

I was immediately attracted to them when they were introduced at what, $1,200? But I talked myself out of buying one because I just didn't "need" any more handguns plus I already had a 226 Navy. After some time I saw a discussion here about them being sold for $850, then $799, then $749. I thought even after adding $25 shipping and $25 transfer it was only $800 all in (no sales tax here on guns). That was just too good a price to me to resist for a new P226 especially since they didn't have rails.

Handled one at a local store. Seemed like a nice gun. I understand that these new repros have aluminum grip panels instead of the plastic originals. Was anything wrong with the plastic ones?

The molds for those grip panels are probably long gone.

Yeah, the last time the P226 wore those original non-logo checkered plastic grips was 30 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
I think 2000, I thought that was etched on the slides? I should go look.....

I just looked and there isn't any marking on my 40th Anniversary referencing 2,000 being made.
Now the later release "CE" versions have 40th ANNIVERSARY etched on the slide also with 1 of 2000 etched under that. I guess that means there were 2,000 of the engraved "CE Commemorative Edition 40th anniversary" versions and who knows how many non-CE versions.

quote:

40th ANNIVERSARY

Whether there’s such a billboard or not, they are both 40th anniversary P226, with the non-billboard gun released first. Personally, I’d rather have the cleaner version.

I just stopped into the my regional fun store and they have 3 used ones in stock. One billboard gun that looked new/unfurled they were asking around $850 they had 2 no billboard guns that looked gently used for $750 I’m sure they will go lower. Because they have had these 3 Sigs for a long time. I only like folded sheet metal Sigs so these new ones don’t interest me at all.

When did Sig quit making the sheet metal slides, 25 years ago?

For folded slide SIGs, the last P225 came out in 2010, the P226 in 2011, the P220 in 2012 and the P228 in 2013.

Thanks I couldn't remember, I was thinking around 2004-5 so off 10 years.

^^^You're not way off.

In the US specifically, once the P226 and P220 switched to milled slides, their folded slide predecessors became pretty sporadic and disappeared almost entirely. The P228 was the only folded slide holdout and was the last one to be "made" (assembled) here regularly, which I believe ended in 2005.

All folded slide SIGs after that year were just occasional runs and/or occasional imports from Germany.

^^^ Correct. Doesn’t change what I said above. They were the last ones.

The lack of an optic cut is probably a turn-off for many folks, Retro style notwithstanding.