Guys, I'm not new to guns but other than the stamped vs machined slide, exposed large extractor vs. internal extractor, and rail vs no rail, am not sure of the intricacies of the German P226 vs the American one. I don't usually shoot +P, and have never hung anything off a rail on a pistol. I do have a West German P220 .45acp and a German P232SL, but don't remember how the latter is marked.

Anyhow, I've always liked the P226 in 9mm and found a W. German one that seems to be in decent condition. Does the more modern one offer any advantages, and if so, what are they?

Thanks in advance!

No problems that I know about. I have own P220, P226 and P228 all W. German. They all perform as they should no matter what ammo I give them to eat, they just are workhorses. I bet my life on the P228 everyday, I think that says enough about the W. German weapons. The Americans may have fancy finishes and redone parts and higher prices but still older guns work and very well. Chris

Since you don't want a rail, definitely get the W. German, they'll only get harder to find. You can always add a modern version to the stable later.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Since you don't want a rail, definitely get the W. German, they'll only get harder to find. You can always add a modern version to the stable later.

I like your way of thinking! I also think it would fit in better with the BHP and CZ75B without the rail.

Still, are there any pros to the American one, other than finish and maybe slide parts availability?

When frames crack, where does it usually happen? The pics I'm seeing aren't great, they're phone pics.

Thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
Guys, I'm not new to guns but other than the stamped vs machined slide, exposed large extractor vs. internal extractor, and rail vs no rail, am not sure of the intricacies of the German P226 vs the American one. I don't usually shoot +P, and have never hung anything off a rail on a pistol. I do have a West German P220 .45acp and a German P232SL, but don't remember how the latter is marked.

Anyhow, I've always liked the P226 in 9mm and found a W. German one that seems to be in decent condition. Does the more modern one offer any advantages, and if so, what are they?

Thanks in advance!

The W. German / German camp - The old folded slide SIGs are the best guns ever made. They balance better than the US made stainless milled slide counterparts.

The US made SIG camp - Old technology are so passe. Folded slides rust at the first sight of sweat. Once-piece milled slides are stronger. Shoot +P all you want. Sweat scurry under rocks at the sight of stainless slides.

The don't care camp - Buy whatever you like.

12131, what camp do you fall under?

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
12131, what camp do you fall under?

The third one.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
12131, what camp do you fall under?

The third one.

I see; not much help, though...

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
12131, what camp do you fall under?

The third one.

I see; not much help, though...

Man, I already told you the reasons. What more help do you need? I have both kinds, and they all work fine. I have more W. German / German guns because I like them more. But, I'm not going to bash the US made guns because they are not Germans. I'll bash any guns that deserve bashing, German or US made.

Ok, now I got it! I've emailed the seller in an effort to buy it.

When the frames crack, where does it usually happen?

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
12131, what camp do you fall under?

The third one.

I'm with the chimp. I'll take either. I prefer railless guns, but have learned to get over it. If it's 22X and DA/SA I dig it.

I wouldn't worry about the thing cracking, if it does, you hit the unlucky lottery or used +P in it. Does it have mud rails? If so cracking is more of a possibility, but still unlikely.

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
When the frames crack, where does it usually happen?

Thanks!

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...400014624#5400014624

FYI- I think I worry about getting hit by a stray comet when I go outside than about SIG frame rail wear for all the reasons outlined in this thread.

What price and condition is it? I have two mint W. Germans I just got recently so I can give some feedback on current values at least here in the Mid-A.

I own and shoot the SIG Classic P series in both the stamped carbon steel slide models as well as the stainless steel slide models.

Parts wise, you may find that some of the older P226 slide parts may be more difficult to find but generally still available. One particular part that may be much harder to find are the grip frame bushings for the early P226 West German guns. I haven't looked recently, but in the past few years they have generally been out of stock and those few who are looking for them seem to be digging hard. If you are able to find a gun with good bushings and you take care not to damage them you really shouldn't need to locate any bushings...but I stocked up just in case several years ago. The accompanying grip screws for the bushing guns may also be more difficult to find. Also, and again I haven't checked recently, but the old style no-coil trigger bar springs may not be as easy to find. Supposedly they were more prone to breakage then the newer coiled design, but I've never had either style break to date.

There are a number of small differences in the way the P226 design evolved... barrel feed ramps, ejection port, nuances in slide shape, frame rail profiles, cartridge ramp, etc.. and I don't know if any of these will matter enough to you. I suppose you might want to check to see if you have a gun with the Chicago mod, but I've never come across one that didn't have it.

As mentioned earlier, the P226 with mud rails were slightly more prone to frame rail cracks. Especially if the gun saw a lot of use or a lot of +P. Personally, I wouldn't let that deter me from owning and shooting one, but something to be aware of. The general advice is keep the frame rails well lubed and avoid +P with the mud rail guns.

Finish wise I prefer the aesthetics to the early P226 with the blued-like finish (K Kote??) but, durability wise I think the newer Nitron finish, or many of the other finishes available are far superior to the early options.

The other feature that may be of interest to some are the various markings, if that holds any interest for you. Date codes, proof marks, vendor markings, departmental or government markings. They make no difference from a function stand point but, at least for me, add some interest to the gun.

If I had to boil it down, I'd say that the newer style P226 with stainless steel slides would be optimal for guns that see a lot of shooting, and the earlier stamped carbon steel slide guns just have a bit more character and historical interest.

I enjoy and shoot both.

I like west Germans with modern grips, sights, springs, triggers etc.

Remind me. What are mud rails referring to?

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by MG-70:
Guys, I'm not new to guns but other than the stamped vs machined slide, exposed large extractor vs. internal extractor, and rail vs no rail, am not sure of the intricacies of the German P226 vs the American one. I don't usually shoot +P, and have never hung anything off a rail on a pistol. I do have a West German P220 .45acp and a German P232SL, but don't remember how the latter is marked.

Anyhow, I've always liked the P226 in 9mm and found a W. German one that seems to be in decent condition. Does the more modern one offer any advantages, and if so, what are they?

Thanks in advance!

The W. German / German camp - The old folded slide SIGs are the best guns ever made. They balance better than the US made stainless milled slide counterparts.

The US made SIG camp - Old technology are so passe. Folded slides rust at the first sight of sweat. Once-piece milled slides are stronger. Shoot +P all you want. Sweat scurry under rocks at the sight of stainless slides.

The don't care camp - Buy whatever you like.

What about the I don't care as long as it does not have a long external extractor?

I'll get burned at the stake for this heresy but I must confess that the reason it took me 20+ years as a shooter to try a SIG was due to my distrust of the folded slide design. I had a fundamental dislike of how "cheap" it seemed. In fact, I came very close to buying one of those Astra clones just because it came with a milled slide (and ambidextrous controls).

When I finally dipped my toes in the pool, it was with a 229, based solely on what I considered to be the upgraded slide design. I have subsequently come to own versions of each, including both long and short extractor versions of the milled slide. In my experience, they all work just fine. The only extractor issue I have had was with an internal one on a P226.

TL;DR version: Either will work. The older version will be less available and thus harder to find if you don't get it now.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Remind me. What are mud rails referring to?

Mud rails were an early design spawned by the military trials. Instead of a solid rail, it has scallops in it.

Simple solution to this question... Get one of each.