Got my Sig today - now I have questions

[baldeagle]

I got my Sig P226 today (used - $350)

It has some barrel wear

And some receiver wear. Does anybody have an idea how much use this wear indicates?

Also, I got two 15 round mags today that I ordered last week. The springs are much longer than the spring from the mag that came with the gun.

I can load fifteen rounds in the new mags, but it's not easy. In fact it's damn hard. The new mags are Mec-Gar made in Italy. The mag that came with the gun has Sig Sauer P226 engraved on one side. I don't see any other markings on it. I assume it's the original mag that came with the gun. What explains the difference in spring length? Would it be safe to cut off an inch or so of the new mag springs? Or will they weaken with use? Is the old mag spring too weak? Is it safe to shoot with it?

[Stupid]

Just a stupid guess. 1000 rounds maybe? I have a used 239 which has more wear but shoots like a charm. $350 is cheap though. I paid $500 for mine but it's a Sig certified one.

[jester]

What explains the difference in spring length?

It could be a worn out spring. It could be different manufacturers. What matters is if they work.

Is the old mag spring too weak? Is it safe to shoot with it?

It's safe for the shooting range. Only use will show if it's reliable enough to bet your life on.

[baldeagle]

$350 is cheap though. I paid $500 for mine but it's a Sig certified one.

Yeah, I know. I have a good friend who owns a pawn shop, and he sold me the gun for $350. Anyone else would have paid $459.

[WEC]

My guess is that the barrel is well used. I would call it 2000+ rounds. Sig "smiles" on the barrel happen with use of the barrel, and your barrel has a pretty solid band of them. That being said, there's no reason to believe that the gun won't perform well, and at $350, it's a very good deal. You can probably get a slightly used Sig factory barrel for just about $125, or a Bar-sto barrel (not factory but a very good barrel maker for Sigs) for a little cheaper than that. The slide and frame seem to be very nice. Mec-Gar is a well-known manufacturer of Sig magazines and AFAIK are held in good regard. Some Sig models come from the factory with Mec-Gar magazines (the P226 Blackwater Tactical's 20-round magazines come to mind). I wouldn't think cutting a coil or two off the spring would cause that much trouble but I would first consider oiling the mag spring and breaking it in a bit. Just IMHO, YMMV, FWIW, and other acronyms, of course. Overall though, I rate your buy an "A!"

[LittleGun]

Top Gun Supply had reasonable prices on Sig parts. Shipping is fast and customer service is excxellent.

http://www.topgunsupply.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BrianSW99]

Don't cut the magazine springs. You'll risk having problems feeding the ammo, particularly as you get to the end of the magazine, or it could cause it to not slide lock when empty. New magazines are almost always difficult to load to capacity, but that will get better with use. If loading the magazine becomes a problem, you could try one of these: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=952670" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brian

[G.A. Heath]

If I am not mistaken you can send your sig back to them for a around $50 and they will recondition it, install night sights (If it doesn't already have them), and when you get your gun back it will be in like new condition mechanically with no worries about things like wear.

EDIT: Just looked it up. Its actually $130, they replace worn springs, detail strip and inspect everything, install sights, lube and reassemble the gun, and return it in a factory case if you didn't already have a good one.

[Dave01]

If you want to see a barrel with "smiles" on it, you should see mine...lol. Your barrel is fine. That is minimal wear. It will, in fact, wear more than that with use. I agree it's probably in the 1-2K rounds.

I have the Mec-gar 15 round mags for my P226 as well as the Sig factory mags (I read somewhere that Mec-gar makes the Sig factor mags as well). I never bothered to pull the springs, but I assume mine are the same. All of my Sig mags function flawlessly. If it works, don't mess with it.

ETA: The 15 round mags have an extended base plate. They are physically longer than the 10 round mags. This would require a longer spring.

[GOP]

The wear looks minor. No way to tell how many rounds but right out of the box shows some wear.

[baldeagle]

I checked with Sig. The new Mec-Gar mags have "stronger" springs, according to their customer service rep, but the original mag should work fine. I counted the coils. The Mec-Gar mags have 13 coils whereas the original mag has 11. It's also compressed from use. I suspect the new mags will get easier to load with use, but I ordered the mag loader from Midway anyway.