Anything specific to watch for in an older Sig P220?

[Rate_of_Twist]

I just put a deposit on a school bus.... a Sig P220. Never found them interesting but I came across a all German, 1994 with all the correct German proof marks and matching serial numbers with its original box for a great deal.

The trigger in both double and single action is better than any of the NH produced off the shelf P220's I've experienced with a very short and smooth double action (seems much shorter than others I've shot)

Some light holster wear on the slide, frame and rails are like new, barrel has some polishing.

I'm not sure why I want this gun, as all of my pistols have become carry/practical firearms in 9mm only

Am I making a mistake? Anything to watch out for?

 

[FPrice]

I am not really a Sig "expert" but I have owned a bunch of them. To the best of my knowledge there are no known defects or flaws to watch out for. Just check the overall condition, see if the controls work as they should, and other things you would normally look at when buying a used firearm.

Oh, there is one "thing". Sigs have been known to multiply inside of locked safes, just sayin'.

Disclaimer: I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express once.

 

[92G]

dude the P220 is one of the finest pistols i've ever fired. i love mine. not sure why. it only holds 8, high bore axis, kinda heavy, etc. and yet I freaking love shooting it. the P220 and CZ 97 are my two favorite hammer fired .45's.

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Am I making a mistake? Anything to watch out for?

not making a mistake unless the pistol is a POS. overall the P220's haven't had the build issues of the P226 and P229's. sig hasn't screwed up the P220 nearly as much. the older slides are folded with an internal extractor. those are a little more collector-ish. the newer builds have short external extractor with which I have had flawless function in something like 4k rounds.

the P220's also seem to hold up to heavy use. not sure if this is due to lower pressure of the 45acp round or what, but they seem to do well over time.

if it's a 1994 production it's probably going to have a folded slide with insert at the breech face. one of those i would be more inclined to keep as a collector and not really shoot it too much.

 

[Rate_of_Twist]

It certainly is a 1994, breech faceis removable and extractor is internal. It may have some collector value, but I guess I'm buying it to shoot, carry, and generally shoot the heck out of. I liked the trigger which is rare for me with any DA Sig. I'm trading for essentially only my time/ labor so there is only a little bit of out of pocket expense on the $500 price tag

CZ 97 or 41MOS would be slightly more in line with what I would typically want, but this one is just calling to me I guess

 

[FPrice]

I highly doubt that it has any collector value. But $500 is a pretty good price.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

I highly doubt that it has any collector value. But $500 is a pretty good price.

Sounds like it is worth $500 to a collector

 

[FPrice]

Sounds like it is worth $500 to a **DRB**

FIFY

 

[Asaltweapon]

I love mine. Almost bought a second in mint condition but convinced my buddy to buy it instead. 500 is a great price for a clean 220. If you don't like it I'll be happy to take it off your hands for the same number.

 

[JMC Arms]

Worn anodizing on the frame rails from the slide is about the only issue you need to take a look for. Other than that they seem to run forever.

 

[DrBurnsides]

Are the standard 220 barrels chrome lined? Or just that ridiculously hard heat treated steel .

 

[Gammon]

One potential problem is that the frame rails on SIG alloy frames can develop cracks with extended use. The last I heard, this problem is not covered by a warranty.

 

[Rate_of_Twist]

One potential problem is that the frame rails on SIG alloy frames can develop cracks with extended use. The last I heard, this problem is not covered by a warranty.

I thought frame cracking was primarily on older 1980's vintage 9mm models.... Is that not the case?

 

[FPrice]

I did some googling and found this on the Sig Talk forum:

There were some EARLY P220's with mud rails that did crack. When the mud rails went away years ago - so did the cracks.

Forget it unless you somehow manage to locate one of those older P220's that someone is even willing to sell - no, neither of mine are for sale - and you want it to shoot thousands of rounds from it. Note that the cracked ones were all WELL used before there was an issue.

Now, I do not know what "mud rails" are but it seems like this may have been an early problem which went away.

Okay just took my own advice and googled "mud rails". They were scalloped cut-outs in some early Sig rails to allow dirt and mud to escape more easily.

Google can be your friend.

 

[MP-In-The-Wind]

One potential problem is that the frame rails on SIG alloy frames can develop cracks with extended use. The last I heard, this problem is not covered by a warranty.

YES, that is true. I had an early 90s Sig 226... round count ~15K rails cracked.... Sig did not cover that in warranty!

 

[M60]

I have a couple of these 220's. One is a factory nickel .45acp and the other is a .38 super. Both have been great guns since I got them new, but haven't had much use at all. Never fired the .38 super but have been considering it lately. The .45acp is a tack driver for some reason.

 

[jaypap]

I also had two West Germany 220's from that time frame. Never a problem and both were very accurate.

 

[John4166]

I sometimes get light strikes on the primer on my 2001 p220. A new spring might fix it, havent got around to replacing it yet

 

[Asaltweapon]

I have a couple of these 220's. One is a factory nickel .45acp and the other is a .38 super. Both have been great guns since I got them new, but haven't had much use at all. Never fired the .38 super but have been considering it lately. The .45acp is a tack driver for some reason.

I've stated many times that I love my 220 in .45acp and agree that it is a tack driver. Now a .38 Super has my interests. Might need to look for one of those just because.

 

[rebut]

The (early) frame problems on the P220 were fixed in 1993 (approximate serial #211300) when Sig added some material to the right side of the frame, I believe above/in front of the grip panel near the trigger. If yours is a 1994 P220 that issue is moot unless, upon inspection, you find unusual wear and tear on/around the rails. Hopefully you're getting a real sweet shooter.

I had light strike issues with one P220 I bought on GB which had just been refinished at the Sig factory. Called Sig about the problem, sent it in on their dime and they fixed it no charge. It turned out the owner had messed with the main spring. Sig replaced it...no more light strikes.

 

[CC driver]

My P220 was purchased in the mid 80’s and although I hadn’t fired it in decades, I used it few months ago for my state’s carry permit qualification. Twenty five yards at an army L target with 30 rounds of hard ball ammo was a walk in the park for this firearm. My aim could use some practice, but it hits where it’s aimed. Think I’ll keep it another 40 years.