Soured on Sigs

[Dave Doehrman]

I got one of the first P290 Sigs as soon as they hit the shelves and my first impression was favorable. The take down is a pain, it almost takes 3 hands to hold the slide back in a position to push out the pin, but I learned to live with that.

On my second trip to the range I started to experience failure to fire. About 1 round out of five had a light or non-existant primer strike. I could pull the trigger again on an unfired round and some would fire on the second or third strike, but others wouldn't fire with 5-6 strikes. I was using S&B range ammo so I got in my range bag and tried some Hornady and Federal defense ammo with the same results. I went home and stripped the pistol looking for obvious problems. I didn't see anything so I called Sig support. I explained the issue and the tech told me that Sig didn't recommend using hollow point ammo until 500 or so rounds had been fired. I explained this wasn't a feed issue, but in some cases a complete failure of the firing pin to hit the primer. He sent me an e-mail with a prepaid shipping label and I returned the pistol to Sig.

I hadn't heard anything back from Sig so I started looking for info on the forums and when I Googled up "P290 Light strike" I was surprised to find pages of results including videos of my exact same issue. It seems this is a common and known issue, but no one has received a P290 back from Sig or had the problem explained.

I went to Sigs website and while I was looking for P290 info, I saw a P238 Safety Warning. Seems the early P238s with a serial number that doesn't start with 27A******* has a safety lever that fails to put the safety in a locked position when engaged and also the pistol may fire when the safety is moved to the fire position. That means my P238 Nitron needs to go back in to Sig. I also saw that the recoil springs on the P238s may need to be replaced. I've got another P238 Rainbow that needs the new spring. The only Sig handgun that I don't have problems with is my 220 Elite.

I bought the 5.56 Sig carbine when it came out and was really disappointed with the quality of the weapon. The folding stock pulls the locking tab apart every time I unfold the stock and the trigger is terrible.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Sig lately? My 220 Elite is probably one of my favorite handguns and influenced me to purchase more Sig products, but it seems that their quality is suffering lately. Looks like I'll be buying more FN and HK products.

 

[toyotaslave]

Holy crap dude. I've heard of bad luck but all this from the same manufacturer looks bad. I'm glad you mentioned this. The 290 was on my radar for this afternoon. Now maybe it should go on the back burner until I can read more about them. Good luck on the fixes from Sig. Hope all turns out well for you.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I have a Sig 229 E2 that I enherited from my Dad. He bought it last year. I have 300 flawless rounds through the pipe. I have been very pleased.

 

[GustavHalbach]

Sorry to hear of your problem with Sigs. I think you may just be really unlucky. I've owned many of the same Sigs (556, P238) as you and never had any problem.

However, anything made by man can fail...so, there is no perfect firearm.

Just my two cents.

-G

 

[GARANDGUY]

If you decide you would like to get rid of any of them for a 20 inch upper for an AR let me know. I have never had any problems what so ever out of any of my Sigs! I think they are making the 290s and the 238s with a different firing pin spring and or pin now too so that the problem is corrected. I need to check the serial on my 238 just to make sure its not on the recall list too as its my wifes edc along with her LCR. Thanks for the info on the serial number range for the 238s! Rep inbound for you on that! Semper Fi!

 

[Socomike]

Sorry to hear you are having so many problems. All the sigs I have used or have seen used worked great. I dont like how high the bore axis is compared to other handguns but that is a different argument. Hope you get it worked out!

 

[gunman41mag]

All my SIG SAUER have been good guns, but all the one I have are more than 15 years old

 

[TRWXXA]

Sauered on Sigs

Fixed the title for you.

 

[gunman41mag]

I've been thinking of buying a SIG P-220 with a frame mounted safety or a SIG 1911

 

[deadsquirrel]

I think I read somewhere on here recently that Sig sauer has a new CEO (used to be Kimber's) and that he was cutting costs like crazy throwing quality right out the window for the bottom line. Don't know if this is entirely true or not

 

[Hoosier9]

I think I read somewhere on here recently that Sig sauer has a new CEO (used to be Kimber's) and that he was cutting costs like crazy throwing quality right out the window for the bottom line. Don't know if this is entirely true or not

Same thing I heard. I know the Sig forum online is rife with complaints about the junk that they are putting out nowadays. I had 2 P250s (.40 caliber) that wouldn't go through a mag without failing to feed.

Their older products have a good rep. I wouldn't want any of their current production stuff.

 

[barrelmaker_2002]

Same thing I heard. I know the Sig forum online is rife with complaints about the junk that they are putting out nowadays. I had 2 P250s (.40 caliber) that wouldn't go through a mag without failing to feed.

Their older products have a good rep. I wouldn't want any of their current production stuff.

The CEO of Sig Sauer is actually not that new. He was hired as COO in 2004 and became CEO in 2005. He did come from Kimber.

Management

That being said, there is evidence of recent issues with quality. An example:

U.S. GAO - B-402339.3, Sig Sauer, Inc., July 23, 2010

(based on the facts, I assume that the gun Sig submitted was the 250).

 

[22lr]

The CEO of Sig Sauer is actually not that new. He was hired as COO in 2004 and became CEO in 2005. He did come from Kimber.

Management

That being said, there is evidence of recent issues with quality. An example:

U.S. GAO - B-402339.3, Sig Sauer, Inc., July 23, 2010

(based on the facts, I assume that the gun Sig submitted was the 250).

Sigs performance was shocking, very crappy for a major manufacture to be making something like that.

 

[IndyGunner]

Sounds like you just got unlucky... and im usually the guy that would just say GLOCK... but that sounds very strange, especially from sig.

Anyone else notice that S&W scored better than Glock in this reliability?

In what tests? Done by whom? What are their credentials? What were they testing for exactly? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

 

[Hoosier9]

Gotta love Sig's argument in protesting the decision:

Sig Sauer challenges the ATF's live-fire testing assessment, arguing that the SSB substituted its own judgment for that of the agents who performed the testing. The crux of Sig Sauer's argument is that the SSB members focused on the number of stoppages the shooters encountered, instead of the actual ratings and comments provided by the shooters, and equated a high number of stoppages with unreliability‑‑even where the shooters had not made this connection.

God forbid that someone who bets his life on his sidearm equates a high number of stoppages with unreliability.

-1,000,000 Sig

 

[22lr]

Sounds like you just got unlucky... and im usually the guy that would just say GLOCK... but that sounds very strange, especially from sig.







In what tests? Done by whom? What are their credentials? What were they testing for exactly? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

I edited it because I thought it impolite to side track this tread. But the ATF test, look at those data tables, S&W outperformed Glock by a decent margin (seeing as how there were only 20 samples). But it is in that link that I quoted, seems user induced failures where more common in S&W but both S&W and Glock experience zero gun induced failures. Good reading material.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I would still trust my life to my Sig!

 

[redpitbull44]

I have owned one Sig. The full size P250 in .45 acp. Great ergonomics, wonderful finish, bright night sights. Looked like a real winner. And the price, I felt, was great at $450. I was so excited when I got it, but the honeymoon went sauer after about 2 magazines. Horrible trigger, very inaccurate off a rest. I traded it in for an M&P45. LOVE THAT SUCKA.

 

[WOLFEMAN]

It's like any new series firearms that manufacturers come out
with. In most cases the newest units experience the most problems
in the field. Sig makes reliable firearms and I'm sure they will
service or replace if need be.

Wow...this info from a Glock Man....

 

[hoosier_sully]

Sigs new 1911 (not the GSR) is spectacular. They did away with that awful shark fin grip safety and replaced it with a more traditional one. I do wish that they would have built it as a 70 series rather than an 80. Of course you will have some purists that don't like to see an external extractor. Honestly it makes no difference to me internal/external as long as it removes the spent case.