I've had my P226 for a few weeks and finally got time to sit down and clean the disassembled gun, which was sitting on my kitchen table waiting for a bath for about a week. I'd been busy since I picked it up from my FFL and now I had a Jack & Coke, Stanley Cup game, and a fine German P226 to play with.... Until...
The sear pin is frozen in the frame, feels pressed in, or possibly the wrong pin was used and maybe hammered in? How could a German assembly worker make such a mistake? How could anyone with any sense? I smell a rat here! I sent Sig Sauer, Germany, an email and I'm waiting to here if this is an aftermarket change or if it was manufactured this way. What do you all think?
Here is how it's supposed to look when the sear spring is relieved of the sear spring post and the weapon is de-cocked. This is the best pistol I've ever owned... The W. German P228. This pin slid out like it was on butter!:
My recently purchased P220 W. German sear pin came out like butter too! What's going on here!???
My new P226 German with the sear pin going no where! I don't want to punch it out until I hear from Sig Sauer, Germany.
I did call Sig Sauer, USA. The guy I got on the phone was unsympathetic, seemed bothered that I wanted to know what was going on, refused to give me any indication as to whether it was manufactured this way or not, would not let me talk to his armorer, nor a supervisor, and said send it in and we'll see if there is a problem. He also said that taking the sear and hammer apart was an armorer's level process. Seriously? Now I am paying to employ your armorer with simple processes like this? The answer is no! I am smarter than a six year old and am perfectly capable of taking the sear apart and hammer and cleaning that assembly without any punches or tools other than a screwdriver and tooth pick!
I'm not in the habit of taking a long time to find a German gun and turning it over to have it drilled on with no description of what is going to be done. I'm surely not going to send it in if the company who imported it can't tell me on the phone if it is supposed to be like this. Isn't Sig Sauer supposed to know about their own firearms? The guy on the phone used polite words and polite phrases but you could tell he wasn't going to go out of his way to help me other than to have me send it in for "work". There was an obvious rude tone to the conversation on his part and he wasn't going to comment about the sear pin at all.
So after the CS rep refused to let me talk to their armorer, who was right there with him, or close enough for him to put the phone aside and ask him a question, he recommended that I take it to an armorer in my town and ask him if it is supposed to be like that! Can you believe that shit! Sig Sauer, USA, wants ME to take it to ANY ARMORER and ask THEM if it's supposed to be like that. Now do you see why I don't really want to just blindly send it in for work. If Sig Sauer, USA, is washing their hands of the German guns like this do I really want to send it in to them for work? I've heard good stories about sending guns in to them. But they do a lot of "spontaneous" work, including replacing slides, refinishing work, and repairs, without consulting the customer. That's all fine, if you have an American gun and you don't mind components changed out with US manufactured parts. I have a 7 day old German gun. I asked Sig to look at the gun and not work on it until I agreed to their proposed work, to which he replied, "if you send it in, [the armorer] is going to repair it. We don't deal in 'what if's here'". Really? That's good customer service? Buy a German pistol and send it in to have it worked on and you don't know what they will do, replace the frame, refinish the frame, drill out the pin, punch out the pin and bore out the hole, WHAT!? Anyone else feel me? This is like sending a brand new Porsche in to Chrysler when Chrysler says, "we're going to fix it if you send it in". I'm not saying Sig Sauer, USA, is Chrysler, but they changed the design on a successful gun (P series in general), milling the slides instead of stamping/folding them, which made them top heavy IMHO. Germans have been working in metal for centuries, making suits of armor, tanks and weapons - much longer than the USA has been on the map and I'm pretty sure their metal formula works. It's working great on my P228 which is still going strong without a FFF or FTE to date.
Help me out here guys. What's going on with this pin? Anyone else have a P226 German like this one and can check their sear pin to see if it is pressed in/frozen like mine? If you don't normally take this pin out, make sure the sear spring is released around the post and the hammer is de-cocket. The pin should slide out like butter in this configuration. If it moves at all that's all I need to know. Mine won't move at all.
UPDATE: 20 MAY 12, still no reply from Sig Sauer, Germany, after an email sent via their website contact us form and two emails to their HR rep who stated my email would be forwarded to customer service for consideration. I'm not sure they will reply.
Just out of curiosity and based upon the response I got from Sig Sauer, USA, when I called to ask about this, I looked up Sig Sauer, Inc., on the BBB website. They have an F rating based upon 15 reviews. I know most firearm manufacturers don't participate in the BBB process but maybe they should. The BBB shows no attempt by Sig Sauer, Inc., to be accredited. These forums are most likely more effective than the BBB system anyway, I'm hoping, at least.
The sear pin is frozen in the frame, feels pressed in, or possibly the wrong pin was used and maybe hammered in? How could a German assembly worker make such a mistake? How could anyone with any sense? I smell a rat here! I sent Sig Sauer, Germany, an email and I'm waiting to here if this is an aftermarket change or if it was manufactured this way. What do you all think?
Here is how it's supposed to look when the sear spring is relieved of the sear spring post and the weapon is de-cocked. This is the best pistol I've ever owned... The W. German P228. This pin slid out like it was on butter!:
My recently purchased P220 W. German sear pin came out like butter too! What's going on here!???
My new P226 German with the sear pin going no where! I don't want to punch it out until I hear from Sig Sauer, Germany.
I did call Sig Sauer, USA. The guy I got on the phone was unsympathetic, seemed bothered that I wanted to know what was going on, refused to give me any indication as to whether it was manufactured this way or not, would not let me talk to his armorer, nor a supervisor, and said send it in and we'll see if there is a problem. He also said that taking the sear and hammer apart was an armorer's level process. Seriously? Now I am paying to employ your armorer with simple processes like this? The answer is no! I am smarter than a six year old and am perfectly capable of taking the sear apart and hammer and cleaning that assembly without any punches or tools other than a screwdriver and tooth pick!
I'm not in the habit of taking a long time to find a German gun and turning it over to have it drilled on with no description of what is going to be done. I'm surely not going to send it in if the company who imported it can't tell me on the phone if it is supposed to be like this. Isn't Sig Sauer supposed to know about their own firearms? The guy on the phone used polite words and polite phrases but you could tell he wasn't going to go out of his way to help me other than to have me send it in for "work". There was an obvious rude tone to the conversation on his part and he wasn't going to comment about the sear pin at all.
So after the CS rep refused to let me talk to their armorer, who was right there with him, or close enough for him to put the phone aside and ask him a question, he recommended that I take it to an armorer in my town and ask him if it is supposed to be like that! Can you believe that shit! Sig Sauer, USA, wants ME to take it to ANY ARMORER and ask THEM if it's supposed to be like that. Now do you see why I don't really want to just blindly send it in for work. If Sig Sauer, USA, is washing their hands of the German guns like this do I really want to send it in to them for work? I've heard good stories about sending guns in to them. But they do a lot of "spontaneous" work, including replacing slides, refinishing work, and repairs, without consulting the customer. That's all fine, if you have an American gun and you don't mind components changed out with US manufactured parts. I have a 7 day old German gun. I asked Sig to look at the gun and not work on it until I agreed to their proposed work, to which he replied, "if you send it in, [the armorer] is going to repair it. We don't deal in 'what if's here'". Really? That's good customer service? Buy a German pistol and send it in to have it worked on and you don't know what they will do, replace the frame, refinish the frame, drill out the pin, punch out the pin and bore out the hole, WHAT!? Anyone else feel me? This is like sending a brand new Porsche in to Chrysler when Chrysler says, "we're going to fix it if you send it in". I'm not saying Sig Sauer, USA, is Chrysler, but they changed the design on a successful gun (P series in general), milling the slides instead of stamping/folding them, which made them top heavy IMHO. Germans have been working in metal for centuries, making suits of armor, tanks and weapons - much longer than the USA has been on the map and I'm pretty sure their metal formula works. It's working great on my P228 which is still going strong without a FFF or FTE to date.
Help me out here guys. What's going on with this pin? Anyone else have a P226 German like this one and can check their sear pin to see if it is pressed in/frozen like mine? If you don't normally take this pin out, make sure the sear spring is released around the post and the hammer is de-cocket. The pin should slide out like butter in this configuration. If it moves at all that's all I need to know. Mine won't move at all.
UPDATE: 20 MAY 12, still no reply from Sig Sauer, Germany, after an email sent via their website contact us form and two emails to their HR rep who stated my email would be forwarded to customer service for consideration. I'm not sure they will reply.
Just out of curiosity and based upon the response I got from Sig Sauer, USA, when I called to ask about this, I looked up Sig Sauer, Inc., on the BBB website. They have an F rating based upon 15 reviews. I know most firearm manufacturers don't participate in the BBB process but maybe they should. The BBB shows no attempt by Sig Sauer, Inc., to be accredited. These forums are most likely more effective than the BBB system anyway, I'm hoping, at least.
