Sig P228 opinions

I always like the P228/P229 series of gun.

The only downside (for me) is that they're not southpaw friendly.

I have had a 229 for over 20 years and have fired many rounds through it. I received a 228 a few years ago and no nothing of it's history. The slide has been cerakoted and it looks nice.

I have only fired a few hundred rounds at most through it.

I like Sigs and think they are first rate guns.

black1970 said:

alwslate knows nothing.
Beretta 92 slides cracked with hot GI ammo.
So there. Happy now.
Got one just like CH4.
Probably worth 2,000 dollars or more.
Best auto is Ruger all metal P series.
I’m happy now.

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You know what? You are sooooo right I fact I’m going to do you a big favor. I’m going to find a 228 somewhere just for you and sell it to you for the low low price of only $2,000.00

I love it when a plan comes together.

alwslate said:

I remember when the 229 first came out. I was never impressed with the boxy 226 and 228 as were some of my coworkers. One laughed at me and told me I was crazy when I told him his high $ 226 had a sheet metal slide. Another of my more knowledgeable coworkers wasn’t impressed with the sheet metal models either and bought the first 229 he saw at a gun show. I looked the 229 over and was greatly impressed with the overall quality but didn’t buy. The first 229s were indeed 9mms and were nice if a bit heavy. The durability problems with the sheet metal guns are a mater of history and easily researched if you care to read the details of the US Government’s 9mm gun tests.

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You are totally wrong in your description of a sheet metal slide......Sheet metal by definition is VERY thin. The slides on the 226/228 are folded steel.Much thicker and stronger. I've been "gunnin" for the last 55 years I've heard of a failure with any of them. They in all forms are 46 times better than ANY Beretta 92 ever made. The Beretta frame is huge and bulky... Not sized for the cartridge as the Sigs are....Bigger then a 1911. Which is best of all.

The first 229's were in 40 S&W..........LATER in 9mm & 357 Sig.

I got one of the European police trade P228 when they came into the country 10+ years ago. It's in VG condition and I think I paid, all in, (shipping transfer) $500.

I'm going to guess that the 228 in question was probably cerakoted as the original finish, on the slide, was thin, easily worn, and looked unsightly.

The only things I did on mine was replace the recoil spring and I also replaced the original grips.

As for price, what does the wear on the barrel and frame rails look like? I don't think I'd pay more than $500.

Mike said:

You are totally wrong in your description of a sheet metal slide......Sheet metal by definition is VERY thin. The slides on the 226/228 are folded steel.Much thicker and stronger. I've been "gunnin" for the last 55 years I've heard of a failure with any of them. They in all forms are 46 times better than ANY Beretta 92 ever made. The Beretta frame is huge and bulky... Not sized for the cartridge as the Sigs are....Bigger then a 1911. Which is best of all.

The first 229's were in 40 S&W..........LATER in 9mm & 357 Sig.

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Ok Mike have it your way even if you are wrong. This isn’t my first go around and I know what to expect when I dare criticize anyone’s almighty Sig. I worked with several Sig fan boys years ago that were oblivious as to the actual construction of their own guns. If you actually knew anything whatsoever about sheet metal you would know that it comes in various thicknesses defined by gauge rather than numerical thickness. Like you the fan boys don’t like the word stamped so they prefer the word folded. Stamped, formed, folded, all the same thing, made in dies in hydraulic presses. The failures of the sheet metal 226s in the US tests are a simple historical fact if you simply read a bit and educate yourself. As to the 226 being 46 times better than the Beretta, not according to the US government. Sooo sorry

I HAD a SIG P220ST, P225, P228, P229 & P239
The P225 & P228 had the sheet metal slides but the other three had stainless milled slides & aluminum frames except for the P220ST which had a stainless milled frame
There was no problem with the pistols ever & the older sheet metal Made in West Germany SIGs can now bring a premium

The P228 is a fine pistol but must note the P225 & P239 fit the hand better than the double stack P228 & P229s
I HAD the Beretts92FS = M9 as well

The P6 is a single stack and the Sig number is P225 not 228.

Ματθιας;141431359 said:

I got one of the European police trade P6 aka P228 when they came into the country 10+ years ago. It's in VG condition and I think I paid, all in, (shipping transfer) $500.

I'm going to guess that the 228 in question was probably cerakoted as the original finish, on the slide, was thin, easily worn, and looked unsightly.

The only things I did on mine was replace the recoil spring and I also replaced the original grips with pachmayrs as just didn't like the feel of the original grips. The pachs made the biggest difference in feel and handling.

As for price, what does the wear on the barrel and frame rails look like? I don't think I'd pay more than $500.

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The P228 is the Sig that everybody wants.

Nice ones go for over $1000 all day on Gunbroker. The slide is super thick stamped steel that was folded in a hydraulic press. The front is then welded on by hand. It’s definitely durable. And proven. Don’t think for a moment it’s weak or won’t hold up. I’ve had well-used Sigs from the 1980s and they all still shot like champs.

If it’s in decent shape, get it. Personally, I prefer the single stack Sigs: the P239, P225, P220, etc. For a double stack, compact DA/SA gun, the 6906/6904 is tough to beat. But the P228 is an excellent gun. I had one for a minute. Wouldn’t mind grabbing another at some point.

One thing you might to want to check…

Is if the roll pins (mentioned above) are visibly sticking out of one side of the slide. Which means they probably need to be replaced. Which means you’ll probably have to send it to Sig. But if the price is right… who cares?

With my XXL hands , the P228 grip is too short for my preference , but probably fine for most normal people .

West German P225 ( civilian , not P6) is my favorite . Not just SIG , but favorite 9mm . My example has best DA semiauto trigger I have yet to shoot .

The particular medium sized PD of my intimate aquaintence I occasionally refer had Sigs during 9mm Era Version 1.0 . Both P226 and P228 . Refreshingly , they weren't allocated according to assignment , but each Ofc had their choice ! Plenty of uniformed picked P228 , and some plainclothes picked P226 . When .40 S&W Version 1.0 started , new hires were issued P229 , but for several years it was optional for existing Ofc to switch or stay with their 8mm , and a significant % stayed with 9mm .

Yeah , I knew about folded slides . The milled slides were brought about for .40 , as much for the couple oz more weight as for strength . The only reason the 228 was discontinued was to simplify production
.

The hardest thing about P series Sigs is justifying the $$ .

Every gun make has it's "Fan Boys"...... If "you" like it get it!

Sigs are top quality handguns.... a lot of folks really look for /prefer the older W. German guns

I have a W German 220. along with a brace of Sig 245s, another all steel 220, a C3 (1911) and a 229. All have served me well for over 20 years.

I also own S&W, Colt and Beretta autos.

IIRC after 37 years; both the Sig 226 and Beretta 92 passed the Gov't tests for a new service pistol in the early/mid 80s. The Beretta was adopted based on price and some said the US's need for air bases in Italy.
After blowing up one or two 92 using hot sub-machine ammo (after thousands of rounds fired) the SEALS adopted the 226 as their "primary" auto pistol. The Beretta model F was modified to the FS.... no issues since!

The 228 is the compact version of the 226.

I love my P228. Got it off BerettaForum a few years back. Regular German… but an awesomely made pistol. Perfect example of German SIG quality.

Saying that, have zero desire to buy any other modern SIG P Series. If I found a nice P245… that would be it. Big issue for me… price. Their CPO pricing is more what I’m willing to pay, not their standard pricing. At the end of the day, it is a large 9mm pistol. To me, there are a few other options at lower prices.

Example… back as the AWB was ending, I bought my first new pistol. Had a P38, but it was old and wanted something new. Looked in the gun case, and saw a brand new Beretta for $600. Guy makes a huge deal to also show me this P226 he had, which was sent back to SIG for the springs to be redone… but looked like it went thru Hell and back. “This one is $600, too!” I’m far from a Gucci gun owner, but if I’m buying a gun, I want it looking 100% so I can put the wear on it myself.

So, I said no to both of those options… and picked the Beretta 92 Brigadier Inox, for $750. One of my guns that I’ll never sell.

SIG verses Beretta… they both work. I personally prefer the G model Berettas due to my hand size. I like them so much that my S&W 1006 is now decock only. Frame controls… I don’t mind SIG’s decocker, but prefer frame safeties (CZ75 or H&K). Reliability… they both are on par and pretty damn close in size. Pick which you like and buy that.

alwslate said:

Ok Mike have it your way even if you are wrong. This isn’t my first go around and I know what to expect when I dare criticize anyone’s almighty Sig. I worked with several Sig fan boys years ago that were oblivious as to the actual construction of their own guns. If you actually knew anything whatsoever about sheet metal you would know that it comes in various thicknesses defined by gauge rather than numerical thickness. Like you the fan boys don’t like the word stamped so they prefer the word folded. Stamped, formed, folded, all the same thing, made in dies in hydraulic presses. The failures of the sheet metal 226s in the US tests are a simple historical fact if you simply read a bit and educate yourself. As to the 226 being 46 times better than the Beretta, not according to the US government. Sooo sorry

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Gov. ALWAYS goes with cheapest bid. Not necessarily the best product. As I said this ain't my first rodeo. But I'm getten off my hoss on this one.

I'm a big fan of Sig "P" series pistols. Here's a photo of the 228 along with a P6 and 229 for comparison. . All are 9mm. The 229 is an Elite S/S older model with the German made stainless steel frame, unlike the later ASE model made in the USA with the alloy frame. It is much heavier than a standard 229. I would describe it as a brick, and consequently, a very soft shooter. There isn't a tremendous difference dimensionally between the P6 and the 228, except for magazine capacity. The 228 checks off a lot of boxes for size, capacity, quality, reliability and accuracy.

I have four Sigs, a P220, P225, P226 and a P228. They are all good, well made guns that work as intended. My favorite to shoot is the 225.

A few years ago, during my 'Great Caliber Consolidation', I sold off all but 2 sigs: a p220 Compact SAS and a p238. I had at least one of each p series for more than 20 years. I carried a p229 in 357sig in the academy and after.

I recently came across a West German p228 and just had to latch on to it. A very kind forum member sent me some spare mags and I am all set . - BTW - Thanks again Ronnie!

I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the p series guns. Some of the Sig fans go absolutely wild over the W on the frame.

The 228 will likely outlast your supply of ammo, and heck, if you have the $$$ to buy 30,000 rounds of 9mm +p, then you have plenty left to get another one when you wear that one out

Sig pistols have never let me down. Long ago, I had a P225 and traded it in for a P228. In retrospect I should have just kept the P225 and bought the P228 outright. Some time later I added a P220 in .45 ACP. Both the P228 and P220 are West German guns with "sheet metal" stamped, folded slides. Doesn't matter what you call it, but we can say they're not milled slides. Never had a lick of trouble with either gun. They have digested anything I fed them and are both very accurate.

I recently bought a new-issue P210. Yes, sort-of old school, but made with today's manufacturing methods. It's astoundingly accurate and after about 1000 rounds hasn't hiccupped even once. Inbound is a P320 Classic; aluminum grip frame, not polymer. My expectation is that it will be as good as it's brethren.

The 228 was adopted by the US military as the M11. The sheet metal (folded slides) have never been a problem in the US. The Euopeans do not use Saami Spec ammunition. Therefore occasionally problems jump up that we don't have. The 228 isn't one of them. The original 228 is among the best 9mm handguns made. The 225 which is basically a single stack version of the same pistol is a good one too as is the 226 which is a long slide and larger capacity magazine in a somewhat different frame. All three are of the same family and all three work fine and last well.

SIG does redo Police trade ins and sells them openly. Sometimes they refinish them and sometimes not. They come in the same type of plastic box but it is red. Early german made versions of any of the SIG pistols are called "Triple Serial" versions for a reason. The frame is serialed, the slide is serialed and the barrel will have a serial on the left side of the chamber where it can't be seen until take down. Earliest boxes were paper. Then SIG went to black plastic for new. Later Blue Plastic and the Red plastic for trade ins that were being resold. Now they use something else but the original 228 is no longer being produced. They sell a 228A1 which is a totally new gun and a higher capacity magazine, and is more like the 229 is most ways.

The 228 does not have a short reset trigger but SIG does make a short reset kit for the 225, 226, and 229 that works in the 228 and improves the pistol considerably. SIG also makes different thickness triggers that makes the trigger reach shorter for smaller hands and is also easily installed. After market companies make triggers that are in between so that one can tailor the reach of the trigger as one wishes.

flintsghost said:

The 228 was adopted by the US military as the M11. The sheet metal (folded slides) have never been a problem in the US. The Euopeans do not use Saami Spec ammunition. Therefore occasionally problems jump up that we don't have

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Which just tells me that the 228 is marginal with proper spec 9mm ammo, but is AOK with the SAAMI weak-sauce fodder.