New Sig P226 with lots of problems, anyone with similar experiences?

[Joe Mamma]

I just shot my new Sig P226 9mm for the first time today. I shot about 290 rds.

During the first 240 rds, I had at least 15 stovepipe jams plus some failure to feed jams. Also, I never had the slide lock back when the mag was empty. I was using 3 new Mec-Gar 15 rd mags, and a new Sig 10 rd mag. for ammo, I was using CCI Blazer 115 gr, Winchester 115gr (the Q4172 that comes in 50rd boxes with styrofoam trays), and American Eagle (i.e., Federal) 147 gr ammo. All mags and all ammo produced the same jams.

During the last 50 rds, I didn't have any problems but, I now have my doubts about this gun. I know mechanical things may need a little breaking in but, today's experience was a bit ridiculous. Also, I never heard about a slide stop lever that needed to be broken in!

FYI, before I shot the gun, I cleaned it with MPro7 and lubed it with Militec. I'm curious, has anyone else had similar experiences with their new Sigs? Did they get better?

Joe Mamma

 

[KMKeller]

I have a Sig P226 I use for competition and a P220 as my carry piece. Both have been perfect with zero malfunctions.

How wet was the gun? Sigs LOVE to run wet.

 

[Joe Mamma]

I would say it had a medium amount of lube. I lubed it a little on the heavy side but, it has been a week or two since I did that so, it may have run off or something.

What kind of competitions do you use your 226 for? Do you use it stock?

Joe Mamma

 

[Fed168]

Joe, Sigs are wet guns. Kinda bummer, but by wet they mean a nice sheen on the block inside of the frame, the rails, metal to metal parts, and a drop on the strut.

It sounds like a dirty gun. My 220 came literally packed in grease, which gets everywhere. Make sure your chamber is nice and clean, as well the ejector.

How is your grip? Pick up the gun, take your normal grip, and see if your thumb is riding on the slide stop. It's nicely placed where you will ride it, keeping it from locking the slide back after a magzine is empty. To double check it, load an empty magazine and pull the slide back. The slide should lock back- the slide stop is doing its job. I have the same problem with my Sigs- thumb rides over the slide stop, deactivating it.

Your magazines should be working fine. Were the malfuncitions just the failure to feed and stovepipes? Check the magazine lips, look for cracks or stuff out of place. Make sure the insides of them are dry- clean out any gunk that has built up. Take some dummy rounds, and hand cycle each one and see if it chambers and ejects.

 

[Ala Dan]

I agree with KMKeller, SIG's do love a modest
amount of medication; oh! I mean lubrication. Of
all four SIG's I have owned, the P226 was the only
one that would not lock the slide back on an empty
chamber. After a through cleaning, and lube job the
problem was solved. FTF sounds kind'a like a major
magazine problem; not properly seated, or weak
magazine spring. Stove pipes sound like some type
of extractor problem; or faulty ammo? Make sure
the feed ramp and throat of the SIG are free of
burr's, or any build up of lead or lubricant's.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[KMKeller]

I use the P226 mainly for PPC, but I get the distinct feeling that I'm about to embark on IDPA with it as well. It's a sweet shooter and serves me well.

The only modification I've made to the pistol is I put a set of Hogue grips on it with the finger grooves. Other than that, she's box stock.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Awful lot of jams. First, use good ammo. Second, use only the Sig magazine. Then report how it works to us.

After you have it running good, then do the same and try it with the MecGar mags. If it doesn't work as well (and mark each mag), then it's the mag.

 

[VG]

Let's put it in perspective. Duuring Army testing of the SIG P228 (now in service as the M11), the Army shot three different pistols five thousand rounds each. The total number of malfunctions among three pistols and 15,000 rounds was zero. Call Sigarms Monday morning at 8am....

 

[Chugach]

Only time I've had problems with P226 slide lock was with a thumb-high hold. Took only what I perceived to be a light touch on the slide release to prevent lock. In reality, there was probably significant engagement due to recoil. After moving my thumb down and parallel to the slide, all was well.

 

[Joe Mamma]

I am definitely not touching the slide stop when I'm shoting. But, the slide always locks back when I load an empty mag and pull the slide back manually.

All of my malfunctions were stovepipes and failure to feeds (in addition to the slide not locking back), and the malfunctions happened with the Sig factory mag too.

I cleaned the chamber before I shot it but, I may reclean it and clean the extractor. I'll also check the feed ramp and throat.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Joe Mamma

 

[Dan Shapiro]

cleaned the chamber before I shot it but,...

Is this a NIB gun? Did you clean out ALL of the packing grease? This comes up from time to time on the Sig Forum. A lot of guys think the white stuff is lube.

 

[cslinger]

I have shot a lot of SIGs and I have know a lot of SIG owners and your problems are very out of the ordinary. I mean sure malf. in the first couple hundred rounds or from time to time isn't unheard of but your gun seems to have an issue.

How tight is the gun? Some of the sports and all stainless models left the factory with the tolerences being very very tight and some people had to either send them back or put an inordinate number of breakthrough rounds through, like 800 or so. Does your gun feel too tight when you manually cycle it??

Chances are you have a bad extractor or something silly that is easily fixed though. You just happened to get the 1 in a million bad SIG. It happens. Unfortunitely it very well can jade you to that brand. Whatever the case I would send it back to SIG and give them a chance to make it right.

Good luck.

C(5 flawless SIGs and counting)Slinger

 

[hksw]

I can recall only one time when my regular P226 shooter failed to feed that wasn't ammo related or due to a broken frame. Usually, I lock the slide bakc before shooting and place oil drops where the slide meets the rails at the front and where the slide mets the rails at the rear (on the inside of the slide). One time, I passed on doing this as I had felt that the oil I normally put on the slide (in the fashion mentioned) after cleaning from the last shoot two weeks previous would have (should have) held up over the duration between shoots. Needless to say, I got at least one FTF or FTE (can't definitely recall as it was quite a while back, could have been more than one failure too). Upon examination, it was found that the rails did run dry and. Surprised me as I figured the oil was between two non-porous surfaces during storage and it (Hoppe's 9 oil) isn't generally very volatile. It sure seeped out quickly.

Another time that my P226 did fail, I was not the shooter. That also surprised me. FTEj mostly but a couple FTF on UMC. When I examined it for any problems and well oiled rails with nothing wrong evident, I stuck a mag in and it shot fine for me. It was my sister shooting and she was limp wristing it.

 

[Joe Mamma]

To answer your questions, yes, this was a new in box gun, current production. Before I shot it, I cleaned the packing grease off of it very well (or so I thought).

When I rack the slide manually, it does not feel too tight, not loose, but definitely not too tight.

I think the problems may be due in part to a new/stiff recoil spring. I'm going to keep shooting it after I relube it to see what happens. I really don't want to send it back to the factory.

Joe Mamma

 

[Al Thompson]

I'd suspect the magazines as well. If you do send it back, get them to do the trigger job as well. It was pretty cheap (65$ or so) and well worth it.

 

[fgr39]

is it posible that you are limp wristing it? I have a friend who shoots revolvers alot and can hardly get through 1 mag on any auto without some sort of stoppage, he always alows his wrist to "roll" with the recoil.

 

[varoadking]

Sig's...

...like to be "wet." Oil well as others have mentioned. A factory recoil spring is far from stiff - I use stiffer ones in all my Sig's and have never had one malfunction as you've described. Get some Militec if you don't already have some.

Good luck...

 

[Joe Mamma]

It's possible that I may have *occasionally* been limp wrisitng it. But, when I intentionally tried to get it to jam by limp wristing, it never jammed.

I lubed it with Militec before I shot it.

Joe Mamma

 

[RON in PA]

I find one statement in your first post interesting and no one has commented on it. You stated that your last 50 rounds were problem free. Seems to me that there is nothing wrong other than some breaking-in. Clean that fine pistol, lube it well and try again. Let us know what happens.