I just got back from my local gunshop and I'm getting ready to buy a SIG P226. It's been a long and expensive process of research and renting guns at the firing range, and this is the one that I have picked. It will be my first handgun, for home defense and target shooting. At the gun shop I took a 30 question test and got all the questions right, and now I have a basic safety certificate. All that is left is for me to plop down my credit card.
Before I do that I really need some information/advice on a few things about he SIG P226.

First I want to relay a conversation I had with the guy at the gunshop. I told him I heard some reports about SIG's rusting and I asked if the model in the display case had the K-KOTE finish. It didn't and he said that K-KOTE has a tendency to chip off which could cause problems with the gun. Well I don't want my gun to rust and I don't want the finish to chip off either! So what finish is the BEST to protect my brand new SIG with?

I looked on the sigarms.com website and they list 4 available finishes for the P226--Nitron, Two-Tone, Blued, and Stainless Steel. I don't see anything about K-KOTE there. So can someone put this all together for me? What is the difference between those 4 available finishes besides their color? Is K-KOTE something in addition to all that, or is it something that I would get instead of one of those?

Thanks in advance for the help, I'll post any follow up questions as I need to get more clarification.

I have a two tone 229 .40.  I wanted the all black but they had the two tone for $550 NIB so I caught as caught can.  I love the satin nickel finish.  I wish my whole pistol was that finish.  It looks nice and so far has been pretty tough.

Good luck with your choice.

Hmm Ok, well I'm definately not going to go with the K-KOTE, people in the General Discussion forum are saying that it will be discontinued due to chipping problems, and SIG will reintroduce K-KOTE with a different chemical composition to fix those problems.

But I really need an explanation of the 4 available finishes that are listed on sigarms.com. There are 4--Nitron, Two-Tone, Blued, and Stainless Steel. I'm sort of a newbie when it comes to guns, so I really need someone to lay down the basics. What exactly are these 4 finishes and how do they differ? Would you consider one of them to be superior to the others? Thanks for the help.

The blued is the oldest type listed and is just a coating on the gun which is not very corrosion resistant and wears after time. the stainless is very corrosion resistant and a very attractive finish. the two tone is the standard stainless slide and the regular black aluminum frame. the nitron however is the more corrosion resistant finsh and is typically like the hard finish on the h&k's..(which is nitro-gas carburized black oxide) and is extremely tough and wear resistant. I just had my older 226 plated at accurate plating and weaponry/coogan custom, which is a local shop here but does the factory finishes on a lot of manufactures weapons. i had the stainless done on the steel parts of the gun and left the frame the black aluminum, so the trigger the slide release and the decocker are in stainless, i also put stainless hex head grip screws in the new uncle mikes grips and it is one of the most beautiful auto's i have ever seen.

Ok , here 's the basic deal :

No matter what finish you have on your gun it WILL rust if it is not properly maintained.

All you have to do is get the Black stainless finish , which is a good finish and simply keep the gun clean and lubricated .

Sig pistols are fantastic and very reliable they just need a little extra care and love to be kept lubed .

Very often what you hear in gun shops are BS. By the way I am a Sig Armorer and tested them for my dept. Its a very good gun.

Kind of off topic, I know, but I thought the P226 had been discontinued, or shifted to LEO only?

I've got one and love it.  Mine has the standard black finish (blued) and it has held up very well for years and thousands of rounds.  Only marks on it are from shell cases bouncing off the wall and hitting the gun.

Good luck!