I just picked up a new P228.  My daughter is serving as an Army CID agent and she told me they carry a Sig-Sauer M11 (same as a P228.  I work for the Texas Department of Public Safety and I know the Troopers are issued a P226.  Those 2 endorsements were enough to convinve me the SIG must be reliable. I'm anxious to shoot it but I need to clean it up there is quite a bit of preservative on the pistol and the magazines.  Is there anything special I should know about before I break it down clean it and take out put a box of rounds through it?

Nice pistol!

One box won't be enough, though...take more.

Pre-bans are easily found for it at very decent prices. The only negative IMO as far as this gun is concerned is the finish on the slide. Since it is not blackened SS like several of the newer models are, it will tend to wear on the high spots fairly quickly and it WILL rust. If that bothers you, get the slide refinished with one of the new "wonder" finishes after you have worn off the old finish.

Quoted: Nice pistol! One box won't be enough, though...take more. Pre-bans are easily found for it at very decent prices. The only negative IMO as far as this gun is concerned is the finish on the slide. Since it is not blackened SS like several of the newer models are, it will tend to wear on the high spots fairly quickly and it WILL rust. If that bothers you, get the slide refinished with one of the new "wonder" finishes after you have worn off the old finish.

It WILL rust?? Highly doubtful, unless he never cleans his weapon and/or stores it in a foam case for a few months without a dessicant of some sort. The stamped SIG slides hold up fine provided the user has reasonable maintenenace practices.
my 2,
B9

boricuda9mm;

After seeing several hundred blued, stanped slide Sigs carried both openly and concealed by a large cross section of LEO's and civilians for many years, let me assure you the standard Sig blue finish really sucks! They WILL rust! This is a "known issue" with Sigs, but nothing that good care can't alleviate to a large degree. There is a reason that Sig quickly began to offer the polymer finish on their slides.

www.sentrysolutions.com

The best cure Ive found for SIG slide rust.  I have acidic skin, and believe it or not, its humid in AZ during the rainy season.  Wipe the Tuff-Cloth over once a week and you're g2g.  Good gear.

Quoted: boricuda9mm; After seeing several hundred blued, stanped slide Sigs carried both openly and concealed by a large cross section of LEO's and civilians for many years, let me assure you the standard Sig blue finish really sucks! They WILL rust! This is a "known issue" with Sigs, but nothing that good care can't alleviate to a large degree. There is a reason that Sig quickly began to offer the polymer finish on their slides.

My experiences have been on the contrary. I too have seen many a SIG carried daily and abused and I have yet to see a well-maintained SIG rust. The new finish is Nitron, not a polymer coating. It is my understanding that the Nitron is used because of the stainless steel slide, which won't allow conventional blueing to permeate the metal. We have 1000s of stamped slide 226s in use by SEALS and yet we don't see or hear any complaints about rust on these weapons used in amphibious conditions. To say that a standard blued SIG will rust ignores the maintenance practices of the user. With that being said I know of many LEOs that have no idea what proper weapons maintenenace is, and for these types of users the SIG may very well rust. With that being said I'll admit that compared to Glock and HK's finishes, even the Nitron coated SIGs leave a lot to be desired.
YMMV,
B9

boricua9mm;


If you read my post to mean that despite the best attempts of the user a stamped slide Sig is going to rust no matter what...that is not what I meant. I DO mean that the older stamped slide Sigs I am familar with...beginning around 1983-84 or so...are very much more prone to developing rust than most other service handguns I have seen...specifically including many, many blued S&W revolvers, as well as Glocks, Berettas and the H&K's.

I have exactly NO experience with the Nitrolon finish, but the last new 228 I saw about three weeks ago appeared to be finished in the same blueing as all the others I have seen. I personally carried three different 226 / 228's for several years without a major rust problem, but they all would develop surface rust quickly if left unattended for even a few hours after a shift in high humidity. Going from a heated building or car to cold temps or vice-versa...very common where we live...is guaranteed to make the gun "sweat"...as is concealed carry next to the body in hot, high humidity environments... and there is no way some guys are ever going to wipe it down as soon as they get home.

Primarily, I was trying to convey the fact that, unlike the new 226's and 229's, the 228's are not SS slides and, in fact, DO need a little more of that TLC you were speaking of to continue to look their best.

My Old P220 started to rust...I had the slide (& internals) hard chromed. The alloy frame was wonder coated....

Thanks for all the input.  I cleaned the pistol tonight.  Used my old standby, Breakfree CLP.  It did a good job of disolving the preservative oil and grease.  I'm sure most of you are familiar with the product. I used it for years while on active duty.  The nice thing is it does have a preservative so I shouldn't have to worry about anything.  I'm one of those people that enjoys cleaning my weapon as much as shooting it.  I plan on keeping this pistol for many years to come.  By the way I mentioned my daughter in the opening message, talked with her tonight.  She qualified expert at the range today.  I couldn't be prouder.

I've been carrying on 226 on duty for the past 10 years. The weather here varies from high 90's in the summer to single digits in the winter, with heavy snow. Dry, humid, we see it all. In the summer I work in a beach community a good deal of the time, and I have NEVER had any rust problems with my SIG. I like my weapons clean, but I'm definitely not obsessed with cleaning. I will agree that the finish on my 228 has suffered more wear than my other SIGs (239,229,226,),but no rust. By the way, the 228 is a great gun, I have no doubt you will love yours.

What am I missing here?..ALL my Issued 228s' are stamped stainless{Blacked stainless}...& have yet to see ANY oxidation ..even when carried in the humid Jungles of South & central America....NEVER had one jam either...
..Did a little duty with the TEXAS DPS,ltcdwb..Trans'd over to the USMS & flew a UH60 with the "NASTY Boyz" SOG Unit...Left TDPS after having to massage a neighbor for beat'n his wife in public view..Didn't want to take the transfer to BFE VanHorn for the little "INcident"...:-)..
BTW....HI5s to ya on your daughter..I'm a 101worst Air assault grad myself..:-)

Thanks for the kind words.  I checked my 228, it is not stamped stainless.  An article in the American Rifleman (June 03) the finish is different on the issue version.  The article does not mention anything about a stainless slide. Since mine is not marked stainless I'm careful to keep a light coat of Breakfree on the slide.  BTW I am currently with TXDPS in Emergency Managment. Got ther after 20 years active duty.

From what I understand the M11 has a parkerized finish, as that is the preferred finish of the U.S. Military. In all honesty it would probably hold up better than the blued finishes of the stamped SIGs.
B9