I recently bought my first handgun: a CPO SIG P229.

I went to the local indoor rang and put 250 rounds down the pipe. They all went bang, but I do have a few questions now:

First, I had several instances in which the slide did not lock back after the last round. It did not happen all the time. What could be causing this?

Second, I noticed that the pistol consistently shot lower than I expected. The furthest I shot was 25 feet though, and I was thinking that maybe the groups would move up at longer ranges. Is this thinking correct?

Third, I just used CLP to clean and lube my 229 like I do with my AR15. Should I be using something else? Should I use grease to lubricate?

Fourth, I accidentally pulled the trigger after I had removed the slide for cleaning. The hammer fell, but I did not see any obvious problems. Is it bad for the gun to do this?

Fifth, I took apart both mags that came with the pistol and discovered that the springs were of two different lengths. This was not a slight difference, and was on the order of several coils. However, it seems to me that the shortest spring is the stiffer one when the mag is assembled. Any explanation for this?

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

1.  Make sure your thumb isn't interfering with the slide stop/release lever.  Clean and check your mags, or try different ammo.

2.  Sig sights are Combat sights, aim where you want to hit.  Put the top of the front sight on your target, dont use a 6 o'clock hold.  If this does not work your sights should have numbers on them.  They may need to be switched to adjust the point of impact.

3.  CLP is ok.  I prefer to clean parts with Hoppe's solvent or something similar.  Dry completely and lightly lube with Tetra or Mil Comm TW-25b lube.  Only a little is needed to keep your SIG happy.

4.  I wouldn't make it a habit of dropping the hammer like that.  Once or twice will not hurt it.

5.  Need more information on the make and capacity of the magazines.  Are they SIG factory and are the followers the same in both mags.

Quoted: 5.  Need more information on the make and capacity of the magazines.  Are they SIG factory and are the followers the same in both mags.

They are both Military/LEO restricted marked 12 round SIG factory mags. The followers look the same, but they are not identical due to plastic molding irregularities. I did notice that one magazine pushes the slide hold back part of the follower up higher than the other one does, but both seem to be sufficient to raise the slide hold back lever.

There was some white grease in my gun that is now disolving and running out because of the CLP that I used. Should this be of concern?

Second, I noticed that the pistol consistently shot lower than I expected. The furthest I shot was 25 feet though, and I was thinking that maybe the groups would move up at longer ranges. Is this thinking correct?

I noticed this when I shot a P228 as well...I asked why this happened and got the same answer as the guy a few posts above...Didn't really help.

The front dot should cover or block out what you want to shoot.  You should not see any difference at 25 feet. My Sig came with Mil-comm grease, but I use Militec per the suggestion of a local armorer at the police supply. He said to wet is down good before practice due to them being so tight. Seems to be smoother with the Militec.

Thanks for the input folks.

And welcome new people.

Thanks

Quoted: Second, I noticed that the pistol consistently shot lower than I expected. The furthest I shot was 25 feet though, and I was thinking that maybe the groups would move up at longer ranges. Is this thinking correct? I noticed this when I shot a P228 as well...I asked why this happened and got the same answer as the guy a few posts above...Didn't really help.

Change the sights.

Quoted: Quoted: 5.  Need more information on the make and capacity of the magazines.  Are they SIG factory and are the followers the same in both mags. They are both Military/LEO restricted marked 12 round SIG factory mags. The followers look the same, but they are not identical due to plastic molding irregularities. I did notice that one magazine pushes the slide hold back part of the follower up higher than the other one does, but both seem to be sufficient to raise the slide hold back lever. There was some white grease in my gun that is now disolving and running out because of the CLP that I used. Should this be of concern?

I'd buy a couple of Wolff replacement magazine springs.   The springs compress over time but there shouldn't be that much of a noticeable difference in lengths between the two.

Welcome to the P229 posse!  

Slide lock back: check your grip, if your thumbs aren't interfering with the slide stop and it still does it, you need stiffer mag springs.

Hitting low:  I'd get the sight pusher and change out the front sight.  Make the gun hit where you want, don't alter your sight picture to the quirks of the gun.  

I use hoppes to clean, and rem oil to lube.  CLP is fine, it just doesn't smell as nice as hoppes does

No idea what is up with your mags springs.  Wolfe springs are probably a good idea.

If its a .40, go get a .357 barrel for it, and vice versa.  Its cool to be able to do multiple calibers!