How do you tell a gun is new

[hoho_leung]

Hi all,

I have just place an order for a new Sig Sauer P229 E2. I will pick up the gun next Saturday. I would like to know when I pick up the gun, how can I tell the guy is new and no part is swapped out? The store is small, and I have no experience how to check the condition of firearm. Any suggestion?

[sigcurious]

While not a perfect indicator, with Sigs there should be a grey or blue band on it(if it was not a display model). Other than that, it may or may not have some packing oil still on it, also depending if it was a display gun or not. You can look for wear on the rails and barrel also. But it would be tough to tell no matter what if a part was swapped out without knowing sig parts intimately and detail stripping it.

Do you have a reason to believe you may not be getting what you paid for?

[Leejack]

As much as gun stores get my blood pressure up, I can't imagine one selling a used gun as new.

[hoho_leung]

It costs me $879. This price makes sense on classic, but not E2. So I am afraid of what I will receive.

[sigcurious]

I think you're confused about the labeling system. The classic line would actually be cheaper as they come with the .22 slides. An E2 is a minor variation on the base model 229, the only difference would be the grips and possibly the slim trigger depending on when it was made(they call it the short trigger, but slim is a better descriptor and saves confusion with the SRT).

[hoho_leung]

Oh! I mean it makes sense that classic costs $879. E2 should costs $1000. I actually think that this store quote me wrong, so they also offer me $879 for E2.

[one4gatr]

Well a Sig should be easy. There should be a a band around the grip. Copied this from the Sig site directly:

NEW pistols will have a silver band with a black SIG SAUER logo, they are shipped in a black case. The previous firearms were shipped with a blue grip band and ship in a blue case. Certified Pre-Owned Pistols will have a red grip band and ship in a red case. As of Early March 2012 we started moving towards changing from the black plastic case to a cardboard and foam box on some models.

If they try to deliver you a pistol without the band or the wrong color band I would demand it be corrected.

Personally I smell a guns chamber and barrel. I dont know why but I can smell the difference between a new and a used gun that way. Other than that as others have stated there should be no "obvious" signs of wear anywhere on the pistol. Good luck and congrats on your new purchase.

Mark

[jasmith85]

If it is a true E2 model it should also have the SRT (short reset trigger) installed. True E2 models were only manufactured for around a year in 2010 if I remember correctly. I'm not sure on the price of E2 models but I gave $720 for my base model p229 with E2 grips in .40 and it included a factory 357 Sig barrel. I bought online though and its almost always cheaper to buy online than at a physical store.

[sigarms228]

It costs me $879. This price makes sense on classic, but not E2. So I am afraid of what I will receive.

That is a fair price on the P226 you are buying but certainly not a terrific price IMO. I remember them going for less than that at a lot of the online vendors. I would not worry about it.

[Double Naught Spy]

One of the first things I look at on a gun claimed to be new or like new is the the breechface. Depending on the finish, you may get several hundred rounds through it before the finish is worn off. I figured it was about 300+ for a Wilson Combat's Armor Tuff finish, for example, but you could see it wearning long before.

I purchased a 1974/6 rifle that was somewhat beat up, but the bore looked fine and the bolt face was totally blued except for a light ring of the cartridge base. Inside of 30 shots, the bluing was gone, LOL. So old gun, carried in a truck for years, but shot only a few times.

Anyway, look for all the handling marks. An old new gun (unsold for years, for example) can have lots of handling damage, mars, nicks, small scratches, irregular finish due to hand oils not wiped away etc.

[dave9969]

to be perfectly honest
if I was not sure it was "new"
field strip it, with the slide removed
look around the groves on the inside of the slide where the firing pin is
its one of the most common places to miss metal shavings when cleaning a pistol. you can tell if its been shot.

now just for what its worth, you must understand that it has been fired even if new, they have to test fire the darn thing before it leaves the factory in New Hampshire. and I have personally purchased a few new from the factory Sig Sauer Pistols, and the barrel always has a wear pattern on the nitron on the outside of it. Dont panic, it is new, its just the way the make the parts. I unwrapped the paper seals on all mine and they all had almost identical wear patterns in the nitron on the upper barrel

[Kreyzhorse]

Look at it and do a quick field strip. Metal shavings or greatly worn parts will show the gun has been shot a lot. Keep in mind the gun was test fired several times before it ever left the factory.

These posts surface every so often but I don't believe that any one on here bought a used gun sold as new from a dealer.

[Double Naught Spy]

These posts surface every so often but I don't believe that any one on here bought a used gun sold as new from a dealer.

Yes, probably most of us have not knowingly been involved in a case of dealer fraud. This is true. If the gun looked new, or as we expected it should look for a gun that has been test fired at the factory only, we bought it as new and never looked back.

I know most dealers aren't apt to let you field strip a new gun in their store and are not apt to do it for you either. Too many folks end up damaging the finish on guns, usually during the reassembly process, to allow customers to strip them down.

[EdInk]

I wouldn't worry about it. The fact they had to order it is a good sign.

[osbornk]

If you can't tell and the paperwork has not been sent to the manufacturer for the warranty registration, I don't think it matters.

[carguychris]

One of the first things I look at on a gun claimed to be new or like new is the the breechface.

+1. The second place I look is inside the mag well. Repeated mag insertions in a semi-auto pistol will leave distinctive scuffs in the finish that, like wear on the breechface, cannot be easily cleaned off or retouched.

[Rj1972]

from sigcurious: An E2 is a minor variation on the base model 229, the only difference would be the grips and possibly the slim trigger depending on when it was made(they call it the short trigger, but slim is a better descriptor and saves confusion with the SRT).

He's got it exactly right. Don't confuse the new grip style with E2. While the E2 model STARTED the new grip style, you can now buy the standard P series guns with the new grips. This doesn't make it an E2 model. If it's an E2 model, it will say so on the slide. I have a 226 that is the new grip style (and has a short/slim trigger) but doesn't have the SRT and is definitely not an E2 model but instead a "standard" P226.

[hoho_leung]

Thanks you for all your information. I will bring a microscope with me. No just kidding.. magnifier should be enought....