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Old January 13, 2013, 01:10 AM   #1
focodude
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Care of sig stainless pistol vs alloy pistol with nitron finish

I shot someone's sig p226 elite stainless at the local shooting range. I really liked the way it shot and the way it looked! I've never owned a Sig. My experience so far has been with Glock pistols (which I also like a lot). I have the following questions:

-How is the care / maintenance of a stainless frame Sig different than for an alloy framed Sig?

-Is there more maintenance required for a stainless frame Sig like the Sig p226 elite stainless (E26R-9-SSE, E26R-40-SSE) since it is not blued / nitron coated like most of the other Sig models?

-How susceptible are the stainless framed Sigs to rust? I live in Colorado and it is very dry here - especially in the winter.

Thanks!

Last edited by focodude; January 13, 2013 at 01:18 AM.
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Old January 13, 2013, 04:13 AM   #2
AndyWest
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Hi Foco!

The whole point of stainless is they don't rust. Nicks, scratches, etc won't eat away at the gun, and maintenance is easier. You pay a premium for stainless not because it looks perdy, but because it'll last forever.
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Old January 13, 2013, 07:15 AM   #3
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I have Sigs with both finishes. I much prefer the stainless steel frame and slide.

They are easy to clean and run pretty good. I use white grease on mine and not very much. While Glocks run better when they are pretty dry, my Sigs don't.

I do, on occasion, put a drop or two of Rem oil on the rails. Primary lube though is grease.
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Old January 13, 2013, 11:52 AM   #4
dave9969
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my Sig in 9mm has the nitron finish
and "wet" or "dry"? never heard a pistol called that
when I clean my pistol I wipe it down with CLP hit the rails with a drop
or two as I reassemble it. Never had ANY issue with it. And I have put
UPWARDS of 2500 rounds down this pistol so far. Only thing I have replaced
was the stock poly guide rod with a custom Bedair Stainless guide rod. Made a huge difference in the groupings as the stock guide rod was sloppy.
Not sure why they went poly on that part, only thing I can think of I would recommend doing differently.
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Old January 13, 2013, 11:56 AM   #5
WVsig
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You should always runs Sigs wet IMHO Pay particular attention to the rails. Here is a great link and write up. This is a little less of an issue with the stainless steel framed guns but I would still run any Sig with this type of lubrication.

http://www.apextactical.com/blog/ind...-pistol-rails/

As far as care of a Nitron vs Stainless steel Sig it should be the same if they are current production. Stainless does not mean it cannot rust. If neglected it can and will rust....
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Old January 13, 2013, 09:50 PM   #6
Dragline45
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Any alloy framed pistol with a steel slide needs to be kept properly lubricated, preferably grease over gun oil. The Steel is much harder than the alloy and if not kept properly lubricated it can rapidly increase the wear of the frame where the slide contacts it. This is one of the reasons I prefer polymer over alloy.

Last edited by Dragline45; January 14, 2013 at 02:19 AM.
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Old January 14, 2013, 11:23 PM   #7
focodude
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Thanks for the responses! The link re: how to lube the slides is particularly helpful.

I ordered a Sig p226 stainless elite in 40 caliber from my local gun club. This will be my first Sig. I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival!

Thanks again!
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Old May 8, 2013, 11:42 AM   #8
BQBob
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when stainless is NOT stainless

The stainless steel alloy commonly used in firearms is grade 416. This 400 series stainless is a martensitic grade where heat treating is used to enhance mechanical properties. It also has sulfur added to make it more machinable, ie. .15-.40% by weight instead of the usual .04 MAX. Chromium content is only 12.00-13.50% by weight. While 416 is classified as a stainless steel, it is NOT stain proof because it does not contain sufficient chromium. Therefore, left in normal atmospheres, it WILL rust, just not as rapidly as will carbon or low alloy steel.

If the material is polished, this provides additional help to retard rust and corrosion. So, while stainless guns, in general, may be able to take a little more neglect in care, make no mistake, they DO require care! I use a product called RustePrufe to wipe down ALL of my guns (blued or stainless) before putting them away and my guns look as good as the day I purchased them. There is no substitute for tender loving care.
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Old May 8, 2013, 12:48 PM   #9
Tactical Jackalope
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Welcome to the forum!

I had a SIG craze for a while. Great guns. Require more maintenance than my Glock's though.

Run them wet. That's how I run my 1911's and SIG's.

Carried my P226 for 3 years love that thing.
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Old May 9, 2013, 11:54 AM   #10
focodude
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I just picked up a Sig p226 elite stainless (E26R-40-SSE) from my LGS yesterday. I had to special order it. What a nice looking gun! I'm looking forward to shooting it this weekend.

Thanks for the posts re: care and cleaning of a stainless gun. This is my first stainless pistol and I want to make sure it is maintained properly.
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Old May 9, 2013, 12:27 PM   #11
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Care of sig stainless pistol vs alloy pistol with nitron finish

Quote:
Originally Posted by focodude View Post
Thanks for the responses! The link re: how to lube the slides is particularly helpful.

I ordered a Sig p226 stainless elite in 40 caliber from my local gun club. This will be my first Sig. I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival!

Thanks again!
Dang, starting at the top!

The big Stainless Elite frame turns .40 into a pussycat, too. Not worth much for carry, but hard to beat for home defense or range purposes, since it's heavy enough to shoot even high-energy .40 loads softer than many 9mm guns.
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Old May 9, 2013, 12:52 PM   #12
Dragline45
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Quote:
I just picked up a Sig p226 elite stainless (E26R-40-SSE) from my LGS yesterday. I had to special order it. What a nice looking gun! I'm looking forward to shooting it this weekend.
Congrats on a great pistol. Absolute best part about stainless is when the gun gets beat up you can restore it to new condition very easily by yourself or for little money by sending it out. You cannot do the same with Sig's regular alloy frames or their nitron finish. Since stainless has no finish a quick bead blast will get that thing looking like new again.
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Old May 9, 2013, 01:00 PM   #13
Tactical Jackalope
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Quote:
You cannot do the same with Sig's regular alloy frames or their nitron finish.

thanks man...thanks.
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Old May 9, 2013, 01:17 PM   #14
TunnelRat
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While it is easier to restore a stainless finish, there are lots of options for refinishing an alloy framed pistol if you get to that point. My favorite is NP3+ from Robar for a slide and internals, and their Poly T2 for frames.
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Old May 9, 2013, 01:49 PM   #15
Dragline45
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Quote:
While it is easier to restore a stainless finish, there are lots of options for refinishing an alloy framed pistol if you get to that point. My favorite is NP3+ from Robar for a slide and internals, and their Poly T2 for frames.
Does that go for Sig frames too? I noticed Sig on their website refuses to refinish their frames as it will compromise its strength.
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Old May 9, 2013, 02:09 PM   #16
TunnelRat
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Quote:
Sig on their website refuses to refinish their frames as it will compromise its strength.
SIG says a lot of things

Most finish treatments involve removing the prior treatment. There are different ways to do this. If abrasion is used there is potential for too much abrasion to remove enough of the material to cause damage. That would be a bubba job. Companies that specialize in finishing are rarely so stupid. Some of them even use chemical baths to remove the finish.

If you look online you'll find numerous posts on different websites of folks refinishing their SIGs, frames included. I haven't read any glaring issues that weren't a result of someone trying to do a home job that went bad.

Google Robar and see what comes up. I would have them refinish anything I own I trust them that much. The downside is the turnaround can be long, 2 months or so.
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Old May 9, 2013, 02:14 PM   #17
Dragline45
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Thanks for the info, and here I thought there was no option for refinishing an alloy Sig frame.
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Old May 9, 2013, 02:16 PM   #18
TunnelRat
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There are a number of good companies out there, Robar isn't the only one, just the one I have experience with. No doubt you do take a bit of a risk when you do it. But research the company first and you'll probably be okay. A lot of it will depend on what kind of finish you're looking for.
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Old May 9, 2013, 03:18 PM   #19
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I also have alloy and stainless framed SIG's and both like it wit. The P229 SE I have I ran a little too dry when i first got it and there were a couple of failures. From then on I ran it wetter and have had zero issues.

Care is pretty much the same. Wear to the metal happens much more slowly with a SS framed SIG than an alloy frame.
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Old May 9, 2013, 03:20 PM   #20
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Care of sig stainless pistol vs alloy pistol with nitron finish

I'd trust Robar with any of my guns. NP3+ is tough as nails and very lubricious. I'd love to send my carry LCP for the treatment.
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Old May 9, 2013, 06:08 PM   #21
WVsig
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Tons of people will refinish a Sig frame what a lot of people will not do is re-anodize them. If you do not know what you are doing you can strip that layer off a Sig frame or any alum frame for that matter weakening it.
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Old May 9, 2013, 07:12 PM   #22
Dragline45
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Quote:
Tons of people will refinish a Sig frame what a lot of people will not do is re-anodize them. If you do not know what you are doing you can strip that layer off a Sig frame or any alum frame for that matter weakening it.
That makes a whole lot of sense thanks for the input. Although after looking at the prices for refinishing frame and slide, it's about half of what most Sig's cost. I would rather save up a bit and put that money towards a brand new gun, keep one as a beater and one as a safe queen. Or you could even sell the old gun and have enough for a brand new one with cash to spare. That's at least the way I look at it.

Last edited by Dragline45; May 9, 2013 at 09:09 PM.
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