SIG Pistol in the 70's

flwolf · September 23, 2015, 03:04 PM

I immigrated to the US in 1987 and became a citizen. However, before that, I was an officer in the Swiss army in the 70's and was issued a SIG pistol. I believe it was a 9mm. I can for the life of me not remember which SIG model it was. I believe to remember that it had a wooden grip. Anybody has any idea what it could have been? Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to keep it, even if I had paid for it.

halfcocked · September 23, 2015, 03:13 PM

I'd guess either a Sig P210 or an early P220 in 9mm. Now P220 is .45 only I believe, but an internet search of either model should show you what you held.

flwolf · September 23, 2015, 03:28 PM

Thanks for the info. I believe now that it must have been the P210, since I left the army for medical reasons in 1974 and I'm pretty sure that it was a 9mm.

carguychris · September 23, 2015, 03:49 PM

I think you may have misunderstood about the caliber.

The P220 has been offered in 9x19mm Para / 9mm Luger in the past, and I believe this was one of the original cartridges offered when the pistol came out in the 1975. This pistol has also historically been offered in .45 ACP, 10mm Auto, .38 Super, .22 Long Rifle, and 7.65x21mm Para / .30 Luger.

However, if you left the army in 1974, this was one year before the P220 was adopted; thus, you most likely used the P210.

Walt Sherrill · September 23, 2015, 03:54 PM

The Swiss military called the military version of the P-210 the M-49.
(Ooops. Correction: as addressed in several following responses. The Swiss apparently called the military version of the P-210, the Pistole 49 [which is a new piece of info for me.)

The SIG P75 (the military version that later become the P220, in 9mm) wasn't introduced until the sometime after 1975.

I've owned a P-210-6, and once shot an M-49. The main difference was that a P-210 was prettier, but arguably no better made.

The M-49s were still available in the late 1990s, when I started to get into shooting.

Soon afterwards, SIG introduced the P6, which was a more-compact version of the P220, and it was used by police and military units in Europe. I don't know whether the Swiss ever used the P6.

Here's pictures of both. You decide.

carguychris · September 23, 2015, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt Sherrill

The Swiss military called the military version of the P-210 the M-49.

Wasn't it the Danes who called it the M-49? I thought that the Swiss military called it the P210.

A possible source of confusion is that probably the majority of M-49/P210 pistols in circulation in the USA are Danish surplus M-49s. AFAIK far fewer former Swiss examples have been sold here, and commercial sales have always been scant due to the pistol's high price.

**Tom Servo** · September 23, 2015, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Wasn't it the Danes who called it the M-49?

I can confirm that much. I'm not sure of the Swiss designation.

9x18_Walther · September 23, 2015, 05:53 PM

Quote:

I can confirm that much. I'm not sure of the Swiss designation.

I believe it was the Pistole 49 and they are actually still in use with some Swiss military forces. In 1975 production was supplemented with the Pistole 75 (220) because I believe the unit cost was much cheaper.

Walt Sherrill · September 23, 2015, 06:06 PM

Yes. My error. I wrote the Danish designation by mistake, probably because most of the surplus ones I've seen were M49s. (As noted elsewhere, correcting my error, the Swiss version was the Pistole 75.)

The Swiss called the replacement SIG (the basic design that became the P220), the P75. (As noted above, I wasn't paying attention when I corrected my earlier error, and also learned something new.)

9x18_Walther · September 23, 2015, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Yes. My error. I wrote the Danish designation by mistake, probably because most of the surplus ones I've seen were M49s. The Swiss called it the P75, I think. (The year of introduction?)

The 210 was known as the Pistole 49 and the 220 as the Pistole 75.

The number stands for the year in which it was approved and accepted by the Swiss military.

Walt Sherrill · September 23, 2015, 06:15 PM

I need to pay attention to what I'm typing. Sorry for the misinformation. Just got back from dinner, set down at the computer, got called away, and came back, and promptly made a second mistake.

Pistole 49 makes more sense than P75. The P75 was the basic design that later became the P220 in 9mm and other calibers; I had NOT heard or read that designation.

9x18_Walther · September 23, 2015, 06:28 PM

I forgot how good the P210 looks with wooden grips. It's a shame they don't ever hit the market at an affordable price.

There are police trade-ins from Switzerland for $2,600 right now!

Oysterboy · September 23, 2015, 06:36 PM

A simple search later:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIG_P210

Walt Sherrill · September 23, 2015, 07:17 PM

A simple search...

And I now remember reading that before -- it just didn't stick with me. I guess old age is getting to me... (sigh) And I'm sad to say that memory isn't the only thing that doesn't work as well as it used to, any more.

The P-210-6 I owned was a wonderfully accurate gun, but I found the mags awkward (and very expensive!) I wanted to shoot with it competitively, but just didn't have the $100+ a mag they cost (and it took forever to get them from SIG.) I waited 6 months for ONE mag. Nobody but Pro-Mag made after-market mags when I had mine. I got a couple of the Pro-Mags and spent a lot of time making them usable. They looked cheap but eventually functioned alright. (I saw somewhere recently that another vendor now offers them...)

I would have liked more than 8 rounds. The sights, when I first got the gun, made me bleed -- very sharp edges if you tried anything like a hand-over slide release, but a small file fixed that, once I figured out where the cuts were coming from! (As I was keying this I realized everyone complains about the CZ-75's slide inside the rails being hard to grasp, but nobody ever whines about the P-210 which is much the same. Guess darned few folks have ever handled one.)

A friend had a P-210 with the matching .22 upper, and ended up selling it because the hammer bite was terrible for him. I never had that problem, but doing a fast mag exchange was a challenge. (I don't remember, but I don't think the P210 mags drop free. It's been years now since I sold it, but I suspect not as darned few guns based on military designs had drop-free mags in the European market.)

rt11002003 · September 24, 2015, 02:31 PM

My p210 6 has wood grips and the matched .22 conversion. Both the 9mm and .22 are highly accurate. Haven't had a case of hammer bite, yet, but my shooting partner did the first time he fired it. My hands are small. The mag release is horrible; I think I'm too weak to work it. Loading the .22 mag is a nightmare. Prices of the gun and the mags are ridiculous. Mags are almost impossible to find for any of the p210's prior to the Legend. It is fun to shoot.

I have several handguns that have the slide inside the frame. They're all tricky to rack; have to pay attention, the area for holding the slide is small.

Several of my pistols are more accurate than my p210 including the SIG X-5 and X-6 and a CZ75 TS. But, those guns weren't made for duty carry.

September 23, 2015, 03:04 PM	#1
flwolf Junior Member Join Date: September 23, 2015 Posts: 7	SIG Pistol in the 70's I immigrated to the US in 1987 and became a citizen. However, before that, I was an officer in the Swiss army in the 70's and was issued a SIG pistol. I believe it was a 9mm. I can for the life of me not remember which SIG model it was. I believe to remember that it had a wooden grip. Anybody has any idea what it could have been? Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to keep it, even if I had paid for it. Last edited by flwolf; September 23, 2015 at 03:08 PM. Reason: additional info

September 23, 2015, 03:28 PM	#3
flwolf Junior Member Join Date: September 23, 2015 Posts: 7	SIG Pistol in the 70's Thanks for the info. I believe now that it must have been the P210, since I left the army for medical reasons in 1974 and I'm pretty sure that it was a 9mm.

September 23, 2015, 03:49 PM	#4
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	I think you may have misunderstood about the caliber. The P220 has been offered in 9x19mm Para / 9mm Luger in the past, and I believe this was one of the original cartridges offered when the pistol came out in the 1975. This pistol has also historically been offered in .45 ACP, 10mm Auto, .38 Super, .22 Long Rifle, and 7.65x21mm Para / .30 Luger. However, if you left the army in 1974, this was one year before the P220 was adopted; thus, you most likely used the P210. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

September 23, 2015, 03:54 PM	#5
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	The Swiss military called the military version of the P-210 the M-49. (Ooops. Correction: as addressed in several following responses. The Swiss apparently called the military version of the P-210, the Pistole 49 [which is a new piece of info for me.) The SIG P75 (the military version that later become the P220, in 9mm) wasn't introduced until the sometime after 1975. I've owned a P-210-6, and once shot an M-49. The main difference was that a P-210 was prettier, but arguably no better made. The M-49s were still available in the late 1990s, when I started to get into shooting. Soon afterwards, SIG introduced the P6, which was a more-compact version of the P220, and it was used by police and military units in Europe. I don't know whether the Swiss ever used the P6. Here's pictures of both. You decide. Last edited by Walt Sherrill; September 23, 2015 at 06:17 PM.

September 23, 2015, 06:06 PM	#9
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	Yes. My error. I wrote the Danish designation by mistake, probably because most of the surplus ones I've seen were M49s. (As noted elsewhere, correcting my error, the Swiss version was the Pistole 75.) The Swiss called the replacement SIG (the basic design that became the P220), the P75. (As noted above, I wasn't paying attention when I corrected my earlier error, and also learned something new.) Last edited by Walt Sherrill; September 23, 2015 at 06:19 PM.

September 23, 2015, 03:13 PM	#2
halfcocked Senior Member Join Date: June 26, 2001 Location: NE PA Posts: 140	I'd guess either a Sig P210 or an early P220 in 9mm. Now P220 is .45 only I believe, but an internet search of either model should show you what you held.

September 23, 2015, 06:15 PM	#11
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	I need to pay attention to what I'm typing. Sorry for the misinformation. Just got back from dinner, set down at the computer, got called away, and came back, and promptly made a second mistake. Pistole 49 makes more sense than P75. The P75 was the basic design that later became the P220 in 9mm and other calibers; I had NOT heard or read that designation.

September 23, 2015, 06:28 PM	#12
9x18_Walther Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2015 Posts: 500	I forgot how good the P210 looks with wooden grips. It's a shame they don't ever hit the market at an affordable price. There are police trade-ins from Switzerland for $2,600 right now!

September 23, 2015, 06:36 PM	#13
Oysterboy Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 970	A simple search later: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIG_P210

September 23, 2015, 07:17 PM	#14
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	A simple search... And I now remember reading that before -- it just didn't stick with me. I guess old age is getting to me... (sigh) And I'm sad to say that memory isn't the only thing that doesn't work as well as it used to, any more. The P-210-6 I owned was a wonderfully accurate gun, but I found the mags awkward (and very expensive!) I wanted to shoot with it competitively, but just didn't have the $100+ a mag they cost (and it took forever to get them from SIG.) I waited 6 months for ONE mag. Nobody but Pro-Mag made after-market mags when I had mine. I got a couple of the Pro-Mags and spent a lot of time making them usable. They looked cheap but eventually functioned alright. (I saw somewhere recently that another vendor now offers them...) I would have liked more than 8 rounds. The sights, when I first got the gun, made me bleed -- very sharp edges if you tried anything like a hand-over slide release, but a small file fixed that, once I figured out where the cuts were coming from! (As I was keying this I realized everyone complains about the CZ-75's slide inside the rails being hard to grasp, but nobody ever whines about the P-210 which is much the same. Guess darned few folks have ever handled one.) A friend had a P-210 with the matching .22 upper, and ended up selling it because the hammer bite was terrible for him. I never had that problem, but doing a fast mag exchange was a challenge. (I don't remember, but I don't think the P210 mags drop free. It's been years now since I sold it, but I suspect not as darned few guns based on military designs had drop-free mags in the European market.) Last edited by Walt Sherrill; September 24, 2015 at 10:49 AM.

September 24, 2015, 02:31 PM	#15
rt11002003 Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2014 Posts: 524	My p210 6 has wood grips and the matched .22 conversion. Both the 9mm and .22 are highly accurate. Haven't had a case of hammer bite, yet, but my shooting partner did the first time he fired it. My hands are small. The mag release is horrible; I think I'm too weak to work it. Loading the .22 mag is a nightmare. Prices of the gun and the mags are ridiculous. Mags are almost impossible to find for any of the p210's prior to the Legend. It is fun to shoot. I have several handguns that have the slide inside the frame. They're all tricky to rack; have to pay attention, the area for holding the slide is small. Several of my pistols are more accurate than my p210 including the SIG X-5 and X-6 and a CZ75 TS. But, those guns weren't made for duty carry.