Flork's SIG Pistol Inspection Guide

Flork · 10-27-2010, 08:08 AM

I’ve had many e-mails over the yearsasking how to tell if a used SIG is still in good shape or not. After writingthe same e-mail over and over for the last five years, I figured it was time topost my thoughts on what to look at when you’re going to inspect a SIG Sauerpistol for wear.

The first thing to look at is theframe rails. The rails will tell you everything that you need to know about howwell the gun has been taken care of.

The following is how the color of theAnodizing of the SIG frame will change as your gun wears.

· DullBlack – No wear, perfect finish.

· ShinyBlack – Slight wearing in of the pigment in the anodizing, this is normal afterabout 200 to 500 rounds.

· DarkGold/Orange – The pigment in the anodizing is starting to wear, this isperfectly normal and not a problem, the metal is still protected and your frameis still perfectly viable. Most guns reach this phase between 2,000 and 4,000rounds.

· BrightGold – The pigment in the anodizing is wearing in. Your frame is stillprotected and your gun is still perfectly useable. Most guns reach this phaseand remain static from here on out as long as proper lubrication is used.

· LightGold – The pigment in your anodizing is wearing through, your frame is still protected,but you should keep an eye on it.

· ShinySilver – This is where you need to start being cautions. The pigment in theanodizing is worn through, your frame is still protected, but you need tomonitor your frame rails very closely and make sure they remain greasedthoroughly for the rest of your gun’s life.

· DullSilver – No Anodizing. Your anodizing has worn completely through in the areasyou see dull silver. From here on your frame is unprotected and it’s time to considera new gun. It may still shoot and function perfectly, but your frame rails willcontinue to wear at an accelerated rate.

The next thing to look at is thedisconnector tab on your trigger bar. That’s the part of the trigger bar thatsits up highest in the frame. A factory new trigger bar will have a nice radiusacross the top, a heavily used one will have a flat worn into it. The best wayto check and make sure it’s still functioning correctly is to pull the slideback by about ¼” or so and pull the trigger, if the trigger is slack you’re OK. If you feel a click and resistance before thetrigger reaches the frame, your disconnector is in need of replacement.

The next place to look at is thebarrel. You will notice the “smileys” on the barrel at the muzzle end. If yourun your finger down the barrel and feel a dip, you may want to have the gunlooked at by a professional, the slide should not be abrading the barrel enoughto remove any material at all. The presence of a dip in the metal couldindicate that your slide has a burr in it, which should be attended to immedietly.

If you look at the front of thechamber section at the top of the barrel you will see a ledge that steps downjust before the tube part of the barrel starts. The ledge there should be at aclear 90 degree angle, any rolling of that sharp corner would indicate a softbarrel or one which hasn’t been lubricated properly.

The slide should also be inspected.The slide lock lever detent on the slide should be looked at for burrs or anyrounding on the rear or the notch. A burr sticking out can abrade your thumbsif you shoot a thumbs forward grip.

You can see the fade of the rails in these 2 pics. This gun has been on my hip for years and is still my Primary EDC.

Jeff.Slim · 10-27-2010, 08:10 AM

Nice Thread.

Volzfan · 10-27-2010, 08:17 AM

Excellent!

Badger · 10-27-2010, 10:32 AM

Nice article!

360glitch · 10-27-2010, 12:04 PM

Thanks for sharing.

Gett Daddy · 10-28-2010, 07:04 AM

thanks muchly, this is great stuff to know.

ccolin7950 · 11-13-2010, 06:05 PM

I've read comments by others yours w/pics make alot clearer & understandable.. Thanks for the info.

garandguy · 03-01-2011, 09:28 AM

Great write up! Thanks for the info!

Gary1911A1 · 03-02-2011, 01:24 AM

Good post!

NC KID · 05-05-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary

Good post!

Dang good write up!

vertfu · 06-16-2011, 04:45 PM

I agree with everyone else, this is very useful information, especially the pics of Florks frame. My only request would be if Flork would post pictures of each of the various phases/conditions as he comes across them. I only say that because, one man's Shiny is another mans Dull.

Flork · 06-17-2011, 03:48 PM

Hi guys, thank you all.

The reason I used my frame is to show you the fading of the color as you go. Capturing shiny and dull in the pics was too tricky for me at the time, but I'll see what I can do for better pics.

Scott

dondavis3 · 08-20-2011, 01:06 PM

great info ... thanks

Agent220 · 01-18-2012, 08:32 PM

Thank you for the info sir!

ClickBang · 12-10-2012, 07:57 AM

Nice read, I would have liked to see a picture for each description, being new to guns. I guess if you are well vested with guns it all would be clear, then again if you are vested with guns you would not need this article....I will have to re-read down the road.

srocke · 12-21-2012, 06:10 PM

Thanks for the great info.

mmaz · 12-21-2012, 06:16 PM

Great post, got a little pitting going on, makes me feel a lot better

SnakeShooter17 · 12-22-2012, 01:39 PM

It's good stuff. I point everyone to this guide.

Sig228Nut · 12-22-2012, 04:38 PM

Don't assume that everything you find on the Internet is accurate, useful, or from a qualified source. The #1 problem with the Internet is that it allows those with little/no knowledge to be perceived as "experts."

SnakeShooter17 · 12-22-2012, 05:39 PM

Surely, but this page is a good guide for initial inspection. I don't agree with the amount of grease Flork recommends, for example, and I usually annotate that fact. I have my own guides for inspection and maintenance.

12-21-2012, 06:16 PM	#17
mmaz Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Raleigh Posts: 150	Great post, got a little pitting going on, makes me feel a lot better Last edited by mmaz; 12-21-2012 at 06:25 PM.

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10-27-2010, 08:08 AM	#1
Flork Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 20	I’ve had many e-mails over the yearsasking how to tell if a used SIG is still in good shape or not. After writingthe same e-mail over and over for the last five years, I figured it was time topost my thoughts on what to look at when you’re going to inspect a SIG Sauerpistol for wear. The first thing to look at is theframe rails. The rails will tell you everything that you need to know about howwell the gun has been taken care of. The following is how the color of theAnodizing of the SIG frame will change as your gun wears. · DullBlack – No wear, perfect finish. · ShinyBlack – Slight wearing in of the pigment in the anodizing, this is normal afterabout 200 to 500 rounds. · DarkGold/Orange – The pigment in the anodizing is starting to wear, this isperfectly normal and not a problem, the metal is still protected and your frameis still perfectly viable. Most guns reach this phase between 2,000 and 4,000rounds. · BrightGold – The pigment in the anodizing is wearing in. Your frame is stillprotected and your gun is still perfectly useable. Most guns reach this phaseand remain static from here on out as long as proper lubrication is used. · LightGold – The pigment in your anodizing is wearing through, your frame is still protected,but you should keep an eye on it. · ShinySilver – This is where you need to start being cautions. The pigment in theanodizing is worn through, your frame is still protected, but you need tomonitor your frame rails very closely and make sure they remain greasedthoroughly for the rest of your gun’s life. · DullSilver – No Anodizing. Your anodizing has worn completely through in the areasyou see dull silver. From here on your frame is unprotected and it’s time to considera new gun. It may still shoot and function perfectly, but your frame rails willcontinue to wear at an accelerated rate. The next thing to look at is thedisconnector tab on your trigger bar. That’s the part of the trigger bar thatsits up highest in the frame. A factory new trigger bar will have a nice radiusacross the top, a heavily used one will have a flat worn into it. The best wayto check and make sure it’s still functioning correctly is to pull the slideback by about ¼” or so and pull the trigger, if the trigger is slack you’re OK. If you feel a click and resistance before thetrigger reaches the frame, your disconnector is in need of replacement. The next place to look at is thebarrel. You will notice the “smileys” on the barrel at the muzzle end. If yourun your finger down the barrel and feel a dip, you may want to have the gunlooked at by a professional, the slide should not be abrading the barrel enoughto remove any material at all. The presence of a dip in the metal couldindicate that your slide has a burr in it, which should be attended to immedietly. If you look at the front of thechamber section at the top of the barrel you will see a ledge that steps downjust before the tube part of the barrel starts. The ledge there should be at aclear 90 degree angle, any rolling of that sharp corner would indicate a softbarrel or one which hasn’t been lubricated properly. The slide should also be inspected.The slide lock lever detent on the slide should be looked at for burrs or anyrounding on the rear or the notch. A burr sticking out can abrade your thumbsif you shoot a thumbs forward grip. You can see the fade of the rails in these 2 pics. This gun has been on my hip for years and is still my Primary EDC.

10-27-2010, 08:10 AM	#2
Jeff.Slim Certified AR-15 Nut Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Roseburg, Oregon Posts: 380	Nice Thread.

10-27-2010, 08:17 AM	#3
Volzfan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Big Orange Country Posts: 434	Excellent!

10-27-2010, 10:32 AM	#4
Badger Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 188	Nice article!

10-27-2010, 12:04 PM	#5
360glitch Forum Admin Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Clinton, MS Posts: 1,176	Thanks for sharing.

10-28-2010, 07:04 AM	#6
Gett Daddy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: lately Toledo, Ohio Posts: 403	thanks muchly, this is great stuff to know.

11-13-2010, 06:05 PM	#7
ccolin7950 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Just North of DFW, Texas Posts: 43	I've read comments by others yours w/pics make alot clearer & understandable.. Thanks for the info.

03-01-2011, 09:28 AM	#8
garandguy Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 256	Great write up! Thanks for the info!

03-02-2011, 01:24 AM	#9
Gary1911A1 Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 53	Good post!

06-16-2011, 04:45 PM	#11
vertfu Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 44	I agree with everyone else, this is very useful information, especially the pics of Florks frame. My only request would be if Flork would post pictures of each of the various phases/conditions as he comes across them. I only say that because, one man's Shiny is another mans Dull.

06-17-2011, 03:48 PM	#12
Flork Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 20	Hi guys, thank you all. The reason I used my frame is to show you the fading of the color as you go. Capturing shiny and dull in the pics was too tricky for me at the time, but I'll see what I can do for better pics. Scott

08-20-2011, 01:06 PM	#13
dondavis3 Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Dallas / Fort Worth Area Posts: 89	great info ... thanks

01-18-2012, 08:32 PM	#14
Agent220 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 4	Thank you for the info sir!

12-10-2012, 07:57 AM	#15
ClickBang Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: ca Posts: 67	Nice read, I would have liked to see a picture for each description, being new to guns. I guess if you are well vested with guns it all would be clear, then again if you are vested with guns you would not need this article....I will have to re-read down the road.

12-21-2012, 06:10 PM	#16
srocke Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Phoenix Posts: 2	Thanks for the great info.

12-22-2012, 01:39 PM	#18
SnakeShooter17 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Southern Idaho Posts: 812	It's good stuff. I point everyone to this guide.

12-22-2012, 04:38 PM	#19
Sig228Nut Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Indiana Posts: 466	Don't assume that everything you find on the Internet is accurate, useful, or from a qualified source. The #1 problem with the Internet is that it allows those with little/no knowledge to be perceived as "experts."

12-22-2012, 05:39 PM	#20
SnakeShooter17 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Southern Idaho Posts: 812	Surely, but this page is a good guide for initial inspection. I don't agree with the amount of grease Flork recommends, for example, and I usually annotate that fact. I have my own guides for inspection and maintenance.