Sig P229-could somebody answer this?

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Emin

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I've posted this question before but got no replies, so I'll try again: how does one determine the year of manufacturing for a pistol. I recently purchased a new 229 in .40 S&W, and although I'm aware it's a recently made gun, I'm just curious about its date of production. Also, I got a few boxes of Federal HS 135 gr (cheaperthandirt.com sells them for $11.49 for a box of 20 if you purchase five boxes, or $11.97 per box if less that five) and one box of 180 gr. After firing a few rounds on a range, I didn't notice ANY difference of how the gun behaved with this ammo as opposed to FMJ practice "no-name" factory reloads I bought at the range. The point is, I'll probably stay off practicing with expensive HydroShocks and keep them for self/home defense (I trully hope it makes sense). Thus, I need to ask you guys if there's any exparation date of any kind for ammo, a shelf life. Thanks a lot.

P.S. The 229 shoots like a dream.
 
Emin:

About the only way I know to determine date of manufacture for your 229 is to contact SIG. All they'll need is the serial number.

Their website is www.sigarms.com

It will give you telephone numbers, e-mail and snail mail addresses.

Practicing with the "no-name" ball ammo and shooting it in matches (IDPA, IPSC) makes perfect economic sense if you don't reload your own ammo. Save the hi-performance, expensive hollowpoints for defense, but with this caveat: Be sure to test them thoroughly in your weapon to make sure they function with utter, 100% reliability. Also, I strongly recommend that you put a couple of magazines full (minimum) out in practice everytime you go to the range. Again, function and familiarity are what you're after.

As for storage, as long as the ammo is kept dry in an area that is free of extremes in temperature, it should be good for several years or more. For what it's worth, I shoot up my defensive ammo every 12 to 24 months. I just like to ensure that it's as fresh as possible. It's probably not necessary to do so that often, but that's the way I like it.

Hope this helps you...

Mike
 
Thanks for the great info!
I got my Sig a bit more than week ago and already put 317 rounds through it. The pistol jammed three or four times, and I started to panick a little, but was explained that the problem was due to the poor quality "factory" reloads at my local range. They gave me another box of similar reloads but from a different factory, and I had no problems after. I also shot some Hydroshocks 180 gr and found them a bit more accurate (not much). Shot to shot, however, both reloads and HS feel the same -- it's just that I've heard a someone's opinion that the shooting itself (recoil, sound, muzzle flash, etc.) feels different. I'll rely on HydroShocks for now but will remain in active search for the best defensive ammo for my pistol.
 
If you bought it new, take the stocks off. Your rough date of manufacture will be marked on the inside of one of the stocks.
 
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