Well, here's the first potential problem with my 239...

E

Emin

New member
After posting a question about a rumor of bad take-down levers on Sigs 239 and getting reassuring NO WAY!-s from fellow TFLers, I went and picked the gun.

Horror...Does SIG/Sauer company care for its credibility? If it does, it shouldn't have ever moved the production of its otherwise fine pistols to NH. And the reason is the following.

Upon dissassembling the pistol to clean it, I immediatelly found that the breach "face" was not smooth as it's supposed to be but covered with pits and grooves. They're NOT a result of a mechanical damage of any kind -- one can easily tell this area hasn't been touched by any machining tool whatsoever and represents the original surface of the steel block this slide was machined from!

Guys, it looks quite serious. My question is has anybody had this? Did you do anything to it? If you left it as it was and shot the pistol, did it shoot in a misbehaving manner (malfunctions, misfeeds, etc.)?

I'd truly appreciate any input on this frustrating issue -- I hope to get enough information from you to decide whether to send the slide back to Sigarms or just ignore it altogether.
 
Take a deep breath and exhale. Do this about five times. Now look at your P239, there's nothing wrong with it! I've never encountered a Glock, SIG Sauer (German or US made), Beretta, etc. etc. that had a polished breech face. Machine marks are expected. This will in no way affect the performance or accuracy of your pistol. In fact the more you shoot the smoother the breech face will get. Relax, no one ripped you off. You did good, you resisted the dark forces and bought a gem, a SIG Sauer.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
Yep, what Tecolote said. My P239's breech face had the same "finish" as the rest of the interior of the slide, no special machining.
 
I had the same reaction as you did about 3 months ago when I bought my Glock 32. I never really looked at the breach face when I bought it. I noticed what I would describe as little grooves running down the face of the breach. I experienced the same thoughts as you have as in "what the h*ll is this!?"

750 rounds later it shoots like a dream with no probs. Guys at Glock Talk reassured me that this is normal on some guns and I imagine the Sigs are no different. Enjoy your gun :)
 
Tecolote and Mal H,

This is not what I'm talking about -- the breach face has NOT been machined at all. These grooves and pits are not the result of any tool application. The breech has the exact same surface as those blocks of stainless stell they make slides from when they just come out of melting pot. You can feel its uneven surface even by touch.

Speaking of polished breach faces, my 229 has almost mirror shine to it. So, I don't know...
 
My suggestion would be to call Sig and ask them. I called their customer service number in the past and they were friendly and helpful. I called to ask a question about the 2340 (when they were just coming out) and the customer service rep told me to stay away from them for awhile.
 
You are talking about the breech face, where the firing pin extrudes right? If you got a P229 with a polished breech face then you're the first person I've heard say this. All the SIG Sauer breech faces I've examined are rough to the touch, some have what look lke vertical lines, while others has some metallic discoloration. Have you shot it yet? Does this cause the rounds to drag? Best advise I ever got was from a fellow that had served in Vietnam. I paraphrase, "pistols are not baubles, they are tools. Don't buy them to admire, use them to defend yourself."

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
The breechface on my P229 has very small hemispherical bumps on it. It's definitely not smooth but that has never in any way affected the gun's performance.
 
Tecolote,

Yes, the breech face of my 229 is smooth as glass. Overall, the gun shows better quality in its finish, both on the inside and outside.

Every part of 239 isn't as smooth as those of 229, especially the frame -- 229s is made in Germany and 239s -- in NH. And so it shows, to tell you the truth.

But you're absolutely right -- functionality comes first and as long as my 239 shoots as well as the 229, I don't care.

I'll try to shoot the 239 either today or on the weekend and post the results here. Sincerely hope nothing wrong will happen.

I can't help admiring Sigs...
 
My P239 9mm was purchased last year and has a nice satin finished breech face. I wouldn't say it's polished, but it's definitely not rough. My specimen is beautifully finished inside and out. More importantly it has had ZERO jams to date, even with my lousy handloads with brass that's been loaded 10+ times.
I love the P239!
 
Emin, the more I hear you describe the breech, the more I think your gun did miss a step. Mine is very smooth, like Matt's description, a satin finish. It's not like glass, more like polished steel that hasn't had the the final rouge finish. And it is (or was) black like the rest of the slide. I still think you're right to give it a try first. You'll know immediately if it affects function.

Say, you don't suppose it was manufactured on the same day Al Bore visited the plant do you? That would make any steel pucker up. :)
 
Emin,

I think that if you're not 100% satisfied you should call SIG Arms and arrange to ship the slide back. I don't think you need to spend major money sending back the entire pistol via UPS. You can ship the slide via USPS insured for about $8. It'll take 2-3 weeks but you'll have complete peace of mind.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
Smooth, satin finish here, too. Definitly not "unmachined". Does it "lock up" properly with a round in the chamber? A phonecall is cheap insurance.
 
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