SIG magazines

[Clyde from Carolina]

Anybody have input on US-marked SIG mags? (I'm talking for P226 and P228.) My understanding is they are Checkmate. I have older German mags which work fine but never tried Mecgar or new ones.

[GJM]

Go Mec Gar and never look back.

[JV_]

Go Mec Gar and never look back.
I agree.

[VolGrad]

I agree.

Me too. They are readily available for less than $25 NIB from reputable vendors.

[Clyde from Carolina]

Thanks, guys.

Anybody used the 15 round Mec-gar mags for 228? I presume they are good to go as well, just seems like tempting fate to put fifteen rounds where 13 used to go.

[JDM]

Thanks, guys.

Anybody used the 15 round Mec-gar mags for 228? I presume they are good to go as well, just seems like tempting fate to put fifteen rounds where 13 used to go.

I have several of the nickel plated units. I use these magazines in my carry gun. No problems to speak of. Springs are still strong and the gun runs reliably every time I shoot one of these magazines through it.

[Sparks2112]

The organizations that I'm aware of who run sigs seriously use mecgar...

[Clyde from Carolina]

The organizations that I'm aware of who run sigs seriously use mecgar...

Thanks, that is very comforting to know since I just ordered some. :cool:

[PPGMD]

I used the nickel or AFC Mecgars. I avoided the blued ones since I always had rust issues with them.

[TigerStripe]

My understanding is that MecGar is, or was, the OEM mag for Sigs. I'm sure someone here actually knows if that is correct.

[Lon]

Thanks, guys.

Anybody used the 15 round Mec-gar mags for 228? I presume they are good to go as well, just seems like tempting fate to put fifteen rounds where 13 used to go.

The follower on a factory Sig mag is way oversized. The MecGar followers are about 1/3 of the depth. This makes it easy to get the extra 2 rounds. I've been using MecGar mags as my primary duty mags for 10+ years for my 229/226s. Only mags I buy for em now. No worries.

[LSP972]

The sheriff's office I worked for after retiring from the state police issued P226Rs. The issue magazines were... odd. They had phosphated tubes, and BLUED floorplates. Those floorplates would rust while you watched; reminded me of the P226s we all bought during the late 80s/early 90s before Sig finally found a decent finish for the US guns. But the "zipperback" magazines that came with those early Sig P226s were truly bulletproof. They had a 'semi-parkerized' finish, and would rust if neglected... but not as quickly as those blued slides.

All I know is, regardless of manufacturer, when Sig stopped producing their own magazines the quality and durability took a nose-dive.

.

[PPGMD]

But the "zipperback" magazines that came with those early Sig P226s were truly bulletproof. They had a 'semi-parkerized' finish, and would rust if neglected... but not as quickly as those blued slides.

All I know is, regardless of manufacturer, when Sig stopped producing their own magazines the quality and durability took a nose-dive.

AFAIK Sig has never stopped making magazines, they simply don't import them into the US except in rare cases. For example a few years ago my US made P226R Elite came with a pair of JP Sauer magazines. This was just after the Obama rush waned so they apparently imported some from Germany to fill demand.

Also I've had no issues with Mecgars, both the Sig branded ones and the Mecgar branded ones. Sure the blued ones rust, but that is to be expected. But Mecgar offers them in AFC, and Nickel which don't have the rusting issues.

[LSP972]

AFAIK Sig has never stopped making magazines, they simply don't import them into the US except in rare cases.

Interesting. I had wondered about that; probably yet another profit margin improving tactic by that financial wizard Cohen.

And those particular Mecgar mags may be the greatest thing since sliced bread... but if they rust as quickly as the ones I've seen do, they are of zero value to me.

No doubt the blue was chosen by Cohen because its the cheapest he could get away with. I know MecGar mags are good; I have some made for the Beretta 92 that are fine; and don't rust overnight.

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[PPGMD]

Interesting. I had wondered about that; probably yet another profit margin improving tactic by that financial wizard Cohen.

It might have been due to cost, or it might have been due to manufacturing capacity, or it might have been Germany's tricky arms exports laws. I have no idea, only a Sig insider that was around at the time would know.


And those particular Mecgar mags may be the greatest thing since sliced bread... but if they rust as quickly as the ones I've seen do, they are of zero value to me.

No doubt the blue was chosen by Cohen because its the cheapest he could get away with. I know MecGar mags are good; I have some made for the Beretta 92 that are fine; and don't rust overnight.

Or do what I did, buy the Nickel or AFC Mecgar branded magazines. Even after the dollar or two more for the extra coating I could buy two for the price of a Sig branded Mecgar magazine, and had two to three rounds more capacity.

My blued Sig branded Mecgars were range only magazines.

[ToddG]

SIG standardized on MecGar mags years before Cohen came on the scene and among the shooters at the company while I was there (02-07) the MecGars were universally considered the more reliable and durable. I used them exclusively.

[Rich]

Go Mec Gar and never look back.



I bought a few Mec Gar for my Gen 1 P229

Very nice mags.


On the other hand I never had any problems with the SAUER German 10 or 12rd mags

[Chuck Whitlock]

Thanks, guys.

Anybody used the 15 round Mec-gar mags for 228? I presume they are good to go as well, just seems like tempting fate to put fifteen rounds where 13 used to go.

The M11A1 is offered from SIG with 15 round mags:

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/m11-a1.aspx

[LSP972]

... the MecGars were universally considered the more reliable and durable.

All I can tell you is, from 1989 to 1996, when we got issued P220s, I watched over 500 P226s and P228s, all with German factory magazines, during training and qualifications... and I cannot recall a single magazine problem that could not be traced directly back to the bonehead operator.

Durable to a factory shooter has one connotation.. to a cop who lives out in the weather, is NOT a gear-head, and uses the pistol exactly like it came out of the box -ditto accessories- its another kettle of fish.

Whatever... moot point for me, I gave up on Sig long ago.

.

[hossb7]

I have 12 OEM sig mags and 3 Mec-gar mags that I've been using extensively for the last ~6.5 years. the Mec-gar's are just as good as the factory sig mags.

[PPGMD]

Durable to a factory shooter has one connotation.. to a cop who lives out in the weather, is NOT a gear-head, and uses the pistol exactly like it came out of the box -ditto accessories- its another kettle of fish.

When I shoot a gun I typically pick three magazines, and use those almost exclusively as my range magazines (it just so happens that I have three mag pouches attached to my range bag). Thus when I shot my P228R, and P229R I shot around 15,000 rounds almost exclusively through three magazines. Rarely cleaning, dropping in the mud, dropping in the sand, dropping on rocks, and dropping on concrete. I can't recall any magazine issues, I can check my logbooks, but I didn't log my stoppages electronically and I don't feel like going through 200 pages of notes.

You can see pictures of how well they lasted here picture (29-38):
http://www.lazyeights.net/Avion/P228R/P228R_10K_Detail_Strip/

Just because we aren't a cop doesn't mean that we don't use our equipment. Hell I just broke a $4,500 vacuum pump for my leg in two days ("Oh you won't break this.").

[LSP972]

Just because we aren't a cop doesn't mean that we don't use our equipment.

Fine. Do you carry it every day IN WEATHER?

Most serious shooters I know care for their gear. Most cops don't. Now, you can draw all sorts of inferences from that, and understand that I'm not defending (or attacking) anyone. But the fact is that the nice, shiny blued magazines- regardless of who made them- won't go a week, being carried semi-exposed to the elements, without rusting. I would wager that none of YOUR magazines have any rust on them.

The point I was trying to make is that SOMEONE decided to skimp on the finish. I'll agree... to an individual who only uses his stuff for range trips, even frequently, but who cleans his gear when he gets home, the el cheapo finish won't be a problem.

.

[Rich]

Fine. Do you carry it every day IN WEATHER?

Most serious shooters I know care for their gear. Most cops don't. Now, you can draw all sorts of inferences from that, and understand that I'm not defending (or attacking) anyone. But the fact is that the nice, shiny blued magazines- regardless of who made them- won't go a week, being carried semi-exposed to the elements, without rusting. I would wager that none of YOUR magazines have any rust on them.

The point I was trying to make is that SOMEONE decided to skimp on the finish. I'll agree... to an individual who only uses his stuff for range trips, even frequently, but who cleans his gear when he gets home, the el cheapo finish won't be a problem.

.

My P229 came with 2 -10rd mags and I also paid out the rear for 2 -12rd mags , all 4 of them are made by Sauer. zipper backs
I bought it from Bob in Plainfield IN back in 1998.

I lived out in the country and had my own shooting range.

During the winter / snow my main thing was condensation from going in or out of the house.

I always made sure to keep the firearms/mags clean. spray down with WD40 to remove water and then clean with CLP.

Funny thing I didn't know the Sauer mags came with a blue finish. I thought it was something else.

The only rust problem I have now, is with the grip screws. But a little oil and tooth brush takes it right off and it looks new again.

Since the move In SWFL I seem to sweat a lot. I thought the canal in the back yard and salt air would cause problems . Nope. IN was far worse.


I notice the P30 I brought home came with zipper back mags I wonder if Sauer makes them? Didn't see there logo.


But yeah I would agree with you !

If one was to leave the mags wet for a couple days there would be some problems.


And yes I always carry if I go out my door.

[ToddG]

Fine. Do you carry it every day IN WEATHER?

Not I. So if we're talking about surface rust, I'll bow to your experience. Certainly SIG mags of many generations were prone to rust because most of them were simply blued. But that's a finish issue and nothing else.

However, as someone who most certainly cannot be said to "take care of his gear," I shot a lot of SIGs for a lot of years without ever disassembling or cleaning a single magazine. I shot in the rain more than most cops will in their careers, I dropped more mags in the sand and dirt and mud than most cops will, I dropped mags on hard surfaces more, etc. Why? Because I was shooting 3+ days a week. Admittedly the lion's share of that was on an indoor range but even then between matches, classes, and outdoor practice I probably averaged 30+ range days exposed to the elements per year.

Furthermore, my comment about what the SIG folks recommended wasn't based on their experience with pristine equipment. It was based
on seeing hundreds of school training mags getting used year after year, hearing from customers about their experiences both in the field and in training, etc. As I said, almost universally the MecGar mags were considered more durable and more reliable than the zipperback German mags.

YMMV, obviously.

[LSP972]

So if we're talking about surface rust...

We are. Simply wiping them down at the end of the day would suffice most of the time to keep them rust-free. That's too much to ask of your average civil servant. I became quite unpopular for a while when, after begging the guys to at least TRY a bit of routine maintenance, I began writing up the worst offenders.

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[Sparks2112]

Other than having a couple of baseplates eject when dropped on concrete I've been extremely pleased with the Mecgars. I can't for the life of me figure out why Sig won't ship their 226 9mm's with flush fit 18rd magazines.

[Rich]

Certainly SIG mags of many generations were prone to rust because most of them were simply blued. .

Most ?

Are you saying some had a different type of finish. What about back in 1998

[ToddG]

Are you saying some had a different type of finish. What about back in 1998

I cannot offer you a year by year analysis. But yes, SIG produced nickeled mags, phosphated mags (primarily sold to the Navy and also in the original NSW-serial number "Navy" guns), and a very corrosion resistant finish we called "agate" that were sold exclusively to the Navy when they had corrosion issues with their phosphated mags.

[Rich]

Thanks Todd

I think maybe mine could be phosphate. they compare to my Italian mags

Now the P30 zipper backs seem to resemble blue steel? Is it the same finish that's on the P30 slide?


BTW Todd

I filled out my warranty online.

HK asked why did I choose the P30.

I added your name.

Thanks

[Chuck Haggard]

I can't speak to Sig mags, but the Mec Gar mags that I have used for 3rd gen S&W 9mms and Beretta 92s have been top notch. Never had an issue with any of them except the blue mags getting some surface rust when worn daily at work. I had some of those Ceracoted by Fit-4-Duty in Olathe, fixed the issue.

[ToddG]

I think maybe mine could be phosphate.

The blued SIG mags (of my day, at least) were shiny while the phosphate mags were dull and almost rough to the touch.


Now the P30 zipper backs seem to resemble blue steel? Is it the same finish that's on the P30 slide?

I honestly don't know. I've got some P30 mags that were put away wet years ago and they've got some surface rust on them, though.


I added your name.

Very awesome. Thanks, dude.

[PPGMD]

We are. Simply wiping them down at the end of the day would suffice most of the time to keep them rust-free. That's too much to ask of your average civil servant. I became quite unpopular for a while when, after begging the guys to at least TRY a bit of routine maintenance, I began writing up the worst offenders.

It seems like specifying nickel magazines would've been the way to go if I were writing the contract myself.

[LSP972]

It seems like specifying nickel magazines would've been the way to go if I were writing the contract myself.

It would seem so. However, those were not available when we began using P226s in 1989. They WERE available around the mid-to-late 90s, and we specified same on our second batch of issue P220s. But, IIRC, they were not available for the issue P228s even then.

The sheriff's office I was at, after retiring, issued P226Rs, and all the magazines were phosphated tubes with blued floorplates; which, of course, rusted while you watched. Never did figure THAT one out, but they were spec'ed and ordered before I got there, so...

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