Sig's Nitron vs. Two-Tone?

[flamdrags]

What's the difference between these two slide finishes other than aesthetics? Is there any reason to prefer one over the other? Does one wear better? Is the two-tone a hype because it's more rare? Are two-tones more expensive? I found a used P239TT w/7 mags and extras for $500. Any and all thoughts are much appreciated.

["DoubleAction"]

flamdrags; The nickel finish provides better lubricity and wear protection on the slide rail contact to the rails on the frame. The two tones are marked up more than the standard finish.
If that 239 is in excellent condition, and the caliber your looking for, it would be a very good choice for consideration. What about the sights, Tritium or Standard ?

[flamdrags]

P238TT in .357Sig, 7 mags, Hogue's, kydex paddle hoster, SIGLite Night sights, finish is rated at 96%, 400 rounds downrange w/o a probem...that's all in the ad (plus blue SIG case, manual and lock). I might take a look at it this weekend...what should I look for? Hmm...should I track down a 239 at a local store and have them show me how to field strip it? Any advice for a potential FTF sale on a used Sig?

["DoubleAction"]

Good Gosh; What a deal.
flamdrags; I would most definitly jump on that one; Just make sure the gun is clear and not on the police computer hot sheet. You should also purchase the Sig drop in .40 S&W barrel for it; You do not want to be shooting the 357 sig all the time.

Field strip ? Nothing is more easier than the Sigs.

First; Remove the magazine and make sure the gun is unloaded by racking the slide, and locking it to the rear.
Next; Turn the take down lever to the six o'clock position.
Finally; Pull back on the slide, from it's locked position, and follow it off the frame as you move it forward.

After the slide is removed from the frame, remove the guide rod / recoil spring from the port end, and remove the barrel the same. Assembly is reversed. Instructions are included in the Sig Manuel, which comes with the gun.

One good thing about the Sig Sauers is they can be field stripped without the use of any tools or table tops; Everything can be done in the palms of one's hands. After a few tries you will be able to do it blindfolded.

["DoubleAction"]

Make sure the slide to frame is a snug fit.

With the slide removed, take out the guide rod and recoil spring, leaving nothing but the barrel in the slide. Position the barrel in the slide so that it is locked into the ejection port; Inspect the clearance of the barrel hood to breech face and move the barrel for any play.

Visually check the entire frame over for any wear, especailly on the frame rails. Look for cracks, dings, and shiny spots of wear.

Take along a pencil with a new eraser; With the gun unloaded, rack the slide to cock the hammer ( Do not thumb the hammer on this test), insert the pencil in to the barrel as it is pointed straight up, eraser end toward the firing pin, Next; While holding the gun steady, engage the decocking lever. The pencil should not budge. Do this a couple of times to make sure the lockwork is in safe working order, and the decocker is functionally sound.

While you have the pencil in the bore, you can squeeze the trigger to test the firing pin and firing pin safety, to make sure the firing pin is reaching the chamber; In this one, the pencil eraser will be struck by the firing pin, causing the pencil to move. Point the barrel in a safe direction for these tests.

You can ask the owner to perform these tests, request to take the gun to a nearby dealer for an inspection, or ask the owner if you can check out the gun. Best thing is carrying a friend in the know with you, unless you feel that you can rely on your own judgement.

Best of luck with this gun; It's one of my favorite carry pieces and the one which introduced me to the .40 S&W and 357 sig. The Sig 239 is a very good choice, and better if found on the pre-owned market.
Remember; Some sell these guns because of temporary financial set backs, emergencies, or just because they might need the cash for another gun. Those are the most reasons I've found the Sigs on the pre-owned markets; Heck, some never get a chance to get fired before getting sold.

[flamdrags]

That's a huge help DA, thanks again for the great info.
I took the morning off work to get my purchase permit (not sure if this is necessary in other states but here in MI you need a "permit to purchase" consists of a background check and detailed information about what you're going to go buy, it's good for 2 weeks I think), but the records office was closed today for Good Friday. I'm still planning on meeting the seller this weekend, but alas I won't be able to take it home with me if I do decide to buy (still not completely sold aesthetically on the two-tone).
And I thought of another question...is there any difference between/advantage to buying the .40 drop-in barrel for a .357 vs. buying the .357 drop in for the .40? I thought I saw a posting on another forum advocating getting the .40S&W and then adding the .357Sig barrel; something to do with the magazines. Any clue what that's about?

["DoubleAction"]

flamdrags; Your on the right forum for the information about the barrels. I have the conversions for all the Sig .40 S&W and 357 sig guns, from personnal size to full size, and then to the sport pistols.
I have bought the 229 in 357 sig and purchased the .40 S&W and vice versa. Your right about the magazines on the 239 because the .40 S&W takes a different magazine. This is only true with the 239 because of it's single stacking vertical column magazine.
The amount of money your saving on the gun, plus the extras, will not hurt your investment. You have proven again the advantage of pursuing the pre-owned market availability.

[flamdrags]

So for the 239 the .40 mags will take .357's but not vice versa?

["DoubleAction"]

flamdrags; I talked to the Sig Reps about this at the '99 SHOT Show in Atlanta and they stressed the use of the correct magazine to fit with that of the cartridge. I have learned best to listen to these people, rather than someone on the internet, or some counter guy, recommending to do otherwise.
The 357 sig magazine tubes for the 239 are tapered toward the bullet end, which conforms to the shape of it's bottleneck case. The .40 S&W magazine is straight.

[TA]

A friend of mine just received a P229 .40 Blk nitron from CDNN. It is one of the used "trade-ins". He got the night sights ($10). It came with the case, manual, 1- 12 rd. mag and a cleaning kit. It is in very nice condition. A few handling dings, but the finish was very good-excellent. The rear sight had a dent from somebody apparently dropping the gun. Usual great fit and finish of Sig. This one came with a rubber Hogue grip. I was surprised how hand filling this grip is. A little bulky, but it felt great to me. It shoots typical Sig, great. The larger/heavier frame absorbs much of the felt recoil in comparison to my P239. A great buy for around $400.

["DoubleAction"]

TA; $400. for a 229 is a testimony for pre-owned guns everywhere. The 229 continues to be one of the most popular semi-autos for professional use.
Some guys will go to a gun store and step up to the purchase of a $900. gun, only to run into a financial snag soon after, and end up trying to sell the gun to a friend, co-worker, or relative who normally spends no more than $400. on a piece. The value of the dollar changes, every time it changes hands.

[flamdrags]

Well I met with the seller today...
There are a few small scratches on the slide, but not bad at all.
All 7 mags are factory mags, all have the SigArms logo on them.
It has Sig factory night sights. (are these any good?)
Hogue and factory original grips.
The case is blue as is marked "Law Enforcement", he said he bought it at a law enforcement supply gunshop.
He had the proper State of Michigan Registration card with it and it matched the gun and he's making me a copy of it to keep after I make the purchase.
I'll probably be buying it next week. I asked why he's selling it and he said that he has tons of 9mm ammo for his other guns and just can't afford to shoot the .357Sig. I performed all of the tests except for launching the pencil. I did check the decocker with the pencil in the barrel and it didn't flinch. We field stripped it and the barrel to slide fit appeared very tight, virtually no play at all. He was very open and upfront so I'm comfortable buying from him although it was a bit odd sitting in his truck in a McDonald's parking lot examining the Sig. So if all goes according to plan I'll be buying it next weekend after I get my purchase permit. Thanks for all the help and advice and I'll keep you posted.
One more question...are the Bar-Sto aftermarket barrels safe/reputable? I was thinking of getting a 9mm barrel for it for plinking at the range.

["DoubleAction"]

flamdrags; The factory night sights on the Sigs are Tritium; I have some that came with the Trijicons. They are excellent.
I see you stumbled upon the Barsto 9mm conversion for the .40 S&W. The case rim of the 9mm and .40 S&W is not the same diameter, which makes the ejector and extractor looser on the 9mm case.
Call Sigarms and hear what they say about the 9mm conversion for the .40 S&W.

I'm real Glad to hear everything is going good with the 239; I hope you like it as much as I do mine.

[5ontarget]

Sounds like a great deal. I've got a bunch of guns on the someday list, and a sig of some flavor is on it. I've got 4 pretty high on the list, but it will take me a long time to get them as there are a few other things higher $$ list...maybe my family can go without food for a few weeks.


Barsto makes some top notch barrels. I think the springfield armory custom shop often uses them for their jobs.

I can't speak of the reliability of the conversions for the sigs, but the guys that have them on the xd forum speak highly of them with little or no trouble.
Mixed reviews on another conversion barrel by efk firedragon. They run about $50 cheaper. My money will go to Barsto for a 9mm conversion FWIW.

[TMan]

DoubleAction said:

Take along a pencil with a new eraser; With the gun unloaded, rack the slide to cock the hammer ( Do not thumb the hammer on this test)...

Okay, you got my curiosity: what is the difference with cocking the hammer using your thumb vs. doing it by racking the slide?

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; By racking the slide, it allows for all the safety functions within the fire control system to reset as it would if the gun were to chamber a cartridge during slide cycle. Allowing the slide to act in cocking the hammer, assures that everything within the lock work is fuctioning properly when the decocker is applied.
This is a safety test, however, thumb cocking the hammer will accomplish the same task but with a different method of operation.

[TA]

Flamdrags,

That sounds like a good buy being a TT with night sights and all those accessories. It is always worth a few bucks when you get the chance to hold and inspect a gun vs. buying sight unseen. Top that with no shipping, no sales tax and you now have yourself a hell of a deal and a fine gun at that. Good job!

[flamdrags]

Yeah, I'm excited...and the encouragement is helpful so thanks again, much appreciated along with all of the great info. I picked up my permit to purchase this morning (backgound check, $5, a T/F quiz w/the pistol safety pamphlet in hand, and you get 10days to make a purchase). I hope to meet up with the seller this weekend.

Oh, and get this...(I think this is funny but probably no one else will) one of the T/F questions is....(roughly)

Gun owners are required to inform police of a lost or stolen firearm within 1 year.

According to MI law you are required to report it within 5 days, so the first time I had to take the quiz I said True and got it marked wrong. They want False. I say that 5 days IS within 1 year so it's true. Saying True does not mean you have up to one year, it simply means that it must be before 1 year has passed. Well, 5 days is certainly before 1 year has passed. If you say False, then you are implying that you DON'T have to inform them within one year which is obviously incorrect.
I used to teach logic at Western Michigan Univ., so I guess I'm a little sensitive about these things, haha.

[TMan]

Flamdrags, I can't believe an educated person like your self would use the word government and logic in the same sentence.

I would argue that 5 days is only 1.37% of the year, so for the majority of the time the statement is false.

I strongly disagreed with the question on the Texas motorcycle exam where they wanted you to stand up on the pegs, raising your butt off the seat when going over railroad tracks. Depends on the size of the bike. I think doing it on a big bike is dangerous, so I said false. My wife thought it was funny that I got an answer wrong. Probably says something about our relationship. She is more careful now that I have so many guns, and I bring targets with the center blown out of them home to show her.

[TA]

I have taken many government exams over the years and found the same thing. The best way through it is to choose the most correct answer. Even that wouldn't work every time, but it got you closer. Ahh, the government and their infinite wisdom...