P-226 Purchase

[mcwoodduck]

I have a buddy that has a P226 with very few rounds through it in .40 S&W. Purchased in the past 5 or 6 years.
He wants to get one in 9mm.  Don't ask why- the short answer is; he is nuts and has to do with a bug out bag and an AR he wants to build in 9mm. (because the upper for 9 and mags are cheaper than they are in 40.
Should I buy this from him (I own a few other SIGs)
And if so for how much?
Do I offer him what it says in the Blue book?
Do I offer him $100 more than the gun shop is willing to give him as a trade in?
Do I spilt the diff between the book and the shop offer?

[mdwest]

Cant go wrong with a P226 purchase.. they retain their value well.. and if taken care of will still be working properly years after you cease to do so..
 
that said, they are also common and readily available.. if I didnt think I was getting a very good deal on it.. I would probably pass... its not like you couldnt find another one next week if you decided you just couldnt live without a P226 in the safe..
 
I'd probably give him $50 more than the gun store is willing to give him and call it a day.. youre both getting a deal that way.. he is walking away with more money than he would get otherwise.. and you are getting a pistol at a price that is below normal retail for its age/condition..
 
On a side note, have you shot the P226 in .40 before? I have owned a number of Sigs over the years (P220, P228, P229, and P230), and carried one professionally for a couple of years as well (had an issued P229 in .357 sig and another one in 9mm at different times).. Personally I dont care much for the P226.. although I recognize that it is a very dependable and well designed pistol.. if I werent getting what I felt was a really good deal on it.. I wouldnt be too terribly interested (too many other things I prefer in both 9mm and in .40 that I could spend the money on)..
 

[mcwoodduck]

I have has a P226 in my collection since my first one in 1991.  And ofter that one was stolen in 94 I replaced it with another.
They are reliable and well made.
With that said I also own a P230 (380), P229 (9mm), P226(9mm) P2340 Pro (40), and a P220 Sport (45)
I have shot the 40 226, his in fact. 
I like the 226.  It fits me and having shot it for all these years I am almost good with it.  When I was shooting at a club in Southern CA and would show up with my P226 a few guys would complain that all they could do was hope for 2nd place.
The gist of this post is to see what you think is fair.
I do not need the gun, but want to help out my friend.
I do not want to over pay either.
Thanks for your input.
McDuck
 

[dougk]

Hey Mc

IMHO the blue book is a guide....

To me Mdwest nailed it with the suggestion to have your friend take the gun to a local shop and pay him $25-50 over what they are offering.  This way your not stealing it but rather your using a fair mark price as the basis for your purchase.

I love my 226 in 9mm.  I am surprised since I am a .357sig or .45acp or 10mm guy... 

Doug

[mcwoodduck]

Doug,
The 9mm is just a special version of the 357 sig.   
Same bullet slower speeds.     But do not try to feed the 9mm into the 357 sig.
They make that 226 in 357 Sig.
That may be something to do, turn it into a 357 Sig with a new barrel.  It is something that I have seen others do and either make expensive 40 brass or have the right barrel and the wrong ammo for some of the shoots I go to.
 

[dougk]

Hey Mcwood,

what did you end up doing with your friends P226?

The rule I follow with the Sigs is that a .40 cal barrel can be exchanged with a .357 sig barrel.  I have done that with my p226 and P226 sport.  The 9mm frame will not support the larger 40/357 barrels.  I do have a 9mm slide with barrel  and mags for the P229 that works great. 

The P226 is the Navy variant.  I would like one day to find a p226 in .357 Sig.

thanks

Doug

[mcwoodduck]

Hey Mcwood,

what did you end up doing with your friends P226?

The rule I follow with the Sigs is that a .40 cal barrel can be exchanged with a .357 sig barrel.  I have done that with my p226 and P226 sport.  The 9mm frame will not support the larger 40/357 barrels.  I do have a 9mm slide with barrel  and mags for the P229 that works great. 

The P226 is the Navy variant.  I would like one day to find a p226 in .357 Sig.

thanks

Doug

He wants to get through Christmas before he buys a new one,
The  plan is that he is going to look for a new one, I give him  what we agreed to and he buys a new one, once he gets it home we do the paper work on my new Sig.  The deal is I ghive him Blue book for he gun and I get 3 factory mags and 500 rounds of  Winchester SXT ammo,

[dougk]

Looks like a win win for everyone!