What “West German” actually means

Germany reunified on October 3, 1990. Pistols produced before that carry the “Made in W. Germany” rollmark — after it, just “Germany.” That single line of text dates the gun to the first production era and is the fastest tell on the slide.

Era matters mechanically, too. West German P226s use the original folded carbon-steel slide with a pinned breech block — the configuration the pistol earned its reputation with — rather than the milled stainless slides of later U.S. production. Early examples often wear the wider wraparound “mud flap” grips collectors look for.

Reading the date code

German proof houses stamp a two-letter date code where each letter stands for a digit: A = 0, B = 1, C = 2, D = 3, E = 4, F = 5, G = 6, H = 7, J = 8, K = 9 (the letter I is skipped). So “JK” reads 8-9 — proofed 1989; “KA” reads 9-0 — 1990. You’ll find it near the proof marks, alongside the eagle-over-N nitro proof that every commercially proofed German gun carries.

What to inspect before you buy

• Matching numbers — serial on the frame should match the numbers on slide and barrel. Every West German SIG we grade is checked for this, and we say so on the listing.
• The bore — most of these were police service guns: carried a lot, shot a little. A mirror bore is common and worth insisting on.
• Honest finish wear — holster wear on the muzzle and controls is service character, not damage. A reblued gun hiding its history is the thing to avoid.
• Rollmarks & proofs — “Made in W. Germany,” the two-letter date code, eagle/N proof, and any police property marks. These tell the story and carry the value.
• Magazines — original West German mags matter to collectors. Surplus examples typically ship with one; factor spares into your budget.

Grade A vs Grade B, in plain terms

We hand-grade every surplus pistol against NRA surplus standards. Grade A runs at or above NRA surplus excellent — minimal finish wear, like-new bores, excellent mechanics. Grade B is the honest service tier: NRA fine to excellent, more visible carry wear, same matching numbers and mirror-bore requirement, at a friendlier price. Neither tier gets a gun we wouldn’t put our name on.

P226 or P228?

Same DNA, different footprint. The P226 is the full-size service gun with the higher-capacity magazine; the P228 is its compact sibling — shorter barrel and grip, 13-round magazines, hugely favored as a duty and carry pistol. German-proofed P228s from police and military service turn up in the same surplus channels and are graded the same way. If you want the flagship, take the P226; if it needs to ride a belt, look hard at the P228.

What’s on the floor right now

• West German P226 — Grade B surplus — matching numbers, mirror bores, honest police wear. The value pick.
• 1989 West German P226 — Grade A — a single “JK”-coded example in excellent condition. One of one.
• West German P226 Stainless/Two Tone — surplus lot in 9×19; original folded-steel slides, like-new mirror bores, import marked.
• German P228 — Grade A and Grade B — the compact, German LE & IDF surplus.
• P226 Grade A lot — sold through fast; the listing page has a back-in-stock alert if you want first shot at the next batch.
• Browse everything in surplus & collectible pistols.

Buying one — the FFL part is easy

Order online and we ship fully insured to your local FFL, who runs the background check at pickup — three steps, we handle the paperwork on our end. Texas buyers pay TX sales tax; out-of-state buyers pay none. In the Dallas area? Pick up in store in Plano and skip the transfer fee — and handle the piece before you commit. Questions about a specific serial? Email sales@oldsteelarsenal.com — a real person answers.

SIG’s Swiss siblings — the P220 and SG 551

SIG built its reputation in Switzerland before the P226 ever reached Germany. The P75 / P220 was the Swiss Army’s service pistol — a hammer-forged, all-steel 9mm and the direct design ancestor of the P226’s action. Surplus Swiss P220s come through the same channels and we grade them the same way; the ones on the floor are in the case below.

After the rifle instead? SIG’s crown jewel is the SG 551 — the Swiss select-fire pattern, here in its semi-auto SG 551-2 SP SWAT in 5.56, one of the scarcest guns we stock. Browse the full rack of surplus & collectible rifles for more Swiss iron.