Sig Sauer

Sig Sauer is a collaboration between SIGARMS of Switzerland and J.P.Sauer and Sohn GmbH of Germany. Sigarms is an ISO 9001 certified copany incorporated in Delaware, and located in Exeter, New Hampshire. The German half was incorporated in 1751 and has its works at Sauerstrasse 2-6, D-24340 Eckernförde. Sigarms was born of a wagon factory above the Rhine Falls in Switzerland, launched by Friedrich Peyer im Hof, Heinrich Moser and Conrad Neher in 1853. Three years later, these three men decided to branch out into small arms on behest of Switzerland's Federal Ministry of Defense. They developed the state-of-the-art Prelaz-Burnand rifle in an attempt to secure a contract by the Swiss Army, and managed to land an order for 30,000 units of this muzzle-loading rifle. The name of the company was changed to Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, or SIG.

Next came the SIG P49, which preceded the legendary SIG P210. It was an instant success and was widely used by both the Swiss military and sport shooting enthusiasts around the globe. SIG followed this up with the P220, which became the Swiss Army’s standard-issue sidearm. Soon after, the company developed and launched the P230 – a compact handgun meant for law enforcement personnel. Each of these firearms incorporated never-seen-before features that instantly captured the imagination of the international gun market. However, SIG had its eyes fixed firmly on the burgeoning arms market in America. In January, 1985, SIGARMS, Inc. was incorporated in Virginia and a concentrated import program for P220 and the P230 pistols was launched. In 1987, SIGARMS also brought in the P225, P226 and P228 9 mm and followed up with the P229, which was chambered for .40 S&W ammunition. By this point in time, SIGARMS was making serious inroads into the market.

The company is now located at Exeter, New Hampshire. It has started the SIGARMS Training Academy in Epping, New Hampshire. This institution offers various courses in advanced firearm use for police officers and civilians. Meanwhile, it continues to produce elite quality pistols, rifles and shotguns for some of the most discerning law enforcement agencies in the business. They are also extensively used by military outfits – the U.S..Navy SEALs, the British Special Air Service (SAS) and the State Police and Highway Patrol are among the most regular buyers of SIG SAUER pistols. In fact, it has managed to land one of the heftiest handgun supply orders ever to be penned - a $27.9 million contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement agencies in eighteen American states regularly source handguns from SIGARMS, completely captured by the quality, reliability and safety that the company ensures in all its products.

Among its most distinguishing product lines is the SIG Pro series - polymer-framed semi-automatic pistols that are now available in the variants SP 2009, SP 2022 and SP 2340. These are chambered for .40 S&W, 9 mm Parabellum and .357 SIG ammunitions and are counted among the world’s most perfectly designed short recoil operated, locked breech pistols. They are extensively employed in police work and are mainstays with such high profile government organizations as the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The history page that has SIG Sauer as a title is still being written, and the chapter promises to be a long and illustrious one. The company, in its many avatars, has had an unprecedented degree of success on the global armament market and can now boast of a dedicated clientele and diehard fan base. Many significant successes stand as landmarks along the road traveled so far. The SP 2022 managed to oust the ubiquitous Beretta 92G in 2003 in France. Their semi-automatic pistol Sauer 38H, which saw its origin in Nazi Germany way back in 1938 (hence the name) was considered as far ahead of its time even then because of its highly innovative features. Today, it still numbers among the most advanced semi-automatic pistols ever built for their period.