[MacGyver]

I couldn’t really say much about the number of rounds fired, because every P-Series I have owned has worn differently.

The other stuff is somewhat easier to answer. I don’t think we’ve ever actually figured out the “Circle P” mark for certain, but the general consensus is that it’s a SIG USA proof mark. While you are correct that we don’t require proof-testing here in the USA, some companies do it anyway, such as Glock and HK on their domestically produced models (which even have similar markings - the letter “P” inside a shape/symbol).

Based on the barrel font (“9mm Para”), I would actually guess that the barrel was made in Germany. Again though, that’s just an assumption based on my own experience with the way SIGs of this era are marked. I couldn’t actually say for sure. The same goes for the slide (based on the font and overall markings, I would say it was made here in the USA). The frame was undoubtedly made in Switzerland and assembly was here in the USA.

 

[MacGyver]

Circle P are German barrels. German barrels weren't DE marked until like 2007 or 2008. Even though the gun isn't "proofed" the barrels are still proofed, hence the circle P to show that.

German barrels are easy to tell by the finish and font. If it's blued and has the somewhat italics, it's German. If it's phosphate/DLC and block font, it's US.

OPs barrel is definitely German made.

Interesting. This is first I’ve heard of this. Can you point to a trusted reference for it? This is not a challenge but a genuine request to add to my knowledge base. And probably to others who don’t know this tidbit.

The reason I say that the font is what indicates that OP’s barrel is German is that it’s the exact same font (just larger) as the one you would find on the old West German guns. This font showed up before SIG USA ever made anything (late-1980s and earlier). After this (early-1990s to early-2000s), barrels without italic font first showed up on the P229, which was the first SIG with major parts made in the USA. This is also when the “Circle P” started showing up, which I’ve only seen on USA-assembled SIGs.

@bblr, while I think what you said is a good guide in general, I don‘t believe this whole thing is as definitive as that. There are blued barrels (mid-2000s to early-2010s) that I’ve never seen before on any German SIG, but I have seen on many, many USA SIGs. They have an italicized font that looks different from the font that (per the logic above) I presume to be German. However, I do agree with you though that all of the ”block font” DLC barrels are USA.

 

[MacGyver]

I only have 6 Sigs (or 5 1/3? depending on how you count a P320 build if the only Sig part is the FCU) and a very modest collection of handguns compared to a lot of folks here, as well as the fact that almost all of them are of modern manufacture, all of which means I only have a very limited sample to look at and compare various proofing and identity marks. Despite that I find it rather interesting and the presence or absence thereof often does tell a story, or at least hint at one. And of course there's folks out there that collect antiques of every make and description too. Or people who work in the industry like those at the various auction houses. And so on and so forth.

MOST, but not all, of the recent information I've gleaned on this particular pistol was from swisswaffen.com: Weapon Details SIG Pro SP2009 (LOTS and lots of pictures in here) , SIG Sauer Proof Marks and Date Codes - Real Gun Reviews , and finally, sig p210 which mostly deals with the Swiss and German made SIG P210 in detail, but some of the links lead to other interesting little tidbits as well, and its a very informative page in its own right. (If you're wondering whether I'd like to get a Swiss made P210 one of these days, you'd be right!)

This also has given me a couple offshoot thread ideas as well that I might post later.

Tom

I’d say all of those are pretty good resources. However, while I have nothing whatsoever against Ferrari Steve (quite the opposite), some of the information in that article (such as the 1990-1995 “Made in W. Germany” markings) tends to be taken as gospel even when there isn’t much basis for it. Zeleny is a great resource for P210s and seems to actually have some “insider info” about various all-important (to me anyway) technical details.