This is one of those posts in response to a development exciting enough for yours truly to comment but not necessarily review in any comprehensive detail...in no small part because any observations to review are not yet firsthand. My first big firearm-related post on this site was an overview of the "classic" (which I define in this context as covering anything metal-framed) SIG Sauer handgun line. When I wrote that it was already well into the point SIG, in the USA market at least, was trimming its support for multi-caliber convertible setups and reducing its Parabellum-class (again: referring to any caliber designed to operate within that size and type of frame and chambering, ranging from the original 7.65x21mm up to .45 GAP) offerings solely to 9x19mm.
I still stand by what I said then: I consider myself blessed to have acquired a P226 in .40 S&W when I had several years ago since it was factory new. As of today's posting SIG itself and certain resellers still have .357 SIG barrels available for simple conversion of a .40 S&W model, many of which are still easy to find on the police trade-in market as agencies divest from what was within the last decade the standard law enforcement cartridge in the United States. I have already written my opinions about 9mm Parabellum's performance and the reality of it fast becoming the universal service standard worldwide which shall not be reiterated here, but if the history of other such cartridges is any indication .40 S&W plus .357 SIG (to a lesser extent) will remain on the market indefinitely thus both still qualify as viable choices.
Revenant (noun): a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead
No, not that kind, though I admit this is among the images that come to my video gaming-centric mind.
Which is why the source of my excitement today is the rise of a newer market player who seems geared specifically toward those of us who love our classic SIGs (and suspect SIG Sauer is trying to shut that line down in the near future so they can concentrate on their plastic-framed service contract successes). One of the reasons I had not noticed Revenant Arms before is they appear to have only started in the past 2 years or so (so maybe about as long as this blog has existed) but if reviews on the SIGTalk forums are any indication their build quality is a superb match to the originals. Not only are they the only independent player out there in regard to viable replacement for factory SIG frames and parts but they also, as shown in this post's title picture, support designs SIG itself discontinued long ago.
Historical Considerations
Now, for anyone aware of what SIG Sauer has offered services and civilians over the decades I need not explain that any SIG Sauer pistol is a superior deal (and if one happens upon a lemon I can attest from experience the likewise quality of their customer service) that can carry itself for life. Unless the situation involves an older model ("made in W. Germany") that lost resiliency over time this will probably not be a consideration for most already invested in a complete working member of the P220 family since those are built to withstand many thousands of rounds and are backed by a lifetime warranty. Still, for some of us it is an attractive prospect to acquire a frame without the accessory rail since none of those have been made by SIG for more than a dozen years.
Or there could be more pertinence to it than I perceive. I already covered SIG Sauer history in the post I mentioned previously but had not gone into detail about the different generations or what distinguishes them. I will briefly do so now (and try to avoid excessive redundancy) in order to tie into other possible reasons one may desire something Revenant makes because SIG does not anymore.
In the beginning there was the single-stack P220 followed a decade later by the double-stack P226: both structurally, aesthetically and operationally identical, the only difference being their magazine capacities, and pertinent to this post is that both were designed for 9x19mm Parabellum hence the quaint carbon steel metallurgy. Not long after USSOCOM adopts the P226 as the Mark 25 (first model with accessory rail which is now standard on all) the compact P228 is produced as an alternative for service use which is also 9x19mm exclusive. The generational divide comes immediately after with the P229 invented for the purpose of accommodating the new .357 SIG round (and its sibling .40 S&W), ushering in the alloy frame & milled stainless slide combination that defines the classic SIG Sauer family today. Many are aware the 9x19mm variant of the P229 rendered the old P228 obsolete overnight, but the P226 also got structural and metallurgical improvements which yielded accommodation of .357 SIG and .40 S&W in all the newer models, leaving older carbon steel pistols the same as the P228 in only being able to safely handle 9mm.
For the New Millennium
Anyone familiar with the Glock series knows of their legendary modularity that came about with their 3rd generation which worked well enough that, in a parallel of the P226 in the 1980s US military pistol trials, got an adaptable variant of the Glock 19 accepted, not as the standard service pistol, but as USSOCOM special issue (ironically replacing the Mark 25). What SIG offered that Glock could not was the capability to switch between full-size and compact for both the slide and the frame, a feat accomplished way back with the double-action hammer-fired P250 family (that soon gave way to the striker-fired P320 series) by making the fire control unit independent of the frame, thus allowing installation of disparate frames and slides virtually on-the-fly. The closest Glock came with what they later marketed as the 19X was enabling a full-size frame to accommodate a mid-size slide (the reverse was later done as the Glock 47).
What relevance does this have to any classic metal-framed SIG Sauer model? Foresight already knew of the desire for such a combination however the standard practice of meeting it was to ensure the full-size magazines were compatible with the mid-size model, necessitating either tolerance of tacky appearance or purchase of spacers for the exposed magazine length. Revenant Arms offers an exclusive alternative they call the REV2296: a P226 frame built to accept the different connection points of a P229 slide. In my hopes they'll eventually develop a REV2269 though that may not actually be useful since a SIG is not the same as a Glock, in this case meaning the carry advantages of the mid-size frame aren't that much (and unlike Glocks, standard magazine capacity is the same between both major classic SIG sizes).
Owning Up to Mistakes
I will report what drove this discovery journey. After one range session I committed a cardinal sin of SIG pistol reassembly: neglecting to reinsert the takedown lever before rejoining the slide assembly to the frame which resulted in both halves becoming so inseparable I had to send it to SIG for repair (as a side note, getting it back from them was a hassle worth its own post because within the past years ALL major US parcel carriers have become hostile towards the shipping of firearms via any method other than FFL transfer). This process left the cosmetic condition of my P226 no longer quite the same; call me vain, but firearms are my hobby and my affinity of care parallels that others have for a select car or boat.
As we all continue hurtling toward an uncertain future it's nice to see less uncertainty in instances such as this. Should the theories prove correct and SIG finally pull the plug completely on [at least all consumer-grade models] of the P220 and P226 lines it is a relief to know at least one company is already primed to continue supporting that market, perhaps even (like PTR relative to HK with the G3 rifle) expand options in the process. It is also nice, as a SIG fan, to see their products receiving the same type of aftermarket attention already afforded Glocks and 1911s...perhaps someday soon reaching the same point as those other two already are in that entire custom classic SIG pistols could be made without a single factory SIG Sauer part, thereby ensuring continuation of the line for as long as people wish.