SIG SAUER P320 modular handgun
Courtesy SIG SAUER

SIG Sauer, long the target of disarmament campaigners in Germany, announced Thursday it intended by year’s end to close its factory at Eckernförde near Kiel, capital of Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein.

It blamed “locational handicaps” hindering its diverse pistol and sports guns sales, claiming a “few other local producers” were preferred in government purchases for Germany’s police forces and Bundeswehr military.

Public broadcaster NDR quoted manager Tim Castagne as saying the workers’ council at the Eckernförde site, established in 1951, had been briefed about some 125 job losses as well plans to fulfil purchase orders.

“Due to its international orientation, SIG Sauer is systematically excluded from tenders [in Germany], said Castagne, intimating, said NDR, that most of its weapons were developed in the United States.

– SIG Sauer to shutter German weapons factory

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63 COMMENTS

  1. CDNN has German framed p229s in .40 s&w, I bet their collector value has increased.

    Just from the headline I was thinking, Sig makes the fun stuff here. *cough* MPX *cough*

    • I’ve been doing a longer term review of the MCX Virtus in 5.56 for about 11 months now. Part of a 3 part review. A few thousand rounds so far. Going to do a Form 1 and 300BLK SBR on it and review that as well.

  2. The Germans also continue to disband their military at an insane rate. When the Russians, Turks, or Islamic invasion finally decide to take Europe, there won’t be much fighting for them to do.

  3. Good for them- why stay where you’re not wanted. You’d think other manufacturers would be as proactive. If Sauer can leave their home country, you’d think some other big-name manufacturers would be capable of leaving their STATE.

    • Right on, like Colt, Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Remington, kimber, Henry, Hi Standard, Springfield Armory …

  4. This is a SAD chapter in German firearm history! The others are right the German made piatols from WWII on to today will jump in VALUE and those who owned some already will have a GREAT treasure

  5. Saw this coming.
    I added 2 German Sigs to my collection in the past 6 weeks, a minty classic (’87) P220 and a NIB Mastercraft P226 LDC II Stainless (similar to the X5 target). The Mastercraft is shipping from the Importer today.

      • Hahaha, actually THREE SIGs in the past 6 weeks.
        I placed a min opening bid on a “Red Box” P220 ST last week (Gunbroker item). Received an e-mail that I won the auction around 3 hours ago.
        Got the MO off before 4:30 with priority service.
        Red Box, 2 set of grips (Hogue slim and original) and 7 mags.

    • I’m still on the hunt for a P-210.
      It’s low on the list, but it’s on the list.

        • Yes.
          Those SIG P210s produced in Switzerland (pre SIG acquisition of J.P. Sauer and Son) are the top dollar P210s.
          The new production SIG Sauer P210s can be purchased for around 1/5th the cost of a new condition (old) Swiss SIG P210.

        • if i’m right that a u.s. made 210 is 1500, then the swiss made are beyond my means. there are currently two german 210’s on harmfist, consecutive numbered, asking 5900 the pair.

  6. German politics are a lot like the wet dream of our Democratic party; total control, cradle too grave!

  7. (California roster victim here) I always wanted one but the SP2022 has such an ugly, ugly slide catch. It looks like some sort of oversized paperclip, really tacky. And the other one, the P226, is just unnecessarily expensive. If somebody can find an aftermarket replacement for the slide catch, I’ll reconsider it.

    • +1 on the P226, I could never justify dropping $900+ when you can get a Beretta 92 for $600. I just picked up a compact INOX, shipped and transferred for under $600. You’ll never convince me that a Sig is worth a penny more, let alone 50% more.

        • Damn, he had a bunch of ’em too.

          https://www.gunbroker.com/item/869926642

          3 weeks ago probably wasn’t the best time to find a deal, but 10x better than now. Keep your eyes out though if you want one. MSRP is $800 so typical LGS price shouldn’t be over $700, internet deal should be around $600.

  8. Even if they were to close their USA factories, it would be no great loss to me . . . I sold off my Sigs, all except the old school P232. It like the others was trouble prone, but it finally has been repaired to work properly.

    • I expect to see these German frame guns increasing in value too.
      When I purchased the all stainless LDC II P226 Mastercraft gun last week, I also “min bid” a German frame P220 ST (all stainless) Red Box on GB, turns out I was the only bidder on the item.
      Had this P220 ST NOT had a German frame, I would not have bid it.

  10. I’m sure that the “workers’ council at the Eckernförde site” clearly understands and supports the closing along with 125 lost jobs.

  11. Sorry, no pity on the damned Germans. I hope Merkel succeeds in driving that crap country into the ground. Germany is a stain on humanity. No amount of misery or failure is enough for them.

    A culture and civilization that could produce the Nazi movement that led to World War and the death of tens of millions of people and destroyed the lives of hundreds of millions more is a culture and civilization that should be permanently disdained, and its demise supported. If only all industry and technology there would cease. Let them stick to farming and making sausage.

    • If you’re in favor of punishing Germans of today for something that happened 75 years ago, then I guess you’re in favor of paying reparations to blacks because of slavery?

      • He is one of those self haters. Probably locking himself in the stocks right now to pay for the white man’s sins.

      • We have to pay for what the ancient Greeks and Romans did over 1500 to 2500 years ago.

        And that other middle eastern religion still has to pay for executing their religious leader.

    • All civilizations have the capacity to turn into an abomination given the right circumstances. You’re watching it happen here right now.

    • Whoa down, doggie! You can get guns just anywhere, but Porsches and BMWs not so much. Maybe we could just enslave them?

  12. Discrimination comes in more forms than one…Instead of Jews in Germany that were distasteful now it’s an established gun factory that is distasteful. In the USA it is was Freed Slaves owning firearms that were distasteful now it’s all Gun Owners that are distasteful. Sad to say but there are some sneaky trolls on this forum who talk guns only to get around to slandering and libeling the POTUS. Their hope is for gullible fence sitters to find the POTUS distasteful enough to stay home and not vote in November.

    TRUMP/PENCE 2020.

    • Those who have been paying attention over the past 6 months are aware of this.
      There are even a few well known regulars here that “steer” discussions in a certain direction, then use “disposable” usernames/their farm to troll.
      Some of the “steering” has train wreck level subtlety.

    • If I thought I could get away with it, I would impersonate a Democrat in order to get the training on voting repeatedly, so that I could vote for Trump a hundred times. You know, 50 times in 2020, 50 more in 2024.

  13. I would not mind if Sig made the USA their HQ and moved us that much closer to being the firearms capitol of the planet.

      • HYDGUY,

        Wouldn’t know. I do not own any Sigs. However, if you are correct, they will have to sharpen their US mfg. or lose market share. Still, I hope closing in DEU opens more jobs in USA.

      • I agree.
        The US SIG Sauer quality falls far short of the German examples.
        I had a US produced P227 for a short time (under 2 years). A range friend took a liking to it and offered me almost what I paid for it, good riddance P227, you WON’T be missed.
        My German SIGs are a different story.
        An employee at my local FFL (he knows what I’ve been collecting over the last few years) offered me almost DOUBLE what I paid for a late ’70s production P6 (P225), a hardly used Nord Rind/Westfalen police trade in over 95% condition.
        Can’t bring myself to let it go, even owning a 2nd P6 with Nill target grips that gets ranged a few times a year.
        SIG Sauer USA is doing great with military contracts at the moment, don’t expect them to “step up” the quality of civilian firearms anytime soon.

  14. To think – NAZI party adopted the DEMOCRATs’ KKK as the SS, their “JIM CROW” Laws as NAZI Racial Purity Laws, and even their 1870;s Gun Laws. Strange twist is that the 1968 DEMOCRAT Gun Law was a word for word copy of Senator Dodd Senior’s translation of his personal copy of the NAZI Gun Laws he got as part of the War Crimes Tribunal. Took almost 20 years to get the FOIA documents from the Army to prove that fact.

    Look at the DEMOCRATS opening the Jails, but demanding citizens don’t protect themselves, and compare that to the GERMANY of today. Bet DEMOCRATS wished that their “JIM CROW” laws were not shut down in 1952 by REPUBLICANS.

    • American progressives in the 20’s and 30’s made ideas from Italian Fascism part of their core beliefs. The National Socialists Party in Germany (Nazis) in turn incorporated American eugenics ideas promoted by Margaret Sanger (Planned Parenthood) into their national program aimed at creating a “master race” by killing Jews and people with mental handicaps. Although they’ll never admit it, contemporary progressives are still fascist.

  15. I have a few handguns, but my favorite is my W. German P-228. I’ve had it for almost 30 years.

  16. Bummer. I love my Sigs, funny none are German made.

    Germany will become irrelevant if they do not reverse this trend.

  17. More pathetic leftist b/s causing nothing but problems. It may be a little positive for the owners of German made Sigs. I have a P220 still in box with everything it came with new plus 3 extra mags. Almost sold it last year but decided to shoot it first since it was already lightly used. That changed my mind and I kept it. Very nice shooting pistol as is the MK25. Every firearm related mfg. should relocate out of liberal states here too, if they’re able.

  18. I have 5 Sigs, all “made in west germany” ands I really like them. my friend got the P320 compact that was made here and thinks it is a great firearm and it is convincing him to look at more Sigs and he is slowly becoming a convert from glocks. I don’t know about any bad quality issues with American made guns but he doesn’t mind where his gun was made. I do understand having a german made gun , but if germany is going to slowly turn towards communism do you still want Sig to stay there? Germany once was a great country , I was there in 1979, loved it, but it is not the same anymore, it is going downhill. becoming a communist country. I think all the gun companies should get out of there. I think the Czech Republic is still pro gun ( for now) and maybe we should support them more and for get about germany . let them vote Comrad Merkel in for life.

  19. Now the Das Righter’s can get back to being Anti Semitic, this time with a Muslim party in the destroyer role and Herr Merkal the boss,

  20. The Auto Ordnance company was sustained by civilian machine gun sales for 20 years. All before WW2.
    I don’t see how in today’s world any small arms maker can make it on just government sales?
    Europe had a gun culture. But they have worked to kill it off. And I don’t see their gun makers having a viable business model for the future.

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