The SIG P210 (
Swiss Army
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...
designation Pistole 49, the civilian model was known as SP47/8 prior to 1957) is a locked breech
self loading, semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured in
Neuhausen am Rheinfall
Neuhausen am Rheinfall (sometimes abbrv. as Neuhausen a. Rhf., called Neuhausen until 1938) is a town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
The town is close to the Rhine Falls, a tourist attraction and mainland Europe ...
(
Canton of Schaffhausen
The canton of Schaffhausen, also canton of Schaffouse (german: Kanton Schaffhausen; rm, Chantun Schaffusa; french: Canton de Schaffhouse; it, Canton Sciaffusa) is the northernmost canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the c ...
, Switzerland) by
SIG
Sig used as a name may refer to:
* Sig (given name)
*Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River
*Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon
*Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra
sig (l ...
from 1948 to 2006.
It is of all-
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
construction chambered in
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...
and
7.65×21mm Parabellum
The 7.65×21mm Parabellum (designated as the 7,65 Parabellum by the C.I.P. and also known as .30 Luger and 7.65mm Luger) is a pistol cartridge that was introduced in 1898 by German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) ...
. It was used from 1949 to 1975 by the
Swiss Army
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...
and police units. It was also adopted and is still in service with the
Military of Denmark
Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Defe ...
(as M/49 Neuhausen or simply Neuhausen), in 1951 by the German
Bundespolizei and in shooting sports.
The pistols were decommissioned by the Swiss Army and replaced by the
SIG Sauer P220
The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol. Designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SIG Holding AG), and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde; it is currently manufactured by both ...
(Swiss Army designation ''Pistole 75'') developed in 1975. Swiss production of the P210 continued until 2006. A new model, the P210 Legend, was introduced by SIG Sauer GMBH of Germany in 2010, and another, the P210A, was introduced by
SIG Sauer Inc. of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
in the United States in 2017. In 2022, Sig Sauer released the P210 Carry originally debuted at the 2010 Shot Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The P210 Carry is a pistol chambered in
9x19 Parabellum with a capacity of 8+1. The P210 Carry is lighter and smaller than the original P210 featuring an alloy frame and a 4.1 inch barrel instead of the 4.7 inch barrel on the original P210. It also differs because it has new additions such as the front slide serrations, the Nitron finish, and the black Hogue G10 grips, for a more aggressive and modern look.
History
The design was derived from
Charles Petter
Charles Gabriel Petter (26 March 1880 – 7 July 1953) was a Swiss firearms designer. He is best known as the designer of the ''Pistolet automatique modèle 1935A'' (also known as the Modèle 1935A, French Model 1935A, or M1935A). He also designe ...
's
Modèle 1935A pistol. In 1937, ''
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
SIG Combibloc Group AG, originally founded as ''Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft'' (German for Swiss Industrial Company; in French, as ''Société Industrielle Suisse''; and, in Italian, as ''Societa Industriale Svizzera''), and later know ...
'' (SIG) acquired a license for the
Petter-Browning system
Charles Gabriel Petter (26 March 1880 – 7 July 1953) was a Swiss firearms designer. He is best known as the designer of the ''Pistolet automatique modèle 1935A'' (also known as the Modèle 1935A, French Model 1935A, or M1935A). He also designe ...
from SACM in order to develop a replacement for the
Luger Parabellum 06/29, which had been in service since 1900. Apparently not satisfied with the Petter Browning design or the changes they had made to it, SIG evaluated no fewer than 11 prototypes from 1942 through 1944. Selbstladepistole Neuhausen model 44/16 pistol production began in 1944. Some of the original Petter Browning features had been retained, specifically the self-contained firing and recoil systems. The Neuhausen 44/16 had a magazine capacity of 16 rounds.
Development was slowed by the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After testing various experimental models (such as the aforementioned 44/16 with a double-column magazine), the 47/8 model was adopted in Oct 1948 as the Pistole Modell 1949 (P49), and SP47/8 for civilian market. Some previous series were tested by Swedish sport shooters and by the Danish army (
Danish Defence
Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Defe ...
designation Pistol M/1949).
The 47/8 model supported the easy change of the barrels between 7.65 and 9mm Parabellum and a kit to convert to .22 caliber (see table below).
![SIG P210 IMG 6834-5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/SIG_P210_IMG_6834-5.jpg)
SIG M/1949 is the 47/8 model purchased for the Danish military and issued version for officers,
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
, and special forces, chambered in 9mm Luger.
Usually called only ''Neuhausen'' in Denmark,
this model is stamped "P m/49", and also known as "P210-DK".
First issued beginning in 1950 to the Danish
Army Technical Corps (stamped "HTK"), this remained the standard sidearm in the Danish military throughout 60 years of continuous use, since the 2010s being replaced with the
SIG Sauer P320 X-5 Carry.
In 1957, the civil designation (SP47/8) was definitively changed to P210 according to the company nomenclature policy. Model P210-1 in retrospect covers all models produced until 1965, the designation P210-2 refers to the standard model as produced from 1966 (beginning with serial nr. P 59071).
P210-3 was a police version produced from 1951 to 1964 (serial nrs. P 6791 to P 6840 and P 8001 to P 8893), produced in limited numbers for the cantonal police forces of Basel, Lausanne, and Glarus, with a handful sold on the private market.
P210-4 was the model made for the
German border guard (serial nrs. D 1 to D 6500).
P210-5 and P210-6 were civilian target shooting models made in the 1980s and 1990s.
P210-7 was a rarely produced .22lr rimfire model, made in the 1950s and 1960s.
![Sig Sauer P210](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Sig_Sauer_P210.jpg)
SIG was renamed to SIG Sauer upon acquisition by
Sauer & Sohn
J. P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH (Sauer & Sohn) is a manufacturer of firearms and machinery and is the oldest firearms manufacturer still active in Germany. The products of this company are frequently referred to as Sauer.
J. P. Sauer und Sohn History ...
in the 1970s, and to
Swiss Arms
SIG SAUER AG is a Swiss manufacturer of armaments. The company was previously registered as SAN Swiss Arms AG and changed its name to SIG SAUER AG in December 2019. It was known as SIG Arms AG before 2000 when it was acquired by the German investo ...
in 2000.
Swiss Arms continued production of the P210 for private customers until 2006.
From 2010, a new model, dubbed ''P210 Legend'' was made by SIG Sauer, GMBH of
Eckernförde
Eckernförde ( da, Egernførde, sometimes also , nds, Eckernför, sometimes also ) () is a German town in Schleswig-Holstein, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel. The population is ...
, Germany. This model was exported to the USA until 2017, when
SIG Sauer Inc. of New Hampshire began production of its own model, dubbed P210A, made in Exeter, N.H., offered in two versions, Standard (210A-9-B) and Target (210A-9-TGT).
[ ]
Serial numbers
Serial numbers starting A are the Swiss army ordnance models.
Army models run from serial number A 100001 to A 213110. Those that have a P added to the rear of a serial number that starts with an A have been sold by the Swiss army to civilians. A stamped "P" (="privat") on the front of the trigger guard shows that a weapon was left as a gift to the owner upon leaving the Armed Services.
Serial numbers 6001 to 6028 are prototypes made during 1938–1947. 6033 to 6406 are early model SP47/8 made in 1947.
Serial numbers with a P were made for police and for private use, running from P 8001 to P 8250 (1951) and
P 50004 (1949) to P 79150 (1975).
Serial numbers from P 79600 to P 97950 are private models made by SIG Sauer, Switzerland, during 1976–1984, and P 300001 to P 331536 were made by Sig Sauer (
Swiss Arms
SIG SAUER AG is a Swiss manufacturer of armaments. The company was previously registered as SAN Swiss Arms AG and changed its name to SIG SAUER AG in December 2019. It was known as SIG Arms AG before 2000 when it was acquired by the German investo ...
) during 1983–2006; the jump to the 300000s range marks the transition from traditional forged frames to
CNC
Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a p ...
production.
During 1966–1969, SIG produced a small number of special heavy frame P210-5 models for the National Match team.
These are extremely rare, with a total of 46 pieces known in literature.
In the 1970s, these heavy frame models were commercialized and offered on the market, with
100 pieces of P210-6 heavy frame pistols (P 76521 to P76620) made in 1979,
and 50 pieces of P210-6 heavy frame pistols, made for Hofmann & Reinhart of Zürich (P 79101 to 79150).
These pistols represent the pinnacle of SIG pistol manufacture and are extremely sought after by collectors, and consequently almost never offered on the open market.
Another special edition is numbered JP 1 to JP 500 (1978, "125 Years of SIG" anniversary edition).
P 555001 to P 555555 are special collectors' edition of 555 sets of five chromed pistols with gilded controls, P210,
P220
The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol. Designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SIG Holding AG), and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde; it is currently manufactured by both ...
,
P225
The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol. Designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SIG Holding AG), and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde; it is currently manufactured by both ...
,
P226 and
P230
The SIG Sauer P230 is a small, semi-automatic handgun chambered in .32 ACP or .380 Auto. It was designed by SIG Sauer of Eckernförde, Germany. It was imported into the United States by SIGARMS in 1985. In 1996 it was replaced by the model P232.
...
, made for Vonbank AG in 1987 to 1990), at the time sold for CHF 12,950.
In 1991, another special edition numbered № 0001 to № 1991 was made to commemorate "700 Years of Swiss Confederation" (''700 Jahre
Eidgenossenschaft
''Eidgenossenschaft'' () is a German word specific to the political history of Switzerland.
It means "oath commonwealth" or "oath alliance" in reference to the "eternal pacts" formed between the Eight Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy of th ...
''), at the time sold for CHF 4,100 per piece.
Serial numbers starting with a D belong to the
Bundesgrenzschutz
Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; en, Federal Border Guard) is the former name of the German ''Bundespolizei'' (Federal Police). Established on 16 March 1951 as a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the BGS originally was primari ...
issues (D 1 to D 6500).
The Danish m/49 pistols have their own serial numbers, without a leading letter, engraved on the right side of the slide, running from 7695 (1951) to 35383 (1962).
The rare P210-7 .22lr calibre versions have numbers in the range 40501 (1957) to 41762 (1968).
Gallery
File:SIG 44 -16.JPG, Experimental 44/16 with a double column 16-Round Magazine
File:SIG P210 1sr series IMG 3086.jpg, Swiss army model SIG P210 of the first series, second batch (Morges military museum)
File:SIG210-Morges.jpg, Late Swiss army model SIG 210-2 of the second series, fourth batch (Morges military museum)
File:P210 LS Mag Mun.jpg, A late Swiss army model SIG P210-2 (issued in the early 1970s), stamped "P" for private ownership, with replaced grip plates.
File:SIG 210-5 (6971796781).jpg, P210-5, a sports/target model produced in the 1980s
File:SIG 210-6 (6825678136).jpg, P210-6, a target model produced during the 1980s to 1990s
File:SIG 210 Bench.jpg, SIG 210 Legend (2010), numbered "25 of 210")
File:Sig2109wik.jpg, SIG Sauer P210A (2017)
Users
* : used by the
Danish Defense Force as m/49.
* : Used by the
Presidential Security Service since 2007.
* : used by the
Latvian National Guard.
*: used by the ''
Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince
The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (in Monegsque: ''Cumpagnia d’i Carrabiniei d’u Pri̍ncipu'', Prince's Company of Riflemen in English) is the Infantry branch of the ''Force Publique'', and one of the limited number of militaries that ...
''.
* : used by the
Swiss Military
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, sol ...
and various
police forces
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
.
References
* Armbruster, Erwin, & Werner Kessler (ed.). ''Begegnungen mit einer Legende—SIG SP 47/8 / P 210''. Kessler Waffen AG, 2007.
Sample* Doebeli, Hans P. ''Die SIG-Pistolen''. Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, 1981. .
* Vetter, Lorenz. ''Das große Buch der SIG-Pistolen''. Dietikon-Zürich: Stocker-Schmid, 1995. .
External links
*
SIG P220
The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol. Designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SIG Holding AG), and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde; it is currently manufactured by both ...
*
SIG P226
Sig used as a name may refer to:
*Sig (given name)
* Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River
*Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon
* Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra
sig ( ...
*
SIG P320
*
SIG P365
Description of Pistole 49, official Swiss Army webpageSIG P210-2 disassembly/reassemblyCommemorative ''Confederatio Helvetica 1291-1991'' for the 700th Swiss Confederation anniversary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sig P210
.22 LR pistols
9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols
10mm Auto semi-automatic pistols
7.65×21mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols
Semi-automatic pistols of Switzerland
Police weapons
SIG Sauer semi-automatic pistols
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1949