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Recent Changes at SIG ARMS Inc.

Prelude to the 2001 SIGARMS Primer
Written by Gunnery Network Director Marvin "SIG Nut" Stenhammar

I have returned from SHOT Show 2001 and am currently writing the new SIG 2001 Primer. Here is a prelude that includes some of the recent information and changes at SIGARMS Inc.

- SIG Now SIGARMS Inc. - SIG Arms of Exeter New Hampshire was recently purchased by two (2) new owners from a German investment group. With the purchase comes some new names and new logos. What was formerly SIG Arms Inc. is now SIGArms, Inc. The SIG Group, Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft or in English the Swiss Industrial Company, has divested all of its arms manufacturing companies and will focus on packaging and other technologies.

Initially the German investors only purchased SIG Arms and J.P. Sauer, but decided later to buy the whole SIG Arms Group that included SIG Arms USA, J.P. Sauer of Germany, Blaser, Hämmerli and Mauser which was owned by SIG Arms. The package also includes some of the Swiss production facilities in Neuhausen am Rheinfalls, Switzerland, which will make the new and improved SIG P210 Sport and a portion of the SIG Military and Law Enforcement production facility, also in Switzerland.

The SIG name is a licensed trademark and was retained by the SIG Group which was the former parent corporation of all the companies of the new SIGARMS Group. The new Swiss company that was SIG is now know as Swiss Arms. Swiss Arms will produce the Swiss Army's STG90 Assault Rifle or Sturmgewehr, known as the SIG SG 550 family in the world market. However, SIGARMS, Inc. will produce the SG 550 family for the world military and law enforcement market. As the SIG Group still owns the name SIG, they also own the famous SIG Egg logo, which will no longer be used for SIGARMS products. SIG has allowed the SIGARMS Group to continue to use the egg logo until existing stocks of letterhead and other paper products are expended.

A new SIGARMS logo is under development. SIGARMS Inc. is currently using the SIGARMS logo in all caps on the new catalogs and other correspondence. SIGARMS Inc. owns the logo and trademarks for Mauser, Blaser, Hämmerli and J.P. Sauer and Sohn and will continue to use the SIG name on the Swiss made SIG P210. SIG will also be used in conjunction with Sauer on all SIG-Sauer handguns and related products.

The Corporate Headquarters for SIGARMS Inc. is now Exeter, New Hampshire. New departments and personnel are being added and some of the existing export sales divisions are being moved to Exeter. The Latin and South American Sales Division has just been relocated from Miami, Florida to Exeter. Other personnel changes will follow and SIGARMS is hiring sales staff and customer service representatives in the Exeter offices. The new Chief Operations Officer is Herman H. Kloetzter, a long time SIG employee and the former Executive Vice President of the American SIG Arms Inc. Laura Burgess is back at SIGARMS as the Director of Marketing and Communications. Additional personal changes and key positions will be included in the 2001 SIGARMS Primer.

Several new SIGARMS products were displayed at the 2001 SHOT Show in New Orleans, Louisiana. Foremost among them is the newly upgraded SIG P210 Sport for the American market. The new P210 or P210-9's include the redesigned P210-8 with a lateral magazine release and extended wood grips. Also new in the P210 family are the P210-5 with an extended target barrel and compensator. SIGARMS also released the newly upgraded SIG-Sauer P220 ST. The 220 ST is an all stainless steel P220 with an integrated military specification 1913 "Picatinny" rail on the frame. The new P220 ST weighs in at 40 ounces and its finish is polished stainless steel. The standard P220 will continue to have an aluminum alloy frame and a rolled and pinned slide.

Got Sport? An all new SIG-Sauer P226 Sport was just developed and shown for the first time at the 2001 SHOT Show. It is a 9mm with an all stainless steel frame and slide, that includes an extended target barrel with compensator. Like the P229 Sport and P220 Sport it also includes a target rigger and extended controls and adjustable target sights. With the addition of the P226 Sport, SIG-Sauer Sport pistols now cover all four major calibers, .45 ACP, .40 Liberty, .357 SIG and 9mm Luger.

Also new is the "New Englander" a special-edition, over and under shotgun based on SIG’s Aurora line. It features the L.L. Bean logo, inlaid in gold on a case-hardened receiver. The stock is carved from Turkish walnut, highlighted with hand-cut checkering and completed with a Prince of Wales style pistol grip, and a trim, rounded style forend and rubber recoil pad. The shotgun is offered in 12 and 20 gauge, with 3-inch chambering and 26-inch or 28-inch barrels. An aluminum hard case is supplied with each shotgun.

For More Information See Also:

SIG Sauer P220 Perspective SIG Sauer P226 Perspective

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