founded in 1985
Virginia, New Hampshire
Old World Sig
- founded in 1853 in
– Friedrich Peyer im Hof (1817–1900)
– Heinrich Moser (1805-1874)
– Johann Conrad Neher (1818-1877) - 1860 awarded contract to produce 30,000 Prelaz-Burnand rifles
- 1860 company name was changed to Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
(SIG, German for “Swiss Industrial Company”) - 1947 SIG P210 pistol was developed
– single-action semi-automatic - 1949 adopted by the Swiss military as “Pistole 49”
- 1970s SIG purchased J. P. Sauer and Sohn
– renamed SIG Sauer - 1977 – 1980 Browning BDA, amodified SIG Sauer P220 design was produced for the Browning Arms
– the first SIG Sauer P220 type sold in the US - Swiss law limits the ability of Swiss companies to export firearms
– have to use a foreign partner
SIG in the USA
- January 1985 established SIGARMS, in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia
– to import the P220 and P230 models into the US - 1987 moved to a larger facility in Herndon, Virginia
– P225, P226 and P228 - 1990 moved to Exeter, New Hampshire
- 1992 production began on the P229
- 1996 SIG Sauer Academy in Epping, New Hampshire
- 2000 became known as Swiss Arms
– still using the SIG Sauer brand - 2007, SIGARMS changed its name to SIG Sauer Inc
- Sig 556
- 2014 new corporate headquarter and production facility in Newington, New Hampshire
– 206,000-square-foot - 2015 expanded to include suppressors, optics, ammo and airguns
- January 2017 awarded US Army contract for the P320
- July 12, 2018 Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) used the SIG SAUER P320
- 2019 Swiss Arms was renamed SIG SAUER AG
- one-third of law enforcement in the United States use SIG firearms
- June 4, 2020 closing factory Eckernförde, Germany
SIG SAUER, Inc.
72 Pease Boulevard
Newington, NH 03801
603-610-3000
sigsauer.com
About SIG Sauer
SIG Sauer, Inc. is the American branch of a firearms line that goes back to the Swiss Industrial Company (SIG), founded in 1853. The U.S. company started in January 1985 as SIGARMS in Tysons, Virginia, to import the P220 and P230 pistols. It moved to Herndon, Virginia in 1987, when the P225, P226 and P228 arrived, and then to Exeter, New Hampshire in 1990, where it began making guns in the United States. In October 2000 the U.S. operations were sold to L&O Holding, which still owns them. In 2007 the company took the name SIG Sauer, Inc.
SIG is now one of the most important gun makers for American shooters and agencies. Its P226 and P229 became police and military standards. In January 2017 the U.S. Army picked the P320 for its Modular Handgun System, adopted as the M17 and M18. In April 2022 the Army chose SIG’s M7 rifle and M250 automatic rifle for the Next Generation Squad Weapon program. Beyond firearms, the company now makes suppressors, optics and ammunition, and it runs the SIG Sauer Academy and a SIG Experience Center in Epping, New Hampshire.
Key Facts
- January 1985: SIGARMS founded in Tysons, Virginia, to import the P220 and P230
- 1990: Moved to Exeter, New Hampshire
- October 2000: U.S. operations sold to L&O Holding
- 2007: SIGARMS renamed SIG Sauer, Inc.
- January 19, 2017: P320 selected for the U.S. Army Modular Handgun System
- April 19, 2022: M7 and M250 selected for the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon
Learn More
Sources
Across the Gun Websites Network
- SIG Sauer Pistols Pistol Buyers Guide.com
- Advice From a SIG Sauer Trainer After Action.net
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