SIG Sauer Optics UK – Latest Products & Company History

Information About SIG Sauer UK

From their very early days as wagon makers in Switzerland, the founders of SIG Sauer were ambitious men. They began their wagon and railway car manufacturing business in 1853 and became proficient in building very sophisticated railway cars. Just 7 years later they entered a contest, well more of a challenge from Switzerland’s Federal Ministry of Defence to develop a state of the art rifle to be used by the Swiss army.

SIG Sauer Optics History

In 1864 the Swiss wagon factory under the leadership of Friedrich Peyer im Hof, Heinrich Moser and Conrad Neher won the contract to supply 30,000 muzzle loading Prelaz-Burnand rifles. They changed the company name to Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft (the Swiss Industrial Company) now known worldwide as SIG. 

By 1949 the SIG company was producing military grade weapons for the Swiss army including the SIG P49, the SIG P210 which was to become a legend on both the battlefield and the competition field. During that same year the P220 pistol was developed for the army and also in that year the compact P230 pistol was introduced to the Swiss police force. These pistols were extremely reliable giving a weapon with the most reliability up to this point.

In the 1970s SIG’s small arms division expanded taking over Hämmerli Target Arms from Lenzburg, Switzerland, and J.P. Sauer & Sohn, GmbH, of Eckernförde, West Germany. Famous throughout the world for their hunting rifles, in the 1980s SIG expanded into the USA.

In 1985 SIGARMS located at Tysons Corner Virginia USA started to import the P220 and the P230. Two years later, the company moved to Herndon Virginia USA and introduced the P225 9mm followed by the P226 and the P228 also 9mm.

In 1990 SIGARMS moved to Exeter, New Hampshire USA, two years later they began production of the P229 in .40 S&W (developed specifically for law enforcement and used mainly by the FBI). 

As well as importing SIG Sauer pistols, SIGARMS  also offered great customer service from highly trained gunsmiths. In 1998 SIGARMS brought the first of their shotgun line designed exclusively for SIGARMS by B. Rizzini from Italy, The following year the Blaser R93 rifle was imported from Germany and distributed through SIGARMS.

In 2007 SIGARMS officially changed its name to SIG Sauer. Over the following 30 months the company tripled its workforce and invested $18 million in manufacturing facilities and expanded their engineering base. In 2014 SIG Sauer moved the company’s headquarters to Newington, New Hampshire USA.

The following year they expanded into suppressors, optics, ammunition and airguns. They are now the largest member of a worldwide business group of firearms manufacturers. As with all Sig Sauer products their optics are world class and topped with an infinite lifetime guarantee.

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