Collector guides · Mastershop & P210

SIG P210 and the Mastershop pistols

Three factories, one reputation: the Swiss P210, the German P210 Legend and Mastershop guns from Eckernförde, and the American-made P210s. What each one is and what to check.

Updated 2026-09-29

Swiss origins

SIG licensed Charles Petter’s pistol design in 1937 and developed it into the SP47/8. The Swiss Army adopted it as the Pistole 49, and it later took the P210 name. Denmark adopted it as the M/49, and West Germany’s Federal Border Guard used the P210-4, about 5,000 of them, numbered in a “D” serial range (a later commercial batch also used D numbers).

The Swiss Army replaced it with the P220 from 1975, but the P210 stayed in production as a target and collector pistol until Swiss manufacture ended in 2006.

The factory variants

Serial prefixes help too: “A” marks Swiss military guns and “P” commercial guns. A “P” stamped onto a military gun means it was released for private ownership.

P210-1: polished finish, walnut grips, fixed sights.
P210-2: matte finish, plastic or wood grips, fixed sights. The military pattern.
P210-5: extended barrel with adjustable sights and trigger.
P210-6: target-oriented, with fixed or target sights and usually a heavier frame.

Germany: P210 Legend and the Mastershop

After Swiss production ended, SIG Sauer GmbH in Eckernförde, Germany, built the P210 Legend from 2010. The same plant ran the Mastershop, SIG Sauer’s German custom shop, with Sport, Prestige and Individual lines built on guns such as the P226. P210-based Mastershop models were introduced in 2019.

SIG Sauer announced the closure of the Eckernförde plant in June 2020, with production ending that year. German-made P210s and Mastershop guns are a finished chapter, which is a large part of their appeal.

American-made P210s

SIG Sauer introduced a US-made P210 Target at the 2017 SHOT Show, built in New Hampshire, followed by the P210 Standard in 2019 and the P210 Carry in 2022. They are good pistols in their own right, but they are a different gun from a Swiss or German P210. The US Standard has a side magazine release, while the military guns release at the heel.

Before you buy: checklist

Establish which factory made it: Neuhausen (Switzerland), Eckernförde (Germany) or New Hampshire (USA).
Check the serial prefix: “A” for Swiss military, “P” for commercial. “D” serials cover most West German border guard P210-4s, but a later commercial batch also used them, so ask for provenance.
Serial numbers should match on the slide, frame and barrel.
A Swiss military gun should show the Swiss cross on the slide and a military proof mark, and release the magazine at the heel.
For a Mastershop gun, ask for the original case and documents that identify the model line.
Get sharp photographs of every marking and serial number before you agree a price.

Buying one on GunMister

GunMister is a classified-advertising site: sellers set their own prices and you deal with them directly. Ask the seller for close-up photographs of the markings and serial numbers before you agree a price, and complete the transfer as the law requires, through a licensed dealer where one is needed. See what is listed now in the SIG Sauer Mastershop collection.