Opinions Wanted On SIG P226 (.40 S&W)

[BushmasterFanBoy]

I was thinking of purchasing a pistol and the P226 has always felt good in my hand. My only dislike are the M9 style sights, with the dot and post, but I can easily remedy that.

I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts and opinions on the pistol and what you think of it, as far as reliability and which parts will break first. My understanding is that all of the new models come standard with a rail. This would be chambered for the .40 S&W round, so if that chambering is more prone to issues, that would be worth telling me.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say,
Thanks!

ETA:
Also, just to add, does anyone know who has the best prices on these right now?

[jhs1969]

I've owned many Sigs and they have always been one of my fav's. I've had about six P226's if memory serves, the last being a Navy model. All have been chambered in 9mm. I was hard to convert, I always liked the stamped slides but the Navy model swayed me for good. No more worries about roll pin drift, and dampens recoil slightly. The 226 in paticular and any Sig 22x model is renowned for their reliability, after a total of around 16 different Sig's and many thousand rounds of ammo the only functioning problem I ever had was with a first production run 229 in .40 s&w and only a handful of stoppages then.

I remember reading an article about .40 s&w service pistols being tested by the Ohio State Police and the 226 coming out on top based on reliability, HK's USP came in a close second but nothing else was even close to these two.

An ex-seal I used to work with had a older model 226 that had seen so much use the thing was pratically silver inside and out and it still functioned great.

I can't say a lot about the .40 chamberings as I've had only one (229) and one .357 (229, and I loved this one) but the 226 in general is a great choice if you don't mind the size.

I never had much problem with the bar dot sights as I focus very hard only on the front during rapid strings.

Feels like I'm rambling, it's late, I'm tired. 226, good choice. Keep us posted. Good Nite.

[HolyRoller]

Can't speak to the P226, but I got issued a P220R DAK not long ago and it works every time so long as I don't rest any appendage near the slide catch. For me, using thumbs up/forward will often prevent slide lock on an empty mag. I went back to the ancient support thumb over strong thumb crossover and had no more problems. Unfortunately, this is different from my 1911 grip so I might need to go to a SIG for off-duty as well to keep my pretty little head from using the wrong grip at the worst time.

If you have SIG questions, you might want to check at www.sigforum.com, which refers you to www.budsgunshop.com where they sell 226s for about $720 delivered, with night sights. Lawmen's Safety Supply in Raleigh NC has them for $680 but I don't know if they'll sell any way other than FTF.

[unclestevie45]

My agency has been running .40 P226R DAK's for about 4 years now. No issues with the gun. Some of my guys complain that they are too heavy though.

One of our instructors was on a task force for the last couple years and he did find the 226 hard to conceal. Not an issue for most of us.

We switched from the G22 to these.

Funny thing is, the guys that bitch the most, and who would rather have stuck with the Glock, are my worst shooters.

[TUNNEL RAT 33]

i have a 226 in 9mm for my service weapon . its in dao and although i'm not totally crazy for the long pull its a great gun . its not that heavy , and not bad to conceal . its totally reliable and shoots great

[bspring]

I have exc luck with my P226 in 9mm, a nice, fun, accurate and reliable pistol.

Bill

[mactastic]

Sig's have the reputation of being very accurate, highly reliable pistols for a reason, especially the 226. Can't go wrong with a Sig in my eyes.

[IrishDevil]

I owned a 226 in 40S&W, older non-rail model. It was accurate, and reliable, handled well. As far as Sigs in 40 go I prefer the 229, I seem to shoot it faster and more accurately. I do prefer the 226 in 9mm over all the other model Sigs. I'd have to say the 9mm 226 is one of my favorite handguns actually.

[Spurholder]

If you're .mil or LEO, contact SigArms about their discounted pricing.

Two friends of mine picked up P226's in 9mm with night sights and 3 mags for $699...extra mags were $25 or so each IIRC.

Correction: they paid $609! Extra mags were $32 each.

[HolyRoller]

I checked on that, and SIG has an Individual Officer Purchase deal for all First Responders. All you gotta do is provide all the documentation SIG asks for, get your SIG from an authorized dealer, and take a $100 rebate from the factory. Not too bad. I might not be able to pass it up.

Also, see if a SIG will fit your hand well, and if the trigger reach is too long, consider another $35 for the factory short trigger. The only two things I don't like about my 220 are the lack of a manual safety and the excessive trigger reach for those of us with stubby fingers. I asked the firearms instructor if he would pretty please put in the factory short trigger, and was told we don't allow ANY modifications to the issued gun. It was hard enough to get him to take out the sight pusher so I could zero my gun--it seems that literally nobody else in the department's history has asked to have their sights adjusted. :confused: :mad: :( Properly fitted guns and correctly zeroed sights, leading to more hits and fewer misses and less liability--we can't have any of THAT around here.

[ToddG]

I short trigger makes the P220-series guns infinitely more shootable for me. A department refusing to install a standard factory part specifically designed to address human factors/fit issues is just baffling to me. Are you sure the FI doesn't just dislike you personally? :p

[Gutshot John]

I like the 226 in 9mm, but not really in .40. The high boreline makes muzzle flip in the .40 significantly more than in other .40s in my experience. To be fair, I just don't like .40s generally speaking.

If you want a major caliber, as Todd said, the 220 is more shootable IMO. Actually the 220 is a joy to shoot and perhaps my favorite handgun ever. I sold mine when I went overseas a few years ago and have regretted it ever since. I thought I wanted a double-stack .45, but each one I've tried I've hated.

Can I ask what you don't like the Dot/Post setup on the Sig? I'm always curious about other people's criticisms of different sighting systems.

[Spurholder]

I checked on that, and SIG has an Individual Officer Purchase deal for all First Responders. All you gotta do is provide all the documentation SIG asks for, get your SIG from an authorized dealer, and take a $100 rebate from the factory. Not too bad. I might not be able to pass it up.

Ah - the horror! SigSauer killed their military purchase program, and replaced it with a simple $100 rebate! :mad:

SigSauer has replaced it with the "Commemorative Pistol Program" for the .mil crowd. Their inside sales rep sent me the details: minimum buy 25 pistols, all same model, all equipped identically, priced at $695/pistol. :(

Send me a PM if you'd like a copy of the order sheet.

[ST911]

High bore axis and trigger reach have been issues for some ladies and IBOs. What's your hand like?

It's a big gun, and not very size efficient. What are you going to do with it? How about a 229?

Regular inspection of all the pertinents is indicated. A frequent check of the grip panel screws is also indicated. Don't strip the holes. Don't lose screws, as there's important stuff under the panels.

Spares: recoil springs, trigger return spring, decock lever spring, extra set of grip panels and several extra grip screws. Wolf ammo, add an extractor. Make nice with an area Sig armorer for periodic inspection and PM.

Kept in spec the guns run and serve well. Not a first choice, but not a bad one.

[mattjmcd]

I've had excellent luck with all of my SIG/Sauer firearms. My fave in the 226 world is the stamped 9mm. YMMV. I did have a 226 in .357 with the factory .40 bbl. It was great. (I traded it for another 228) The .357 chambering was especially fun, IMO.

No worries. Get one!

[HolyRoller]

I short trigger makes the P220-series guns infinitely more shootable for me. A department refusing to install a standard factory part specifically designed to address human factors/fit issues is just baffling to me. Are you sure the FI doesn't just dislike you personally? :p

No, he actually looks out for me as much as possible, and has gotten yelled at a couple times by higher-ups for doing stuff like signing me up for a LE sniper course when they felt like that was not what we need. In turn, the command structure doesn't always do stuff I agree with, but just lately when I'm needing them to back me up on something really fundamental (long story, but somebody at the state level is trying to Prince Harry me off the force), those in power here are pulling out all the stops to help me. This is a government operation, so therefore part of it must make sense, and part of it must not. I'm just glad to be here and if a long SIG trigger is part of it, I can muddle through.

[sigmundsauer]

The P226 is arguably one of the most tested, proven, and consistently high-performing service pistols of all time. Very few pistols can hold a candle to that.

Most complaints of the P226 come from personal preferences not a shortcoming of the pistol. A great many who've cut their teeth on 1911s or Glocks simply have a hard time adjusting to the pistol as it's ergonomics and trigger action are so different, but their is nothing wrong with it

Bore axis is highly overrated. There are pistols with faster trigger actions. But master class shooters have proven the P220-series pistol to be eminently shootable. Military and LE have proven it to be top-tier reliable and dependable.

I've run virtually every major combat pistol available, but if given the choice to go into harms way in any foreseeable condition, the P226 in 9mm would likely be my choice.

Tim

[mattjmcd]

I forgot to add one thing- my experience with all SIG/Sauer products (which has been stellar, overall) has always involved the use of factory mags only.

Sigmundsauer- are you back stateside?

[sigmundsauer]

Sigmundsauer- are you back stateside?

Yep, but I've been busier than a bee lately. Haven't been 'round much.

[rhino]

I had a mid 1980s vintage P226 for several years, and it was a great gun. The only "problem" it had over many thousands of rounds was with someone else's reloads that turned out to not have powder in them. Other than that, it was 100%. I'd still have it today if the new short reset, short trigger was available when I sold mine. I wish I still had it.

If I were getting one today, it would be in 9mm. I see no reason for the .40 to exist except to sell more guns. :D I feel the same way about Glocks. The G17 is awesome (although too big for my short, pudgy fingers), but the .40 Glocks ... not so much.