Sig Sauer P226 9mm Pistol Review

At a first glance, the Sig Sauer P226 9mm looks as if it was designed and slapped together for the Volkssturm as the Red Army was closing in on Berlin, and this has caused many potential buyers to go for a prettier gun. However, upon examining the gun, it will be revealed that much of the money saved by advanced manufacturing techniques has been put back into quality control.

Price

The P226 is certainly not a cheap pistol. It is the worthy bearer of the SIG tradition of producing pistols of unsurpassed quality. The gun is extremely smooth to operate, without trace of stiffness, yet there is virtually no slide-and-barrel or slide-to-frame play.

Size

The Sig Sauer P226 9mm pistols measure 7.7 inches and weighs 29 ounces. They are without a doubt one of the most compact high-capacity 9mm autos. They have possibly the most comfortable handles of any 9mm featuring a double-column magazine.

There is no rear strap on the frame, and the black plastic grips are of the wrap-around type. These factors undoubtedly help to keep the bulk of the grip down. The front strap is serrated, and the front of the trigger guard is squared and serrated for those individuals who prefer a "finger-forward" two-hand hold.

Sights

The sights of this gun are of high visibility combat style. They use the "Von Stavenhagen" type of white dot and bar inserts which are identical to those on the Manurhin/Walter pocket autos. Although they are "fixed", the front and rear sight blades can be drifted laterally to correct windage, and replacement front and rear sight blades are available to adjust elevation. Therefore, it can be safely said that the Sig Sauer P226 9mm offers the best features of fixed sights together with extensive adjustment capabilities.

Trigger

The trigger on this model is extremely smooth. In a single-action, the trigger can break at just over 4 pounds. It has a considerable take-up without any noticeable creep and very little over-travel. The double-action pull is approximately 10 pounds and is one of the smoothest that can be seen on an auto loader.

Cleaning

It is very easy to break down the P226 for cleaning. It is important to ensure that the gun is unloaded. Lock the slide back on an empty magazine and remove the magazine. The mounting lever should be rotated downward on the left side of the frame in order to remove the slide. Keeping some pressure on the slide with one hand, release the slide catch and let the slide slowly go forward. It is now that the slide can be removed. The slide assembly consists of slide, recoil spring guide, recoil spring and the barrel. The coil spring guide and the recoil spring should then be removed followed by the removal of the barrel. This results in the pistol being field stripped and ready for cleaning.

Overall

The Sig Sauer P226 9mm is an exceptional pistol with better than average shootability. Whilst it may be too large for some to conceal in a carrying role, it can be easily carried in a holster on a quality gun belt with a shirt un-tucked.

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