Which would you choose? I need a 9mm, and there are two used Sigs at my local FFL for 550, come with one magazine, some handling scratches but overall look pretty good. I don't know if the grips weren't fastened on correctly, but the top of the grips bit into the top of my hand just a bit. Looked like the grip stuck out over the metal just a bit at the top of the grip arch, and thats what was biting into the web of my hand a bit. The XD is the standard 4" version, and a price tag of 487 brand new. These both fit my hand and point equally well to me, except for the bad fit of the sig grips, which I assume could be fixed easily. The largest negative on the 226 for me would be the lack of an accessory rail, not that I would use it, but like the option of it! If you were going to pick one up, which would it be?
New XD vs Used 226
- Thread starter D Boone
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Sheepdog1968
Member
I've shot both extensively. Both are nice guns. Of the two I like the Sig a bit more though both shoot just fine. To me, the two issues would be metal vs. polymer (both are fine IMP but some people have a preference). The metal will have just a wee bit less recoil due to the slightly heavier mass. The XD would be lighter to carry. The lack of a rail on the dust cover would also be on my mind.
Would there be any way possible for you to shoot an example of each model before purchasing? We can tell you our opinions but how it handles & shoots for you is all that really matters. My opinion really doesn't matter much because while I have an XD & like it I have never shot a SIG.
Just One Shot
Member
XD has been my choice. I've owned 4 of them in a little over a year (I still have 2). Great gun for not alot of money.
I think you have already answered the question for yourself.
I think you have already answered the question for yourself.
easyg
Member
Which one did you shoot better?
Are you considering the Sig because it shot better, or because you want to be able to say "I own a Sig"?
I would take the new XD over the used Sig.
Are you considering the Sig because it shot better, or because you want to be able to say "I own a Sig"?
I would take the new XD over the used Sig.
THE MACHINIST
Member
if you want night sights make sure the xd already has them on because theyre hell to get off...........installing night sights on a sig are easier but both sights interchange.
Jed Carter
Member
SIG P226, no contest, SIG P226 is one of the best pistols ever made. The XD is an ok tupperware gun, I prefer the original, Glock though. SIG is big and ugly, a true weapon, the XD is one hell of a plastic billboard, way too many graphics IMO. Both will work, but the SIG will and has stood the test of time, the XD seems to change as often as some here change their underwear.
Hmm... Just so you know... the Sig DOES come with an accessory rail standard now. But if you're talking about an older one by several years, it may not. Ask to field strip it or have them do it, and look at all the stuff you can't see normally. If everything looks alright, I'd choose the Sig. The first pull in DA is heavy, but the SA is really something.
jonboynumba1
Member
I have 2 XD9 4" service one blued one (wife's...my old/original one) and a stainless slide one (mine LOVE it!) They share a lot with the lockup and ergo of the sig (deffinate influences there) while being lighter and not having what are a couple downsides of the sigs to me...I like the pull better on the XD the mags better (and price of mags better) (after a little polishing and shooting the trigger smooths out nicely...reset could be a hair shorter but you get used to it...it's OK) I don't care for SA/DA arrangements or just plain DAO generally as I came from 1911's and GLOCKs to them. The sigs are good guns...but they are not the be all end all of gun design...the company is a PITA to deal with for parts in my expirience (I'm not a sig dealer but getting a part for a customers gun shouldn't be that hard when there IS NO authorized dealer in town!...getting a human on the phone took me 15 minutes in fact the last time I called!) Springfield has always been a good (great really) company to deal with just like GLOCK has always taken good care of me and my customers. If I ever own a sig it will be a 220...and it will be used....I don't care for the company as a whole and that is really the only gun they make that I like much. They are overpriced...and occording to some feds I know are way more prone to failures if not maintained correctly...though they do shoot like a house on fire...every one I ever shot has anyway. For the $ and hastle there are better ways to go out there IMHO
So yeah I'd look at the XD again...stainless slide model if you like that look...the finish on the blue/matte models is no where near as good as GLOCK's but I like the way the guns handle and shoot better...not knocking GLOCK...I've owned about a dozen of them and all been great guns to! These days I like my XD's though...considering an XDM in .45 when it comes out
So yeah I'd look at the XD again...stainless slide model if you like that look...the finish on the blue/matte models is no where near as good as GLOCK's but I like the way the guns handle and shoot better...not knocking GLOCK...I've owned about a dozen of them and all been great guns to! These days I like my XD's though...considering an XDM in .45 when it comes out
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jonboynumba1
Member
PS FWIW installing sights on the sig or the XD is a PITA! They are both some of the hardest steel and seemingly tightest dang dovetails I've ever drifted into...if the sights are steel it's gonna cause you to regrind your drifts a few times after chewing em up! However neither is ever going anywhere once set right...another thing the two have in common HARD ARSE slides!
PS- and at the risk of offending...I dunno what the guy mentioning a fine 1911 trigger and the XD trigger in the same breath is talking about! The only upgrades I've seen have been retardedly expensive for the XD and the ones I've felt have not felt substantially any different from my old well worn-in XD or the polished and worn in newer stainless one...neither does the XDM and it's ficticious "match trigger" a 1911 and my XD's are just apples and oranges...there is NO comparisson...the 1911 can have a better trigger any day of the week and most often does right out of the box on any decent model. that noted...the XD's trigger is more than adequate out of the box for solid deffensive and sport shooting needs...it smooths out nice after the first several hundred rounds and plenty of dry firing to!
PS- and at the risk of offending...I dunno what the guy mentioning a fine 1911 trigger and the XD trigger in the same breath is talking about! The only upgrades I've seen have been retardedly expensive for the XD and the ones I've felt have not felt substantially any different from my old well worn-in XD or the polished and worn in newer stainless one...neither does the XDM and it's ficticious "match trigger" a 1911 and my XD's are just apples and oranges...there is NO comparisson...the 1911 can have a better trigger any day of the week and most often does right out of the box on any decent model. that noted...the XD's trigger is more than adequate out of the box for solid deffensive and sport shooting needs...it smooths out nice after the first several hundred rounds and plenty of dry firing to!
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Sounds like you’ve pretty much answered your own question (the XD)?
I have a couple of XDSCs-only thing “bad” I can say ‘bout an XD is they may be getting a little thick for some CC situations?
SIG magazines (and you ARE going to need a spare or two) have gotten outrageously expensive-mo’ money down the road?
FWIW, I got my XDSC9 with factory night sights-have a pre-Melonite XDSC40 with plain sights-I sent the slide to XD-HS2000 for night sight installation with no complaints (inexpensive, good turnaround, no scratches etc).
I’ve got a P229R and a relative with a SIG sight pusher-installed night sights on the SIG with no problem (they were tight), but it looks like you’d need another spacer to raise the XD’s slide in the SIG pusher to get better contact with the sights. Rather than chance breaking the sights or possibly breaking his sight pusher (I’ve read of some folks breaking sight pushers trying to remove XD OEM sights), I just sent the slide out for installation.
I have a couple of XDSCs-only thing “bad” I can say ‘bout an XD is they may be getting a little thick for some CC situations?
SIG magazines (and you ARE going to need a spare or two) have gotten outrageously expensive-mo’ money down the road?
FWIW, I got my XDSC9 with factory night sights-have a pre-Melonite XDSC40 with plain sights-I sent the slide to XD-HS2000 for night sight installation with no complaints (inexpensive, good turnaround, no scratches etc).
I’ve got a P229R and a relative with a SIG sight pusher-installed night sights on the SIG with no problem (they were tight), but it looks like you’d need another spacer to raise the XD’s slide in the SIG pusher to get better contact with the sights. Rather than chance breaking the sights or possibly breaking his sight pusher (I’ve read of some folks breaking sight pushers trying to remove XD OEM sights), I just sent the slide out for installation.
KBintheSLC
Member
I hear that. I really like XD's except for that lousy, redundant grip safety. If they made one with a normal grip, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I do own a 226, and it is certainly a world-class handgun. However, I find that it tends to sit in the safe a lot because it is a bit big for practical civilian carry. I just use it as a range gun for the most part. I have a single-stack 239 that see's a lot more daily use. Even a double-stack 229 would be a viable alternative that wont give you sciatica.
Sigs, Glocks, Beretta's, CZ's, XD's. They are all VERY reliable nowdays. It's all about which feels better in your hand, how it's going to be used, and which one you shoot better. For accuracy and reliability, there's not a nickel's worth of difference. And, for those who swear by one or the other, it's just because it feels so good to them and they shoot it much better than the others.
Yeah...you're going to hear that a lot, probably from Plaxico and a local retired PD detective (that actually taught PD shooting!) that injured 6 in a local restaurant-they didn't need no stinkin' safety!
Safety likes/dislikes are one thing, but to denegrate 'em just 'cuz you don't "like" 'em is a bit over the top.
Personally, the grip safety is one of the features I like on the XD.
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