Sig P226 and Sig 357 questions

[chrisslamar]

I was looking at getting a Sig P226 and was wondering a few things about them. First of all do any of you have anything to say about them? Like em? Hate em? Anything would be great. Second of all what do you all think of the 357 Sig round? I've never fired anything chambered for 357 Sig so I was just wondering. I'd deciding between one chambered for either 357 Sig or 9mm. So answers to both questions would be great. Thanks

-- Chris

 

[AK103K]

I have a couple of 226's, both in 357SIG. Great pistols. I find them to be very reliable and very easy to shoot well with. Then again, they are SIG's.

The 357SIG is definitely a little snappier than 9mm. If your accustomed to shooting a .40 or .45, you wont notice much if any real difference in shooting it. I've heard a few people complain that it has a lot of flash and is loud, but I really havent noticed either, and I shoot a fair amount indoors. While it does cost a little more than standard 9mm ball, its actually cheaper than the +P and +P+ loadings in 9mm. Its not all that bad cost wise if you buy it by the case, and your practicing with ammo thats in the same power range as what you carry.

 

[todd-45]

I own two 229's, one 9mm and one .357. AK103K is right the .357 definately does have more felt recoil. The .357 is a necked down .40 so it's got more powder so naturally it's powerful. I've read that because of the shape of the casing it has fewer feeding problems, though I've not had any at all problems, feeding or otherwise out of mine. Great gun, great caliber, I carry one daily. I believe it has more knockdown than a 9mm. A friend of mine is an air marshall for the FAA and he carries an HK (I think) .357 because of the ballistics and being on board an aircraft.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I have the P226ST in .40s&w (stainless).
Really like it alot. I like the weight of the stainless frame for the fourty, so I imagine it would be great for the .357sig as well.
My gun is shooting very well out to 50 yards, about as well as I can see or hold, so I think the .357sig version would be at least as good.
I like the idea of the .357sig round, I just haven't pooled the cash to get the barrel yet. When I do, it will be a genuine Sig barrel.
I'm so pleased with my 226 that I'm getting a P226R Navy in 9mm.

 

[coltrane679]

My 226 in 357SIG is the best handgun I have ever owned. It shoots as flat as a freaking laser. No problems of ANY kind in 5+ years, and I shoot it as good or better than any other gun I have, including my tricked out 1911. It is on my nightstand every night--I trust my life to it. (And I just got its baby brother, a 229, to carry).

Go for it--you deserve to have at least one gun that has no compromises.

 

[Cousin Mike]

Don't own a P226, but...

...you had better believe it's on my "to-do" list. And when I get one, it WILL be chambered in .357Sig. I do own 2 Sig pistols, a P220 and a Sig Pro in .357Sig/40S&W. I have both barrels, but the .40S&W barrel is proving to be a waste of money. I really love the .357Sig round, and as a result of how much, my .40 barrel doesn't see very much use anymore.

Snappy is a good word to use concerning the felt recoil of the .357Sig round, although my first time firing one I would have probably preferred the word "Massive." You get used to .357Sig very quickly. In a full size P226 it shouldn't be as snappy as it is in a Sig Pro. It's also an incredibly fun load to shoot for me, because I like lots of flash and bang. It also seems to be a very accurate round, at least in a Sig pistol platform.

You can't go wrong with a Sig, you can't go wrong with the P226, and you can't go wrong with the .357Sig round, IMHO. Lots of people who don't own or have never fired a gun chambered in .357Sig seem to have strong opinions on why it's a stupid cartridge, why they'll never buy one, blah blah blah.

Those of us who own pistols in .357Sig love them.

You're considering purchasing a fine weapon. Good luck and happy shooting.

 

[Falconeer]

On the P226: IMHO the finest full size automatic out there. I traded my P226R to fund another project and have regretted it ever since. Another is next on my purchase list (in 357 Sig). The basic P226 platform is what Sig used for the X-5, which is the tuned/tweaked super accurate competition version. They're all accurate. Reliability wise the Sigs are at the top of the list. Put a set of Hogue grips on and your 'tweaking' is done. I used to be a 'finger groove' fan but I've since switched over to non-groove Hogues on my P229 & P228 (the grooves added just a touch too much grip thickness). YMMV.

On the 357 Sig round: It's what I carry in my P229 for CCW. It was designed to replicate the 357 Magnum revolver loading in an auto. As said eariler, it has more felt recoil than 9mm (though I imagine the larger frame of the P226 will soak some of that up). I reload my practice ammo to replicate my 125grn Gold Dot carry ammo. Montana Gold Bullets makes a really nice 125grn FMJ specifically for 357 Sig. And let's not forget Pete's 357 Sig Page for more good 357 Sig info.

The combination of the two should make for an incredible platform (my P226R was 9mm). The only real question is whether you want DA/SA or DAK trigger? I haven't shot the DAK myself but I'm intrigued enough that I may go that route next.

 

[BrainOnSigs]

The last Sig (I own 6) that I would ever sell would be my P226ST in .357 Sig. It is the perfect platform for my favorite handgun caliber.

 

[Cousin Mike]

A picture really is worth a thousand words.