Sig Sauer P226 Review - After picking at the Phoenix Meet

[qws]

Ok Lets start - The Cost is high but in my opinion after owning it for sometime well worth the £1350. It comes as standard with 1 magazine. The magazines in standard format do not have a last shot hold open facilty. Mike at Icon can retro fit a hold open option. I had this done on all 6 of the magazines I purchased.

Build quality is as you would expect from Sig. The LBP version is a full sized P226, the only difference to a standard 9mm is that the barrel is a Walther Lother 12'' and we have the coathanger out the rear of the pistol butt.

Stripping the Sig is exactly the same as a normal Sig, so very easy to clean.

Sights are adjustable for elevation and windage, this is easily dome with just two srews on the sight. These are very tight when you first get the Sig. Sight pattern is very clear two white dots on the rear and a single white dot on the front. Line them up and once you have adjusted for your own eyes your are on target.
The Sig is not ambidexterous, but the magazine release can be set for either right or lefthanded operation. Being a lefty I had mine done prior to picking it up at the Phoenix.
The other standard features are a slide release - which works very well, plus a hammer release which technically allows the user to have a round chambered and safely release the hammer without firing the round. In this condition the shoot can either fire the first round double action or cock the hammer for single action.
I have put just over 2000 rounds through her. I was using American Eagle as a HV round and also tried standard Club CCI. The first 100-300 I had very few light strikes mainly with the CCI. With the CCI I also found the slide did not always go into battery. This is not the case anymore as with use and cleaning the slide action gets smoother and much more predicatable. Recently have gone over to Mini Mags, so far no problems.
I have purchased a Red Dot to go on the Sig. I had planned on mounting this using a rear pictinny rail that also acts as rear open metal sights if the Red Dot is removed. I am still waiting on this being fitted by Icon as a little gun smithing is needed. I have in the meantime purchased a Sight Bridge that fits via the bottom pictinny rail. This also allows a light and lazer to be fitted. I have seen the Sig with the lazer fitted, this certainly increased accuracy and it looked very cool at the range in Nottingham. This was on an open day run by Icon for those wanting to try before you buy.
OK now lets get on to the feel - what ever that is !!!!
The Sig is all SIG - looks and feels like a pre 97 handgun. I have owned in the past a 357 Colt Python, Colt 1911 and a S&W Officers Special. So I know what a real handgun should feel and look like. To date their is not another LBP that has the look and feel of the Sig. I am waiting to see the "Glock" from Suffolk Arms, and if its as near a Glock as you can get without it being licenced by Glock I will get one. I purposely had two LBP added to my Ticket.
But in my opinion the Sig is the best LBP on the market, all of the others 1911's, K22's BuckMarks do not have the feel and fun factor of the Sig. I know it is pricey when you can get a new GSG 1911 for under £495. All I can say once you have fired the Sig you will want one. It will last a life time unlike some of the other brnads on the market.
This review is biased I admit it, I have fired a 1911, K22 & BuckMark so have the experiance for my opinion that the Sig is the best.
I have read on other comments on the Sig that a few people have had issues with theirs, it can only be a few as their are very few in the market place. I can honestly say no issues with mine, I am a very happy bunny. If anyone wants to try the Sig, I am a member of St Giles in Durham and Bishop Auckland, when I am their I have no problem anyone having a shoot. ( As long as you have a slot on your ticket)
I have added as many photos as I can to show the Sig off at its best.

Sig with my magazines

Sig Stripped for cleaning

I hope this helps. Any questions please ask.

[bradaz11]

whats that sticking out of the barrel assy?

[qws]

I think you mean the long thread for the carbon fibre shroud

[bradaz11]

no, you wally :) the other end

[qws]

The other end is the load/ejector action - looks obvious to me !!!!

[bradaz11]

isnt the ejector part of the firing pin block that stays in the slide? it goes would go into the cutout they've made?

[Sim G]

You spoiled a half decent review and I don't know if you're trying to justify to yourself or convince us...

Reliability? Accuracy? Ammo sensitivity? And then to claim it's the best.... Well. That's a bold claim with such limited exposure to handguns on the whole and LBPs specifically. I managed to shoot Techguys GSG 1911 on Friday. Off hand at 25m, put 13 rounds into 2 inches. Then fired another two magazines, 26 rounds, in quick two and three shot strings keeping them all in the black of a 20 yard pistol target. So how much better?

The Sig P226 is a legendary pistol, but your LBP is a long way off from that. You've paid a lot of money for your pistol and having the six mags "fettled". I'm really glad you like it and ultimately, that's where the real tests start and finish, how you feel,

[BamBam]

isnt the ejector part of the firing pin block that stays in the slide? it goes would go into the cutout they've made?

That's an extractor, ejector is typically static to bump the case out through the ejection port as the extractor removes it from the chamber. The extractor is typically part of the breech or bolt.

[Sim G]

The breech block has the barrel screwed into it. The extractor groove can be seen in the right hand vertical edge of the block and the start of the feed ramp just below that. The extractor itself is contained in the slide. The long "hook" is the ejector, which is fixed also to the breech block. The "hump" on the top of the block in the pic, (bottom of block in operation) is the cam that locates and locks the block/barrel into the frame as this is a blowback operated gun and not the modified Browning recoil operated system as per the full bore Sig.

[IsleShoot]

Interesting to see the barrel detaches from the frame unlike the K22.

Apart from the obvious, how does the long barrel differ in connection than a normal .22lr conversion kit?

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this but I just don't want to say it out loud!