sig-226

Question
hey GCH ,I am considering buying a sig-226 in .40 cal. for self defense and recreational shooting .I would appreciate your opinion because I have found over the years it is very difficult to get an experts opinion that is nonbiased particularly in gun shops with the salesmen or gun magazines that seem to endorse every gun they evaluate . Thanks for your time, Todd

Answer
Todd,

SIG's are excellent handguns, and objectively as good as the top picks out there (Glock, H&K, and SIG, along with Beretta [inexpensive] account for most of the police market share).

I have some caveats for SIG's, based on training experience and observation, which may help your consideration, but in the end, you'll have to determine what is most important to you:

1)  SIG's are fit tightly.  For that reason, they must be kept clean.  I see SIG's choke in training with fair regularity once we get past the 200-round mark.  SIG advocates will see this as an acceptable trade-off, since SIG's accuracy is 揵etter.? That is an issue only if you are shooting bullseyes.  For self-defense or practical pistol competition (such as IDPA), the practical difference in accuracy between a SIG and, say, a Glock is zero.

2)  I am not a big fan of double action pistols (first trigger pull long and heavy, short and light thereafter).  I prefer to have my trigger the same for every shot, not matter what the trigger action may be (e.g.1911, Glock, Kahr).  That having been said, if I had to shoot a gun that demanded a trigger transition, the SIG's trigger is the absolute best of the breed.

3)  The 226 is a great gun, but it is large for concealed carry, and heavy for any kind of all-day carry.  If by self-defense you mean a house gun, the 226 is a very good choice.  For concealed carry in the SIG, I am partial to the 239, but you cut the magazine capacity in half going to it.  By contrast, a Glock 23 is about the size of the 239 with the capacity of the 226.

4)  How the gun fits your hand is more important than almost any other consideration.  As an example, I have a fond liking for the H&K USP Compact pistol.  I think it is extremely well-made, accurate and reliable, strong, etc.  But I can't reach the decocker properly with my thumb, so I don't own one.  I have a great opinion of the gun, it just doesn't work for me.  How does the 226 fit your hand?  There's no question that it is a great gun.  The question is, is it the best gun for YOU?

5)  Regarding the .40 ?data still indicate that this is the best stopper in a self-defense pistol cartridge (although all pistols are poor stoppers).  Trade-off is that .40 ammunition is a lot more expensive to practice with than a 9mm (cheap and abundant).  There are some excellent 9mm rounds out there that approximate the power of the .40 (e.g. Speer Gold Dot).  Shot placement is more critical than caliber.  If you have a shooting budget, practicing regularly is more predictive of your survival of a violent encounter than the caliber of your gun.  I carry a .40, and shoot it on occasion.  I have the same gun chambered in 9mm, and I shoot that frequently.  This arrangement works well for me ?the best of both worlds.  But if I were limited to owning one handgun, it would be in 9mm.  This would enable more practice, which would better ensure my survivability than would a bigger caliber.

I hope this is helpful to you.