Bought a P226, Need Tips on Accessories

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KelVarnson

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With the help of some members here I settled on a Sig. I was going to get a P229, but changed my mind when I felt how the P226 fit in my hand.

The one I bought is all stainless, with polymer grips and night sights. Funny, I can't find that exact configuration on the Sig website, maybe someone can clue me in as to why.

But the purpose of this thread is to get some tips on accessories that I will need, and any other tips about this specific gun or this type of gun. This is my first semiauto, but I have a fair amount of experience with revolvers and rifles.

In particular, I would like ammo recommendations (.40 cal) for both practice and SD, cleaning accessories, and anything else I might need. I also would like to get a nice holster, probably synthetic, but I am open-minded. Living in Cali, I am not too optimistic about getting a carry permit, so the holster would be more about protecting the gun while handling or when it is put away. I have Uncle Mike's paddle holsters for that purpose for all of my wheelguns.

I'd also like ideas about how a gun like this would be best carried, in case I am successful in getting a permit. The thing definitely has some heft to it.

Thanks in advance for your help. I have ten days to shop!
 
Congrats on the purchase, I'm considering a P226 myself. I'm also new to semiautos so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when you get a chance to test it out fully. One thing you might look at for accessories is a Lasermax Guide Rod Internal Laser. My friend showed me their website and it looks pretty cool. I have as yet to find anyone horribly opposed to them. Check it out here:

http://www.lasermax.com/category.php?id=2
 
alright you need gunslick foaming bore cleaner or equivilent....some good patches, .40 caliber jag, and a carbon fiber or coated rod of your choice.

Speer Gold dot is good for SD, Winchester White Box (WWB), or CCI blazer is good for practice. depending on where you live will determine how your carry. I would check out "smartcarry" or get a holster that fits in between you waist and pants.
 
Avoid the Lasermax we have seen a few break at the range where I am at. I would get the Crimson Trace Laser Grips, on the Sig they add no width to the pistol.

Anyways if you have any trouble with the slide locking back, you might have gotten one with the wrong slide lock lever, they have one designed for 10 round magazines, and one for the normal capacity. Only for the 40 for some reason.

Anyways the best place to go for Sig parts, magazines, and accessories is Top Gun Supply. They have low prices, ship fast, and they have most of the good stuff for Sigs.
 
Wow, three responses in a little over an hour, gotta love THR!

The guide rod laser seems like a very cool idea. Would be nice if it is reliable. Unfortunately, the gun itself kinda cleaned me out for a bit for any more major purchases (e.g. CT laser grips). Will keep both in mind, although I think my 638 revolver is a better candidate for a laser, at this point.

I didn't even know what a jag was, until now, thanks for cluing me in on that.

Likewise on the slide lock thing. Being in CA, this is a 10-rounder, of course. Grrr...

Thanks for the ammo recommendations. I use the Speers in my snubby. They seem to be a great round.

I looked at Top Gun Supply, thanks for the link. I will take a closer look as I shop for all of this stuff. I have also been using Cheaper Than Dirt, we'll see how they compare.

Thanks again, everyone.
 
Mine eats anything, but I keep it stoked with Remington Golden Sabers. If you order mags offline, get a bunch... I find the .40/.357 mags can be hard to find locally.

I carry mine in a Comp-Tac Minotaur Kydex/leather hybrid IWB. I know it's there, but it's comfy, and the thing friggin' disappears!
 
KelVarnson, don't need no stinking accessories! I have owned a box stock Sig P226 9mm for years and it hasn't needed any do-dads. It just keeps chugging a long. Regards, Richard:)
 
You bought a 226 ST. It's not in the Sig catalog this year, but they still make them in small quantities. I'm on the 10 day wait for a .40 226ST myself, a dealer on the sigforum found one for me at the Sig factory. I bought a regular 226 .40 just 2 months ago! Haven't done anything to them. I also want a 220ST if I can find one with the new external extractor.

I just use Blazer Brass or Winchester White Box ammo from Wal-Mart, cheapest I can find including online. All of my handguns regardless of caliber have Federal HST for self-defense. The only other round I'd carry are the new Winchester Ranger T's.

For holsters, most people use Bladetech or Comptac for IDPA and USPSA compatibility.

I use Weapon Shield for all of my guns for cleaning/lubrication/etc. For all stainless guns people recommend also using a grease for wear. I've just ordered Slide Glide, which is what a log of the sigforum.com guys use.
 
Absolutely positively do not go with an aftermarket recoil reduction guide rod! I've tried both the Buffer Tech unit and Sprinco unit. They generally work alright with FMJ's, however they will not function with complete reliability with JHP's due to the way they affect the slide's blowback, timing, etc. I have verified this on my own P220 with probably some 700+ rounds of JHP's and FMJ's. At the worst point, with either of those aftermarket units and JHP's I was seeing FTF's (fail to feed) every 1 or 2 rounds, and this happened fairly consistently for something like 200rds of a large variety and different brands of JHP's. Trust me, don't even mess with that stuff, especially for a SD gun. Basically, you can keep the gun 100% stock and it will do everything you need it too.

For SD ammo, Corbon Pow'RBall and DPX are great. All the standard stuff like Speer Gold Dots, Hydrashoks, etc all work just fine. Judging by various ballistic tests I've seen, Corbon's stuff seems to have a slight edge, but you know what they say about opinions so take mine with a grain of salt. ;)

As far as gun accessories, I'd recommend Crimson Trace grips over the Lasermax as with the CT's you aren't modifying an internal part that could potentially compromise reliability. A good set of quality night sights are a good idea as well. I'd recommend Meprolight's or XS Big Dots (they aren't for everyone but great for SD use). Other than that, really just keep the gun stock and it will work just fine.

As far as cleaning, buy a universal cleaning kit, boresnake, and some gun oil. There are a million opinions out there about what is best. Rather than focusing on particular brands, I'd just start with those basics and work your way from there. People have individual tastes so, eventually you'll go through various oils, cleaning tools, etc and end up with something you prefer. I wouldn't worry too much about the next wonder oil or cleaning contraption as the average, basic, most minimal stuff out there can still get the job done just fine.
 
More GREAT information, thanks everyone. You guys are giving me quite a head start.

I saw the ST model on the Wikipedia page for the 226, and wondered if that is what I had (the dealer didn't have it on his tag). The only all-stainless 226's on the Sig site were the Elite and the X-5, both of which have beavertails (mine does not). So thanks for clarifying this.

The gun already has night sights on it. I don't plan on doing any mods to the gun itself in the forseeable future; I think I will be spending most of my money on ammo, holsters, and cleaning/lube supplies!

As you can imagine, I am very anxious to get this thing in my hands and try it out. I will write up a report of how that goes. Thanks again everyone for your support.
 
Kel,

I own 2 P226STs in .40 S&W.

Starting at that start, if this is your first semi auto, IMHO, all you really need is ammo, some ammo, and a little more ammo. Learn this weapon. It's a completely sexy, loving deadly beast. By far my favorite.

Winchester White box from walmart seems to be the best deal going, of the CCI Blazer stuff. I've tested just about every modern defensive round in my P226 and there isn't one type it didn't like. I've done a few polls on the topic and the far and away favorite was the Speer Gold Dots. I prefer the Double tap using Gold Dots, very hot round and the P226St will love it.

O.K, I think any basic cleaning kit will work, I use Hoppes #9 and the other basic tools. For prolonged range tie, I have a Bore Snake.

Now, Sigs love to be lubed and like to run wet. I discovered Slide Glide, by Brian Enos. LOVE IT!!! Everyone I let try it becomes a convert. Mil-Tec is another Sig favorite.

You might consider some rubber grips panels and depending on your use, night, or fiber optic sights, but I think and this stage the laser toys are not needed.

I noticed you said you lived in CA. Let me know how it goes getting a permit. I'd hold off on anything but a basic holster until after you get the permit.
 
Boxes and boxes of ammo, and ideally an instructor-led class to speed your acclimation to the pistol. :) I practice with Blazer brass 180gr fodder from Wally World.

I am a fan of CompTac paddle holsters for general carry use, especially when I have to take the holster off and on a lot.
 
Congrats on your purchase!

MarcusWendt gave you the same advice that I would have.

IMHO,the P226ST is one of the finest shooting Sigs without getting into spending X5 or P210 $$$. The reason you don't see your gun in the new sales info is because you got an original ST (steel frame) without the tail. These are getting hard to find.

The only thing I did to my P226ST 9mm was to put a set of Hogue finger groove grips on it.
As far as using your ST for a CCW, I think that you'll find the weight and size of it to much to lug around for any length of time.

Good luck with your new Sig!
 
The permit thing, well, that may be a subject for another thread. This county has a better than average approval rate, I've heard, but it is still Cali. I may give it a shot. But I think you're right, this is a pretty big gun for that purpose.

Interesting to hear that the ST's are getting rare, there is a second one sitting in the shop, one serial number away.

The Hogue plant is right down the street from me, I am acquianted with them and have actually been in the plant a couple of times. It hadn't occurred to me to see what they had for this gun, I will definitely look into that.

Thanks again to all.
 
The only thing I might change on my 226ST when it comes in is an all stainless solid guide rod. Some say it reduces recoil, I doubt it. But it would match the color and would be easier to keep clean cause it's not hollow like the stock one.
 
I'd buy that if I were you.
Click to expand...

Well, as a fellow CA resident, you know I can only buy one a month.

I'm actually looking for one for my daughter. She wants hers in 9mm though.
Click to expand...

You're not that far away. The store is in Paso. I'm pretty sure they have a blued 226 in 9mm.
 
Hey everyone, I picked up the gun on Tuesday, and spent the evening familiarizing myself with it. Today (Wednesday) i took it out to a friend's property, and we ran about 60 rounds through it, all FMJ.

I can tell that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

This thing is NICE. I have never shot a .40 before, but I have heard the recoil described as "snappy". I can see that, to some extent, but I'm used to shooting a .357 and an aluminum .38+P snubby, so I'm used to recoil. By comparison, the 226 is a dream to shoot. I am glad I got the all-metal Sig, for this and a number of reasons, but I imagine a polymer .40 is no big deal either.

We didn't have a bench, and I had too much coffee this morning to find out how straight this thing really shoots, but I plan on going to another range this week and seeing what I can do on a bench. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for giving me a leg-up on the semiauto world. As I run some more rounds through this thing, I am sure I will have more questions for you all.

Oh wait a minute, here is one: Getting that tenth round (CA) in the magazine is HARD!! I have the two mags that came with the gun, and one that I ordered from CTD. I left them fully loaded tonight, hoping the spring will relax a little over time. Is this a common problem?

Thanks again!
 
Leave the internals stock, Sig makes perfect guns from the factory.

For practice, Winchester White Box in Walmart value packs.

For carry, Speer Gold Dot has been carried in every auto I've ever had. They always work, and they always do well in whatever tests people can think up.
 
Is the crimson trace really good, much better than the rail mounted laser?

The rail mounted laser can be adjusted for windage/elevation, I wonder if the crimson trace is parallel to the bore.
 
If you can, fondle a P226 with the short trigger installed. I have fairly large hands and still find the short trigger a worthwhile change. Mine was an easy do-it-yourself installation.
 
the best accessory i've seen on a 226 so far are the Hogue aluminum grips.

the best thing you can do to maximize what the gun will do is send it to Grayguns for action work.

www.grayguns.com

the best thing you can do to maximize what you can do with the gun is take a class from them...they'll be down in Morro Bay early next year

www.GraygunsTraining.com
 
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