First Handgun; Sig P226 .40

[Deimos887]

Don't let the .40 haters get to you on your purchase, .40's a great round and hardly a compromise (though I'll agree 9mm or .45acp are probably better rounds for a newbie, easier to become proficient with).. it's a sort of "best of both worlds", energy of a .45acp (usually slightly more, actually) while sharing the frame and similar capacity of a comparable 9mm model... at the cost of a slightly sharper recoil impulse.

...and yes most .40S&W pistols are easily convertible 9mm and even easier to .357SIG, if you ever want to experiment with that one (which I personally prefer to .40S&W).

[Deimos887]

Wait...what are we talking about here?

"fotay" is just gangbanger/gansta rap slang for .40

[blasterboy]

Sig 226 in .40 is a great pistol. I agree with bloodyshoe in that try a few boxes of .40 before grabbing a conversion to 9mm. With a sig226 .40 you can convert with just a barrel exchange to .357 sig- very fun and very flat shooting. Also, SIG makes great .22 lr conversion kits for your new pistol as well. I have owned a dozen Sig 226/229/220/225's over the years and love them and have never had a hint of trouble ever.
If you do want to grab a 9mm conversion kit, here is the outfit I went with and they have great prices-

https://www.gtdist.com/products/sig-caliber-x-change-kit-p226-9mm.html

There are a couple of other outfits out there that sell the X change kits and they often come up on sale, so keep your eyes open.
Good luck.

[someoneeasy]

Wait...what are we talking about here?

I appreciate the comments. I'm feeling less anxious about the purchase (not that I was all that anxious) and have some things to think about. I will definitely give the .40 a chance before rushing to get a 9mm conversion.



It is well used and showing a bit of wear but otherwise appears fine. Was most likely owned by a PD. Paid five even after tax+DROS.

where at?

[QXSOUP]

Don't let the naysayers give you crap about the fact that it is a .40.

I have one as well and it is my favorite Sig in my collection to shoot. I usually shoot .357sig out of it these days though.

[Bloodyshoe]

where at?

LC Action in San Jose. And, I was feigning ignorance about not knowing what a "fotay" was. I tried to post a photo of a bottle of Old English as a bad joke but I couldn't get it to work.

[someoneeasy]

Nice, pretty good price.

[SkyHawk]

$500 is a great deal - post some pics when you break it out of jail!

Here is my old P226 .40 with a fresh Cerakote job on the frame. I put the Sig short reset trigger kit on it ($50 from Midway) - it made a big difference. I also have the Sig short reach trigger for it on backorder.

[bsg]

i usually (not always) prefer a handgun in the caliber it was originally manufactured in. with that being said, i prefer the P226 in 9mm. in all fairness i have not given the P226 .40 S&W a genuine trial run.

[jsigone]

love mine in 9mm, you should/ will love yours in 40. congrats on the purchase!!

[SkyHawk]

i usually (not always) prefer a handgun in the caliber it was originally manufactured in. with that being said, i prefer the P226 in 9mm. in all fairness i have not given the P226 .40 S&W a genuine trial run.

I am with you. I always thought a P226 should be one caliber, and if it wasn't 9mm it wasn't the 'right' caliber. Then I recently got a chance to buy my 1998 vintage .40 on a German frame for less than $350 Since I already had a 40 collection going it was a no brainer.

I was shocked when I shot it for the first time - very mild and of course accurate like a Sig should be. Now it proudly rests next to my P226 9mm in the safe, and I've got no shame about it. The P226 .40 is also widely used by LEO - so it has some well earned street cred

[bsg]

I am with you. I always thought a P226 should be one caliber, and if it wasn't 9mm it wasn't the 'right' caliber. Then I recently got a chance to buy my 1998 vintage .40 on a German frame for less than $350 Since I already had a 40 collection going it was a no brainer.

I was shocked when I shot it for the first time - very mild and of course accurate like a Sig should be. Now it proudly rests next to my P226 9mm in the safe, and I've got no shame about it. The P226 .40 is also widely used by LEO - so it has some well earned street cred

i oftentimes have blind loyalty to the early variants of most everything; this is not exclusive to my gun collection and is partially fueled by sentiment, i'm sure. this has been both a strength and a weakness of mine. it appears that the OP got a screamin deal on his P226, as did you.

[bsg]

It is well used and showing a bit of wear but otherwise appears fine. Was most likely owned by a PD. Paid five even after tax+DROS.

congrats on your 1st handgun and a great deal.

[fitit]

the gun felt good in my grip and I felt it was an ok deal.

If it fits you hand well, you can probably shoot any caliber. With a good solid grip, you should be able to handle any recoil. I wouldn't think twice about it. Just go pick it up after your ten day wait, and shoot it the same as you would with a 9mm. I bet it won't feel any different. Don't think about it, don't dwell about it, don't second guess yourself. "If the shoe fits, then wear it".

Congrats!

[jay_cue]

40 is manageable. I don't feel much of a difference from my full size p320 in 9 and my carry p320 in 40 even with the "high" bore axis. with a full size p226 that's even heavier I don't think it will be a probably. if it does become a problem, work on your grip. and as already mentioned do work on DA and transition from DA to SA especially since you picked this platform. DA is easy to over look while at the range since when you do load your magazine you'll be in SA. take time to decock your gun and work on that DA pull. if you don't want to work on DA or don't like it you should probably look into a different platform.