Sig 226 .22lr conversion kits

[goofcat]

Thinking of getting one for my 226 to save on ammo costs. Just wondering who has one? What has your experience been? Is it ammo picky? How's the fit and finish?

Right now they are $285 on Sig's website and I have a 20% off coupon, so it should be a pretty good deal.

[himurax13]

I had a few of the Sig conversion kits and I sold all of them but one. 22 conversion kits are finicky regardless of who makes them and they do not operate as reliably as the standard gun does due to the inconsistencies in 22 ammo. So here are a few Pro's and Con's.

Pros
The fit and finish of the slide is really good.
The kit is very accurate.
You get more trigger time on your gun.

Cons
The Magazine is cheaply made yet expensive, it also fits a little loose.
The slide does not lock back. Even if you get the Sig Power followers, it will only lock back on the followers instead of the slide stop.
The magazines occasionally has failure to feed issues, can be fixed with the Sig Power Springs.
Light Primer hits occasionally happen, especially with lightened hammer springs.
You will need to shoot at least 40 grain High velocity rounds in order for the slide to cycle properly. Keeping the slide lubed is paramount for proper operation.

I wouldn't bother getting the kit unless you plan on shooting it a lot. It is good for trigger time, single shot accuracy, and target transitions. Realize that it does not mimic the standard recoil you would normally get from the standard gun.

[Paperchasin]

^^^Great info. I was actually considering a conversion myself.

[9mmepiphany]

I have one for my 226ST and it works great. It was a little balky when I first got it, but I had them check it when I had the action tuned and it was just a matter of the parts getting worn in and the springs balanced.

The factory recommended ammo is CCI MiniMags and that is all I feed it. You do have to be aware that the factory magazines will not lock the slide back on the last shot...you should either count your shots, load an empty case first or set up your practice at < 10 rounds

The biggest advantage of the conversion kits is that it allows you to get used to the feel of the trigger during the stroke and the how the gun should fit in your hand. If you are practicing correctly, everything you gain from rimfire practice is directly transferable to when you switch the center fire upper back on.

[unusedusername]

I have a 22lr conversion for my 226 (and soon X5) that I use quite frequently.

It really needs the Sig Power followers and springs in the mags. I'm honestly not sure why Sig is not just installing them themselves, as the conversion kit did not feed properly at all until I changed out the magazine parts.

After I got it running well I find that I use the kit very often, and I've found it to be useful in reducing group size and practicing clearing jams. Did I mention that I run it with crappy wally world ammo? It jams about once every other mag with the cheapo ammo (Winchester grey box).

When I run it with CCI MiniMags it runs 100%. Stating that again, I have never had a single jam or misfire with MiniMag ammo, but I have so much of the wally world ammo to go through that I usually just run the cheap stuff despite the jams.

Also, be aware that the sights are different. The 226 has "combat" aimed sights, where the bullet goes under the white dot on the front sight. The 226 22lr kit has adjustable sights that are adjusted from the factory to a "target" sight picture (like a 1911).

The sights have (barely) enough adjustment to set the picture the same way that the 226 usually works.

[Iknownot]

I got one when they first came out. It developed the issue that the firing pin gouged a divot out of chamber which lead to FTEs.

This was a known issue when the kit first came out and the kit was sent in for warranty work fully on Sig's dime.

They sent it back in a week.

It runs completely flawlessly on the recommended CCI ammo.

Using cheapy walmart 22lr, it runs almost 100% perfectly. I'll get a feed issue once or twice out out of every 30 to 40 rounds, which is fine by me, considering the thing runs cheap 22lr ammo.

1) You have to run the slide pretty wet with oil.
2) do not run lead bullet 22lr ammo in it. The wax coating gums everything up. If you run copper 22lr the kit will run just fine.

Anyway, I'd recommend the conversion kit. It works well. I've run a lot of ammo through mine at this point and it is holding up just fine.