Sig P226 in .22? Any good?

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badshotbob

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I was looking at picking up a Sig P226 in .22. Anybody have any experience with one of these? Any good? Was going to pick up the 9mm conversion down the road.

There seems to be two models. One standard and one with an extended beaver tail. One company says on here the one with the beaver tail has a SRT trigger on it but I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere else. Does anybody know if all models with the extended beaver tail come with the SRT?

Thanks!
 
I picked one up 3 months ago at Cabe!!as for $619.99 delivered. Not the beavertail model so I can't help you with your question on that subject. So far have put about 600 rounds of CCI mini mags through it, as I use it I would say it is getting better, last time out I put 60 rds through it with just one FTE. Accuracy seems to be getting better as well but that could just be me getting more trigger time on it. I will also consider getting a conversion kit for it down the road, but am in no rush since I have a PPQ 9mm that I also really enjoy, except for the $2 per mag premium it costs every time I use it. So as of late the SIG sees about twice as much action per outing, but they both get out regularly.
 
It's a great kit. Mine hardly ever jams with Remington. 22 rounds and accuracy is good;I was hitting small steel targets at 40 meters.

Get the. 22 with beaver tail and then 9mm conversion kit, it's like two guns for about $1000.
 
Best .22 pistol in my opinion, on a frame that will transform into a centerfire pistol.

Don't forget that you can get a Grade 2 Sig 226 in 9mm or .40 for around $699. I did the .22 thing and got so bored of it, sold all of my .22 pistols. Great for learning but I needed the feel of a centerfire caliber.
 
I personally like the look of the beaver tail but in all honesty, the 226 doesn't benefit from it so it's purely looks. I don't think that beaver tail version comes with the SRT installed. I think Arma-Coat had a 22LR with 9mm X-Change kit that did come with a beaver tail and SRT kit. Cheapest place for that 226 .22LR would probably be Cabelas as Miaugi pointed out. My buddy bought the regular 226 in 40SW for under $900 before tax and shipping. Everyone else was $1100 or so. The only thing with Cabelas if you order from them is that they will charge you for a combo padlock and you will need to contact them for the combo.

The .22LR pistol and the 9mm/40SW X-Change kit is the cheapest way to get 1.5 guns versus getting the 9mm/40SW first then a .22LR X-Change kit. The first way will cost you about $900-$1K the other way will cost you around $1300-$1400! Silly eh? haha

That said, the .22LR kit is a sweet shooter. I recommend getting the mag follower upgrade so that the slide locks back on empty.
 
I've owned, bought and sold a ####load of 22lr pistols.

IMO, the SIG P226 Classic 22 is the best 22 pistol; it doesnt look or feel like a toy, it's not downsized, it doesn't feel cheap and it doesn't look like a space gun. It's not finnicky, it's precise and you can convert it to centerfire.

The only thing it lacks is the "slide lock on empty mag" but I believe a fellow member came up with a 3d printed mag insert to fix this.
 
Trinimon said:
The .22LR pistol and the 9mm/40SW X-Change kit is the cheapest way to get 1.5 guns versus getting the 9mm/40SW first then a .22LR X-Change kit. The first way will cost you about $900-$1K the other way will cost you around $1300-$1400! Silly eh? haha
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Or, buy the German refurb Grade 2 for $699 in 9mm or 40 and buy the .22 Xchange Kit. I shot the base 226 and the one with the beavertail the same, so not sure if it is necessary. A lot of people do not like it. SRT is worth the money though, great trigger.
 
The .22 Xchange Kit does not drop-in fit on the older German made guns as the frame dimensions aren't quite the same. It can be done, but requires some re-machining/fitting of the slide.
 
It's great. Mine is picky on the ammo it likes to shoot. I have no problems with CCI Minimags. I would also recommend the 3d printed mags/inserts from the member here(GSdesigns). The last round hold open is super handy, and the spring is better. I have the beavertail model with E2 grips, and I'm pretty sure it also has the SRT. It's nice to use to warm up with cheaper ammo, or if the 9mm barrel gets too hot, slides switch out in seconds.
 
saskplcguy said:
The .22 Xchange Kit does not drop-in fit on the older German made guns as the frame dimensions aren't quite the same. It can be done, but requires some re-machining/fitting of the slide.
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The German refurbs they are bringing in do not look that old to me... probably 10 years old at most but I didn't read the serial #'s. Looked identical to my new, base 226 I had a couple years ago. It was printed that these should take all the X-Change kits as well.
 
Got my wife one for her birthday this year. So far it's outstanding! devoured CCI minimags, Velocitors, and Remington Yellowjackets. Didn't like bare lead standard velocity Fiocchi. Can't wait to get the 9mm Xchange kit, some 9mm mags, and those printed .22 inserts so the last round hold works. If you google around a bit theres discussion of using some Black Dog Machine 22 caliber AR magazine followers in the existing plastic .22 mags for a low budget last round hold open.
 
Got myself a P226 Classic 22 about six months ago. I wanted the dedicated model so as to not put undue wear on my center fire Sig's' frames, while practicing with the same platform of my center fires(I go through a lot of 22 ammo in a couple of hours). As well I was concerned(albeit paranoid) in regard to accelerating the wear pattern on the frame rails that different slides would cause. I've never heard of a problem with undue wear because of slide changes mind you.

Sig P226 22's run best on cci copper plated round nose, haven't been able to find a box for six months now. When I first got the pistol it had lots of failures feeding and plenty of failure to fires. Long story short I polished the feed ramp and runs decent now. Probably have one or two failures every three hundred rounds, gets worse as gun gets dirty of course.

I run patchmayer snap caps(they are fireable, azooms are not in 22) at the bottom of mags in case I miscount.

I use winchester m22 copper plated round nose, at $25 for 500 rounds its much better than cci's pricing; but lower quality for certain. My advice is stay away from hollow points if possible.

RM
 
got mine a few months ago from cabelas. 619 i think also.

Really great pistol. accuracy is good. but mines jam with federal bulk pack .22lr

My pistol prefers CCI mini mag. works really great with these.

I like it alot.
 
The P226 .22LR conversion kit is my goto pistol trainer for my clients at my CQB clinics. We work that conversion hard and demand a great deal of work from it. Most happy and pleased.
Currently running Federal Champion 525 rd count boxes of .22 LR through it without any troubles. We run 500 to 1000 rds through it before cleaning with brake cleaner. Most reliable and rewarding for my customers. :)
Don't buy ONE, buy two of them. :D Ha ha ha ha

I bought a new P226 last August and brought it straight and unfired to the NSCC nationals in Ottawa last year. Most happy and impressed. Then I got that .22 conversion kit from Cabelas. The best purchase of $280 I ever made.

Now I'm running the GSDesigns 3D printed .22LR magazines that actually allow the last round to retain the slide. We work on the drills properly with my clients this way. He is a dealer here on CGNutz. Great products and service.

Cheers and keep helping them noobs out there.
Barney
 
Trinimon said:
I personally like the look of the beaver tail but in all honesty, the 226 doesn't benefit from it so it's purely looks..
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I have to respectfully disagree with you on that one, as it depends on the shooter. I have had about 20 different Sigs, currently still have 12, including 4 P226s, 5 P220s, 1 P229, and a couple Mosquitos just for giggles. I have slowly been converting to the Elites with beavertails, currently have 5 now (all but one are stainless). I personally really prefer the beavertail, it just seems to accommodate the high grip more comfortably for me. I liken it to a rifle or bow, when it fits right, you shoot better. This has been my experience, your mileage may differ, but thought it fair to bring it to the conversation. TC
 
Disagreement is fine as it allows for conversation. :)

The purpose of a beaver tail is to permit a high hold on a 1911 to get closer to the bore axis to mitigate recoil and prevent getting bitten from the hammer spur and/or slide. On a P226 platform, you can grip that stock frame as high as you like and the bore axis is still pretty high and there's little chance of getting a slide bite. If you look at the side profile of a P226, you'll notice that the rear end looks like a bob-tailed beaver tail. The little extension of the full beaver tail does not seem to sit in the web of my hand no matter how high I try to grip it compared to a stock P226 without the beaver tail.

Here's an overlay of a MK25 over a Elite Stainless. You can see the little silver extension of the beaver tail on the Elite.

14806404045_9dfec63949_o.jpg
 
Picked up my P226 Classic with the beavertail yesterday. Stripped it apart and reviewed it last night. Great feel in my hands. It's better than my previous Sig clone (NP22). Trigger pull is decent but I'll certainly but the SRT trigger in it. Can't wait to go out to the range and see what it can do. Going shopping today for some different varieties of ammo to see what it likes and doesn't like.
 
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Trinimon said:
Disagreement is fine as it allows for conversation. :)

The purpose of a beaver tail is to permit a high hold on a 1911 to get closer to the bore axis to mitigate recoil and prevent getting bitten from the hammer spur and/or slide. On a P226 platform, you can grip that stock frame as high as you like and the bore axis is still pretty high and there's little chance of getting a slide bite. If you look at the side profile of a P226, you'll notice that the rear end looks like a bob-tailed beaver tail. The little extension of the full beaver tail does not seem to sit in the web of my hand no matter how high I try to grip it compared to a stock P226 without the beaver tail.

Here's an overlay of a MK25 over a Elite Stainless. You can see the little silver extension of the beaver tail on the Elite.

14806404045_9dfec63949_o.jpg
Click to expand...

I see what you are saying, and like the overlay you did. Perhaps it is all in my head, but somehow having that beavertail there just feels more comfortable? Then again, I'm open to the thought that the added weight of the stainless gun taming things down may be what is giving me the greater benefit/perception of better muzzle control? The only non-stainless elite I have is the P229, and I don't tend to shoot it as much as I find the shorter grips on it often leave me wondering where my strong hand pinky should be riding, exactly......I do find that my muzzle control on doubles with the P229 is not nearly as good as with the heavier P226 SSE and the P220 SSE
 
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