After trying out a P226 9mm and loved the look, feel and finish on that Sig I decided I wanted one but I was debating on whether I needed another 9mm, I already have two. After some research I decided on the P226R Classic 22 which is a full size pistol but in .22lr and $20 should get me 500 rounds of fun. What's great about the Classic 22 is I can get an X-Change unit in 3 different flavors - 9mm, .40S&W or .357SIG.
Unfortunately no one in Toronto had one in stock so I had to order blind and called up Ellwood Epps as they had the cheapest price in town. They where fast... called in my order on Tuesday and UPS delivered my package on Thursday of the same week. Bad news is fast is not so good as I don't have the paper work to go with the P226 so I can't go to the range to test it out. Hopefully my papers are in the mail and on route as I write this.
My initial thoughts on the Classic 22 when I opened the hard case was that the slide did not look like the 9mm Sig I tried out. The reason I found out later is that the slides for the centerfire is made from stainless steel where as the .22lr unit is made from aluminum. Because of that the black finish are not the same. The frame has that beautiful smooth matt black finish where as the slide's surface is not as smooth and the black finish is semi-glossy.
How smooth does the Classis 22 operated? I personally feel the trigger is smooth and hopefully after a 1000 rounds it should smooth out even more. BUT I find there is too much travel in the trigger system, maybe it's because SIG say this is a duty pistol.
I also found the slide's action alittle rough, could it be the two different metal surfaces rubbing against each other? Definitely no where near as smooth as my Beretta 92FS Compact and my 92FS was smooth as butter right from the box, again, hopefully after a 1000 rounds things will smooth itself out.
If I was to use my Classic 22 for some sort of action shooting games that required reloading 3 to 4 magazine I would have no problems with this pistol. Press the magazine catch and the plastic magazine has enough weight to drop freely and ready for a freash mag.
There are three issues I have with my P226 Classic 22, first is the plastic recoil spring guide... if I can I'd like to replace it with a metal one. Second, both front and rear sight where installed poorly. I had to use my brass punch to center them to the slide. The front sight was positioned so far to the right that if I had began shooting straight out of the box I doubt if I would get on paper at 25 yards out. The thrid issue I have with the Classic 22 is that the slide catch lever will not engage after the last round is fired. After examining the pistol it seem that the problem is the design of the magazine itself. Oh well, I just have to learn to count my shot.
So far, other than the two issues I've mentioned above, I'm happy with my new purchase. It'll be a nice change to shoot a full size pistol in .22cal and once I get my papers I will head up to the range with various brands of .22lr ammo and report back with some results and what ammo my Sig likes and dislikes.
Till then here's some more pictures...
Unfortunately no one in Toronto had one in stock so I had to order blind and called up Ellwood Epps as they had the cheapest price in town. They where fast... called in my order on Tuesday and UPS delivered my package on Thursday of the same week. Bad news is fast is not so good as I don't have the paper work to go with the P226 so I can't go to the range to test it out. Hopefully my papers are in the mail and on route as I write this.
My initial thoughts on the Classic 22 when I opened the hard case was that the slide did not look like the 9mm Sig I tried out. The reason I found out later is that the slides for the centerfire is made from stainless steel where as the .22lr unit is made from aluminum. Because of that the black finish are not the same. The frame has that beautiful smooth matt black finish where as the slide's surface is not as smooth and the black finish is semi-glossy.
How smooth does the Classis 22 operated? I personally feel the trigger is smooth and hopefully after a 1000 rounds it should smooth out even more. BUT I find there is too much travel in the trigger system, maybe it's because SIG say this is a duty pistol.
I also found the slide's action alittle rough, could it be the two different metal surfaces rubbing against each other? Definitely no where near as smooth as my Beretta 92FS Compact and my 92FS was smooth as butter right from the box, again, hopefully after a 1000 rounds things will smooth itself out.
If I was to use my Classic 22 for some sort of action shooting games that required reloading 3 to 4 magazine I would have no problems with this pistol. Press the magazine catch and the plastic magazine has enough weight to drop freely and ready for a freash mag.
There are three issues I have with my P226 Classic 22, first is the plastic recoil spring guide... if I can I'd like to replace it with a metal one. Second, both front and rear sight where installed poorly. I had to use my brass punch to center them to the slide. The front sight was positioned so far to the right that if I had began shooting straight out of the box I doubt if I would get on paper at 25 yards out. The thrid issue I have with the Classic 22 is that the slide catch lever will not engage after the last round is fired. After examining the pistol it seem that the problem is the design of the magazine itself. Oh well, I just have to learn to count my shot.
So far, other than the two issues I've mentioned above, I'm happy with my new purchase. It'll be a nice change to shoot a full size pistol in .22cal and once I get my papers I will head up to the range with various brands of .22lr ammo and report back with some results and what ammo my Sig likes and dislikes.
Till then here's some more pictures...
