The SIG Sauer P226 is an important pistol in history, a stalwart of the Reagan era that was narrowly beat by the Beretta 92 SB-F for the U.S. military M9 contract to replace the M1911. The P226 turned 40 in 2024, and while it has been overshadowed by striker-fired models such as the P320 (which won the M17/M18 contract in 2017), it is still in production and remains an excellent choice for duty or self-defense. To commemorate the moment, SIG Sauer created a 40th Anniversary collectible that resembles the original P226. It includes retro packaging, manual, and limited-edition “History of the P226” booklet.
Allow me to offer my bona fides; I’m not simply jumping on the anniversary bandwagon. I’ve been a fan of the gun since I went through the police academy with a borrowed P226 in 1992. One of the classifiers I shot that bumped me up into United States Practical Shooting Association’s (USPSA) Grand Master class, Production Division, was done with a P226. And, for most of the last 2 years, my carry gun has been a P226R Elite, which I carried in a Safariland 5198 holster.
The “226” is actually a variation of the SIG P220, so I need to start there if I’m going to review a little history. The first word in the name is an acronym, “SIG.” It’s not “Sig.” The initials stand for “Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft” translated “Swiss Industrial Company.” In 1975, SIG joined German gun manufacturer J. P. Sauer & Sohn to develop and market a new handgun, which became the P220. The P220 was an aluminum-framed double-action (DA)/single-action (SA) semiautomtic meant to replace the SIG P210 in use by the Swiss Army. The P220 was a refinement of the Petter-Browning design used in the P210.
John Browning designed the M1907, which has a barrel bushing and tilting link for lockup. For the French Model 1935 — which became the SIG P210 — Charles Petter refined the effort, removing the bushing and link, but leaving the grooves in the top of the barrel to engage the grooves in the top of the slide. The result became known as the Petter-Browning design, later the SIG Sauer System. SIG refined the design by removing the grooves entirely. Instead, an enlargement of the chamber locked directly to the ejection port in the slide. The P210 was a single-action-only (SAO) pistol, and the P220 became a DA/SA system using the new lockup. DA/SA pistols had been around since at least 1908 with the Czech Little Tom pistol, but SIG added a firing pin safety and a frame-mounted decocker.
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The original version of the P220 was chambered in 9mm and featured a heel-mounted release for the single-stack magazine. It quickly became popular with far more than the Swiss army, though. The P220 was initially sold in the U.S. as the “Browning BDA,” and that’s what Don Johnson, as “Detective Sonny Crockett,” was carrying in the pilot episode of “Miami Vice,” which aired in 1984.
Alternate caliber versions were soon available, and the most popular version of the P220 in America — by far — was in .45 ACP, which originally sported a seven-plus-one capacity. Since its introduction, the P220 has been available, at various times, chambered in 9mm, .38 Super, 9mm Steyr, 7.65x21mm, 10mm, .45 ACP, and .22 Long Rifle.
Originally, the slides were stamped sheet metal. A steel breech block assembly was pinned in place, and the front of the slide welded on. Those older slides had breech blocks that could be removed and replaced if they became excessively worn. Current-manufacture P-series pistols have slides completely machined. The M1913 “Picatinny” rail was added to pistols in 2007 (following a proprietary SIG rail), and those pistols have an “R” suffix, i.e., P226R, P229R, etc. The SIG Sauer P-series pistols are a lot like the Glock in that, while you can find them in various sizes and calibers, they all look similar and function similarly.
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The P226 is the full-size, double-stack version of the original P220. The P226 in 9mm was developed in 1984 to compete in the U.S. military “XM9 Service Pistol Trials” to replace the M1911. The Beretta 92 and P226 were the only pistols to complete the tests. Beretta was awarded the contract, officially because the package cost of that gun was lower than that of the SIG due to magazine pricing, but there have been persistent rumors that Beretta won the contract because the U.S. military wanted to build a base in Italy and Beretta would manufacture the M9 in the U.S. Even during testing many preferred the P226, and it found its way into military and police holsters, both in full size and compact (P228) form, designated the M11 in 1988. In 1989, the U.S. Navy SEALs also adopted the P226 in 9mm as the Mk 25. The current iteration of the Mk 25 differs only slightly from the original model, the most notable difference being the frame rail used to mount a light.
The P226 has a 4.4-inch barrel and an aluminum frame. It is 7.7 inches long and 51/2 inches tall. It weighs 34 ounces with an empty magazine inserted. The standard P226 is equipped with a decocker positioned on the left side of the frame above the magazine release, forward of the slide-release lever.
Current models have a machined stainless-steel slide with a matte, corrosion-resistant Nitron finish. Standard magazine capacity is 15 rounds in 9mm, although Mec-Gar has made original-equipment factory magazines for SIG Sauer through the years and currently offer a flush-fit 18-round magazine. (It’s just as reliable as a factory mag.)
A brief word on reliability: The P226 is still offered after 40 years because, above all else, it has proven itself to be dependable. I’ve been shooting these guns for more than 30 years, and the only problems I’ve experienced were due to ammo. The P226 is as proven a handgun design as exists in the world. While there are aspects that people don’t like about them — i.e. high bore, DA/SA transition, etc. — no one complains about its reliability or durability.
The P226 has been offered in 9mm, 9×21, 7.65mm, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W. The 9mm models have been most popular in the U.S. commercial market, but the .357 SIG and .40 S&W models were nearly as popular with American law enforcement from the 1990s through 2000s.
In the 1980s, and into the ’90s, SIG Sauer pistols were preferred among U.S. law enforcement versus the Beretta 92 series. While the P226 is full size, the Beretta 92 felt huge; the reach to the trigger of a 92 to make that first DA pull was longer than the P226. The U.S. Secret Service was known to carry P226, P228, P229 models chambered in .357 SIG. Only since the FBI adoption of the G17M/G19M in 2016 have many departments finally retired the P-series.
The compact P228 was adopted by the U.S. military as the M11. When upgrades were made to U.S.-produced models, the P-series benefited from a stainless-steel slide and short reset trigger. A military commemorative was labeled the M11-A1 in 2013.
During the last four decades, there have been improvements to the P226 design. Originally, the front sight was machined as an integral part with the slide; now sights are pressed into dovetails. SIG Sauer added a small hump to the takedown lever, making it easier to manipulate. The frame was redesigned in the mid-1990s which altered the internals, including the hammer spring strut and the trigger return spring. The trigger contour was changed so it did not require as much of a reach; it became the short reset trigger (SRT). The DA trigger weight was reduced, as well, from 12 to 14 pounds to as little as 8 pounds as tested on my example.
In 2010, the “Enhanced Ergonomics” version, or “E2,” spoken “E-squared” was introduced. It offered the P226 a narrower grip. However, the aluminum frame of the E2 was the same shape; only the hammer strut assembly was different. With replacement parts, one can change a standard P226 to the E2 version, or vice-versa.
About 20 years ago, SIG Sauer introduced the Elite version of its P-series. While the details have changed slightly through time, the Elite pistols wear checkered front straps and triggerguard, forward cocking serrations, and a beavertail on the frame.
The P226 was designed thicker than most modern pistols are — 11/2 inches wide at the decocking lever. The slide is more than an inch thick. The hammer at rest is not all the way forward, which is why the DA trigger stroke of the P226 is often shorter than that of other DA/SA pistols. The P226 presents, arguably, the shortest DA pull of any DA/SA pistol. Where you see the hammer positioned, cocked in SA mode? When firing DA, the hammer only travels back two-thirds the distance before falling.
When compared to modern, polymer-framed striker-fired pistols, older all-metal guns seem to cycle smoother, in my opinion. The P226 still offers one of the smoothest cycling slides of any non-competition pistols I’ve ever fired; the more you shoot it, the smoother it gets.
Some law enforcement agencies insisted on DAO service pistols, so SIG Sauer developed the Double Action Kellerman (DAK) trigger, which was developed in the early 2000s and adopted by the Department of Homeland Security in 2011. It offered a different approach to the DA/SA design in the form of a DAO system. Though the DAK trigger reduced the first DA trigger stroke to around 61/2 pounds, these type of trigger systems did not reduce negligent discharges as law enforcement agencies hoped. Rather than improving officer training, an effort, particularly by federal agencies and metropolitan police, just made pistols harder to shoot. This occurred with a push to adopt striker-fired platforms. While a lot of users prefer the same-trigger-pull-every-time design of striker-fired pistols, another reason many small departments moved away from the P-series was cost. Federal agencies were slower to do this, in large part due to the difference of budgets.
The P226 has been wrongfully ignored in favor of polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols. That’s a shame because it is still a superior pistol to many new options. The P226 lives on in limited production, and possibly the finest version are the Legion models: P226 Legion Full-Size and P226-XFIVE Legion. Other versions are in circulation, but the P226 is no longer as famous as it was when it graced the cover of Guns & Ammo in May 1985. Maybe the 40th Anniversary throwback will help change that.
SIG Sauer P226 Anniversary
- Type: Recoil operated, hammer fired, semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 15+1 rds.
- Barrel: 4.4 in., stainless steel
- Overall Length: 7.7 in.
- Height: 5.5 in.
- Width: 1.5 in.
- Weight: 2 lbs., 2 oz.
- Material: Stainless steel (slide), aluminum (frame)
- Grip: Hogue Retro Alloy
- Trigger: 4 lbs., 5 oz. (SA), 8 lbs., 4 oz. (DA)
- Safety: Decocking lever, striker block
- Finish: Nitron (steel), hardcoat anodized (aluminum)
- Sights: SIGLITE, 3-dot, tritium
- MSRP: $1,200
- Manufacturer: SIG Sauer, 603-610-3000, sigsauer.com
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