gun review Sig P226 SAO feature
ported off a post, turned in a 5-inch group at 25 yards. T is most likely does not sound im- pressive until you consider it was 15 rounds of mixed pedigree, which made me wonder just how well this pistol would shoot. To fi nd out how accurate the P226 SAO was, I benched it and shot deliberate sighted rounds using each brand and load of am- munition. Factory loads used for accuracy testing were Atlanta Arms and Ammo’s 115gr JHP, Black Hills’ 124 gr. JHPs, Free- dom Munitions 115 gr. FMJ-blaster ammo, Hornady’s 135 gr. FlexiLok and 115gr HAP Match, and HPR’s 124 gr JHP. T e pistol consistently fi red sub 3-inch fi ve-shot groups at 20 yards; results are in the accom- panying chart. T e Atlanta Arms and HAP loads produced the tightest group of the day; 2 ¼ inches. For a 53-year-old with bi-focal prescription glasses, I thank the 226 SAO for making me look like I can shoot. T is was not the 226 SAO’s only trip to
Author putting the 226 through its paces.
the range, as it was destined to be used for IDPA, USPSA, training, and general plink- ing as well as for CCW applications. Try as I might, I could not get the pistol to mal- function even with the nastiest steel cased ammunition I had laying around in my storage area. Sig truly builds pistols that live up to their catchphrase, “to hell and back reliability.” When I fi nished ringing out the 226, it needed cleaning. Ease of take-down is an- other strong point of any Sig pistol. First en- sure the magazine is out, rack the slide, and ensure the chamber is clear, then lock it to the rear. At this point, rotate the takedown lever and the slide assembly is easily removed forward off the frame. Lift out the recoil spring surrounding the guide rod, then the barrel. Now you can clean and lubricate the 226 with your favorite products. Reverse the operations to reassemble.
Sig Sauer P226 SAO with BLACKHAWK! Zyphos light, fi ber optic front and custom rear u-notch rear sights, Lasermax guide rod laser, and Hogue grips.
jacket and various hollow points. My initial concern with the pistol was the reliability. I loaded the magazines with vari- ous reloads and let several magazines go down
18 The Police Marksman May-Jun 2014
range. T e pistol never missed a beat; fi ring lead, frangible, full-metal jacket and hol- low points. What was more impressive was a mixed magazine of 15 rounds, fi red sup-
While I had the single action 226 apart, I noted that the only diff erence from the tra- ditional 226 is the SAO’s trigger action. I re- moved the slide from my well-worn standard DA 226 and placed it on the single action frame and the slide from the single action on the DA 226. Both pistols still functioned perfectly. While Sig may not recommend this, it is possible and Sig’s machining and fi tting of their pistols is dead-on. With the test and evaluation P226 SAO
www.policemarksman.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46