June 06, 2018
By G&A Online Editors
Few handguns have ever achieved the status of the SIG SAUER 226 family, including this 228. The SIGs are the issue pistol for the FBI, the Navy SEALs, the British SAS, the Secret Service, and literally hundreds of special forces and police teams around the world. It's as accurate as many custom target pistols, and as reliable as well€¦ a SIG.
The P226 followed in SIG's prestigious line of pistols, dating back to the P210 single-action 9mm, considered by many to be the finest military pistol ever made. The Navy SEALs adopted the P226 in 1980, followed by a flood of other military units and law enforcement agencies. Even the venerable Texas Rangers issue 226s in the hot 357 SIG caliber.
The P226 was an immediate success, both in 9mm and later, .40 S&W. The gun quickly developed a reputation for amazing reliability. In one test, 20,000 rounds of 9mm ball were shot in a P226 without a hitch. The only maintenance on the gun, was sloshing it in a bucket of water every so often. P226s and their smaller siblings, the 228, 229, 240, and the smallest the 290 are now offered in a bewildering array of options, calibers, sites, target versions, rails for lights, lasers and even special colors. If you'd like to go retro though, you can still get an exact copy of the P226 issued to our Navy SEALs. The SIG 226 became a worldwide success because of one simple reason: It does its job amazingly well, and that's what professionals around the world depend on.
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