I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the P226 as compared to other guns you've shot, especially given your experience on the Beretta 92 series.Originally Posted by ASH556
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the P226 as compared to other guns you've shot, especially given your experience on the Beretta 92 series.
You can get much more of what you want with a kind word and a gun, than with a kind word alone.
P322
My thoughts at this point are very preliminary. I just got holsters last weekend, so I've only been able to dryfire from them with the MantisX. Aside from that I've got 150 rds through the P226, mostly 25yd B8's with a couple runs of "The Test" thrown in. Also adding the caveat that I bought this gun for the following purposes in order of priority:
1. Fun and Nostalgia. I got into guns through working at a local cop shop/range in '01. Glocks were still new-ish to the scene, plenty of Sigs and custom 1911's around along with all the exotic pre-ban "assault rifles" (Valmet, FAL, FNC, HK's, Daewoo K2's, etc). This P226 is a nod to that era in my memory.
2. When helping friends and family who are new to guns, I see value to showing them a TDA platform as an option.
3. To see what I can do with it.
Bearing all that in mind, here are my observations so far: Regular dryfire with a TDA gun helps me shoot my Glocks much better. You have to pay so much more attention to a longer, heavier DA trigger. It gives you more respect for the trigger overall and I see improvment with my Glocks as a result. Quantifying that improvement means something like 95-97 on average moves into the 98-100 territory. Ironically, shooting the SA trigger doesn't show huge results in long range accuracy, but moreso at close speed. I can slap it harder and faster with fewer ill results. The heavier frame relative to the Glock probably helps there too. Then again, the higher bore axis somewhat offsets that in terms of the pistol tracking flat. My Glocks definitely track flatter. Tracking dry draw speed on the Mantis against first shot "quality" shows the TDA P226 to be about .2-.3 slower. I could probably improve this by getting "into" the trigger sooner in the presentation, but since I plan to continue to use my Glocks as primary, I don't want to ingrain that bad habit. The biggest thing I don't like about the sig is having to roll my dominant thumb so far outboard. I makes me feel like I loose control of the pistol overall and does not translate well to my Glocks in my experience so far. It's especially evident in terms of recoil control. Relative to a Beretta 92, I prefer the Sig by a wide margin. It's much more comfortable to carry due to its lack of slide-mounted controls and more sleek overall profile. It's also lighter and easier/faster to reload than a Beretta. I spend a lot of time struggling with Beretta reloads. The Sig has no learning curve in this regard. I had LTT TJIAB's in my 92's. I wonder how much improvement some Gray Guns stuff might make in the DA pull of this P226, but not interested in messing with it at this point. I tried to make the Berettas replace my Glocks. I don't have that intention with the P226. Overall it is a lot of fun.
Food Court Apprentice
Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer
I've finally made the move away from glocks as my "service pistol". So far this is working out well. I've got four months to work on my skill before an upcoming class.
ShaloTek slide just showed up so I built it up, just needs an EPS now. Super impressed, machining and finish are perfect.
My last post about this pistol was in May of last year. I still haven't shot it a whole lot, but am now 547 rounds into it. I sent slide to Dawson and got a pair of sights put on it that hit where I want them to (provided I press the trigger cleanly). A member here was also kind enough to hook me up with a bunch of spare parts including a Gray Guns trigger and a shaved slide stop. These things have greatly increased my enjoyment of this pistol. My Glocks are still my go-to's, but they have lights and dots and such. For a simple iron-sighted pistol that's pretty accurate and has a good trigger, this is hard to beat. Mentally it sort of takes the place of a "nice 1911" in my minimalist, utilitarian world.
Last edited by ASH556; 02-09-2023 at 01:36 PM.
Food Court Apprentice
Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer
Put a polymer frame on my Spectre Comp to make it a little more carryable, did a range session still quite shootable, hard to miss with.
Shot sone SIGs this weekend.
I was able to pick up a fire sale P220 last weekend. It has a fair bit of wear inside the slide and smells like smoke, but everything else looks pretty good.
After I get a chance to live fire it, I want to put in new springs, the factory fat trigger, and Hogue grips.
Just not sure if I want the checkered or the piranhas. This will mostly be a safe queen to scratch my recent Sig itch
Last edited by Artemas2; 05-02-2023 at 08:22 AM.
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