226 SAO compared to Staccato P

[1More]

Looking for comments from shooters who've run both Staccato P's and Sig 226 SAOs with respect to "shootability" and reliability(emphasis on duty and defense usage). Experience with a Sig 226 SA/DA applies since the SA on a traditional 226 is very similar to a stock SAO. Basically, am I smoking crack for running to my Legion SAO every time I get the 'wants' for a Staccato P and thinking 'the mags are so much better and the rest of the gun is close enough"? Yes, I already have a Glock 17, 34, P07, Shadow 2 and I buy ammo/training over guns. I'm specifically asking about the 226 and the Staccato P's, though I'm sure the thread will turn into a Staccato P versus other duty guns eventually.

[Jim Watson]

A GGI P226 DA-SA CPO and a pre-Wick STI have both been reliable and durable shooters.

First to say I am more accustomed to 1911s and the STI's buttons and levers are where I expect to find them.
It's main drawback is sheer bulk. I would not pick it for anything but a match gun.
Have Staccatos been trimmed down?

The Sig's "high bore axis" is not a factor in 9mm. (P220 .45 is kind of a bouncer.)
I find the miniature slide stop a problem, especially since it was meant as am IDPA gun, routinely reloaded at slide lock.
If Bruce could have converted it to SAO, I had some ideas about that. But it is now a trustworthy house gun.

[claymore504]

I was considering a Stacatto P for a while. Ended up going with a P226RX Legion SAO and love it. I know they are very different handguns, but over both are SAO. The P226 mags can be found anywhere like you mentioned. Also spare parts are very common. I already had a couple P226 handguns, so it just made more sense to me.

[psalms144.1]

As much as I love to hate on Sig, if you have a Legion, it works, and it's accurate in your hands, the Staccato is DEFINITELY NOT twice as much gun.

The Staccato's trigger is vastly improved over the Legion's, being a true 1911 trigger, not a hinged trigger. Just like comparing the 1911 to the BHP, not all SA triggers are the same. The Staccato shoots "flatter" for me, and I find the controls to be "better" - e.g. where I want them, and shaped "better" - but I "grew up" shooting a 1911.

Sig's magazines are trusted, vetted, widely available, and inexpensive. The Staccato's mags CAN BE finicky (though the latest "generation" allegedly addressed that), and cost 2-3 times as much as a good MecGar 18 rounder for the 226.

The 226 allows you some "customization" in the grips - replacing the "grip module" on the Staccato is a $300-$400 affair.

I wouldn't consider either of those pistols to be a "carry" pistol, though I did start my Federal LE service humping a P226 around concealed for about four years. NOT fun even when you're young, and required a VERY sturdy belt. Those late 90s-early 2000s Sigs would also rust while like crazy, not sure if the Legion's finish is any more durable. Of course, I was posted in coastal S. Texas at the time, so the climate was a little "extreme."

[19852+]

I was considering a Stacatto P for a while. Ended up going with a P226RX Legion SAO and love it. I know they are very different handguns, but over both are SAO. The P226 mags can be found anywhere like you mentioned. Also spare parts are very common. I already had a couple P226 handguns, so it just made more sense to me.

I have also considered the Stacatto since I like 1911's but the price is a little extreme to me. I had a P-226 SAO that was great but had to sell during some hard times. But he's right, mags, grips, holsters are everywhere and the SIG is well proven.

[pastaslinger]

The Sig's "high bore axis" is not a factor in 9mm. (P220 .45 is kind of a bouncer.)

I've never understood this argument when we know a high bore axis makes it harder to shoot fast splits and track sights/dot. It's physics, you're getting more torque.

[Jim Watson]

I should have said it was not a factor for ME, I never felt like I could neurologically outrun the physics.
But then maybe I need a new sig line "Slowest gun on the Internet."

It would be instructive to do side by side comparisons... if I weren't conserving ammo to shoot for score.

[Doc_Glock]

Looking for comments from shooters who've run both Staccato P's and Sig 226 SAOs with respect to "shootability" and reliability(emphasis on duty and defense usage).

As far as reliability, the 226 is one of the most reliable handguns in history, and the Stacatto isn't and likely will never be on the list of "highest reliability defense and duty handguns."

[JCN]

I have a P229 SAO Legion, P229 DASA Legion, couple of EDC X9 (street price $2100-2300), few Shadow 2s, couple of TSOs for context.

I don’t like the sponge in the Legion triggers. They work well, but they don’t feel as tight or crisp as the other guns on that list.

Consider Shadow 2 SAO or EDC.

WC EDC has been extraordinarily reliable for me.

[psalms144.1]

I have a P229 SAO Legion, P229 DASA Legion, couple of EDC X9 (street price $2100-2300), few Shadow 2s, couple of TSOs for context.

I don’t like the sponge in the Legion triggers. They work well, but they don’t feel as tight or crisp as the other guns on that list.

Consider Shadow 2 SAO or EDC.

WC EDC has been extraordinarily reliable for me.

I didn't go into other options because the OP didn't mention them, but my very limited time with my Shadow 2 DA/SA shows it to be way mo'bettah than either the 226 or Staccato. In fact, after a couple hundred rounds through the S2, I cancelled my order for a Staccato P DPO, because I could just about buy a second "training" S2 and have less invested than in a single Staccato. And my S2 shoots flatter, in my hands, and softer, than the Staccato P's I've shot.

Of course, I wouldn't hump an S2 on duty either - its empty weight combined with 18 rounds of 9mm per mag mean it would destroy my old crumbly back...