In my travels I ran into a nice, almost NIB Sig 226R.  Seems like a nice pistol but I know little about Sigs.  Pistol was supposedly a trial gun for a local Sheriff and was then returned to the store.  Round count unknown but it doesn't appear to be much.

Its a newer Sig with rails and also has night sites. Comes in the case with three 12 round magazines, the lock, etc.  Pretty much looks brand new.

So the dealer quotes me a price of $650.00 for the gun.  Don't really know if this is a good deal or not but figured I'd ask that as well.

Being a guy who is not very knowledgeable about a lot of guns other than the ones I own what are some of the pros and cons of the Sig pistol?  Currently I either carry a Springfield 1911 or a XD but the Sig sure does look nice and I hear a lot of good things about them.  I also don't own any .40 pistols so this would be another caliber for me.  

What makes the Sig such a nice pistol and justifes its higher cost compared to a Glock, XD, etc?

The 226 is the standard side arm of the Navy Seals. If it is good enough for them.......you know what was coming!

The Sig is probibly one of the finest guns made ever. The quality of the machining, the fit and finish and the extreem reliability makes it stand out in a crowd of nice hand guns.  Now with that said it is always possible to get a leamon but Sig will make it right for you if need be. If you plan to carry it you might look at the 229 in .40. It maked a better CCW gun for it's size. The 40 is a great round. Most loads hit as hard and even harder then a lot of 45acp loads. I think you will be happy with the Sig.

I like them a lot:

Other than the quality machineing, I dont wan to start anything but there is a reason all military pistols are of metalic material, Glocks and other synthetics hold up pretty nice but they wont withstand the same frame torture regardless of what any "experts" say.

But enough flaming on synthetics, for a metalic handgun they are well balanced and fit nicer in the hand IMO even better than the .40 XD I just bought the only other gun besides the sig that fires the .40 cartridge better is the S&W M&P but with the mag disconect and QC problems their having right now I'm going to wait a few years till I get one.

On the price tag of around $600 dollars is pretty fair with it including high cap leo mags which are 40 dollars a peice if you get factory ones. And as long as everything is operational.

I'm a fan of .40 cal firearms that were designed specifically to fire that cartridge.  As such, I stick with the USP .40, or the Stery M40 series.

Sigs, Beretta's, Glocks...I'll take mine in 9

Have a Sig 226 in .357 sig.

The ergonomics are about just right.  Pistol feels like a natural extension of the hand.

Well balanced and absolutely top notch machining.

The 226 is also convertable with a barrel drop in.  Drop in a .40S&W barrel (only on the .40 & .357 sig guns - can't do this with 9mm 226s) and you have a new gun.  Works vice versa with .357 sig.

Mags are the same between the two calibers, which is nice.

$650 is a fair price... seems kinda high to me for a used LE gun.

Very short history of Sig pistols.  www.nrapublications.org/TAR/SiGARMSP226Pistol.asp

The P226 was almost the US service pistol instead of the Beretta.

While it's a more recent design , SIGS are the "1911" of European Pistols.

A .40 gives you more bullet weight than a 9mm ,  (165-180gr) and more velocity (1000-1200fps)
than a .45 .

Very controllable in a full size pistol .

Excellent Gun!!
Reliable, Accurate, and a Pleasure to shoot!

Excellent handgun. Probably (IMO) the very best of the DA/SA pistols. I'm no fan of the .40, but it seems to get the job done.

I think 650 is a bit much, but I really like the CPO Sigs from Ordnance Outsellers for about 150 less. Since that one is one you can look at and lay hands on over one you have to order, that means something. I'd try to get them to come off at least $50, more if possible, then take it home and shoot the shit out of it.