Thinking this for my police academy. the retailer im going through wants 800, is that reasonable? i'm posting in this section for obivous reasons. I think it comes with a 10 round mag, can i get a bigger one, say 12 round or so? i know it says 15 round mags available to LE but i'm not LE yet. Is this a good gun to get? anyone suggest something different, and what are your reasons? TIA

Temper

Have you shot a Sig P226 yet?

If not I sugest you do that first, the Sig pistols may not fit you well.

In Ohio you can own 15 round mags with no problems, you do not have to be law enforcement so the pistol should come with 15 round mags.

I personally would buy a used P226 if your just going to shoot it.  Also if your going to an academy I think that you can get the Sigs at a cheaper cost.

The gun is probably the finest firearm made. But it might be the best choice for the police academy........

Are you paying for this police academy? Are you already hired?

If the answer is yes to the first and no to the second, I'd hold off on the Sig unless you A. Really want one or B. Have the money to spend on quality :) Nothing against Sigs, I love them. But I had to pay my way through the Academy, then wait 4 months before I was hired on a police department. Money can be tight and the $300 you save by getting a Glock or Springfield might really help out come month five of the academy when you are flat broke.

Now, if you are already hired and a Sig is what you truely want and you are allowed to carry, $800 is reasonable, maybe a bit high. You can probably find the same gun in the $700s if you dig around. $600s if you find a really good deal.

BTW, If you decide to buy from this guy and you are spending $800, tell the retailer to at least throw in a couple hi-caps.

+1  Handle a few pistols before you make up your mind.  I too  had to pay my way through but then again they gave us guns to shoot while we were in.  The Navy's that I have see come with 17 round magazines so you should have no problem getting the 15 rounders with it.  The Sigs are expensive, but worth it.  I love my 226 DAK and department issued 220.  The Navy 226 is cool and all but the only "real" difference is a small anchor on the left side of the slide.  If you can find one for 800 then consider it, but anything more than that and I would think twice.  Good luck in the academy.

I thought the Navy series had some sort of phosphate/corrosion resistant finish?  True?  If so, what kind of finish is it?

Also-Are 226 Navy's rare?

Quoted: I thought the Navy series had some sort of phosphate/corrosion resistant finish?  True?  If so, what kind of finish is it? Also-Are 226 Navy's rare?

The outside is Nitron finish and the inside parts are coated with the phosphate type finish for corrosion resistance. Standard 226s don't have the internals finished. The serial number also starts with NSW to deisgnate them part of the run. They also have the anchor on the side as noted like the SEAL's Sigs. The NSW Sigs aren't rare but they were a limited run of 2000 I believe. They are nice and shoot well. I have NSW3XX. It came with 2 15rnd mags.

thanks.  I met a guy with a 226 Navy (anchor on the slide) but with a U serial number instead of the NSW serial number.  Was this another type of specific run?

The U serial number Navys are over run pistols from the Navy contract. The same pistol as the NSW ones as they were actually going to the SEALs but they don't have the NSW serial number.

Thanks for the great information Rob.

If I were to run into a NIB Navy in either U or NSW serial numbers, what would be a reasonable price for them in your opinion?

I've seen them for as low as $699 up to about $875. Somewhere in there would be good. Used you might get them a little less but probalby not under about $625.

A local gunstore is selling a 220 for 779. i think i'm going to buy that. i've only shot a couple handguns, a glock and a springfield XD. i hated the xd. i've never heard anything bad about the 220 so i figure i'll shoot it atleast ok. im so pumped for the academy. my gun belt is going to cost me a lot but it'll be worth it!

The best 475.00 I spent was on a CPO Sig p226.  The pistol was in like new condition, w/2 15 round mags.  Bought it from John at Tactical Solutions, he's one of the board supporters here.  If you handle the 226 and find you like it, buy with confidance from him.

Personally, I think the Navy model is a waste of money.  Why?  I don't live in a saltwater filled environment.  

Get a Certified Pre Owned (CPO) P226 from OrdnanceOutsellers.com or Teknic here on AR15.com (check in the equipment exchange for his ads), or just buy a beater from cdnninvestments.com.  The P226 9mm is probably the finest combat 9mm ever made (the SAS and Navy SEAL's agree with this), and they don't 'wear out', so buying a used one isn't that big a deal.  Literally, the SEAL's and SAS operators train constantly, and put hundreds of thousands of rounds through their pistols.  And they both use P226's.  A CPO P226 will cost less than $500, and last you forever.  The Navy models are nice, but the premium you pay is really only worth it if you are in a very corrosive environment.

Personally, out of the 4 SIGs that I own, my NSW NAVY's DA trigger was the smoothest out of the box.  Very accurate also.  And of course a portion of the proceeds were donated to a good cause.