First Shots: SIG P226 SAO Legion Pistol

Today we are on the range getting our first shots with the SIG Sauer P226 SAO. Most of us are familiar with the traditional double-action SIG Sauer P-series of pistols. Of course, the P226 is the flagship of the line, the full-size, duty handgun that made a name for SIG pistols in the ‘80s and ‘90s among law enforcement and military circles. 

While the traditional DA sigs have been enjoying a resurgence in popularity these days, it’s experiencing somewhat of a renaissance along with the rise of appendix carry and other trends. We’ve also seen a resurgence in single-action pistols, and the blending of single-action-only with the SIG P series in the P226 SAO is an interesting design. 

As with other P226s, this gun has a 4.4-inch barrel with a stainless steel machined slide matched to an alloy frame. All of this is finished in a very durable PVD finish. It has G10 grips as you would expect with the Legion series guns, along with SIG’s excellent Xray3 night sights, with a bright-green front sight paired with a subdued rear with tritium throughout for low-light shooting. 

The biggest difference is that rather than the double-action/single-action system, the P226 SAO has single-action only, where the decocking mechanism is replaced by a bilateral thumb safety. Like the standard P226, it feeds from a 15-round magazine with larger capacity variants available—the P226 is a platform that has been around and in use for a long time. 

This gun is an interesting mix; it’s SIG quality, P226 heritage and reliability, but mated to a very American operating system, the single-action semi-automatic like the 1911. Not only is it an interesting design and pairing of mechanisms, it’s also a lot of fun to shoot. 

MSRP on the P226 SAO Legion is $1,329.99; for more information about this pistol and others in the SIG Sauer Legion family, visit sigsauer.com.