[flatsixcrazy]

I've heard so many good things about the 226 and looking to acquire my first piece for target practice. I wanted to check with the locals for availability, before driving down to Gander Mountain. Please let me know if you've got one for sale? (preferably in good condition). Thanks in advance.

[N0tt0N]

Great pistol. You will love it.

[Trak Ratt]

Glock for the win!

[Cliff Claven]

you might check vaguntrader.com

if you reside in VA

[ChaosRogue]

If you're just reading interweb reviews, try to find someone with a 226 that you can hold. Every gun will feel different in your hand, and comfort in a pistol is VERY important. Glock, Sig, Browning, Colt, etc. are all solid guns and the biggest factor in the accuracy of most of them is the person holding them.

[gawdzilla]

^this x2. I'm also on the market for a handgun and new to handguns. Have read a lot of reviews and watched a few YouTube videos, but they feel different to every person. I went to blue ridge arsenal the other day (near Dulles airport). You can rent a caliber of gun and try as many guns in that caliber u want. I BELIEVE u have to buy their (overpriced) ammo though. I tried some h&ks, sigs (including the 226), a beretta, etc. all in 9mm (the caliber I am interested in). Good luck w your search. Highly recommend trying the gun (at least hold it) before purchasing.

[Vicegrip]

Having just sold a P-226 I had owned for many years I fell the need to chime in with my unasked for opinion. I would not consider the 226 a good pistol for target. It has a busy action, is large and heavy for the caliber and has a large grip. It is one of the more complicated actions, having a de-cocker and being single / double. It is not considered all that accurate as well. Plenty accurate for personal defense for sure but I found it lacking for target. Might do well to stat with a more straight forward pistol or even a revolver. For range time target with a pistol the Ruger in .22 are hard to beat. for an accurate shooting right out of the box big caliber pistol I found the Glocks to be tops. My Glock model 21 .45 cal. has been a dead reliable machine over the 8000+ rounds I have fired. I t is as accurate as my target grade Colt .45 and has never ever stove piped or failed to feed. One time it failed to fire was from a copper jacket flaking back and causing the slide to not close. A quick cycle of the slide and it cleared. I have had other brands of pistols and the Glock has proven to be a far better pistol in every aspect except history and soul. It is not a warm gun, it is a no nonsense tool built to do what it is intended to do.

Totally off topic. I recently discovered the world of adult air pistols and rifles. I have found there is a world highly accurate and very powerful air guns from .177 all the way to .50 cal. In the .177 and .22 cal you can get air rifles that have higher FPS than .22 LR. I have a nice silenced .177 rifle with iron sights, good scope and target grade ammo. Built a target/trap in the backyard and I can settle in and take some shots whenever I feel like it. No $$$ cartridges and no freaking out the locals. Keep the speeds under supersonic and the loudest sound is the pellet smacking the paper. Jack it to 1200 fps and it cracks like a powder powered rifle. I play some nice classical music in the yard while shooting to mask the sounds.

[Cliff Claven]

a lot of what VG says is true (though i prefer my new browning buckmark to the ruger .22 targets--it’s just such an awesomely fun, reliable and accurate piece, i even carried it on the tractor when brushhogging yesterday instead of my more cumbersome yet trusty henry lever, for shooting porcupines).

and yet a p226 is still a fine anchor gun for starting your arsenal. good gun to learn how to shoot with. it’s a reliable and accurate gun with good fit and polish. the double stack mags are high capacity. there is a reason why a good number of law enforcement agencies have adopted them. so much nicer than the glock...

[smdubovsky]

Oh boy here comes the chevy vs ford arguments... I have an opinion too:P

Not sure where one gets the idea the 226 is "not all that accurate". In a ransom rest it should outshoot a glock. Also, might want to tell the people who are winning competitions w/ the P226 (X5 comp) that their gun is no good as a target pistol Target guns are never plastic. The extra mass of a metal frame makes them bobble less for a smoother sight picture and have less felt recoil. For the guys shooting hundreds/thousands of rounds an outing the latter adds up. A metal frame moves less under temp/tolerance/ext forces so a trigger can be tuned lighter too.

The P226, CZ75, etc are all guns w/ good palm swells. Glock and other plastic frames typ have 2x4 slab sided grips. FWIW, Target guns never have flat sides. 2x4 is slim for carry but pretty lousy for fit. *ALL* of them will outshoot the majority of users so can't really say one if better than the other for that. All should also be dead reliable. No excuse for a modern handgun being less than 100%.

Disclaimer: I own a G17 w/ a lightened trigger. Also have a XDM 5.25 w/ a full PRP trigger for USPSA competition. (Im a bit of a trigger whore.) Neither can touch a good sig 226/beretta 92/cz 75/1911 as target guns. I do not own a 226 but have shot many. I do not own a 226 but its superior in nearly every way to a glock other than size/weight. If I was a cop/soldier who had to carry everyday, hands down the glock. No contest. But for a gun that goes to the range in a bag to have fun/compete with? Sig every time.

x2 adult airguns. If someone is looking I have a few extra I should prob sell. Diana 5/10/75, Crosman 600s, Beemans, FWB602 are all things I have duplicates of and could thin the herd.

To get back on topic: I keep thinking we should have a dorki range day. Find a laid back public range and blow some stuff up. Would be a great time and possibly get a few new people introduced to the sport. Its cheaper than DE (sorta)

Edit: Oh, I'm also in the buckmark camp

[N0tt0N]

My initial comment was assuming he had already tried out the various pistols and selected the 226 as the best fit for him. If not, fit will win in the long run as has been said. The slippery slope of shooting, like driving, means you will sooner or later not be slowly taking aim and plinking off a round at a time with a cigar in between shots. 226 fits large hands. Folks with small hands <cough> like Glocks, just sayin'. Every time I draw a Glock I find it slightly twisted in my hand when I get to my sight picture and I have to adjust before engaging. Not a problem unless you don't want to lose that moment. Sig comes right up in line for me. Everybody is different. 226 also pairs up nicely with an AR and, also, you can beat someone to death with it or open a door/window. The ergo grip on some of the H&Ks is really nice if it fits your hand perfectly. Just don't buy a 9mm Beretta pistol Pretty shotguns but not so much their pistols.

Ruger .22 is great for plinking like ViceGrip said. If you wind up with a 1911 style pistol the Browning .22 has a similar feel and is sweet, if expensive.

I inherited a .455 Colt SA rechambered for .45 Long Colt. Big heavyish thing with a fixed, shark fin fixed site that you adjust with a hammer. Fits perfect in my hand. Hand loaded ammo to sight it in and wound up with such a light load (maybe 500-600fps) you could literarily see the bullet pass beneath the banks of overhead lights. Very fun and surprisingly accurate, if slow. Great sound effects. Boom-swish-swish-swish-thwack.

I think we need a three-man team relay with cars and guns at BSR... A lap around Main to the range with rifles, a lap around Shen egress passenger side to the shoot house, a lap around Jeff and some driver side targets on the skidpad.