So what we have here is the P226, now unfortunately i’ve been able to get out and get a review filmed as its just been awful down here weather wise but i have had it up the club a couple of times and spent enough time with it to give you my first impressions, so here they are!
First thing i noticed was the weight of this thing, it certainly weighs the part and feels solid to hold, notable is the fact on the safety is functioning externally with no slide release catch or take down lever, these are all just formed pieces of the frame. The decocker does however function as a safety which is good, once applied the gun decocks, you can continue to pull the trigger but it will not fire, which is something i like.
The magazine is also fairly neat too with a dual end drop out stick magazine, with each end having its own 8 shot rotary magazine which i have to say i was a bit doubtful about when i first picked the pistol up, but it seems to work nicely with a relatively smooth trigger action. Long story cut short but each time you pull the trigger you index the magazine around to the next round, so with previous pistols this has been a laboured affair, but not with the p226!
Also noted is the really neat way in which the Co2 loads into the grip, it has to be seen to be believed! It’s a really interesting pivot system that just closes up and gasses the gun. Long are the days where you have to faff around with a small tab or an allen key, simply put the Co2 in – close the grip up and job done! I will cover this more in depth though when we get the full review and the video review done as its a real stand out feature.
This however is where the tone of this first impressions write up changes, sorry! Because once you’ve fondled the pistol and loaded it - it’s time to fire it, and this is where it lets itself down massively! Now yes the blowback is strong resulting in a nice kick, but that’s about the only highlight... I’ve been called “too negative” before but sometimes things have to be said, and this is one of those times.
Today during testing we were getting about 20 shots per Co2, which is very poor, especially when the packaging said it was efficient, i beg to differ! I’ll be honest, it was only around 12 degree’s today, so some may argue it was cold, but all the other pistols we had on test today were managing normal numbers still and to be honest we weren’t shooting this sig quickly, i genuinely wanted to get the best from it! Accuracy wise its OK, nothing special and certainly not one of the most accurate i’ve come across, but it was usable.
Now i’ll get a full review put together once i’ve done some more testing and i’ll get you a video review too, but until then these are my thoughts. Now i know it’s not all good but with the hype that surrounded the release of these guns from Highland Outdoors i was genuinely expecting more. Soon we are due the rifles but to be honest i’m not sure i’ll be getting one, as i fear i’ll just end up being disappointed again. So would i buy this pistol again from what i’ve found so far? No i’m not sure i would, i think if i were in the position for a new gun i’d be heading straight to my nearest Umarex dealer, as these guys never seem to let me down! Thanks for reading guys and i’ll get more information for you as soon as i can!
Happy shooting!
