First Handgun? (long)

Hello all! New to the forums and to handguns.... I've shot many a rifle and shotgun growing up but never owned a handgun.

Was at my local range this week and rented two guns and shot two friends guns.... They were the Glock 17 9mm, Glock 34 9mm, Sig 226 .40 and a S & W 9mm..... I ended up liking the Sig 226 best out of the group simply because the extra weight of the gun made it feel easier to reaquire targets under rapid fire. I liked both glocks, but the lightness of each gun I felt made me less accurate under quicker fire. I liked both the glock and the Sig under slow fire rates... I also really came to like having the abilty to go single or double action with the sig.... I can see where both senarios would be useful.

That being said they have a few guns available for purchase at this range. I looked at three different options. I first was interested in the Glock 17 with rail and light for $580. I then saw a Remanned Sig 226 that is two years old, apparently sent back to the factory and has a lifetime factory warranty for $545 (no rail). I then found a Sig 226 Navy for ~$740. It has a rail and the stainless slide or whatever it is that makes it better for aqua assaults.

I'm leaning towards buying the NAVY gun because of the rail and the fact that it's new. I was seriously considering the remanned 226 b/c of the price but for some reason I'm really stuck on the fact that it doesn't have a rail... I then saw the internal laser that replaced the stock spring, so I'm wondering if I should buy the cheaper gun and just add the expensive laser... Either way I'm probably gonna spend around the same amount of money.

Any thoughts and reviews on the 226 NAVY? I'm assuming I can read reviews of the regular 226 and they would be the same as the NAVY for accuracy and weighting? I guess what I'm saying is that I've settled on one of the 226's and now I'm just looking for advice as to the value of each and if the lifetime warranty will hold up on the remanned gun?

I will be using this gun for three things... Most of it's use will be target shooting, probably 100-300 rounds per session. I will also carry the gun under certain circumstances once I get my permit and then finally the gun will most likely be kept in my bedside table or closet in my bedroom (I live by myself) for home security. I'm assuming that the home security issue would most likely be something that would happen at night, but you never know.

Thanks!

Bear

Well, if you don't need to do any aqua assualts in the near future, I would suggest looking into the P226R. A basic P226 with the rail now standard, everything you need without the marine finish. And it should be less money than the Navy version. There's nothing wrong with the Certified Pre Owned Sigs, either, but if you really want the rail, I wouldn't go that way.

Also, check out http://www.sigarms.com and check out their warranty info. To the best of my knowledge, Certified Pre Owned Sigs do not have a lifetime warranty. For that matter, I don't think new Sigs do, either. However, if your dealer said there was a lifetime warranty, ask about the distributor they get the gun from. If they are getting it through a distributor (which they probably are not because I think Sig has gone completely factory direct), the warranty may be seperate from that distributor, in which case that is a good thing to know because you'll need to contact the distributor, not Sig, if something is wrong. If you want to ask questions about the warranty on a Sig you are interested in, drop an email to their customer service. I dropped them a line recently and they were very quick to respond.

I've owned a P226 40SW for four years now, so I most definetly think you have made a wise choice. There are, however, a lot of various P226 options. They're all at that website I gave you above. But the P226R will probably be the least expensive as a new Sig and will cover everything you seem to want on and from your gun. Good luck!

Depending on your hand size, you might like the 229. I've never shot a 226, but I find the 229 fits rather nicely in my hands.

Of course I feel you did well choosing the SigSauer model 226. It's a good target range gun, and nightstand for home protection. You might want to think about the weight and size issue regarding concealed carry. Obviously it can be done, but the smaller version to the 226, the 229 may be more feasible for that purpose. I also like the nonrail versions. Unless you plan to mount a light and play SWAT, I don't see a real need for the rail. I can't address the 226 Navy model, except it's basically the same size and shape as the standard 226, but with a fancy name/emblem engraved. Any 226 model will point and shoot downrange. Some have different trigger pull set ups. Regarding a new versus an used model. Personally, if I were "new" to handguns, I'd feel better with a new purchase. Not to say an used gun is not as good, but for your protection maybe you might feel better with a NIB. Just my 2 cents, free, internet opinion. Good luck.

thanks for the info everyone! I'm going to do a little more investigation this week before I purchase! I'd like to see if I can shoot one of the 229's... I doubt that I will be carrying on my waist too much. I think I might have in the vehichle with me but not on my person because I wear a suit everyday and often take my jacket off during the daytime... I'm more interested in nighttime and traveling to new places... that kind of thing. Not sure if any of that makes sense but I'm still new to the carrying thing... I'm gonna go apply for my permit today so we'll see what happens.

Thanks again!

Chris

I would get clarification from them about the Lifetime warranty on the CPO Sig(certified pre-owned).

Sig only provides a 1 year warranty on the CPO Sigs. Unless the store is providing the warranty, I do not see how they can promise you a lifetime warranty.

If you are about to get that gun, get the serial number first, call Sig...and get confirmation about the warranty.

Hi there, registered just to talk about your first gun....

CPO's don't have lifetime warranties, they have a one year warranty like bangbang said. One of the local shops I dealt with tried to tell me the same thing, but it's just not true. I get the feeling this particular shop did it to rip off my fiance (she got me a P226 as a present) as they also tried to charge her $750 before taxes for a CPO.

At any rate, the P226R Navy is pretty much just the same as any other P226R in 9mm, except for the phosphated internals. It's rumored that it makes for a smoother trigger, although I doubt there's any actual proof of that. For $740 it's a darn good deal as it should also come with 3 phosphated mags as well. That's about what mine cost ($758) and I haven't seen many plain P226's go for less than that. You might as well get the Navy and plan on getting another one for carry, as Sig owners rarely stop with just one. :)

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Originally Posted by BearSGD

I'm leaning towards buying the NAVY gun because of the rail and the fact that it's new. I was seriously considering the remanned 226 b/c of the price but for some reason I'm really stuck on the fact that it doesn't have a rail... I then saw the internal laser that replaced the stock spring, so I'm wondering if I should buy the cheaper gun and just add the expensive laser... Either way I'm probably gonna spend around the same amount of money.
Thanks!
Bear

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Everybody else has covered all the angles. I am going to suggest you forget about the internal laser as everyone I have ever seen has turned to junk in no time. If you want a laser I recommend you go with Crimsom Trace grip panel lasers as they are the best IMHO. Good luck in your choice.:smt1099