TFB Review: The SIG Sauer P226-XCarry Legion

In the world of DA/SA (Double Action Single Action) pistols, one of the most legendary pistols is the SIG Sauer P226. This reputation was reinforced by the SEAL teams making the P226 their standard sidearm for over thirty years. In the last year, SIG has released a number of new variants of the P226 line with their P226X line. I recently reviewed the P226X Legion SAO and if you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here. Another new variant from SIG is the P226X carry model. Let's take a closer look at the SIG Sauer P226-XCarry Legion.

Specs

When it comes to the P226-XCarry Legion, it's a mash-up of the P229 and full-size P226, which still allows for a full-size grip, allowing for the Mec Gar 18-round magazines to fit flush while having a 3.8” 9mm barrel instead of the full-size 4.4” barrel on the full-size P226. The pistol comes with an X Five frame cut, allowing for a higher grip on the gun. My model came with a Romeo X enclosed red dot, which sits really low on the gun, making it incredibly easy to pick up quickly.

Out of all the recent handguns that are optics-ready, this is one of my personal favorites just for how integrated the optic is to the gun, making it easy to pick up the X Ray night sights as well as the optic. As standard, the XCarry does come with the upgraded MecGar 18-round magazine and three of them come with the gun from the factory. This variant has a double to single-action trigger, and I measured both on a trigger pull gauge. For the double-action pull, it was on average 9.25 lbs with a single action of just over 4lbs at 4.05-4.09lbs, but this trigger is adjustable, so you can make it your perfect combination as well.

Range Time

So far during my testing, I have shot roughly 825 rounds through my P226-XCarry Legion over the last few weeks. I’ve taken this gun out a few times as my main sidearm for range sessions and even took this out right next to its bigger brother, the P226X Legion SAO that I reviewed earlier. This gun does shoot noticeably differently from the longer SAO version. With the shorter barrel, there is a sharper recoil impulse that's very predictable, so it's easy to shoot follow-up shots quickly when timing the trigger reset. The sharper recoil is from the lack of weight out front, but apart from being slightly different in terms of recoil impulse, it's not tougher to carry or shoot in any way.

Again, the Romeo X sitting so low on the slide makes finding your red dot much faster than other options that sit higher on the slide. The Romeo X optic also has a single dot or circle with a dot reticle, which I ended up switching to the circle with a dot in the middle. This allows for a similar shooting experience to having an EOTech doughnut of death approach, which I love shooting with during rapid fire drills. When it comes to the P226-XCarry Legion’s trigger, it's a very nice combat trigger that has a defined wall, crisp break and audible reset, making it predictable as well as a really nice trigger on a carry gun.

It's not a scary light like some of the 1911 double-stack handguns out there, but it's an extremely usable and pleasant trigger to fire quickly. One of my favorite inclusions with the new P226X line of guns is the MecGar 18-round magazines that simply work and give the old workhorse 3 extra rounds in the magazine from its standard 15-round capacity with the older P226 models. My time with this variant makes it feel like it's a hybrid of other models with a mash-up that just works. Let's look a little deeper into some of the differences from full-size variants.

Difference From Full-Size Variants

With the shorter 3.8” barrel and full-size grip, the P226-XCarry Legion is certainly a hybrid of classic models. It has a slightly shorter barrel than the classic P229 with an X Series frame from a P226. At first, when looking at this gun, I was a bit puzzled as to why they created a mashup version, right until the moment I shot it. This is a great hybrid carry gun for people who want a full-size grip but don't want a full-size slide profile for carrying concealed.

This isn't as simple as SIG slapping a 229 slide onto a 226 frame because the barrel length is different from a standard 229 slide, making this a very deliberate, purpose-driven handgun. Small details like the barrel being crowned add to the overall feeling of it being a higher-end model. The full-size SAO and DA/SA models are fantastic at the range, but this P226-XCarry Legion excels at the range while being easier to carry for a longer period of time. After shooting this variant at the range, I can understand why SIG put the Carry into production and plan on carrying it more than some of my full-size models in the future.

Overall Thoughts

I have always been a major fan of the P226 series from SIG, and was apprehensive when they came up with the modern variants of this line of handguns. The number one question I get from most people is whether it's worth upgrading from the legacy models or if they should just stick to the classic line of handguns. As much as I love the classic line, these new models with the X Five frame, as well as the subtle touches like the crown barrel and low-profile red dot, really do bring this older handgun into the 21st century.

After my time with this handgun, I certainly think it's worth the price tag and give it my personal seal of approval. Let me know what your thoughts are on the new P226X line of handguns in the comments below. If you have a question, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram  @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you in the next review.

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