Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm – Superb Optic Ready Competitor

Description

The Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm is the competition P226 brought up to date without losing what made it special. The original X-Five Classic was a hand fitted stainless pistol with a bull barrel and a single action trigger, and it was one of the nicest guns Sig built. The second version keeps all of that and answers the two questions shooters kept asking: where do I mount a dot, and can I get the safety on both sides. SIG-LOC handles the first, an ambidextrous thumb safety the second.

Stainless Weight And A Bull Barrel

The frame and slide are both stainless steel, which puts about 45.6 ounces between the shooter and the recoil impulse. On a carry gun that weight would be a liability; on a stage it is the whole point, keeping the muzzle flat and the sight or dot close to where it started between shots.

The five inch bull barrel is heavier than a standard contour tube and fits the slide without a bushing, which is one of the reasons these pistols shoot as accurately as they do. Sight radius runs long enough to shoot precisely with irons alone, and the extra mass out front settles the gun.

A fiber optic front sight sits in a Dawson style adjustable rear. Fiber optic gathers ambient light into a bright dot that finds the eye quickly, and the adjustable rear lets a competitor zero precisely for their chosen load.

Optic Cut, Trigger And Controls

The SIG-LOC optic cut is the headline change over the earlier Classic. Sigs direct mount standard clamps a red dot straight to the slide with no adapter plate in between, which both lowers the sight and removes the single most common failure point in a pistol optic installation. Competitors running a dot no longer need the slide milled by a third party.

The AX3 trigger is fully adjustable for pull weight, over travel and length of pull, with a curved shoe. On a single action pistol that level of adjustment lets a shooter tune the break to their own finger rather than adapting to the factory setting, and the adjustments hold once set.

An ambidextrous thumb safety is the other practical addition. Left handed competitors and anyone who shoots weak hand on a stage no longer have to reach across the frame. Custom Hogue Cocobolo grip panels cover the stainless frame, giving the pistol its look and a hold that does not shift under recoil.

Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm Specifications

• Manufacturer: Sig Sauer
• Model: P226 X-Five Classic II
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Action: Single action only, semi automatic
• Barrel Length: 5 inches, bull barrel
• Weight: 45.6 ounces
• Capacity: 20 plus 1
• Magazines Included: Three 20 round magazines
• Front Sight: Fiber optic
• Rear Sight: Adjustable
• Optic Cut: SIG-LOC optic ready
• Trigger: Curved fully adjustable AX3
• Manual Safety: Ambidextrous thumb safety
• Slide: Stainless steel
• Frame: Stainless steel
• Grips: Custom Hogue Cocobolo
• UPC: 798681721580

Note the difference from the earlier X-Five Classic: that pistol has a solid slide and a single side safety. If you already own one and want a dot on it, the slide has to be milled. This version arrives cut for SIG-LOC from the factory, with ambidextrous controls and the adjustable AX3 trigger. Both use the same 20 round magazines, so spares carry over.

Why Buyers Choose The Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm

Competitors choose the Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm because it is a hand fitted stainless competition gun that no longer needs a gunsmith before it can run a dot. Factory optic cuts on guns at this level are still surprisingly rare, and a direct mount is better than a plate in every measurable way.

The weight and the trigger are the other two reasons. Forty five ounces of stainless steel flattens recoil in 9mm almost completely, and a fully adjustable single action break lets a shooter set the trigger exactly where they want it rather than settling.

Three 20 round magazines in the box is worth noting. Magazines at this capacity are expensive, and having three means a competitor can load for a stage on day one without a separate order.

Who Should Buy The Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm

This pistol suits USPSA and IDPA competitors, steel challenge and bullseye shooters, and collectors who want one of the nicest production pistols Sig builds. At 45.6 ounces with a 5 inch barrel it is not a carry gun and was never meant to be; it is built for the bench, the berm and the stage.

Full manufacturer specifications for the Sig Sauer P226 XFive Classic II 9mm are published by Sig Sauer on the official product page. Browse more Sig Sauer pistols and competition guns in our handguns category.