
Sauer & Sohn GmbH to two German businessmen. in the United States, to handle importation of their products. SIG Sauer eventually founded SIGARMS, Inc. Interarms took over importing when the pistol was introduced for civilian sales. military XM9 trials, the P226 was imported by Saco Defense. Sauer & Sohn to facilitate an export market for their products. Consequently, SIG entered into an agreement with German gun manufacturer (and eventual owner) J.P. Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft is a Swiss company and Swiss law severely restricts the export of firearms. The Navy SEALs, however, chose to adopt the P226 later. The P226 cost less per pistol than the 92F, but SIG's package price with magazines and spare parts was higher than Beretta's. According to a GAO report, Beretta was awarded the M9 contract for the 92F due to a lower total package price. Only the Beretta 92F and the SIG P226 satisfactorily completed the trials. The P226 was designed for entry into the XM9 Service Pistol Trials (see also Joint Service Small Arms Program) that were held by the US Army in 1984 on behalf of the US armed forces to find a replacement for the M1911A1. The SIG Sauer P226 and its variants are in service with numerous law enforcement and military organizations worldwide. The P226 itself has spawned further sub-variants the P228 and P229 are both compact versions of the staggered-column P226 design. It is essentially the same basic design of the SIG P220, but developed to use higher capacity, staggered-column magazines in place of the single-column magazines of the P220. It is chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum.

The SIG P226 is a full-sized, service-type pistol made by SIG Sauer. 357 SIG) ġ0, 15, 17, 18, or 20 round magazine (9mm Parabellum) ġ0 round polymer magazine (Classic 22 only) Mechanically locked, recoil operated ( DA/SA or DAO)ġ0, 12, 13, or 15 round magazine (.40 S&W.
