# P226 Break In And Rounds To Use



## cantbebothered (Sep 27, 2014)

Alrighty... Alrighty...

I have a P226 MK25 en route to me.

This will be my first handgun so please forgive my noob queries:

1) What kind of rounds should I be putting thru the gun? I will have self defense rounds for added stopping power (I'm thinking something in a 147 hollow point variety) but what do I shoot at the range??? Range bullets?? Bring my own?? do I have to keep the grain consistent?? Does it not matter?? Is the only time it matters when I need the bullet to do work??

2) Other than the weight of the bullet, velocity, etc... how does grain affect the gun wear, if at all??

3) I am not supposed to use +P, correct?

4) Anything I need to consider when choosing a round??

I want to do the best for the gun's life...

Thanks guys and gals!!


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

Congrats on your purchase. I have one myself and love it. The P226 is a versitile pistol capable of handling many different types of ammunition, but it is best to read the manual, know the weapon and don't unwittingly abuse it. I'll do my best to answer your questions below. 

1. Any standard ball ammo from a reputable company will suffice, but I like to avoid certain brands. UMC is weak and can cause malfunctions b/c of that. Also, you may experience some problems with other weaker offerings in Winchester white box 115. It isn't unsafe to shoot these bullets, just be aware that you may experience some malfunctions b/c the ammo can be weak. I like to shoot 124 gr if I can find it b/c it tends to be a little stronger. I would look for Blazer Brass, Winchester white box in 124 grain, Zero yellow box in 115 or 124 grain, and put about 200 rounds through your pistol to break it in, and then you probably won't have any problems after that. I have had two MK25s, and neither one has ever given me a single problem. Odds are yours won't either, but don't panic if you do experience a failure to feed/extract within the break in period (which is within 200 rounds or so). 

It is also a good idea to practice with your carry ammo as well so that you know how it shoots. You will find that different loads have different recoil, so it's best to be accustomed to shooting it. For defense, you would be wise to consider Federal Premium HST (124 or 147) in standard pressure or +P, Speer Gold Dot in the same offerings, Hornady Critical Duty, Federal Hydrashok or Winchester Rangers. There are several other quality defense rounds, but I'm not as familiar with them, and the offerings I mentioned are among the most popular, most consistent and reliable of any available, and used by more professionals than any other brand, as I understand it.

2. The grain does not affect the wear on the gun, but the velocity will. That said, you would have to shoot a whole lot to wear the gun out. Most civilians just don't shoot enough to wear the gun out, and although anything can happen, the odds of you damaging your P226 with factory ammunition is slim. 

3. You CAN use +P. All manufacturers tell you that it will wear your gun out quicker, and that is true, but again, it won't damage your gun per se. This weapon is used by the Navy SEALs, British SAS and countless other military/law enforement professionals and agencies around the world, all of whom use powerful rounds in it. I use both +P and standard pressure, but the truth is in most cases you really don't need anything more than the standard pressure rounds. When it is said +P will wear your gun out sooner, it is talking about the springs and other parts wearing out sort of like how a 300 lb man would wear out a trampoline quicker than a 120 lb woman would. Make sense? You can always replace parts, springs and such, and all gun parts eventually wear out. You can do that work yourself, or you can always talk with a professional gunsmith who can give you sound advice or do it for you. But again, your gun is designed to have a life span of over 90,000 rounds, so good luck reaching that benchmark. 

4. Any ammunition from a proven commercial manufacturer should be fine. I suggested some above, but as long as you stick with these you should be fine. Plenty of folks load their own ammo, and that is fine, but if you over do it you can actually damage your gun. This is why I stick with proven commercial offerings. I use the Critical Duty, Federal Premium HST, Gold Dot or Hydrashok. All of these have proven to be effective, safe and reliable ammunition that professionals count on. My personal favorite is the HST from Federal, but you will learn that you may find you like something else better. As long as it is a proven, quality ammo offered from a reputable manufacturer you will be fine.

Lastly, I would also recommend that you take some weapon/shooting courses. Become a student of your weapon and the practice of shooting. Be responsible and get training. Most of us here have had years of training and a lifetime of experiences, and all will tell you without question, train! You can never learn too much about all this. 

Again, congrats on your choice of pistol, and good luck!


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## cantbebothered (Sep 27, 2014)

OH... ALSO...

Shoot only brass??? Nothing else should be fired cause Sigs don't like anything but brass??

Fact??
Fiction??
Not enough data to prove either way??

Thanks!


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## cantbebothered (Sep 27, 2014)

GCBHM said:


> Congrats on your purchase. I have one myself and love it. The P226 is a versitile pistol capable of handling many different types of ammunition, but it is best to read the manual, know the weapon and don't unwittingly abuse it. I'll do my best to answer your questions below.
> 
> 1. Any standard ball ammo from a reputable company will suffice, but I like to avoid certain brands. UMC is weak and can cause malfunctions b/c of that. Also, you may experience some problems with other weaker offerings in Winchester white box 115. It isn't unsafe to shoot these bullets, just be aware that you may experience some malfunctions b/c the ammo can be weak. I like to shoot 124 gr if I can find it b/c it tends to be a little stronger. I would look for Blazer Brass, Winchester white box in 124 grain, Zero yellow box in 115 or 124 grain, and put about 200 rounds through your pistol to break it in, and then you probably won't have any problems after that. I have had two MK25s, and neither one has ever given me a single problem. Odds are yours won't either, but don't panic if you do experience a failure to feed/extract within the break in period (which is within 200 rounds or so).
> 
> ...


Super helpful!

Thanks for this.

Any other input from you guys?

Thanks!


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

You don't have to shoot only brass. Some of the best bullets have steel casings, and some aluminum stuff works well too. You'll come to learn what you can feed through your gun, but on the whole the Sig P226 isn't real particular.


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