SIG Sauer introduced the P226 LDC model in 2014. The LDC tag stands for "Long Dust Cover" and refers to the presence of an oversized frame front extension. In this case, it is a steel dust cover that extends to the muzzle of the weapon, equipped with a tactical rail on the underside. This has increased the unloaded weight of the SIG-Sauer LDC to 1230 grams. The greater weight of the weapon significantly reduces the muzzle climb and makes the sight realignment on the target more rapid.
This technical solution is interesting and effective, so that IPSC guns that adopt it in the Production Division are becoming increasingly numerous. We are referring to the Tanfoglio Stock II and III but also to the CZ 75 Shadow 1 and 2.
History of the SIG Sauer P226 LDC II Tacops
In the early 1980s SIG Sauer designed a new gun based on the proven P220 model to take part in the tender for the new US military pistol. The German proposal was the P226. In the selection it joined other well-known brands such as Beretta, Colt, FN and Smith & Wesson. To counteract competition in terms of fire power, SIG Sauer modified the P220 frame, making it suitable for a double stack magazine instead of the single stack version of the previous model. The result was a weapon capacity of 15 9x19 rounds, but they were not enough for the German weapon to win since, as you know, the competition was won by Beretta with its model 92.
The fact that the P226 is anyway a very good weapon is confirmed by the numerous military and police forces all around the world that use it. In addition to the US secret services, the P226 has been adopted by the Navy SEALs, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the Israeli and Dutch armed forces and the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).
Technichs of the SIG Sauer P226 LDC II Tacops
The first version of the SIG Sauer P226 was quite different from the current version. The original model was equipped with a stamped metal slide and an alloy frame. Subsequently the P226 was also produced with a steel frame (P226S). On current production models, the slide is made of billet-machined steel and the frame is alloy.
The gun operates by a Browning-Petter-SIG locked-breech system that locks the barrel and slide together using an enlarged breech section of the barrel locking into the ejection port.
The Tacop action is mixed (single/double) with a standard trigger weight which is slightly above the average. The single-action trigger pull weight is around two kilograms (2.2 lbs). The Tacop sports the new SRT (Short Reset Trigger) kit with a very short (1.2 mm) trigger reset. This is a great advantage in the more dynamic sport shooting disciplines, such as IPSC, as the shooter can noticeably reduce time between shots.
The SIG Sauer P226 LDC II Tacops in detail
The SIG Sauer P226 LDC II Tacop is a new model rather than a new gun.
The most notable innovation are the magwell plastic grips. Besides increasing the gripping surface and improving the handle ergonomics (in theory, at least), they feature a downward extension that actually acts as a mini-magwell, making it easier to insert the magazine.
However, the new grips did not seem convincing to us. On the one hand they are not perfectly coupled to the frame, creating some interstices along the edges, on the other their surface does not offer a particularly good grip due to the plastic used, which is very hard.
The hammer profile is new too: it has been made noticeably heavier to offer a greater inertia and therefore a more positive strike. The magazines (two as a standard equipment) produced by the Italian Mec-Gar company are convincing and easy to load with 20 cartridges (but during the tests we managed to put 21 rounds into them). They are easy to insert and are positively retained.
The sights are interesting, consisting of a Hi-Viz front sight with interchangeable green, red or white fiber optic inserts (supplied as standard), while the adjustable rear sight is produced by the Italian LPA Company and has white dots.
At the shooting range with the P226 LDC II Tacops
In the accuracy test, the GECO Hexagon cartridges shot a pattern 38 mm in diameter. The full metal jacketed Prvi Partizan (PPU) cartridges were even better, producing a shot pattern of just 32 mm.
The excellent quality sights and the SRT trigger kit enable the shooter to make the most of the good SIG Sauer P226 LCD II Tacop intrinsic accuracy and quickly shoot another round at the target.
The pistol's extra weight sensibly reduces muzzle climb, making realignment easier.
The new P226 LDC II Tacops – Conclusions
The new SIG Sauer P226 LDC II Tacops is a high-quality pistol which shoots very well and offers the shooter with interesting features such as the high-capacity magazine, which makes it perfect for Dynamic Shooting competitions. It also makes a good impression for static shooting from 25 meters.
In our opinion, the only sour note of this gun are the low-grip hard plastic grips, of inadequate quality compared to the rest of the pistol.
For more information please visit SIG Sauer website.
