Sig P226 vs CZ-75 SP01

Which gun for HD/range fun?

  • CZ-75 SP-01

    Votes: 45 48.9%

  • Sig P226

    Votes: 47 51.1%
  • Total voters
    92
  • Poll closed .
B

bm303

New member
I am buying one of these two firearms in the near future. This will be my first firearm. The P226 Legion looks beautiful but is nearly double the price of the CZ. Primary use will be HD/range fun. Haven't had a chance to actually shoot the P226 because I can't find one locally to rent. I did hold one though and it felt great.

While I can afford the P226, if there is no reason to spend an extra $300-600(depending on what P226 model), I could just spend that money on ammo.

Which would you choose and why? There are a ton of options for the P226 while the SP-01 is just decocker vs safety. The sig has the MK-25, stainless, Legion, tacops, etc.

Or if you have other suggestions to try(I've tried all the Polymers but the P320 and P09), please feel free to share.
 
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I own both and they are both fantastic pistols. But if I could only have one it would be the P226.

BTW there are a lot of nice lightly used P226s if you look around and are a bit patient. I saw a nice West German proofed one for $600 at LGS a couple weeks ago.

If you get what you really want and like it, you will quickly forget about the extra money you spent on it. As always it is best to try both to see what you like best.

I also suggest that you get some basic one on one training by a qualified professional on pistol shooting even if a single lesson. Learning and being coached on proper stance, grip, trigger control, and sight acquisition will be a really cheap investment in enjoyment of shooting your new pistol.
 
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I'm a fan of the Sig but just because that is what I know. I haven't shot the CZ.
I have the Legion 226 and the Legion 229. The 229 is my fav and I also have it in the Blue Piranha and Enhanced Elite.
You're going to get answers here based on personal preference, of course. The triggers on the Legion's are really nice but not a whole lot different than some of their other SRT's, IMO.
 
sigarms228 said:
I own both and they are both fantastic pistols. But if I could only have one it would be the P226.

BTW there are a lot of nice lightly used P226s if you look around and are a bit patient. I saw a nice West German proofed one for $600 at LGS a couple weeks ago.

If you get what you really want and like it, you will quickly forget about the extra money you spent on it. As always it is best to try both to see what you like best.

I also suggest that you get some basic one on one training by a qualified professional on pistol shooting even if a single lesson. Learning and being coached on proper stance, grip, trigger control, and sight acquisition will be a really cheap investment in enjoyment of shooting your new pistol.
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Thanks for the reply. I have taken some classes with an NRA instructor, including the basic handgun class that I took last year when I first got into firearms.
 
a long time ago, I was told "the CZ is a poor man's Sig." That saying truly does disservice to the CZ. It's not a poor man's anything, it's its own beast.

Bang for the buck, get the SP01. Both will run like a top, both will survive just about any torture test you can come up with, both are very accurate for service weapons. If you want more aftermarket support, then the CZ has an edge there. If you want better name recognition (though that's changing), get the Sig.

IF you get the SP01, do yourself a favor and get both a reduced rate recoil spring (get about a 14-15lb one) and a reduced rate mainspring (about a 13-15lb one). The first will allow you to run weak range ammo without having FTF/FTE issues (the SP01 is sprung for hotter ammo from the factory), the second will drastically drop your DA pull weight. Cajun Gun Works and CZ Custom will become fast friends once the bug bites (and it bites hard, trust me).
 
Thanks for the reply. I have taken some classes with an NRA instructor, including the basic handgun class that I took last year when I first got into firearms.
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:cool:

Outstanding. Having the basics down will help you figure out what pistols will work best for you rather than go by trial and error as so many seem to do.
 
That's a tough one. With a stock CZ and some parts from Cajungunworks you can create quite the pistol. If you like gunsmithing or even if you don't it can be a fun project. You don't have to do aftermarket, but I think it really brings a CZ into its own. I have a P-01 with CGW parts and it's pretty amazing how it comes out with just drop in parts. You can also send it in and get it even better tuned and polished.

If money is a concern you can always find used SIG P226s for good prices as well. I do think the Legion is a decent package with all that's included. However, if you aren't sure if you need or want all the Legion comes with it might be better to start smaller. Also, if you start with a used SIG (and a lot of them are barely shot and the higher initial cost usually means people take care of them) and do decide you want to go with something else you won't lose much if any money.
 
Yesterday I was looking over a like new CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow Target at an LGS and this gun was amazing, this place also had a P226 Legion in .40S&W which was also amazing, but I liked the CZ DA/SA custom shop trigger better.

IMHO, anybody that owns a CZ should get that custom shop F.O. front sight installed, I hope to put one on mine soon.
 
a long time ago, I was told "the CZ is a poor man's Sig." That saying truly does disservice to the CZ. It's not a poor man's anything, it's its own beast.
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I'm glad you recognize the failings of that statement now. There are cz's from $400 to $3500....all are nearly the same base design, but each one is truely a best bang for the buck gun. Their performance backs it up. I was really sweating a decision between a CZ 75b SA 9mm and CZ Tactical Sports 40....if I wouldn't have gotten all emotional and bought a Wiley Clapp 1911 Government, I'd own one of the other two. The cz's would have been better shooters, I'm sure.

I know I'm probably wrong minded here, but every Sig I've handled felt block and of inefficient design.....meaning excess space and material due to lack of design skill.
 
I'd also take a look at Sphinx SDP, since it's closer to the SIG in price and more refined than the CZ. My Sphinx has a better trigger than my CZs.

CZ vs. Sig, though, that's tough. I like the dual nature of the CZ, cock and locked or DA first shot and I love the grip, so I voted CZ.

I think Sigs are better in large calibers, the CZ is more at home in 9mm. The Sigs always seemed large for the 9mm.
 
I’ve heard nice things about the CZs, but never owned one. I currently own two SIGs and they’ve been great guns, so I voted SIG.
 
I'd also take a look at Sphinx SDP, since it's closer to the SIG in price and more refined than the CZ. My Sphinx has a better trigger than my CZs.


However, if you have any plans of doing any improvements, do NOT consider the Sphinx. CGW has stopped working on them and do NOT recommend anyone to try working on them at home. Why? Some of the pins are pressed in (according to CGW they were a bear to remove) and without the proper tools and possibly a machine shop handy, there's a good chance you'll have an expensive pile of parts that no longer function as a firearm.

For the price of a Sphinx or Sig, you could just order a CZ from CGW with their Pro package (or send yours to them) and wait a couple of months for it to arrive (they're that busy).
 
I recently picked up a CZ 75 SP-01 with decocker. It's a very nice gun but the trigger was gritty and had a very long DA pull out-of-the-box. Even SA was poor. I was extremely disappointed...Without the necessary work, I am not impressed with the SP-01. But it's not made to be a race gun out of the box so I can't fault CZ for shipping a duty gun the way a duty gun is expected to perform.

The gritty pull is pretty much standard for every factory stock CZ that hasn't been broken in. You'd be surprised the difference made by shooting it regularly (or dry firing) then swapping out the main spring. My SP01 (early run) was nearly bone stock for the first 2000 rnds and smoothed out nicely at around 1000 rnds (at which point I added a clipped 15# main spring).

At that point (and I was shooting it in USPSA Production...before it became the popular pistol for Production), no parts were really available, so with the help of Angus (who walked me through a lot via email & phone) and the wonderful CZ forum guys who shared everything they knew, I smoothed & polished internals, recut hammer hooks, etc. It made it even better (no camming in SA, butter smooth on DA). Now, the same can be had with a CGWs upgrade packages and a little extra work.

Still running the same internals except springs (11.5# mainspring now) and a CGW extended firing pin.
 
Without any experience of the Sig, I will simply base my answer on my own pistol. I have a SP-01 and I'm very pleased with it.

The only aspect that I like to change (although I can live with it perfectly well) is the length of the DA trigger pull and possibly slightly less curvature in the trigger too. But as I said, those are not deal-breakers.

Beyond that, super-comfortable, super-accurate and so far not a single glytch in its performance (decent ammo only: S&B/Fiocchi).
 
I have the SP01 that has been worked on by the CZ custom shop. It is a pretty good shooter and very reliable. I also really like Sigs and have both the Elite stainless 229 and 226 as well as a Legion 229. The Sigs are bigger but I like them better. I like the way they are finished both on the outside and inside. I have two CZ pistols and they both show a remarkable lack of attention to surface finishing on the internals. They run fine and are very accurate but the lack of care on the internals is something that bothers me. That is the main gripe I have about the guns and the main reason I voted for Sig.
 
I find them both very comfortable to hold but I have shot a CZ 75 only once. I don't think you would go wrong with either, but if you can afford the price difference I would go for the P226 any day.
 
There's no best answer, except to get what appeals to you more. Folks have already covered the cost differences and the fact the CZ is so easy and relatively inexpensive to improve.

I have six SIG's and five CZ's and CZ clones. Overall, the SIG's are better finished. I can't really say which I like best.

My best CZ, a CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow Target II fits me better, is smaller and seems better balanced. It shoots as accurately and has a trigger almost as good as my SIG X-6 L1. Street price on the two is roughly the same. However, you can't get a new SIG X-6 from SIG anymore.
 
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