Get a Grip: Which Grips Should I Put on my SIG Sauer P226?

As an admin of the SIG Sauer Fans and SIG Sauer Legion Owners groups on Facebook, I often see many of the same questions asked by new SIG owners. One of the most common questions is: “Which grips should I put on my SIG Sauer P226 (or P220, P227, P228, P229, etc.)?” The answer, as with most questions about modifications to one’s firearm, is “it depends.” It depends on how you use the gun, what “look” you might be going for, how big your hands are, and ultimately how the grips feel in your hands and how that affects your accuracy. This article will try to address all of those factors, and give you some tips along to way to help you select the grips that are right for you. While this article primarily addresses grips for the SIG Sauer P226, the same principles apply to any of the SIG P-Series pistols… or any other firearm by any other manufacturer, for that matter.

First, I’ll briefly discuss a few grip compatibility issues to keep in mind while shopping for new grips, so you don’t end up spending money on grips that won’t work with your gun.

Next, I’ll talk about options for those choosing new grips for the P226 based primarily on looks. This is for owners who care mostly about how the gun looks, or its collectibility, or its sentimental value as a family heirloom.

Third, I’ll discuss P226 grip options for guns used primarily for self-defense and/or range use.

Finally, I’ll wrap up with a summary of all the different grip options discussed in this article, and include some links to where you can find them and continue your research before you make a final decision.

SIG Sauer Pistol Grip Compatibility

Whether or not a set of grips are compatible (meaning they’ll fit and function properly) with your SIG Sauer pistol depends on:

  1. The model (P226, P227, P228, P229, etc.) and model variant (P220 Compact, 1911 Compact, etc.)
  2. The magazine release (US side-mounted vs. Euro bottom-mounted)
  3. The trigger action type (DA/SA vs. SAO vs. DAK)
  4. Special considerations for particular models, including the X-Series P226 and West German P226 factory grips

Inter-model Compatibility

Most SIG pistols, even though they might look and function similarly, don’t allow you to swap grips. For example, you can’t put P220 grips on a P226, or P226 grips on a P229, or P938 grips on a P238.

Also, keep in mind that “compact” variants of a particular model where the frame is shortened, such as the P220 Compact or 1911 Compact, can’t use grips designed for the standard-sized model.

The only exceptions are:

  1. SIG P228SIG P229, and M11-A1 use the same grips
  2. SIG P245 and the only the SIG P220 Compact DA/SA model (but not the full-sized P220) use the same grips
  3. SIG P230 and SIG P232 use the same grips

Magazine Release Compatibility

Some SIG Sauer models designed for the European market have their magazine release on the bottom of the gun. You might see this on some versions of the P220 and P225. The US version of theP220 and P225 have a side magazine release.  If you have a bottom magazine release SIG pistol, make sure that you’re shopping for grips that are built specifically for that style.

Trigger Action Type Compatibility

It’s important when shopping for new grips that you’re aware of the trigger action of your pistol:

  • Grips for Double Action/Single Action (DA/SA) pistols have cutouts for the decocking lever
  • Grips for Single Action Only (SAO) pistols have cutouts for the safety lever
  • Grips for Double Action Kellerman (DAK) pistols have no cutouts at all

It’s possible to use DA/SA grips on a DAK pistol, but you can’t use SAO- or DAK-specific grips on anything other than a pistol for which they’re designed.

Considerations for Special P226 Models

X-Series P226 Models

X-Series SAO pistols like the P226 X5 or P226 X6 can use any P226 SAO-specific standard length grip. Extended length grips can’t be used on an X-Series P226 because of the pistols’ magwells. X-Series DA/SA Allround pistols can’t share grips with other P226 DA/SA pistols, and require DA/SA Allround-specific grips. P226 DA/SA Allround grips will not work on any other P226 DA/SA.

Trigger Bar Spring Issues with the West German P226

I’ve written a separate article explaining why, but if you have a set of original West German P226 factory grips, they can only be installed on a pistol that uses an original-style “bent” trigger bar spring installed. If you put the original factory W German P226 grips on pistol with the newer “looped” trigger bar spring, or it will cause your pistol to malfunction. Please read and look at the photos in this article if you don’t believe me.

It’s fine to install newer style P226 grips on a West German P226. The problem only occurs when you try to run the original West German grips on a newer gun with the “looped” trigger bar spring, or if you’ve updated the trigger bar spring in your West German P226.

SIG P226 Grips Based on Looks

It’s not uncommon for someone to own a gun that they don’t want to shoot often… or even at all. Maybe it’s a family heirloom passed down from your grandfather. Maybe you bought it as an investment. Or maybe your P226 is a “safe queen” (meaning it lives in your safe all the time), and you only take it out to post photos on Facebook and Instagram or show it to friends. Regardless of how you use (or don’t use) your gun, there’s no judgement here. It’s your gun and you can use it however you want. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with choosing grips for your P226 based primarily (or even solely) on how they look.

If you’ve got a stainless P226, for example, the two most popular looks seem to be:

Black grips to match the trigger and other controls,

Stainless P226 with black grips

Stainless P226 with black grips

and traditional hardwood grips, such as these Rosewood grips:

Rosewood grips on a stainless P226

Rosewood grips on a stainless P226

Though you don’t need a stainless P226 to rock the hardwood grips — they look just as great on a traditional coated P226, too:

Hardwood grips on a traditional P226

Hardwood grips on a traditional P226

If how your grips look is most important to you, you may not care too much about how they feel or affect your shooting. Most shooters prefer checkered grips to help get a better grip, but if increased grip isn’t necessary for you, smooth hardwood grips might be a classic look you want:

SIG P226 with smooth wood grips

SIG P226 with smooth wood grips

Hogue Wood P226 Grips

One well-known manufacturer of wood grips for the P226 is Hogue. They call their line of wood grips their “Fancy Hardwoods,” which are available in the following exotic woods:

If you don’t like the smooth look, Hogue makes all their “fancy” hardwood grips in checkered versions, too.

Karl Nill Wood Grips

Hogue isn’t the only hardwood grip maker out there. Another highly regarded manufacturer of quality wood grips for the SIG P226 is German manufacturer Karl Nill GmbH, whose 100% German-made wood grips almost reach the level of “high art.” They make their “standard” wood grips:

Karl Nill standard wood grips on a P226

Karl Nill standard wood grips on a P226

But they also make a number of wooden target and match grips, and other specialized grips that are as functional as they are beautiful. Nill grips are generally more narrow than the OEM or Hogue grips, and so they’re somewhat of a cross-over between looks and function. Amazon sometimes has Karl Nill grips available for the P226, but because they’re all imported from Germany, they’re usually somewhat hard to find, and you may have better luck on eBay, or directly from the manufacturer.

Non-Wood Grips for Looks

Of course, if you want to go non-traditional, plenty of options are available, such as these white smooth logo grips from KSD Grips in Turkey:

Smooth white P226 grips

Smooth white P226 grips

And though they’re not really my taste, you can even find tribal print smooth aluminum grips, like these from Hogue:

P226 aluminum grips with tribal pattern

P226 aluminum grips with tribal pattern

I’ve even found polymer grips for the P226 that look like they’re made out of pearl.

Going for Originality

If you’ve got a classic West German SIG P226 or P220, keeping an original look might be important to you. West German P226 pistols came from the factory with shiny plastic checkered grips like this:

West German P226

West German P226

Unfortunately, those original plastic checkered grips are no longer available anywhere. If you’re really lucky, you might be able to find a set on eBay, but I wouldn’t hold your breath… as collectors tend to hold onto them (I have two sets in storage). The closest I’ve found to that original checkered and shiny look are these Hogue Aluminum Brushed Gloss Black Anodized grips:

P226 Checkered Aluminum Brushed Gloss Black Anodized grips

P226 Checkered Aluminum Brushed Gloss Black Anodized grips

Of, for those who care less about originality but still like this classic design, Hogue makes these grips in a number of other colors, and also makes them in a matte finish. Examples include these gloss natural aluminum grips and these matte green ones.

Pretty Guns Can Be Shooters, Too

Again, if looks are your only consideration when purchasing new grips, then pretty much anything goes. Buy what you think looks good, and ignore anyone else’s opinion… including mine. Of course, it’s completely possible that an experienced shooter using beautiful Rosewood grips on his SIG can still shoot the lights out all day long. Just because you put attractive grips on your SIG doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a shooter. Buy what works for you, and for how you use your gun.

SIG P226 Grips for Defensive Use

If you’re primarily concerned with how grips will affect how your SIG P226 feel in your hand — and more importantly, how that feel affects the accuracy and speed with which you can deploy and use it in a defensive scenario, you should select your grips on more than looks alone. Of course, it’s not a bad thing to include looks in your decision. Most of use care about how our new grips look on our gun. But for defensive use, form should always follow function. Lately, however, due to technological improvements in materials and manufacturing processes, it’s actually sometimes possible to have the best of both worlds.

Size Matters

With double-stack P-series pistols such as the P226, P227, P228, and P229, shooters with small- to average-sized hands often find that the original-style grips on double-stack P-series guns make the gun slightly too big to hold properly and work the trigger easily — particularly on that first “double action” shot, which is purposely heavy on a P226. You’ve already seen a photo of the original checkered factory grips on a West German P226. In later years, SIG changed the standard factory P226 grips to a textured plastic with the model number embossed on the side. But the overall geometry and circumference of these updated factory grips are essentially the same as the older West German grips, so they still cause problems for shooters with small- to average-sized hands. These are the current factory polymer grips on a P226 MK25:

Newer-style factory grips on a P226 MK25

Newer-style factory grips on a P226 MK25

Shooters who find the trigger hard to reach on a P226 will usually address the problem by:

  1. Reducing the overall circumference by installing slimmer grips, and/or
  2. Reducing the reach to the trigger by installing a different trigger. Popular choices include the SIG Reduced Reach Trigger (which has nothing to do with SIG’s Short Reset Trigger Kit) or the Grayguns P-SAIT. But this post is about grips, so I’ll address trigger options later in a different article.

Depending on the shooter, one of these approaches, or a combination of the two, will usually result in a better-handling gun… for them. But everyone is different, and the only way to know for sure is to experiment with different grips and/or triggers and see what works best for you. No single solution is a “one size fits all.”

Personally, as someone who wears size “M” Mechanix Wear gloves when I shoot in the cold, I’m one of the many affected by this double-stack P-series grip size issue. If you wear a size “L” glove, you’ll be less affected by this and are probably fine with standard width grips. And if you wear “XL” gloves, it’s possible you might even want something thicker than the standard grips for defensive use.

Or not.

Just because you have bigger hands, doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t prefer a slimmer gun grip. Again, it all comes down to personal preference, and what helps you shoot better. Still, to keep things organized in this article, I’ll address the different defensive grip options based on whether they’re slimmer than, the same as, or larger than the current-gen factory grips.

SIG P226 Slimmer Grip Options

For those looking for a slimmer grip on the P226, options abound. In fact, I find that the majority of the current aftermarket grips for the P226, P229, and others in the series look to reduce the circumference of the grip. Let’s talk about a few of the popular choices.

SIG Sauer E2 Grips

SIG Sauer’s answer to the demand for slimmer grips on the P226 and other P-Series pistols is their Enhanced Ergonomics grip, more commonly referred to as the E2 grip:

SIG P226 with E2 grips

SIG P226 with E2 grips

On a P226, the E2 grips reduce the circumference of the grip 0.15″ at the top, 0.1″ in the middle, and 0.2″ at the base of the grip, as seen in the following image (ignore the trigger difference for now, the image is showing the difference between the stock and the reduced reach triggers):

Dimensional difference between the P226 standard grip and E2 grip

Dimensional difference between the P226 standard grip and E2 grip

On the P229, the differences are slightly different: a reduction of 0.15″ at the top, 0.2″ in the middle, and 0.12″ at the base:

Dimensional difference between the P229 standard grip and E2 grip

Dimensional difference between the P229 standard grip and E2 grip

SIG describes their E2 grip as “a reduced circumference, one-piece modular grip with improved texture.” Their stated goal is is that pistols with E2 grips will “ergonomically fit a much wider range of hand sizes.” E2 grips don’t require screws, which can be both a blessing and a curse. There are no screws to rust or work loose, but installing them can be tricky. To help with this, I posted a video on my YouTube channel last year demonstrating how to install E2 grips on my SIG P220. It’s 14 minutes long, so skip past it for now (or subscribe to my channel if you’re feeling generous) then come back and watch it if you decide to give E2 grips a try:

Hogue Extreme G10 P226 Grips

Probably the most well-known brand among aftermarket P226 grips is Hogue, who’ve made grips for handguns, long guns, and knives since 1968. Among their most popular grip materials currently is Garolite, more commonly referred to as G10. From Hogue’s website:

G10 grips are precision machined from the highest quality G10 material available to exacting specifications. G10 is a high-pressure thermoset plastic laminate consisting of multiple layers of woven fiberglass mesh cloth impregnated with an epoxy resin binder. It can be produced with many layers of the same color, or different colors to achieve a specific cosmetic look. Typical G10 is made of only flat layers. Hogue Inc. has a new patented method of producing G10 material called G-Mascus®. This method produces different patterns within the colored material which produces a unique look. Grips made in this style take on a similar look to Damascus steel, hence the name G-Mascus. Our G10 grips are designed for a lifetime of use.

Hogue and SIG have worked together for years, so it’s not uncommon to see SIG pistols come from direct from the factory sporting a variety of Hogue grips. During that relationship, Hogue has created a number of custom grips at the request of SIG, including the exclusive G10 grips that appear on the SIG Legion series… which can’t be purchased from Hogue, or SIG, or anywhere else:

Custom Hogue G10 grips on the P226 Legion

Custom Hogue G10 grips on the P226 Legion

A search on Amazon for “Hogue G10 P226” yields at least three pages of options, all of which are very popular among SIG owners. Hogue’s G10 grips are part of what they call their Extreme Series, and come in three colors: G-Mascus Black/Grey, G-Mascus Green Camo, and Black:

Hogue G10 colors

In addition to different colors, the Hogue G10 grips come in a variety of textures, based on your preference for grip. Current textures include Smooth:

Hogue Extreme G10 Smooth grips

Hogue Extreme G10 Smooth grips

Checkered, which provides increased grip while still looking close to the original West German P226 grips (I run these grips on all my West German P226s):

Hogue Extreme G10 checkered grips

Hogue Extreme G10 checkered grips

Piranha, which provides additional grip over the checkered grips, and are a very popular choice in G10 grips among SIG owners:

Hogue Extreme G10 Piranha grips

Hogue Extreme G10 Piranha grips

and Chain Link, which provides the maximum grip in the Extreme series, though some find the texture a bit too extreme without gloves:

Hogue Extreme G10 Chain Link grips

Hogue Extreme G10 Chain Link grips

Again, all of Hogue’s G10 grip styles are available in the same three colors, so combining colors and textures can result in some interesting combinations, like Piranha G-Mascus Black/Grey:

Hogue Extreme G10 Piranha grips in black/grey

Hogue Extreme G10 Piranha grips in black/grey

or Checkered G-Mascus Green:

Hogue Extreme G10 Checkered grips in green

Hogue Extreme G10 Checkered grips in green

Hogue Extreme Aluminum P226 Grips

In addition to G10, Hogue also makes aluminum grips as part of their Extreme Series, which (like their G10 counterparts) are also slimmer than the factory plastic grips. I previously mentioned the P226 black aluminum checkered grips when I discussed grip choices mostly for looks, but these are also excellent grips for defensive use. In fact, SIG Sauer logo version of Hogue’s aluminum grips comes pre-installed on a few of SIG’s high-end P-series pistols, such as the P226 and P229 Elite Dark models:

SIG logo Hogue aluminum grips on the P226 Elite Dark

SIG logo Hogue aluminum grips on the P226 Elite Dark

SIG P226 Standard Width Grip Options

If reducing the size of the factory grips isn’t important to you, and you’re happy with standard size grips, you might assume that lots of aftermarket grip options are available to you. Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. The majority of aftermarket P226 grips are slimmer than the factory grips — probably because owners who are happy with the factory grips have little motivation to change them, yet people who want slimmer ones are willing to pull out their wallets.

For the most part, your options for grips that are the same circumference as the original factory grips are limited to the factory OEM polymer grips in a few different colors, in addition to some of the grips based on looks that I discussed earlier.

The majority of SIG’s OEM polymer grips are black, but they’re also available in Flat Dark Earth (FDE) and Olive Drab Green (ODG):

OEM P226 Flat Dark Earth (FDE) grips

OEM P226 Flat Dark Earth (FDE) grips

OEM P226 Olive Drab (OD) grips

OEM P226 Olive Drab (OD) grips

Somtimes, SIG will make special limited runs of their OEM grips, such as these SIG226DCAMO digital camo grips. I picked up a used pair online and tried them out on my P226 MK25:

Digital Camo grips on a SIG P226 MK25

Digital Camo grips on a SIG P226 MK25

Of course, one way to keep the factory grip feel while adding a custom look is to paint or “dip” a standard factory grip, which an owner did to these P226 factory grips with a Kryptec pattern:

SIG P226 grips with a Kryptec Typhon dip

SIG P226 grips with a Kryptec Typhon dip

Prior to the paint job, the grips on that gun were factory polymer grips… but if you look closely you might notice that the grips are longer than standard grips, and have a bear-claw logo on the sides. Let’s talk about those next.

SIG P226 Magwell Grips

In 2007, SIG partnered with the Blackwater Training Center to design the P226 Blackwater Special Edition. I’ve written a separate article on SIG and Blackwater that discusses the history of that partnership and the guns it produced. The second gun from that partnership, the P226 Blackwater Tactical, came with extended length polymer grips which served as an “integrated magwell.” They were’t a true magwell in the traditional sense, but rather an extension of the existing grips that flared-out at the base to act like a magwell, like this:

Magwell portion of the P226 extended grips

Magwell portion of the P226 extended grips

The successor to the P226 Blackwater Tactical, the P226 TACOPS, also came with an OEM-branded version of those same polymer magwell grips:

Magwell polymer grips on the P226 TACOPS

Magwell polymer grips on the P226 TACOPS

Magwell grips were designed to allow faster magazine changes, and help larger capacity magazines (like the 20 round mags shown in the photo of that P226 TACOPS) fit more naturally in the pistol. These magwell grips aren’t technically magwells in the true sense of the word, but many shooters like them, so as SIG’s OEM magwell grips became popular, aftermarket grip makers wanted in on the action. Not surprisingly, Hogue was there to fill the demand of P226 owners who wanted the benefits of an extended magwell grip on their gun, but also wanted a slimmer circumference and increase grip, via the Hogue G10 Magrip series.

Hogue G10 Magrip grips in black checkered

Hogue G10 Magrip grips in black checkered

The Hogue G10 Magrips are available in the exact same textures as their G10 Extreme grips: Smooth, Checkered, Piranha, and Chain Link. They’re also available in all the same colors as mentioned before: G-Mascus green, G-Mascus black/gray, and solid black, but they don’t make the smooth finish Magrips in G-Mascus black/gray.

Again, by mixing and matching different color and texture choices, you can end up with some interesting combinations, like a G10 Magrip with Pirahna texture in G-Mascus green:

Hogue G10 Magrip with Piranha grip in green

Hogue G10 Magrip with Piranha grip in green

or this Chain Link texture G10 Magrip in G-Mascus black/grey:

G10 Magrips in G-Mascus black/gray with chain link texture

G10 Magrips in G-Mascus black/gray with chain link texture

If you like the idea (and the looks) of an integrated magwell in your grips, you have plenty of options to choose from. But if you don’t, that’s fine. You still have plenty of options to choose from. 🙂

P226 Larger Width Grip Options

If slimmer grips for your P226 aren’t what you want, and none of the the standard-size grips are cutting it for you, then you might be interested in  grip options that actually increase the grip circumference over the factory P226 panels. One of the most popular options for P226 owners is Hogue’s Soft OverMolded Rubber grips:

Hogue's rubber grips are a popular choice among P226 owners looking for something to hold on to

Hogue’s rubber grips are a popular choice among P226 owners looking for something to hold on to

Hogue makes their molded rubber panel grips in black and OD green. All their rubber grips have the same texture, but you can choose from two different grip types: their one-piece “wraparound” rubber grips that include finger finger grooves (shown above) and have a single seam in the back, or their two-piece “panel” grips with no finger grooves, like this:

Hogue's two-piece P226 rubber panels

Hogue’s two-piece P226 rubber panels

I tried using the finger-groove wrap-around grips on my P226 MK25 for a while, and while I loved how they felt, they made the grip too large for me to shoot well. That’s not a knock on the grips, it’s just that my hands are too small to take advantage of the grooves. On my P220, however, which is thinner due to its a single-stack magazines, the Hogue rubber finger groove grips feel and work great for me.

SIG P226 Grip Sleeves

Another option for those looking to increase the circumference of their grip is a grip sleeve. You might also hear these referred to as “grip socks,” “grip gloves,” or “grip wraps.” They’re a rubber sleeve that slides over the top of your existing grip, giving you something “more grippy” and “less slippy” to hold on to. Pachmayr calls theirs the Tactical Grip Glove, and one size fits all the SIG P-Series pistols:

Pachmayr Tactical Grip Glove

Pachmayr Tactical Grip Glove

Hogue calls theirs the HandALL Universal Grip Sleeve:

Hogue HandALL grip sleeve

Hogue HandALL grip sleeve

Fixxxer calls theirs the Tactical Grip Sleeve:

Fixxxer Tactical Grip Sleeve

Fixxxer Tactical Grip Sleeve

Grip sleeves aren’t expensive, but some guys take the DIY route and get the results they want by cutting up a bicycle inner tube (this photo looks like the inner tube is wrapped around the Hogue Extreme Aluminum Checkered grips that come on the P226 Elite Dark):

DIY grip sleeve from a bike inner tube

DIY grip sleeve from a bike inner tube

Whatever works for you to increase grip and help you shoot better, go with it!

P226 Laser Grips

Some shooters like the additional confidence provided by a laser sight, and Crimson Trace has a strong “grip” of their own on the handgun laser grip market. As they do for many pistols, they make a few different versions of their laser-integrated grips for the SIG P226. Their base version is the Crimson Trace LG-326 Lasergrip, which uses an activation button on both sides of the grip, so the laser sight activates when you hold the gun naturally in either hand:

Crimson Trace LG-326 side-activated Lasergrips for the P226

Crimson Trace LG-326 side-activated Lasergrips for the P226

The Crimson Trace LG-426 Lasergrip features a more aggressive grip texture and activates the laser sight with pressure on the front of the grip:

Crimson Trace LG-426 front-activated Lasergrips for the P226

Crimson Trace LG-426 front-activated Lasergrips for the P226

As SIG did with the P226 MK25, Crimson Trace invokes the Navy SEALs when describing the waterproof “military” version of their P226 Lasergrips, the Crimson Trace LG-426M. The marketing blurb reads:

LG-426M laser sights for Sig Sauer P226 semi-automatics offer the waterproofing that U.S. Navy SEAL teams have come to depend on, as well an aggressive grip texture that functions well with or without gloves. This front-activated model for the venerable Sig Sauer P226 brings Crimson Trace’s latest features to this international military, law-enforcement and civilian pistol. The LG-426M Lasergrip® incorporates a smaller diode housing for greater holster compatibility and improved handling for left-handed shooters.

Because of the Navy SEAL reference, I’m a little bummed that Crimson Trace didn’t use a SIG P226 MK25 in the product shot for the LG-426M. They used the same product shot on their website as the LG-426. So because the SEALs reportedly also use the P229 (or did before the recent transition over to the Glock 19), I’ll show the waterproof version of the laser grips grips for the P228 and P229, the LG-429M:

Crimson Trace LG-429M waterproof front-activated Lasergrips for the P228 and P229

Crimson Trace LG-429M waterproof front-activated Lasergrips for the P228 and P229

Crimson Trace’s final variant of their P226 laser sights is the LGD-426C Dual Laser System. Previously available only to military and law enforcement through “CTC Defense” using NSN (NATO Stock Number) 1005-01-613-6087, this dual-laser grip allows the shooter to switch between visible red and infrared (IR) laser sights, depending on mission needs:

The Crimson Trace CTC Defense LGD-426C emits visible and IR laser.

The Crimson Trace CTC Defense LGD-426C emits visible and IR laser.

Crimson Trace LGD-426C can emit IR laser which can only be seen with infrared optics.

Crimson Trace LGD-426C can emit IR laser which can only be seen with infrared optics.

A side-mounted switch lets you select between IR and visible laser on the LGD-426C.

A side-mounted switch lets you select between IR and visible laser on the LGD-426C.

I’ve never tried the Crimson Trace P226 laser grips myself, but I know many who swear by them. They’re not cheap, and laser sights should never be a replacement for practice and sound targeting fundamentals. As with any accessory, practice is key to ensuring you could use any of these laser grips in a pressure situation.

Screwing Around

Before wrapping up, it’s worth a short mention of the importance of grip screws. The screws provided from SIG are actually manufactured by Hogue, so if you ever need new grip screws because you want to change the color, or your old ones are getting rusty, or you had E2 grips that had no screws, or you want to switch to hex screws instead of slotted screws, it’s generally cheaper to buy them online from somewhere like Amazon. Your main choices are:

When installing any grip screws, never over-tighten them (it could interfere with magazine changes) and once you’ve verified fit and function, a drop or two of Loctite Blue on the threads of your grip screws is a good idea. It’s actually the same stuff as Uncle Mike’s Gun-Tite (which even says “LOCTITE” on the bottle), so buy whichever is cheaper at the time.

Uncle Mike's Gun-Tite is LOCTITE Blue in a different bottle.

Uncle Mike’s Gun-Tite is LOCTITE Blue in a different bottle.

Getting A Grip

Hopefully, this post has helped you understand some of the grip compatibility issues (model, mag release, trigger action) when shopping for new grips for your SIG Sauer P226, as well as a number of options available to your, whether you’re choosing grips based on their looks, their effectiveness for a self-defense / range gun, or a combination of both.

To wrap up, here’s a summary of helpful links to as many of the popular grip options discussed in this article as I could find. I hope it’s a useful reference. Unless otherwise indicated, all grips are for a standard P226 DA/SA. If I’ve left out your favorite, let me know in the comments and I might add them!

P226 Factory OEM Standard Grips

P226 Wood Grips

P226 G10 Smooth Grips

P226 G10 Checkered Grips

P226 G10 Piranha Grips

P226 G10 Chain Link Grips

P226 Aluminum Smooth Grips

P226 Aluminum Checkered Grips

P226 Magwell Grips

P226 Rubber Grips and Sleeves

P226 Laser Sight / Lasergrips

P226 Grip Screws

Of course, you can find even more options by searching for “P226 Grips” and sifting through the results. Whether you’re looking for great looking grips, great feeling grips, or a combination of both, there’s sure to be an option out there that works for you.

If you have questions, comments, corrections, suggestions, or feedback on this article, please sound off in the comments below!

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