I've said for 20 years my P226 is my favorite auto pistol. I've recommended it to countless people. I shoot it well. However the slide lock lever is simply too far rearward to be released with the support hand thumb without releasing my strong hand grip, and every time I try to release it with my strong hand thumb I get a painful pinch as my skin gets mashed between the lever and the grip.

I could powerstroke but it's slower. I'd rather adjust or modify or swap the lever so I can use it without excuses or justification. I hear the P224 lever is better but can't find one. I hear the legion lever is better but can't find one.

Any ideas, other than giving up my P226 love affair? It's literally the only thing I don't like about these pistols.

Called SIG and they had ONE left in stock! Free shipping too. Will report back.

Pretty sure that the slide lock/release on the legion is the same as what was on the P224.

But it's very small and (IMO) harder to use as a release.


I never had any pinch problem with my strong hand thumb, but I would at times ride it, preventing the slide from locking back on the last round.

I filed down the stock slide lock/release, it obviously doesn't move it any further forward, but I think it works well.

I don't have anything to offer regarding the pinch, but it is definitely designed to be released with the right thumb, assuming you are shooting right hand.
I'm not sure what left handed shooters do.

I get pinched EVERY time I try to use it with my right thumb. I guess I have lots of skin or something.

Hopefully the 224/Legion lever will be functional but not painful. We'll see.

If you can find one (which would be a challenge), I think you'd like the Classic X5 lever, as shown below on an Allround. It's extended away from the frame. Shouldn't get a pinch with it.

I think someone here attempted to heat and bend a standard lever to a similar angle. Not sure how that turned out, though.

I had the same pinch problem on one of my P226 Legions and swapped it out for the standard slide catch lever and Hogue G10s. Problem solved.

The X5 SAO slide release is what you are looking for. I run them on all my 226/228/229s.

quote:

Originally posted by winter_war:
I had the same pinch problem on one of my P226 Legions and swapped it out for the standard slide catch lever and Hogue G10s. Problem solved.

Mike - you've got mail.

I like to look at these kinds of situations optimistically, and with any luck as a learning experience. Let's hope nothing has mechanically failed in your Sig!

I'm looking at my P229 right now. It's not a P226 but it's damn close. I'm assuming the internals are identical (they should be).

So, whatever the problem is, it's gotta be tied to the function of the slide release lever. Here's a few things you can check:

***make sure your weapon is unloaded, remove the mag (empty) and remove the slide***

-check the empty mag for issues

Place the empty mag on the table so that it's standing up on its own. Note the position of the magazine plug inside the empty mag. It should appear to be slightly more angled than the side walls of the magazine. In other words, the plug's rear should be slightly lower than the top of the mag walls, and the plug's front should be slightly higher than the top of the mag walls. The top-center of the left mag wall (the side with "Sig Sauer" stamped) should meet the same height of the plug at that position almost exactly. At this same position is where the both left mag wall side begins to angle down, exposing the potion of the mag plug which pushes up on the slide release lever when all casings are spent. Assuming all this checks out positionally, take your index finger and push down on the exposed part of the plug about half an inch. Doing this about a dozen or so times should begin to make tip of your finger sore. Also while doing this, see if you can feel some grittiness while the parts move. If your fingertip doesn't get a little sore, and/or you can feel grit in even the slightest downward movement of the plug, you've either got a weak mag spring, some serious crud which needs to be cleaned out, or both.

-check the slide release lever

Your frame should be somewhere around you without the slide or mag attached. Take a look at the slide release lever and push it UP a few times (the opposite direction of its intended use). The movement should traverse roughly an eighth of an inch before it stops. Again, see if you can feel grittiness in this motion. Also spot check the tension of the lever spring. If you slide your fingers off while the lever is in the up position, it should come down immediately and make a soft tap against the frame.

If there is any indication of grime on or around the lever, it probably needs to be cleaned thoroughly. The two "trouble" spots I am noticing right now would be the part of the lever which is flush against the inner part of the frame and the crevice into which the lever is inserted (towards the trigger housing). At the top of that crevice, you should be able to make out [BARELY] the end of a steel rod spring. It rests on top of the lever and also moves up when the lever is pushed up; it moves upward about a sixteenth of an inch. Again, if there is any evidence of grit, be generous with Hoppe's on both areas (or whatever you use), let it soak, then get some compressed air to blow out both areas after a couple minutes.

-check the mechanics of the mag working in conjunction with the lever

Insert the empty mag to the frame while the slide is off. Once fully inserted, the mag plug should be pushed down by the hook on the slide release lever by about an eighth of an inch. Pushing DOWN on the slide release lever should push the plug down about another eighth of an inch. Repeating this motion should cause the mag spring to rattle a bit. The lever should return to its rest position promptly everytime you remove your finger.

If all this checks out ok, my guess is the slide lever spring is weak (probably that same spring rod I mentioned earlier....sticking out of that crevice). I'm not sure how that would be replaced without involving a gunsmith. Still, Sigs make remarkable products and I would first do due diligence in checking everything I could before spending money to have it shipped, or locked away by someone else for several days.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

He's not having functional issues with the slide catch lever. He's just getting pinched when he uses it to release the slide with his strong hand thumb.

The 224/Legion lever arrived today so I'll install and report back. Interestingly, the P220 doesn't pinch me at all. I tried it 4 or 5 times today and didn't get bit once.

Well I got it installed but now I have a problem with clearance with the grips. I have 1994 era OEM pebbled plastic grips and checkered Hogue wood grips. The wood ones I couldn't even install because the front edge of the new lock lever tab interferes with the grip. I could get the OEM ones on but the grip pushes up on the lever to the point that the slide locks open without a mag in. This may be a well known issue and if so, I assume some later grips have clearance for the forward swept lock lever tab? Obviously the Legion grips do. Does anyone happen to know when this change was made? Or know which grip designs don't have the OEM type of rectangular clearance at the top of the grip? I can file down either of my grips but before I do I'd like to know if this thing is actually going to solve my issue.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know if Hogue will checker my plastic OEM grips if I send them in?

Bump plea for help

I would trim up the wood ones and the plastic grips with some diamond files. couple 3 strokes, then test fit.

Filed, sanded and refinished my wood grips for proper clearance. Functions fine. However it's much stiffer to release the slide than my original lever. And those who said the legion lever is actually more difficult to use with the strong hand thumb are right. Tried it about 30 times today loading one round, shooting to slide lock, then reloading and dropping the slide. Most of the time I could do it okay with the strong hand thumb, but it did "catch" a couple of times. Weak hand thumb is actually harder than it was before. I may adapt, and I may have to switch back to slingshotting or power stroking the slide. In any case, the PINCH IS GONE. Plus I purposely tried to leave my thumb in the way to "accidentally" prevent slide lock on empty and it still locked empty. So that's good.

I sure would like to try the X5 all around lever but that will probably never happen.