SIG Sauer P226 X-Five Gen 1 Black & White

This is a first generation P226 X-Five wearing the two-tone treatment that gives the Black and White its name. The flats run a brushed bright finish, the rounded surfaces stay deep black, and the contrast catches your eye before anything else does. Look closer and the polished controls jump out. The hammer, slide stop, takedown lever, and decocker are all bright against the matte frame, the kind of detail that comes out of the SIG Mastershop rather than the standard production line.

The slide is rolled SIG SAUER over MADE IN GERMANY, with the SIG SAUER INC EXETER NH import line just behind it. That places this one as a German-built X-Five brought in through the New Hampshire side of the house. The single-action-only trigger sits on a straight adjustable shoe, and the rear sight is the fully adjustable target unit you want for serious paper work. Up front, a green fiber optic gives a fast, bright aiming point.

The grips are where this example earns its keep. They're walnut, checkered across the panels with a smooth thumb relief, and each side carries the carved Mastershop M. The grip frame extends into a flared magazine well at the base, and a beavertail tang rides high to seat the hand close to the bore. This is a heavy steel pistol built around precision, not concealment.

And that's the thing about the X-Five. It was SIG's answer to the question of how accurate a P226 platform could be when the factory stopped cutting corners. Long sight radius, target trigger, match barrel, and the kind of fit you only get from a dedicated shop.

It comes complete with its factory box, manual, and the original test target that documents what this pistol did off the bench before it left Germany. For a collector chasing the early Mastershop guns, the Gen 1 Black and White is the one to find.