Just a few thoughts (as if)
1911 prices range from 400 to 3000 for a production gun from one of the places like Les Baer or Wilson.
Someone said his XD45 was lighter than his 229? I just got those two out and weighed them, and the XD is heavier - so, wth? Oh, he might have a 229 with a steel frame, mine is aluminum AND in 9mm (which doesn't need the stronger frame)
I, too, had a 226 that I lent to someone and it came back RUSTED (he IWB'd it to death). Sent it to SIG and it came back totally refinished, all springs replaced and I'd SWEAR had new nitesites on it - 60 bucks (for the spring package).
I've sent another pistol back to sig, on THEIR DIME for a malfunction, came back fixed and no charge. This was an abused pistol (not by me) and they fixed it and refinished it.
I've TRIED to get SA to sell me spare parts - and they refuse. Yeah, I hear about all the parts that ARE available, but they are all AFTERMARKET parts - so for my money, SA sucks and Sig rules. I own a coulple of XD's, but consider them about like a Glock.
I had consistently failed to score perfect on qualifications for about a year - I switched to a 226 and shot perfect for a year. Accuracy wise I've never shot an out of the box production auto pistol that is as accurate as the Sig.
The sig is the one pistol I can pick up that immediately shoots to point of aim for me, could just be me, but it was something I remarked on years ago when I'd not shot one for about five years. I made it a point to shoot every one I saw for a while if someone would let me borrow it, and it turned out to be true (again, to my estimation).
The only drawback is mag price.
I remember when Beretta 92's were 700 bucks - then every police department in the country started trading them in and upgrading to another type of pistol - and suddenly you could find 400 dollar beretta's all day long and 10 dollar used mags. Wish the same would happen to Sig, but nobody seems to give their up.
It's worth it the same way ANY equipment you bet your life on is worth - it has to work as close to 100 percent of the time as possible.
True story. A guy I worked with (not liked, just worked with) had a misfeed problem at his last qual. So he left it with the armorer. Armorer diagnosed the problem with his Sig 220 - it was filthy. He had to put in a new barrel because it was so pitted. When asked the last time the guy had cleaned it, he said he cleaned it every time he shot. Turns out his version of cleaning it was wiping it down with a rag. He had carried it for 8 years, shot it 4 times a year about 60 rounds each time. He's an idiot, but the Sig took the misuse for 8 years. A glock might never have given him a problem, but who knows. The failure he had was a stovepipe. The armorer said he wouldnt' fix any more pistols for this guy again (he should retire soon anyway).
So be cheap, or be not-cheap - but dont make PRICE your consideration when your life comes down to it.j
BTW, if you swap followers from a 10rd Sig 226 mag to a 15 round mag, you get an extra round in the 15 round mag.