It is chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum round, but also the higher pressure, more powerful .357 SIG and .40 S&W cartridges. It is essentially the same basic design of the SIG P220, but developed to use higher capacity, staggered-column magazines in place of the single-column magazines of the P220. The P226 itself has spawned further sub-variants; the P228 and P229 are both compact versions of the staggered-column P226 design. The only difference between the P228 and the P229 (aside from minor cosmetic changes) is the fact that the P229 uses a milled slide to accept higher pressure rounds rather than a stamped, folded slide like the P228. The SIG Sauer P226 and its variants are in service with numerous law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.