So I know this has been asked but time is of the essence for me. I’m eying a P229 in .40, a caliber I’m not very fond of, and if I get it I was going to do a conversion to 9mm. My question is what’s the difference between a 229 and a 229-1? I see plenty of barrels for the 229-1 but apparently they won’t work in a standard 229 along with certain magazines(?) how do I know if it’s a -1 or not? Any help is most appreciated.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ripper20,

You'll get more help if you try to describe what your question is in your thread title.

A P229-1 is 9mm only and has a frame and locking insert compatible with the .40/.357 P229, i.e., the frame has the wider magazine well to accommodate the wider .40/.357 and P229-1 9mm mags, and the P229-1 barrel will lock with a .40/.357 locking insert.

The only thing I am not sure of is whether the P229-1 (9mm) barrel will fit and function in a .40/.357 slide properly. I believe it will not because the OD of the P229-1 barrel is smaller and the barrel hood is narrower than a .40/.357 barrel.

The original 9mm P229 basically has a P228 frame with a narrow magazine well that the wider .40/.357/P229-1 mags will not fit. They will only insert a third of the way because the wider mags taper in two-thirds on the way up from the bottom to the same width as the P228 and early 9mm P229 mags.

I believe the easiest way to reliably (my opinion) convert a .40 P229 to 9mm is with an aftermarket 9mm conversion barrel, like Bar-Sto or EFK Firedragon, and swap out the recoil spring to 9mm and buy P229-1 mags. However, I have realibly, so far , kept the .40 recoils spring and loaded 9mm into my .40 mags, but only at the range.

The other way to convert is to buy a P229 9mm Caliber X-Change Kit, if you can find one. The advantage is the conversion is just a slide swap and you have the proper sights for 9mm.

quote:

Originally posted by ripper20:
So I know this has been asked but time is of the essence for me. I’m eying a P229 in .40, a caliber I’m not very fond of, and if I get it I was going to do a conversion to 9mm. My question is what’s the difference between a 229 and a 229-1? I see plenty of barrels for the 229-1 but apparently they won’t work in a standard 229 along with certain magazines(?) how do I know if it’s a -1 or not? Any help is most appreciated.

Converting a P229 in .40 to 9MM you need either:

1. An aftermarket conversion barrel to utilize the existing top end.

or

2. A 9mm top end.

I have a 229/40. Long extractor, rail, AJU 100XX s/n.

Is it a -1? Can I fit 226/40 magazines, without "rattle"?

What say experts?

The -1 only applies to a 9mm P229. The -1 indicates a 9mm P229 that has the .40/.357 frame with the wider magazine well.

Since you have a .40 P229, you have the wider mag well frame so the P226 mags will be slightly loose. The degree of "rattle" depends on the individual gun and mag and the perception of the shooter.

quote:

Originally posted by ah3:


Converting a P229 in .40 to 9MM you need either:

1. An aftermarket conversion barrel to utilize the existing top end.

or

2. A 9mm top end.

For the 9mm top end otion, don't you also need to swap in a 9mm locking insert? I've never had a P229-1, but I have some P229 .40/.357 that I put P228 tops on. If you were going to get a top, I would go with a P228 top instead of a P229 9mm top. I like the lighter weight P228 slide better.

quote:

Originally posted by wgsigs:
The -1 only applies to a 9mm P229. The -1 indicates a 9mm P229 that has the .40/.357 frame with the wider magazine well.

Since you have a .40 P229, you have the wider mag well frame so the P226 mags will be slightly loose. The degree of "rattle" depends on the individual gun and mag and the perception of the shooter.

Thank you for the succinct answer. So, there is no larger capacity
magazine to fit to the SIG P229 like on a GLOCK?

George43

quote:

Originally posted by Scuba Steve Sig:
For the 9mm top end otion, don't you also need to swap in a 9mm locking insert? I've never had a P229-1, but I have some P229 .40/.357 that I put P228 tops on. If you were going to get a top, I would go with a P228 top instead of a P229 9mm top. I like the lighter weight P228 slide better.

There are 2 styles of barrels, P228 / legacy P229 and P229-1. The P229-1 came around later and uses the same locking insert as .40/.357. If you use a P228 top end then yes, you'd need to swap the locking block if starting with a P229 .40. Same goes for any other slide that uses a P228 / legacy P229 style barrel such as the P229 Classic Carry.

quote:

Originally posted by DansSIGs:
P228 or P229C 9x19 barrel differences-

The Bbl lugs are identical between the two.

The radius under the Bbl's feed ramp & the section in front/above the bbl lug that the top of the recoil spring guide rod touches is thicker than P229-1 9x19 Bbls.

Having both a P228/9 & a P229-1 locking insert to swap makes both Bbl options interchangeable.

P228/9 & P226 magazine bodies have 1 taper to the feed lips.

P229-1 & 357/40 magazine bodies are wider & have a dual taper that starts above the mag release latch slots to the feed lips.

P228/229C/226 magazines will fit & function in a P229-1,357/40 but not vise versa.

So the mags that came with it are dual tapered but interestingly enough they’re all LE restricted mags i.e. that dreaded assault weapons ban time period. Not having the original box I don’t know the date of manufacture is but the S/N starts with AL.

When I bought my 229 years ago I was told by sig any 229 larger than 9mm could be converted to a 9mm by getting a conversion barrel, not factory barrel. At the time Barstow was regarded as best.


I have three barrels for my P229 and my P239
I have shot 9mm .40 and .357 sig out of both of them with just a barrel and mag swap with no issues