P229 if you plan to carry it at all

I wish we could have issued these as our duty weapon.

quote:

Originally posted by Jjmcd:
Actually, the 229 was designed for the .40 and .357 SIG cartridge.

Well, we can argue semantics.

But the frame of a gun is by definition the gun, and there was no fundamental design change from the 9mm P228 frame to that of the P229. In fact, the original 9mm P229 frame (and for many years thereafter) was no different at all from the P228 frame except for its markings. By that definition I hardly call lightening the P228 frame to make the magazine well larger for the 357/40 magazines and then calling the result a P229 a design change.

But if it was, then as I pointed out, the 357/40 P226 was also “designed” for those cartridges in just the same way the P229 was: The frame was unchanged, but the slide was made heavier and the recoil spring was beefed up.

And by those standards, the P229 wasn’t “designed” for the 357 SIG cartridge at all, and it was in fact the other way around. The P229 was first designed for the 40 S&W as a direct outgrowth of the 9mm P228, and then the 357 SIG cartridge was designed to allow it to be used in the 40 S&W P229 with only a barrel change.

If any SIG Classic line pistol was originally designed for the 357 it was the P226.

None of that really matters, of course, except if someone mistakenly believes that the P229 is somehow better suited for the 357 SIG than the P226. Both models are intended by the manufacturer to fire the cartridge (and the 40 S&W) reliably and durably, and that’s what they do. Their ancestries are completely irrelevant to their suitability for the 357 cartridge today.

I've owned both, in that flavor, for many years. Carried and shot them both quite a bit, as many others have mentioned as well. I love 226s, but I ended up carrying a 229 anyway - I just ran extended mags as my spares, so the increased capacity in ammo was there, minus a few rounds in the first load. .357sig is likely the best personal defense round from a pistol made, performance wise I mean. I carry many 9mm's and .45's as well, happy with all, but that .357sig is amazing. It's a flat shooter, quick recoil (but feels less than the .40 ), and just plain gets it done. There's also a difference in using that caliber in various pistol brands - in Sigs, it's fantastic. In Glocks.....not so much. Still nice, but much snappier and "violent" to shoot. I still carry my G32 in it as well, but don't enjoy shooting it as much as the Sigs.

The second handgun I ever owned was a 40cal nickel P229 I bought in 1994.



I foolishly traded it in to an LGS for a couple XD pistols a few years later.
Yes traded it in, that was before I found gun forums.

I bought a 357sig barrel from Sig for that P229 and ran it exclusively in that gun.
Never did run 40cal thru it.

It was one of two guns I should have kept of the 25 or so guns I've sold or traded.
The other would be my first handgun, an Italian SS Beretta 92.
It would be nice to still have that one.

I love shooting the 357sig round.
If anything, it is fun to shoot.

I've since continued my fondness of 357sig in my Glocks.
A Gen 2.5 G33 and a Gen 3 G22 with a G31 barrel.

My carry gun is a P226R in .357SIG. It works great, but I'd love it in a P229.

I've got both a 226R and a 229R in .357 Sig. I like each of them a lot, but if I had to choose, I'd take the 229 just because it's a bit easier for me to carry IWB. Besides that, I'd have a really tough time having to choose one over the other.

My first, and only Sig for about 15 years was the 228. It always felt perfect to me. Well balanced and it pointed well for me.

From the very first time I picked up a 229 it felt overly heavy and clunky. I just didn't get the sleek feeling I had with the 228.

A friend had a 226 and loved it. I felt like it was too big for my hands but after a full day at the range I really liked it. So I got one in 9mm and .357 sig. (favorite cartridge of all time)

I carry a G33 every day. Don't really like Glocks but I learned to shoot them. I would rather carry my 239 in 357 but if I have to lose one to sit around as evidence I would prefer it to be the cheaper Glock.

The 226 in 357 was sent to Bruce and his gang of merry mad scientists. The action is smooooth as butter. Made a good gun great.

Mark

Two days of voting and it's been pretty consistent from the start: ±75% prefer the P229, with ±88% owning, or having owned or used, one, the other or both.

So a P229 it is. (That was my inclination, anyway.) Thanks for the votes and comments, everybody!

Now to find Just The Right One.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Two days of voting and it's been pretty consistent from the start: ±75% prefer the P229, with ±88% owning, or having owned or used, one, the other or both.

So a P229 it is. (That was my inclination, anyway.) Thanks for the votes and comments, everybody!

Now to find Just The Right One.

Good luck. I do not think you will regret it!

WJR

My only 357 is a 229S, but I do have both 229 & 226's in both 9 & 40.

You can pick up a 229 in 40 pretty cheap these days (thanks all you 40 haters: mine was 420 otd), and get the 357 bbl to go with (which was my intent, just haven't done it yet).

I might as well sell my 226's, haven't shot either one in a while...(226S excluded)

quote:

Originally posted by mindustrial:
You can pick up a 229 in 40 pretty cheap these days (thanks all you 40 haters: mine was 420 otd), and get the 357 bbl to go with ...

Does that not require a sight change?

I voted P229 in 357Sig, as I have one (as well as several other Sig's in 357, but not a 226). I enjoy shooting any of the my 357Sig guns the most.

I've been kind of drooling over those legions, but the cash just isn't there.

Besides: I've a New Attitude about carry pistols: I am disinclined to carry anything that would give me excessive heartburn if law enforcement were to take custody, no matter how temporarily. (E.g.: I'd freak if they wanted to take custody of the P239 SAS my wife gave me for Christmas, years ago.) So I lean toward more "utilitarian" looks/finish/cost when choosing carry pieces, these days.

Trying to find "The Right P229" means find essentially a used or CPO "plain old P229" that's in near-ish-NIB/gently-used condition, at a price I justify.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by mindustrial:
You can pick up a 229 in 40 pretty cheap these days (thanks all you 40 haters: mine was 420 otd), and get the 357 bbl to go with ...

Does that not require a sight change?

I shoot both .40 S&W and 357 SIG using the same slide and sights. You are probably aware of the numbering system SIG uses for their sights. For rear sights as the numbers go up, the sights get taller. For front sights as the numbers go up, the sights get shorter. This means that higher numbers, front or rear, move your POI up and lower numbers move the groups down.

SIG generally sights their pistols for a "drive the dots", "combat", or #3 sight picture. They have most often used a #6 front and #8 rear sight on .40 S&W P229s and a #8 front and rear on 9 mm and 357 SIG P229s. 357 SIG gets out of the barrel a bit faster than .40 S&W and thus hits a bit lower than .40 at common handgun SD ranges.

My P229 has a #8 front and rear sight. For ranges up to 20-25 yards I just use a #2 or "split the bull" sight alignment and for 357 SIG use the #3 sight picture and it works out pretty well. If you like to shoot at distance, 357 SIG shoots a good deal flatter than .40 S&W, so the difference in POI tends to disappear or reverse the farther out you go.

Another 229 vote.

I also have a G27 converted to 357 SIG.

quote:

Originally posted by Z06:
Another 229 vote.

I also have a G27 converted to 357 SIG.

Z06-who did the refinish?

whisky

P.S.-P229 in 357 is a great shooter, but for me jut a touch large for carry.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I've been kind of drooling over those legions, but the cash just isn't there.

Besides: I've a New Attitude about carry pistols: I am disinclined to carry anything that would give me excessive heartburn if law enforcement were to take custody, no matter how temporarily. (E.g.: I'd freak if they wanted to take custody of the P239 SAS my wife gave me for Christmas, years ago.) So I lean toward more "utilitarian" looks/finish/cost when choosing carry pieces, these days.

Trying to find "The Right P229" means find essentially a used or CPO "plain old P229" that's in near-ish-NIB/gently-used condition, at a price I justify.

This is something I don't understand, not in the least. I've heard quite a few say they carry something cheap, in case it gets confiscated.

Frankly, my life is worth a lot more than a few bucks for a confiscated pistol. That moment you draw and press the trigger will mark a change in your life; a major turning point.

If you need to draw and fire to save your life, nothing else matters, before or after, in that moment. If you fail in that moment, the future is irrelevant. To worry about a firearm confiscation, assuming you survive, or to carry a cheap firearm over something you trust implicitly, and to bet your life over saving a few bucks, makes no sense to me. If my firearm goes in an evidence room, it's still the best bargain I ever had, if it saved my life.

My flight helmet costs several thousand dollars. If I use it to save my life, then I need to get another. One save per customer. Big deal. I'd rather live. I can always buy another.

Carry what you want to carry based on reliability, effectiveness, concealability, ergonomics, capacity, or whatever the metrics are upon which you bet your life...but dont go cheap based on guesswork over whether police will retain your firearm after a life-saving and life-changing shoot. Seriously.

As for the Legion, I bought one in .357 Sig (P229) this summer. They can be had for considerably less than retail, and I've seen a few that were pristine for not a lot more than other 226's and 229's in the same shop.

226 or 229? Doesnt mater, as you'll come away with an excelent firearm either way.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Besides: I've a New Attitude about carry pistols: I am disinclined to carry anything that would give me excessive heartburn if law enforcement were to take custody, no matter how temporarily. (E.g.: I'd freak if they wanted to take custody of the P239 SAS my wife gave me for Christmas, years ago.) So I lean toward more "utilitarian" looks/finish/cost when choosing carry pieces, these days.

Trying to find "The Right P229" means find essentially a used or CPO "plain old P229" that's in near-ish-NIB/gently-used condition, at a price I justify.

This is something I don't understand, not in the least. I've heard quite a few say they carry something cheap, in case it gets confiscated.

That's not what I wrote. What I wrote was "more utilitarian." E.g.: A plain old run-of-the-mill black P229, maybe even with a bit of wear on it, as opposed to a brand new Enhanced Elite or Legion P229. I'd say a "beater P229," except I don't want one that's functionally or cosmetically beat all to s**t from (my) Day 1.

I've never purchased a cheap firearm in my life, and have no intention of doing so now. Economical: Yes. Cheap: No.

I have both. A P226 Enhanced Elite and a P229 Legion. Both rock.

The 229 is my EDC as it conceals a little better. I carry it in a Milt Sparks VersaMax2 and it disappears.

You won't go wrong with either one.

quote:

Originally posted by whisky22:

Z06-who did the refinish?

whisky

Robar - NP3