Simple question for those with much more experience than I.
Does the market place a higher value on the P226 vs. the P229 with all things being equal ?
I was comparing a P226 Legion in 40 cal to a P229 Legion in 40 cal. Maybe one is harder to find and that impacts the value ? Just looking for input.

More info needed. Are these NIB from a local or online retailer? Are they used pistols? What are you intending to use either of them for?

For me, both the P226 and P229 are equally desirable - Legion or otherwise. Model to model, they should be priced about the same.

But then there is this exaggerated market pricing, and if you are looking at used pistols, it can get even more bizarre. My advice is to buy the one you want, based on what you want to use it for. And don’t ignore the other P226s and P229s. They shoot just as well as the Legions.

In my observation and in my region, I'd say there's greater demand for P226s than P229s. I wouldn't say that a 226 sells for more than a comparable model 229, but 226s seem to move faster, and there are more people looking for them.

I have a theory that P226 is distinctly a full-size handgun, but the P229 is no longer compact by modern standards. The Glock 19 set the benchmark for compacts, so M&P 9C 2.0, P-10C, P-01, P-07, P320C, PPQ, PDP, FN 509, Security 9C, etc are what people overwhelmingly want for the size of their compacts. Guns like the P229 are in-between compact and full-size now.

P229s get requested and asked for a bit more than P226s in our shop, but it's not a massive difference. Maybe a 5:4 or perhaps a 3:2 margin. I tend to order them to reflect that, though we still seem to run out of the compact SIG first anyways.

To me it's not that surprising; across many models and brands the 'traditional' compact size sell better than full size. G19 vs G17. P320C vs P320F. 2.0 M&P9C vs 2.0 M&P9. VP9SK vs VP9. P-07 vs P-09. I'm probably oversimplifying it and forgetting some, but about the only guns for us that don't follow this trend are CZ 75s (vs the P-01/75D/75 Compact), Beretta 92s, HK P30s and 1911s.

I'm not sure about the market in terms of actual sales but I think in general most people will prefer a relatively smaller gun as opposed to a full size gun. I read comments all the time about, for example, how gigantic a Beretta 92 is or how it's 'much larger than it needs to be' (whatever that means) and I don't read comments like that about guns the size of a P229.

All things being between those two models, I’ve found a greater demand for the P229. Prior to pandemic madness, compact models outpaced full size sales by a notable margin.

quote:

Originally posted by Matsprt:
I was comparing a P226 Legion in 40 cal to a P229 Legion in 40 cal. Maybe one is harder to find and that impacts the value ?

Sig Sauer USA states on their Web site that they are not producing and .40 cal pistols in 2021. So that could be influencing the pricing you are seeing for those models.

Based on what I've seen historically, I think the P229 is more popular than the P226. While the P226 is a very nice pistol, I think it tips over the edge of what can be considered a reasonable size by today's standards.

I have both models and like them equally, but for different uses. My P226R is my primary home defense pistol with a light/laser combo mounted on the rail, whereas my P229 in either .40S&W or .357SIG (I have both barrels for it, and a caliber change takes literally about 30 seconds) is one of my most favorite CCW pistols in cooler weather.

Regarding value, I consider them about equal price-wise. Regarding desirability, if I for some reason HAD to sell one of them, I would part with the P226 first and keep the 229!

Just my opinion...

Just to tell a story... the only time I've ever shot a P229 was when I first took a force on force class at the Sig Academy ..... before that I was a die hard Ruger P95 fan... I was so comfortable with using that Sig shooting frangible ammo while others were shooting the same at me... that I switched loyalties .... but I went the P226 route.

quote:

Originally posted by Matsprt:
Simple question for those with much more experience than I.
Does the market place a higher value on the P226 vs. the P229 with all things being equal ?
I was comparing a P226 Legion in 40 cal to a P229 Legion in 40 cal. Maybe one is harder to find and that impacts the value ? Just looking for input.

P228 is a very nice 9mm pistol. SIG came out with a 9mm P229 which I like also. The early 9mm P229 were a 228 frame with a stainless slide which is great.
Actually, I think the P229 came out with the PP229 in .40S&W so we could have a P228 in .40. Today the -1 P229 is 9mm with the rest .40 frame and lightened slide.
The P226 is of course the full size. Old 9mm like the 228. I like to use the stainless frame for .357SIG. Great range gun.

To me a stainless frame and short extractor is the top of the line because the slides are all stainless today. I like the 229 and 228 in 9mm. with the alloy frame.
The P226 is less worrisome since it has only one Locking insert. The 228/229 has a bunch of locking inserts and I have had headaches with different barrels.