I obtained one and am surprised as to felt recoil being so much lighter.... very nice gun... frame made in germany and night sights although dim. In a shoulder holster it is comfortable as well

opinions of the caliber in this model are welcome re accuracy recoil and quality

Congratulations on your find (great gun) I carried a Sig Classic 229 40 for year's. Great shooter and fairly easy to conceal. However, four years ago, I did some house cleaning (I went to 9mm platform only). But still...the P229 is still my favorite Sig. I have two P229's....a SAS and a Legion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wayne229,

Sig 229/.40 is my primary carry gun. I find IWB in a Ozarks Holster is most comfortable for full concealment, while OWB works great with a Ryan Grizzle, Country Boy.

Love the gun, and it shoots beautifully.

My 229/.40 is my all-time favorite Sig, and I carried it for years until I got my M11-A1 a few years ago. The 229 shoots great, low perceived recoil for me, and it is one gun I would never part with. I prefer loads with 180gr projectiles over the 165gr, but it shoots both very well. The 180 grainers "feel" better to me than the 165; the 165 grainers feel just a tad bit "snappier" to me. I had sent mine in for the AEP, SRT, feed ramp polish and SSP several years ago, and so it has one of the best triggers in my stable. (Although the title of "The Best" goes to my P220/.45 that also went in for the SRT, AEP, SSP, feed ramp polish, and barrel re-crown.)

I've been looking at picking up another 229/.40, but I'm one of the dwindling number of .40 fans. I also have a spare factory barrel in .357 Sig, though I've never tried it. (I know, shame on me...)

The main reason I now carry the M11-A1 over the 229 is cheaper practice with 9mm, a few extra rounds, and 9mm Defensive ammo is now pretty much just as good as .40 in most cases.

Enjoy the new acquisition!

Replace the sights with ones you find appealing. The P229 is legendary from a reliability perspective & 40sw is not a slouch caliber and gets the job done. I can tell you in 357Sig, it’s a tack driver. You made a great choice, well done

Carried a 40cal Sig for 18 years on duty and sometimes off. I find the 229 in 40 to be a very smooth, medium recoil gun. Also the most accurate of all center fire caliber guns I've shot. I don't find carrying something that heavy to be comfortable for appendix xarry, so I would stick with OWB.

I agree with the 229 making recoil seem mild for the caliber. It is a great pistol and is built for the long haul.

Mild recoil, smooth shooter; I really enjoy my .40 P229. But the gun's too thick for me to carry. I tried doing just that with the 9mm version, gave up after six months.

My PD issued the 229 for many years. For both duty belt and plainclothes. The key to carrying it is a good quality holster and belt. I actually went with a crossdraw El Paso Saddlery rig for carry under a light jacket or vest and better access seated in a vehicle.
IMHO, the 229 is the best of the .40s.

I have several P229's in .40; all of them presently have .357 Sig barrels.

The P229 is an outstanding pistol. It maybe the single best platform for .40 out there. For those who don't like .40 recoil, it's got a wide backstrap that distributes the recoil over the web of the hand nicely. It's ergonomic, very reliable, easy to control and shoot, and a proven design.

In my opinion, the P229 sets the standard for .40 pistols. Other handguns accommodate the .40; the P229 was built around it.

My first pistol was my P229. It was my EDC for a long time. I carried around 5:00 in a MTAC, year round. I also competed with it in 3-gun until I realized I was handicapped by the limited capacity with stages built around 9mm 15-17 round capacity. Since I prefer to compete with what I carry, that started my journey to replace it, going through the SP2022, VP9, PPQ and finally the P320. I'm a fan of .40, even though I carry 9 now. But I couldn't argue with going from 12+1 to 17+1 (Carry), in a lighter package. And on the timer, I'm faster to the first shot. Splits weren't really any different, but as much I as practiced the DA pull, the striker is faster for me.

I never shot a P229-40 until I went to work for a Sheriff's Office in VA.

That first day of qualifying I fell in love with it, and it has been my go to gun ever since.

The one I was issued had seen better days externally. The outside looked like an M1 Abrams did the jitterbug on it with steel treads. But it never missed a beat all the years carrying it.

It just felt natural in my hand. I shot great with it and still do. I have three, two with German frames. The odd one just does not feel as good in my hand, but that maybe just mental bias since it is not as a German frame.

I agree with YooperSigs in that you need a good holster and a good belt to carry it.

If I ever go to an agency that allows us to pick our own duty weapon it will be a P229-40.

Last year I bought a 357sig barrel from one of the forum members and it is nice a addition. The P229 handles that 357sig round just as nice.

All my P229-40 are stock, with the only addition being I added night sights to two of them. It maybe mental or I was just lucky but the triggers are really smooth, so I figured why mess with them.

My first SIG was a P229 chambered for 40 S&W and nothing has ever replaced the P229 as my favorite self-defense carry weapon. My current carry gun is a DAK P229 chambered for 357 SIG because I believe it’s the best of the big four defensive cartridges, but if the 357 was no longer available I’d switch back to 40 without a second thought.

Although I shoot P226s more frequently than P229s these days, it’s not because I believe they’re better guns. If I had to settle for a single handgun and cartridge, it would be a 40 P229.

While I don't carry one at the moment (long story), my primary carry for many years was a P229 in .357sig. I also had a .40S&W barrel for it.

The P229 is my favorite SIG hands down. The P220 is a close second. I carried a P239 for a while, but went back to the P229.

The P229 .40 SAS CPO I purchased a few years back is the most accurate, non 1911, handgun I own. I use the same holster with this gun, my P228, my M11-A1, and my P227 SAS. Make sure you have a good gun belt and holster and the P229 carries well.

My 1995 P229 DA/SA .40 has been a good and reliable friend since I purchased it new 23 years ago. Utterly reliable, accurate and easy to shoot.

Unlike some other .40 pistols, it does tame the so-called "snappy" round. I carried it since I bought it and shot it extensively over the years. At the time, everybody in my defensive shooting group used 1911's. After mastering the proper DA/SA trigger technique, I was able to keep up with the 1911 shooters. It really galled them. Especially when we picked up our brass after each weekly range session. I was the only .40 shooter for several years. If the case wasn't a .45, it was MINE.

The grip frame and trigger reach was always slightly too fat/long. Since I shot the gun so much, I just adapted to it. Now, my P229 and P226 are equipped with G10's and GGI triggers, which resolved the issue. I have well over 47,000 rounds through it.

Still carry it most of the time, but also carry and shoot other guns more nowadays. Bought a P226 .40 in 2010 and like it just as much. I have Sparks IWB and OWB holsters for all my guns. The P229 carries IWB in my VM-2 as well as my P239. The double stack mags are bulkier (unsurprisingly) on the belt though.

A true proven classic.

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

My career employer, USSS, has carried Sig P229 in 357 Sig caliber since about 1987. They get extensive range use and reliability is a necessity.

During my 28 years, our issue weapon was the S&W
model 19, so I never carried a Sig until after my
retirement. I have become addicted to Sigs and own
quite a few (as well as S&W's).

You will not be disappointed in a p229!

I've carried both an early .40 and then .357sig when it first arrived.
Sig did not rush to get the .40 released and made sure it did right.
As for accuracy, my .40 is every bit as accurate as the .357sig. I've tucked the .40 away and mostly shoot the .357 because GGI work on it demands it get shot.

But damn if that untouched .40 is accurate as hell for me. I was lead to believe the .40 caliber weren't. What a nice surprise the P229 .40 was.

I now carry mostly a P239 in .40 because it's another tack driver in this "no respect" round.

I don't carry one but I have an all stainless P229 40 that sits faithfully on my nightstand. Never had any issues with it. Use Win Ranger JHP 155 grain and it shoots like a dream. A little too heavy for me to carry but a great home defense piece

My last issued duty pistol was a 229R DAK in 9mm. I often carried a similar model in .40 off duty and also had a spare .357 SIG barrel, a 9mm barrel and slide and .22 SIG conversion kit. I still have the accessories but only one 229 in the house and it is a 9mm frame. The .40 and .357 magazines are still waiting on another .40 to come home. Some of the trade in prices make that possibility very likely.