At a gun show yesterday, I traded my Springfield 9mm 1911 stainless target for a P229 9mm. I am hoping to get a little more info on this piece. The serial number is AM163287. The serial number is on the slide, frame, and barrel. The slide is marked in Made In Germany and Sig Sauer INC Exeter NH. The frame has a DE marking. The P229 came with Crimson trace grips, 1 13 round factory mag, and 1 15 round P229-1 mag, which of course does not fit this pistol. No box or papers, but did include a custom holster. It appears to have been fired very little and has only a slight Sig smile on the barrel. Thanks in advance for any information or assistance!

Triple serial number
DE stamped frame
SIG US slide

You basically have a SIG P228.

With a locking insert swap & a 357/40 top end assy you'd have a 3 caliber pistol.

P229-1 mags w/the dual taper above the latch slots fit the 357/40 mag well frames.

quote:

Originally posted by DansSIGs:
With a locking insert swap & a 357/40 top end assy you'd have a 3 caliber pistol.

The magazine wells of original 9mm P229 frames will not accept 357 SIG/40 S&W P229 magazines because they are too wide.

I have never heard of anyone’s successfully using 357 or 40 ammunition in a 9mm P229 magazine. I suppose it’s possible, but considering the possible unreliability of using the wrong magazines plus the expense and probable difficulty of finding a new locking insert and a complete 357/40 slide assembly, if I wanted a(nother) 357/40 P229, that’s what I’d look for.

Everyone knows that the ferocious recoil of the 357 SIG and 40 S&W cartridges make shooting them virtually impossible for any normal man, so the handguns chambered for the rounds can probably be had for a song.


Edited for clarity.

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

If I'm not mistaken or confused the 229 of your vintage uses the same size mag as the 228 and 226. The gap below the grip on 226 mags can be filled with a spacer as shown in the pics. I use the Mec gar 17 rnd mags in my P228. If using Mec gar Mags with that brand of spacer a small amount of metal needs to be removed from the front edge of the mag base. If you were able to locate the parts to convert to 40/357, a 226 40/357 mag with the same spacer will work. As explained above good luck with finding those parts at a reasonable price.

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

Thanks to all for this information; however, I am looking for information as to the vintage of this model. I own a number of newer models and have not seen the triple serial numbers or models with the DE frame and slide all on one gun. I will stop short of asking for projected value of this piece as I do not want to engage the wrath of Para! I had lread through the one thread for sig model serial numbers but did not see anything relating to the rang for which my serial number falls in. Thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
At a gun show yesterday, I traded my Springfield 9mm 1911 stainless target for a P229 9mm. I am hoping to get a little more info on this piece. The serial number is AM163287. The serial number is on the slide, frame, and barrel. The slide is marked in Made In Germany and Sig Sauer INC Exeter NH. The frame has a DE marking. The P229 came with Crimson trace grips, 1 13 round factory mag, and 1 15 round P229-1 mag, which of course does not fit this pistol. No box or papers, but did include a custom holster. It appears to have been fired very little and has only a slight Sig smile on the barrel. Thanks in advance for any information or assistance!

Pics?

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
. . . I am looking for information as to the vintage of this model.

Your pistol (s/n AM 163287) falls neatly between these two pistols listed in the SIGforum Classic P-Series census list.

AM 163268-BA-2010-9mm-German made/proofed-triple serial numbers-Railed =12131
AM 163291-BA-2010-9mm-German made/proofed-triple serial numbers-Railed = 12131


https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/1810019194

quote:

Originally posted by Nontypical:

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
At a gun show yesterday, I traded my Springfield 9mm 1911 stainless target for a P229 9mm. I am hoping to get a little more info on this piece. The serial number is AM163287. The serial number is on the slide, frame, and barrel. The slide is marked in Made In Germany and Sig Sauer INC Exeter NH. The frame has a DE marking. The P229 came with Crimson trace grips, 1 13 round factory mag, and 1 15 round P229-1 mag, which of course does not fit this pistol. No box or papers, but did include a custom holster. It appears to have been fired very little and has only a slight Sig smile on the barrel. Thanks in advance for any information or assistance!

Pics?

My first attempt using Flickr, so I hope this works.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...n/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/...n/dateposted-public/

Thar ya go…

That is the first time that I’ve seen a triple serial number with Exeter engraved on it. Pretty cool.

Crimson Trace grips are a nice bonus too.

I like it!