Anyone carry a P229?

A

AERacing1813

New member
I'm debating on getting another carry gun to add to my collection. My primary is my Gov't 1911 in .45, unless it's warm out then I run my S&W J-Frame with +P 38's.

I've been eyeballing the Sig P229 specifically in 357 Sig, I like the round from everything I read about it, aside from the price per shot.

I've owned 40's, they're cool but not really my cup of tea, and I've got plenty of 9's I don't want another

Do you carry a 229? what's it chambered in? how do you like it?
 
I carried a 9mm version in a Milt Sparks Versa Max II. It was pretty easy to conceal and I really like the holster. However, I ended up moving to a GLOCK G26 due to the reduced weight.
 
For me anyway, an all metal frame DA/SA pistol with a decocker is real, everything else is a compromise. I have one in .40 and love it, but I don't usually carry it and when I do I'm in an open carry state so maybe it's just on my hip or maybe I'm being nice so as not to "trigger" snowflakes and I passively hide it with a longish jacket. Been playing around with a shoulder holster and not sold on it. A 229 definitely beats a full size for comfortable carry but I wouldn't try to conceal it beyond maybe a shoulder holster under a jacket or something...

With that said, I don't want you to get the wrong impression, the biggest thing I try to conceal is like 938 size. I just refuse to deal with a holster stuck in my waistband, a concealed pistol is in my front pocket, inside jacket pocket, or is not really concealed. If you can conceal a revolver or 1911 it would be no issue for you..

On the bright side too, 357 sig and .40 (which most .40 sigs are exactly the same as a 357 version minus the barrel BTW, even the mags say 357 sig on them) are the cheapest to buy 2nd hand due to ideas that .40 is useless and 357 sig costs $100 a shot or something. Let everyone keep thinking that, is good for the rest of us.
 
I've got a P229 .40 and really like it. As riffraff said, I don't carry it. I have to many other options that I prefer for carry. I do sometimes carry my P220 .45 ACP. The alloy framed SIG P-series handguns are classics and are worthy of any serious handgunner's consideration.
 
I do' chambered in .40

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I've got a 229 in 9mm, carried it for over a year, but found it too heavy and bulky for warm weather use. Nowadays, it's largely been supplanted by a P365 which is every bit as accurate at combat distances out to 10-12 yds, and is significantly lighter. While I do carry the 229 on occasional meadow walks here on the farm, and it does do night stand duty, the 365 is a better choice for true concealed carry in my case...YMMv, Rod
 
Had one for a while and carried it for about a year, 9mm. Nothing wrong with it except the 226 fit my hands better and concealed just as well IWB. Ended up trading it for a 1911.

Big issue with the 229 and 226 for daily carry was weight, just too heavy for summer carry and recently my back has decided it's too heavy to carry any time.

If I was thinking I wanted a carry DA/SA id look at the CZ P07 or Beretta PX4.
 
I have 2 P229s chambered in .40 S&W. I had the opportunity to shoot the .357 Sig, but the cost of ammo was a turn off. I also had a P228, which is practically the same size, that I tried carrying in a SOB holster (Ayoob Rear Guard by Mitch Rosen), but it is too big for a guy my size. I'm 5'7",160 lbs, and I live in South Florida so it is hard for me to hide a larger weapon. I went from the Glock 26, to the Kahr PM9, to the Glock 43, and recently to the Springfield Hellcat.

I understand that some people don't like polymer guns, but weight and size are a huge consideration for concealed carry. Open carry is not an option here, and even if it were, I don't like it.
 
I have the M11-A1 version in 9mm. I haven't finished checking it's reliability (+300 rounds of ball plus 150 of SD ammo) plus I just got it's holster yesterday.

First time at the range:

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After 135 rounds of ball ammo (one mag of 15 rounds went to the 6" orange steel targets shown above):

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I've got a P229R in 9mm which I'll occasionally carry.
I'll either use a Safariland owb holster or a Galco iwb holster.

While I stay proficient with all the guns I own (30k rounds through both the P229R and P226R), I'm a Glock-guy. My main carry guns are a G26gen3, G19gen5, or a G17gen5.

If I was a SIG-guy, I'd be carrying my P229R.
 
Have a 229 that came in 40 and I have barsto 9mm and 357 Sig barrels for it as well. Carried it a few times but found it's just too heavy for daily carry. I've swapped over to a skinnier, lighter handgun for carry and am much happier. Will say that the 229 is a very fine gun, but just too heavy.
 
Will say that the 229 is a very fine gun, but just too heavy.

Agree. Once I got the desired springs in my HK p2000 LEM, it became my primary carry.
 
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When I'm not off-duty carrying my CZ P10C, I carry an M11-A1/P228. I've been wearing a duty belt for 26 years, so I don't notice the weight as a big deal.
 
I have a Sig 229 in 357sig and carry it from time to time, mostly in the cooler months where a jacket helps hide it easier. Its a smooth shooter and feels good in the hand, I like it and bought it as a police trade in and the price was great.
 
Not trying thread jack, but I also switched to the Glock 26 from the P228 due to the consistent trigger pull of the Glock. I know some will say that I should have just practiced more shooting in double action, but I was concerned that the added stress of a real life "poop hits the fan" adrenaline dump would further hinder my skills. Not saying that Glock's squishy and spongy stock trigger are great, but the consistent pull is easier for first and follow-up shots (at least for me).
 
Having owned a succession of 229s since shortly after they were introduced, a .40 and several 9s, I guess I am a dyed in the wool fan. But have to admit I carry something a little smaller and lighter now days.
 
stephen426 said:
Not trying thread jack, but I also switched to the Glock 26 from the P228 due to the consistent trigger pull of the Glock. I know some will say that I should have just practiced more shooting in double action, but I was concerned that the added stress of a real life "poop hits the fan" adrenaline dump would further hinder my skills. Not saying that Glock's squishy and spongy stock trigger are great, but the consistent pull is easier for first and follow-up shots (at least for me).
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Anecdotally a few years back I dedicated most of a year and several thousand rounds (and who knows how many fry fires) to learning the trigger on my P229 (which was pretty nice for a DA/SA, with the SRT) and got reasonably good. Still threw the first shot about 1" low out of the holster but certainly serviceable for a carry gun out to 25 yards.

During this time I shot the 229 exclusively, weekly and never took any of my Glocks out of the safe or touched them in that time.

At some point I felt pretty happy with the 229 and decided to drag out my Glock 17 and shoot it and, poof, instantly shot it better than the 229 in a number of drills. Faster, tighter groups more hits.

Sometimes something just works for you better, and for non SAO triggers, Glocks just work best for me and I've tried just about all the other options out there.
 
I debated the P229. I think DA/SA with a decocker is ideal for a CCW. The P229 feels good in my hand and shoots well for me. The problem is part of that comfort comes from being 1.5" wide and 34 ounces empty. That's a lot for a modern carry gun, at least in 9mm.

That said, you're thinking about .357 Sig. There aren't so many options for that caliber. Being a bigger cartridge with a little more kick, the extra width and weight might not be as big a trade-off.

One place where you do pay a significant cost is in capacity. Just looking at Sig's website, the current P229 in .357 Sig only holds ten rounds. I don't know why since the .40 S&W version is listed as holding twelve. (Perhaps someone more familiar can explain this.) Another thing to think about is the Sig P239. It's discontinued but they're not hard to find. You'd drop down to seven rounds in .357 Sig but that's not a huge loss verses ten. The 239 is much friendlier for concealed carry.
 
.40 SIG

When the .40S&W first hit the scene, the only pistol SIG offered it in was the P229. The combination was approved for duty issue, and quite a few of our LEO's went to it. The milled slide apparently allowed for the higher pressures of the .40, but it was apparent that the stamped slide P228/9mm, which was the transition pistol from revolvers to autos, agency wide, was a good bit lighter. That was in the era when the FBI had its shootout in Miami, and the 9mm was not receiving much good press. Most staff abandoned the P228/9mm, for the P220/.45, or the new P229/.40. Eventually the milled slide P226/.40 appeared , and that became a popular item as well, although even heavier than the P229.

The P229/.40 was well liked, like all P-SIGS, reliable and accurate, and only had a few issues with blown extractors in the early .40 era, which may well have been an ammo problem. Personally, were I to desire a compact P-series pistol, I'd hold out for a used, stamped slide P228/9mm, which being lighter, would carry on a day to day basis, a bit easier.

I'm not a real big .40 fan anyhow.
 
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