SIG education?

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SWglockmagnum

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i've recently decided to start liking Sig Sauer pistols. I don't own one, but am putting money together to get one.

I've done a little research and looked all over the internet for various things, but, sometimes it's just better to ask someone.


what are the fundamental differences between the sig P226 P228 P229?

Which is easier to conceal ?

Which is more reliable?

do either / each of them come in a compact / full frame version?

how do you decode SIG's naming conventions? i.e. what is P, what is 226 228 etc?

thanks
 
While I am by no means an expert here are some basics.

P226 is their full size handgun available in 9mm, .40 and .357SIG calibers. This is comparable to the Beretta 92 or M9 that is used by the US Military. The P226 is reportedly the primary handgun used by the Navy SEALS.

P228 is a shorter barreled version of the P226, but only available in 9mm. This model was very popular, but I do not believe it is manufactured anymore.

P229 very similar to the P228, but beefed up to handle not only 9mm, but also .40 and .357SIG calibers.
 
sigs

The Sigs you mention are two frame sizes, the P226 is full size (as is its brother the P220) and the P228 and 229 are "compact" . The P220 is single stack, the rest double stack hi-caps.

The full size pistols were characterized for a number of years by stamped and pinned slides. They came in .45 and 9mm, possibly .38 super. With the advent of the .4o and .357 and their high pressures, milled slides came into being and it is my understanding that the whole full size family are now milled slides in current production.

The P229 was introduced for for the .40 and .357 and have always had milled slides. P P228 was a 9mm with a stamped and pinned slide. The P228 is now hard to find in the US, as the milled P229 has been made available in 9mm.

There is no difference in reliability or durability. The milled slide pistols are a tad heavier.
There are many who believe the earlier "made in Germany" stamped/pinned guns are of higher quality, but none are dogs.

There is a wide array of trigger options, double/single, double only, and the newer DAK and Kellerman (?) triggers, of which I know little.

I was always partial to the stamped P220-.45 and the P228 in 9mm
 
bamaranger said it well.

Sig P228's, while not terribly rare or collectible are great guns. Especially the West German marked ones. In my to have list someday.

I have a modern P226 that rocks. First pistol I ever bought that I knew I would never carry concealed. I bought it because I have a serious respect for Sigs, and I just wanted one. It's my "go to war pistol" as another thread states, and sits on my nightstand when not at the range.
 
awesome. that helps quite a bit.

considering i'm looking for a ccw weapon i think i'd be more inclined to go with the 229 then.

another question i have is,

some guns are ambidextrous from the factory like my taurus, having levers and clip release buttons on both sides, and others can be taken out and flipped around for left and right as needed, what is the case with these pistols?

i'm ambidextrous but primarily left handed 60/40. would be nice to be able to make it left handed.

also, sigs vs glocks. it seems like there are A LOT more people who stand by glocks vs sigs, but i mostly attribute that to the price of glocks. they are easier to come by.

or maybe not, i don't know..

but, it seems like there are TONSSS of options for personalizing a glock. extended barrels, slotted barrels, personalized engraved this n that and just about anything you could ever imagine on a pistol.

what about the sig? are there are lot of aftermarket parts and accessories for them such as extended barrels and muzzle breaks and such things?

I plan eventually to get a silencer (through the proper legal channels) and am trying to think ahead to which weapon i should choose with the anticipation of having it become a silenced weapon.

-------

and as far as "go to war pistols" and "night stands" .. i have 2 pistols on my night stand.. both my taurus PT809 with 19 rounds in it, and a spare clip, and then my LCP380. both with gold dot.

Of the two of them, i'd reach for the LCP before i reached for the Taurus. i don't trust it. i've had too many dry fires and second strike detinations or non detinatable shells to trust it. out of 100 rounds i shot at the range last go around, 17 shells failed to fire on the first strike. not as bad as 20 the time prior to that. i attributed it to the ammo the first time so switched it out the second time and it was marginally better but not completely, therefore, i will be sending it back to the manufacturer.

the LCP has -never- mis fired, and the only time it ever jammed was when i let someone else fire it, and they somehow had their thumb over the opening and caused the round not to eject. still not sure how they did it, but they did.

so, with that said, i'm looking for a SIG, because they are known to be reliable. as stated, the armed forces all over the world and secret service use them, so, they have to be as reliable as possible.

What sold me on it was the secret service though. think what you want about the president past current or future, but, he (technically) is considered to be the most important person in the US. (speculative statement based purely upon the average american's knowledge about the government (sadly)) and the fact that the secret service is employed specifically to protect him literally at all costs, and specifically swears by that gun in particular means that they have literally done every test they can possibly do to them and stress tested them in every way to the point of failure, catastrophic or otherwise, to where they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Sig will fire 99.9999% of the time without fail. That to me says that i should own one. They obviously tested several other weapons in order to come to the conclusion that the sig was the best available.

so, i'd carry it and feel 100% self assured that it would fire if needed, and in the meantime, i'll take my taurus to the range to play with and let friends or family shoot while we're out there, but wouldn't trust it as my primary CCW, - aside from the fact that it's large.. and i'm not a heavy set guy so it's hard to conceal it.

but, all of that aside, i'd still put 90% of that same trust in my LCP380 honestly. it's just not as pleasant to shoot and not nearly as accurate at distance.

sorry for being off topic on my own thread. lol
 
As a very satisfied owner / operator of an older German P226 9mm, I bought it with no intention of ever trying to conceal it.... it is my go-to - the - range / shtf / go to war gun and I love it!!! However.. it is big and heavy (for it's purpose, I like that)

However....

If I were looking for a SIG Sauer for concealed carry, I'd definitely be looking at the P239. Smaller in every dimension but operates the same.
 
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For me if it was to be a carry gun I wouldn't overlook the 239. Lower capacity but a nice concealable single stack.
 
The 229 slides are casted and milled. Other slides are stamped.
The slides of my SIG models 220 Carry and 226 appear to be milled from stainless steel stock. In their catalog, SIG describes the material/construction of the slides of the models P226, P229, P239 and the 2022 to be "precision-machined from a solid block of stainless steel". I am curious as to your source(s) verifying that the slides of the model 229 are "casted and milled" and that "other slides are stamped".
 
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