Sig Sauer Legion P229 range review. "A Legion in the snow" pictorial.

M

Mystro

New member
Let me first start out this Legion P229 40s&w range review by setting the stage.
Weather: 18 degrees with near white out snow squalls at times.
Location: My own personal tactical range and my rifle club.

I dont know if I was testing the new Legion today or my ability to shoot with numb hands and fingers. My ability was certainly hampered but I think I got to test the Legion in a real world environment.

Lets dismiss now that my Legion will ever be a safe queen. My gun got wet and snow covered as well as being plunged into a snow bank.


I started the shooting in white out conditions this morning. My hands were still fresh and warm. The P229 40 performed flawlessly with all ammo used today. I first tested my favorite defense round for the 40 HST 165 grain. Keep in mind this is full power 40S&W and not reduced power range ammo. Accuracy was literally one hole. I suspect shooting a 9mm would feel like a 380 through the Legion. The grips are outstanding. Their texture is very rough and even with wet hands would not let the gun move during recoil.




I moved on to Sasquatch reman 180gr. The bullets fell on top of them-self at 10 yards. I shot two +2 mags in a row with one in the chamber.


I finished off 3 boxes of Sasquatch ammo and the snow was coming down so hard that I couldnt see past 50 yards. The Legion was wet at this time and my hands were completely numb. What a chance to test the Legion in snow so I dropped the gun into a fresh snow bank while I put up another target. I dug the Legion out of the snow, banged off as much snow as possible, racked the slide and shot a magazine. Functioned fine, grips held onto my numb wet hands and I was about done at this point. Accuracy was still good.




After warming up at my home and letting the snow blow through, I dried the Legion off (didnt clean it) and headed up the mountain to my rifle range.


My hands were warm and fresh so I moved back to 40 yards. The X-ray sights are faster to acquire with the large front dot but at longer ranges I had to really watch the front and rear sight placement. The front sight becomes very large. I think the conventional Sig night sights are easier to shoot at longer range because the front sight isnt huge.


I did double action shooting only. Smooth and breaks clean. I would shoot da then decock, shoot, decock, etc..


Hands are cold again. You will never have to worry about your high grip accidentally resting on the slide release button like all other Sigs. It wont happen with the Legion. I noticed the slide release is very hard to actuate, especially with cold hands. I could always get a extremely high grip on the Legion without ever having the slide not lock back after the last round. It takes some effort to push the slide release. I never use it but it is worth noting.

I finished the day off with some head shots. My hands were extremely cold and it was not ideal shooting conditions today but it did show the Legion will not let you down. The trigger is better than anyone needs in a defense gun. I can see why Sig Sauer is building a entire line and image around the Legion. Its not hype, the Legion is the real deal and delivers on the promise that its the best. It really is for the guy that wants/needs the very best equipment he can get. Considering a plane jane P226/P229 is so good anyway, it really give you a idea how far they can take the platform when they want to raise the bar. The Legion design is about as close to a full custom gun most will ever have a need to own. The weakest link of the Legion pistol is the guy shooting it.
Unless you actually build a full up custom gun from scratch, you will be hard pressed to find anything better by any manufacturer than the Legion series.
 
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Nice review and nice shooting. Was it all off hand.

I am considering a P226 Legion for the want list for 2016.
 
I finished the day off with some head shots. My hands were extremely cold and it was not ideal shooting conditions today but it did show the Legion will not let you down. The trigger is better than anyone needs in a defense gun. I can see why Sig Sauer is building a entire line and image around the Legion. Its not hype, the Legion is the real deal and delivers on the promise that its the best. It really is for the guy that wants/needs the very best equipment he can get. Considering a plane jane P226/P229 is so good anyway, it really give you a idea how far they can take the platform when they want to raise the bar. The Legion design is about as close to a full custom gun most will ever have a need to own. The weakest link of the Legion pistol is the guy shooting it.
Unless you actually build a full up custom gun from scratch, you wont find anything better by any manufacturer than the Legion series.
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What flavor kool-aid did it come with? :p

Seriously they are nice pistols but I think you are over exaggerating their status. They are excellent production guns with some "real" custom features unlike a lot of the Sig marketing hype but there are other production pistols which are certainly their equal if not better.

Be happy about your new pistol but claims like this are a bit over the top. IMHO
 
Shooting was off hand. I have ground up customs that are different animals but I also own many many other Sigs as well as 4 custom shop Sigs. 5 of my regular Sig P226/229 have gone through the custom shop for AEP.
I can assure you the Legion is heads above the other P series as a complete turn-key package. The X5 frame modification alone sets the Legion line apart from the other P series. That also seems to be every other reviewers take away like Ayoob, etc... Sig has really raised the bar from a production custom standpoint and worth the price of admission.
 
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Shooting was off hand. I own many many other Sigs as well as 4 custom shop Sigs. 5 of my regular Sig P226/229 have gone through the custom shop for AEP.
I can assure you the Legion is heads above the other P series. The X5 frame modification alone sets the Legion line apart from the other P series. That also seems to be every other reviewers take away like Ayoob, etc... Sig has really raised the bar from a production custom standpoint.
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The Sig custom shop is nothing special IMHO. I have had AEP pistols and Gray Gun pistols and the Gray Gun pistols were head and shoulders above the AEP pistols. The AEP is just a little polishing and stock spring replacement.

I am not saying that the Legion is not a great series of pistols but the claim that they are the greatest production pistol ever made is a major overstatement IMHO. Clearly YMMV.
 
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I agree. Taste will always vary much like cars. Some will want a 911 GT3 and some may want a MB AMG. At those levels there is no "bad" choice.


The Legion will be a high end pistol that you will know will work regardless of weather conditions.

 
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I agree. Taste will always vary much like cars. Some will want a 911 GT3 and some may want a MB AMG. At those levels there is no "bad" choice.
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Right I prefer a Ferrari 458 Italia. LOL

In the end I think it is a great package. I was skeptical at first but then I looked at the total break down of the pistol and compared it to a Gray Guns custom and there is a lot of value in these pistols.

Like I said it is on the 2016 list. I am just not sure if I am going to get the DA/SA or the SAO. ;)
 
The Legion will be a high end pistol that you will know will work regardless of weather conditions.
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I really like your review and you clearly shot the pistol well but are you really going to claim this because you dropped the pistol into the snow wiped it off and it still shot? By my count you shot less than 100 rounds. I would not call that a torture test no matter what the conditions were. That determines that it will be good to go in all weather conditions?

I really think that making grand statements like this takes away from your excellent review. You have a great pistol that I am sure will serve you well there is no need to exaggerate its quality, attributes or abilities. Time will tell how good a pistol the Legion Series really is.

Again that was some strong kool aid they included with that pistol. :rolleyes:
 
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I shot 500 rounds today (10 boxes). I only took some pics along the way with a cell phone camera. This was a little fun review since I was not on the clock and actually paid for this gun.

A little background... I teach a CCW class been to Gunsite 2 times and was a sponsored IPSC shooter back in the 1990's. I currently am a independent consultant and regularly test pre production handguns and ammunition for many manufactures. (The PPQ45 was the last pre production pistol I reviewed).

The Legion is actually a good deal when you itemized what you get and the items you can't get on any P series handgun. I did enough of them in the Sig custom shop. The Legion is a bargain.

I too was very skeptical of the entire "Legion" marketing angle until I started to look at what Sig is trying to establish. The Legion pistol doesn't need any marketing angle but Sig is using the name "Legion" to establish their halo/premium level of gear across the entire line much like AMG is to MB. I can understand restricting actual Legion gun parts to only Legion owners but I would like to have everyone have access to the line of Legion goods. I am a hard core knife collector and the level of goods Sig puts the "Legion" name on says a lot. When great knives like Hinderer XM-18, Emerson are custom made with the Legion brand, that is huge. Unlike other gun brands that sell low-mid level junk knives with their logo on them at Walmart. Sig is hand picking only the best gear across the board to have the Legion brand on them. Sig's "Legion" moved way beyond the tacticool level to establishing itself as a top-end line of goods that would appeal to their customers that would buy the Legion pistol.
 
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Sig's "Legion" moved way beyond the tacticool level to establishing itself as a top-end line of goods that would appeal to their customers that would buy the Legion pistol.
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They're catering to the sense of elitism that has developed within their customer base in order to keep selling $1000 pistols. Which is ironic because SIGs started out as a folded steel and aluminum combination that was meant to be relatively cheap to manufacture but durable and reliable for the end user. Challenge coins? :rolleyes: I can respect that it's a decent pistol. What they're trying to "establish" with the Legion series is a means to milk more money from their existing fan base.
 
A little background... I teach a CCW class been to Gunsite 2 times and was a sponsored IPSC shooter back in the 1990's. I currently am a independent consultant and regularly test pre production handguns and ammunition for many manufactures. (The PPQ45 was the last pre production pistol I reviewed).
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I am not questioning your background or you shooting ability of status a certified gun tester. I am questioning your statements after only 500 rounds out of this pistol. That is all. It is not personal. I did not make it personal.

You gave us your thoughts on the pistol I am critiquing your words. Isn't that a big part of what this forum is about? Again you did a great review I just have a problem with some of your statements.

Do you really believe that 500 rounds in the snow is enough to declare this pistol "a high end pistol that you will know will work regardless of weather conditions. I mean you are a professional and you are willing to put your rep on the line based on a cold 500 rounds.

I am being honest here. I am not a professional by any means. I am sure you know more and are a much better shot then I will ever be but I would never make that kinds of statement because even with my limited scope of knowledge I understand that it is weak at best. I hope your pistol lives up to your expectations and your claims. I just think it is too early to declare it the winner! LOL
 
It's a simple review. That's all. My reputation certainly isn't on the line. I am giving you my opinion on the handgun. Given the history and proven design of the P229/P226, one could easily accept its reliability by now. Many LE officers are carrying handguns with less rounds though them and their reliability is never questioned. There is a protocol and check list to test new handgun and various ammo I go through to evaluate a handguns reliability. Obviouse trouble signs will pop up.
I had frangible, monolithic, reman, HST, GoldDot go though my Legion today. I purposely try to get a new gun to fail by limp writing it, shooting it weak handed, etc.. This is SOP with a new handgun

Remember, I test new ammunition not even released so I am trained to spot reliability issues. I am not remotely worried about this Legions reliability at this point.
 
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They're catering to the sense of elitism that has developed within their customer base in order to keep selling $1000 pistols. Which is ironic because SIGs started out as a folded steel and aluminum combination that was meant to be relatively cheap to manufacture but durable and reliable for the end user. Challenge coins? I can respect that it's a decent pistol. What they're trying to "establish" with the Legion series is a means to milk more money from their existing fan base.
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They are also doing it because lets face it over the last 10 years or so they have become. A brand that sells lots of low-mid level junk knives with their logo on them at places like Walmart. 99% of their accessories are made in China, Israeli or another country that was the lowest bidder. Look at all the crappy red dots, holsters, stocks sights etc... They remind me of Kimber for some reason.

I think from a marketing standpoint the Legion stuff makes sense in terms of their product offering. They can no longer get German guns so they need to create a substitute and the Legion guns can do that. They need a true high end gun because they are gravitating more and more towards mid-level guns like the P320 because that is where the volume is. It is hard to justify $1000 for some of the dressed up P series guns they offer these days.

The sad thing is they are already cheapening parts of the package. IIRC they originally came in a metal hard case. There was no mention of that being a limited production but they are already gone.
 
Sig Sauer Legion P229 range review. "A Legion in the snow" pictorial.

I agree that the market is dominated by ~$500 polymer pistols these days. $1000 pistols need to be justified somehow and this does actually give you some decent upgrades. HK learned their lesson just in time with the VP9 and they still have cash flow problems. SIG has the P320 but I'm sure they want to keep the P series going with all the money in the machinery. I will give them credit for doing something cause besides rebates in 2014 the expensive hammer fired HKs are paperweights these days.
 
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You hit the nail on the head. The upper tier handguns have to be niche aimed. Guns like the P320, PPQ, VP9, etc....sell themself. I take a good selection of my own private handguns to my CCW class on the first day. I get my new first time gun owners that have so many questions on why one gun cost this and the other is so much more expensive. I try to hit every price point so I take a few of my HK's, PPQ, Shield, P320, Glock 19 & 27, a P226/229, and a few revolvers lay them out on the table and do a quick explanation on what and how they work and what their advantages and disadvantages are. I hate trying to explain how and why a gun cost what it does. I generally let them handle and shoot them and try to eliminate the cost issue all together. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
I did get two local LE departments to switch to the P320 platform last year. Cost and versatility made the P320 a easy choice. More LE departments are looking at it for the 2016 year.
 
For the cost of a P226 or P229 Legion, I could buy one of the following...

A Wilson Beretta Brigadier Tactical, with a couple bucks left for range time, ammo, and a down payment on the custom Randall-Made knife that I'll wait 4 years for

A Dan Wesson Pointman Nine, forget the Randall-Made

Mr. Jim Garthwaite's gunsmith services to convert a BHP into the overall finest custom 9mm I could ever ask for (oops, sorry, I'm about 5 bills light for Mr. Jim's work, plus the cost of a decent BHP starter)

GrayGuns Inc gunsmith services (trigger & sights) to convert an HK P30LS LEM V1 trigger variant into the finest combination carry & range gun I could ever ask for, maybe a few bucks for ammo, plus the DP on the Randall-Made
 
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Small world. Jim has done 3 full blow 1911 customs for me back in the early 1990's. He is even local for me.
 
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looks more like 40 feet...
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40 feet???? :rolleyes: That's a full size IPSC target 15 yards beyond the front shooters box. I am shooting through a apple orchard my club has planted way behind the pistol range.
 
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