P229 Thoughts

[Archer1440]

I bought a 229 Legion SAO and look forward to getting to know it.

Great little shooter. Got the same 4 years ago and picked up a SIG optics slide for it last year. Nice, easy to shoot package with an RMR. Excellent trigger. Remarkable accuracy. Completely reliable feeding any hollow points I have tried. Superb grips.

Achilles heel is the practically unusable slide release. Can’t activate it without shifting my grip, and if I do a proper thumb ride on the safety the slightest touch prevents lockback on empty. So, I slingshot the silly thing.

[S Jenks]

Not a P229, but the SAOs are exceptional firearms. This is a P226 Elite SAO that’s approaching ten years. I’ve run it through a number of Sig Sauer courses without the slightest issue. It’s currently set up as my night vision range toy/bedside table gun with the TLR VIR-II.

I just added a Gray Guns flat trigger, and that’s a SilencerCo barrel for use with a Rugged Obsidian 9.

[GJM]

Cheby has several .40 229 slides direct milled for an optic . I might try one in .40 and see how it runs with hard cast.

[Rex G]

The resurrection of this discussion is a reminder that I really should find a 9mm conversion barrel for my much-loved .40 P229R DAK. (.40 S&W does not “love me back,” as my hands have aged. Arthritis started becoming a problem, for my right hand, by age fifty, in 2011.) This was my longest-serving personally-owned duty pistol, 2004 to 2015, and the only auto-pistol I could ever shoot as well as a good 5” all-steel 1911, at least on the 15-yard police department qual range, using the qual course as a gauge. I transitioned to a Glock G17, a more “orthopedic” pistol, as soon as my then-chief OK’ed 9mm to be an alternative duty pistol cartridge.

I can still shoot .40, in moderate doses, right-handed, if I hang a heavy weapon-mounted light on the rail, and provide plenty of support from my left hand, or if I shoot lefty, with my still-healthier hand. Actually, the P229 is an excellent lefty gun, with the slide latch and that de-cocker “hump” nicely out of the way.

There is, however, the problem of the differing trigger resets. If accustomed to shooting Glocks, I will, sometimes, not let the SIG DAK trigger far enough, especially if I have just fired a Glock, and then switched to the SIG, in the same range session. (Memorably, this happened at ECQC, in 2005, when I had been using a Glock G22, my former duty pistol, in a concealment holster, for the morning shooting, and then switched to my duty rig, set up for the P229, after lunch.) This will, probably, keep my P229 relegated to being an occasional fun gun, for the range.

[GJM]

The resurrection of this discussion is a reminder that I really should find a 9mm conversion barrel for my much-loved .40 P229R DAK. (.40 S&W does not “love me back,” as my hands have aged. Arthritis started becoming a problem, for my right hand, by age fifty, in 2011.) This was my longest-serving personally-owned duty pistol, 2004 to 2015, and the only auto-pistol I could ever shoot as well as a good 5” all-steel 1911, at least on the 15-yard police department qual range, using the qual course as a gauge. I transitioned to a Glock G17, a more “orthopedic” pistol, as soon as my then-chief OK’ed 9mm to be an alternative duty pistol cartridge.

I can still shoot .40, in moderate doses, right-handed, if I hang a heavy weapon-mounted light on the rail, and provide plenty of support from my left hand, or if I shoot lefty, with my still-healthier hand. Actually, the P229 is an excellent lefty gun, with the slide latch and that de-cocker “hump” nicely out of the way.

There is, however, the problem of the differing trigger resets. If accustomed to shooting Glocks, I will, sometimes, not let the SIG DAK trigger far enough, especially if I have just fired a Glock, and then switched to the SIG, in the same range session. (Memorably, this happened at ECQC, in 2005, when I had been using a Glock G22, my former duty pistol, in a concealment holster, for the morning shooting, and then switched to my duty rig, set up for the P229, after lunch.) This will, probably, keep my P229 relegated to being an occasional fun gun, for the range.

I have always thought a DAK 229 frame as an accessory for use in very cold weather makes sense for a 229 shooter.

[taadski]

I modified a standard 226 slide stop lever a few years ago such that I can releases it over the top of the safety on a SAO 226. I also run extended stops on my 1911s to achieve the same ability. But I’m a long time Sig shooter so I typically don’t ride the safeties and don’t have issues with premature lock-back.

[Archer1440]

I modified a standard 226 slide stop lever a few years ago such that I can releases it over the top of the safety on a SAO 226. I also run extended stops on my 1911s to achieve the same ability. But I’m a long time Sig shooter so I typically don’t ride the safeties and don’t have issues with premature lock-back.

Well, I ran a bunch of Bill Drills with my 229 SAO earlier today, and had about a 50% success rate with getting the thing to lock back, because as a dyed-in-the-wool 1911 guy I simply can't run a thumb under that safety, and I have long thumbs.

On the other hand I had 100% alphas on 10 consecutive sub-3 second BD's from AIWB with the silly thing, so there's that. I actually tend to shoot it a bit better than my GG fettled 226 SAO, for whatever reason.

[TheNewbie]

The safety on the SAO Sigs looks well done.

[3-7-77]

Cheby has several .40 229 slides direct milled for an optic . I might try one in .40 and see how it runs with hard cast.

Who or what is "Cheby"? I too would be interested in a .40 P229 slide.

[GJM]

Who or what is "Cheby"? I too would be interested in a .40 P229 slide.

An enigmatic character with a bit of an accent and exceptional taste in firearms.