sig sauer p229 review

There is so much talk amongst enthusiasts about Sig Sauer. If you go shooting at all or have friends who do, then you know about Glock and also Sig. The SIG P229R was the first pistol to be manufactured in Exeter, New Hampshire. Available in 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG, the P229R is one of the most popular Sig Sauer pistols and carried by thousands of law enforcement professionals throughout the country, so we found it to be a good test product. The compact size of the P229R makes it ideal for duty or concealed carry. The model we tested was chambered in the powerful 357 SIG cartridge.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My First impressions of the firearm where very positive. The finish was nice, it was balanced well, and fit my hand perfectly. ( I am 5'11" ). It pointed nice and it looked and felt like a quality firearm. The slide was easy enough to work and very smooth. All the controls were right where they needed to be and simply felt right. The magazine also fell with ease when the release was pressed. The gun features a locked breach, aluminum frame, decocking lever, accessory rail, SIG's night sights. It had a 10lb. double action first pull followed by 4.5lb single action trigger pull. It's weight was 32oz. with empty magazine. Ours came with 2 mags. The grips had a nice feel to them. They felt very secure and I felt quite confident I would be able to hang on to this 357 canon.

SHOOTING
I must say I was a bit intimidated at first by the 357 SIG cartridge. I own a Ruger GP100 in 357 Magnum, and hot loads really pack, not to mention louder than a freight train. I typically shoot .38 Special loads in my 357 because I find them much more pleasant. Now knowing that this gun was lighter than my Ruger and the ballistics are some what comparable, I didn't expect to put a ton of rounds thru it.

Upon the first shot, I realized I was dead wrong. This thing was comfy. I squeezed the trigger five more times and after each round my smile grew larger than before. This gun recoiled less than a .40S/W. It was almost like shooting a 9mm but with more volume. It was quick recoil, but it had more of a "push" like that of a 45ACP. After about 6 shots I actually checked the markings on the slide to be sure this was in fact a 357.

With the first 10 rounds, at 25 yards I was able to hit a large sparklets bottle filled with sand 9 of the 10 shots. This gun even at that distance was more accurate than I. I fired several more magazines at distances of 7 yards, 15 yards at various size targets and was I pleased with my results every time. This SIG is a tack driver. The bullets simply fly where you point them.

We decided to take it a step further. The Sig Sauer motto is "To hell and back." We decided to bury it in the sand and jump on it several times. We then pulled it out ejected the magazine and dropped the gun and mag in a bucket of muddy water. Next we cycled the slide a few times and continued to shoot another 50 rounds flawlessly. We figured what the hay, stick it in the mud at the bottom of the bucket. We pulled it out again and without a rinse fired 50 more mud splattering rounds. Because we had to give it back, I wanted to field strip it and rinse the whole thing in clean water before we left . I also gave it a cleaning and lube. However, just when it was done, someone else would pick it up and fire it again. It was like everyone there was waiting for trigger time with it. The cleaning was a lost cause, It was popular that day to say the least. The SIG continued to perform the rest of the day, even after I so carelessly abused it. All the shooters included, we ran thru 1300 rounds. Some hollow point, some flat point. Some Cor-Bon, Hornady and Speer. We had not one failure to fire or failure to eject.

Just for giggles and comparison, we also brought a Wilson Combat Elite Pro 1911 chambered 45ACP along side this SIG. This model Wilson was a fair 1911 to compare as the BBL is also 4 inches as opposed to the full size 5" 1911. I just wanted to see how it stood up when I fired it after my favorite platform the 1911. When I switched to the Wilson, I had expected my results to improve. I figured that maybe I was having a good day, and couldn't wait to do even better with the 1911. To my surprise, I was more accurate with this SIG P229R. I could down saw blades, clay pigeons, and water bottles like I was pointing my finger. It was so natural it seemed effortless.

CONCLUSION
I must say, that there are as many die-hard SIG fans out there as there are CZ, and Glock fans, and the P229 is exactly why. I have shot Glock's, S&W, Springfield, Taurus, Wilson Combat, Ruger, CZ, Kimber, FN Herstal, HK and many revolvers as well. This SIG P229R would have to be one of my top all time favorite handguns. It was comfy, It was accurate, and it was reliable. The quality, night sights and finish were also a bonus. I could see myself possibly replacing my GP100 357 Magnum with this gun. I shoot it better, it carries easier, holds more rounds and the ballistics are close to the magnum. However I will say that when I get one, (and I will) I could not see myself ever using the accessory rail. I found this gun to be so balanced and perfect that I would not add or take away anything that could effect that. I am extremely pleased with it right out of the box. Well done SIG.

- Jeff | ballistics101.com

GUN SPECS.

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