I still appreciate your thoughts. As far as weight, I would be interested in knowing the difference in weight of the loaded firearms and the loaded magazines.
I like the 9mm, but for the purposes of this discussion, I will be going for a .40 or .45. As far as ammo, I am generally issued high-quality Federal or Winchester hollowpoints.
I have avg. size hands for a 200 pound guy. The 229 feels a little wide in my hand. The 220 feels nicer, but I have a harder time reaching the mag release w/o breaking my grip. I was shooting both guns fairly well when I compared them the other day. My range session did not prove to me that one was overwhelmingly easier for me to shoot this time.:rolleyes:
.357 Sig is not an approved caliber for me. I think I like the longer sight radius for duty carry, but I really hate carrying the bigger guns off-duty. I am always worried they will print when wearing warm-weather clothing. I am pretty confident in .40 cal with modern ammo, but I am also presented with some uncommon wildlife issues.
10-4…good to know from someone that has done it.
It is the older stamped steel slide. I have a couple thousand rounds down the pipe reliably…then again, I’ve never had problems with reliability in any of my Sigs.
I love my personal 9mm 226. But there are a variety of reasons why I would like to go with a larger caliber. Sig Classics are the only approved firearms for me. I have a Glock 35, but can’t carry it at work.
DAK is not approved for me.
Like i said I have both…I don’t think that you can go wrong with either trigger configuration…but I would still vote for a 229.
If you already own a P226 in 9mm and you can carry quality 9mm LE ammo in it, I would just do that and not look back… Then use the money you save to attend some top shelf firearms training with your duty rig… You will get a lot more benefit from that than a caliber change…
Just my .02
B
To me, the 229 is the more efficient of the two. I have ape-like hands, and am left-handed, but with practice I got as good with it as with any of my other duty pistols. You will, too. Be safe.
I have to second what Buck said. If I already owned a P226 in 9mm, the debate would be over.
If you are absolutely stuck on 40 or 45, the P229 is the way to go. My old department had very good luck with the P229 in 40S&W and P226 in 9mm. The few P226’s we had in 40S&W seemed to have more failures and parts breakage (if I were to believe the officers carrying them and the range staff - I never carried or owned one).
My vote goes to the 9mm 226, make sure you get the short reset trigger as well.
I have all of the Sigs you’ve mentioned in multiples except for the 229 (only one of these). Concealing a 226 and/or a 220 isn’t a problem for me with a Milt Sparks VM-2 and quite comfortably too.
The 220 doesn’t fit my hand as nicely as either of your other two options but that doesn’t seem to lessen its accuracy.
What do you feel more comfortable with? Which caliber are you willing to trust with your life? The 226 has the capacity but if you’re stuck with subsonic 147 grain loads, I wouldn’t consider it. 124 +p is a different story altogether. If weight is a concern, all of the additional 220 mags to provide equal capacity will be heavier but will also take up valuable space on your service belt.
Only you can make this decision. As others have said… try to shoot, handle, holster, fondle all three of your options. You probably can’t go wrong. Hopefully, you’ll end up with the one that is most right for you.
Finally, thank you for putting your life on the line to protect and keep the rest of us safe.
“The 226 has the capacity but if you’re stuck with subsonic 147 grain loads, I wouldn’t consider it. 124 +p is a different story altogether.”
That comment does NOT make sense, as modern robust expanding 147 gr loads have proven to work VERY well in voluminous OIS incidents. The Winchester 147 gr (RA9T) and Federal HST 147 gr (P9HST2) JHP’s are the most common loads in this area and have established a near perfect terminal performance record in multiple OIS incidents. The Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P and Win 127 gr +P+ (RA9TA) JHP’s are also relatively common and have performed as well as, but not better than the 147 gr loads.
In addition, after extensive independent testing the FBI has once again selected a 147 gr for their 9mm issue load–the Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP.
The following loads all demonstrate outstanding terminal performance and can be considered acceptable for duty/self-defense use:
9 mm:
Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
DocGKR: Just my preference. I prefer the 125 grain 357SIG round. When I’m carrying 9mm, I go with the Speer GDHP 124 grain +p. Aside from a couple hundred FPS, these two rounds are very similar.
Yup, the .357 Sig is just a slightly faster 9 mm. If you look at equivalent projectiles (ie. 9 mm 124 gr Gold Dot vs. .357 Sig 125 gr Gold Dot), penetration and expansion is essentially identical across the spectrum of IWBA and FBI intermediate barrier testing protocols. The .357 Sig has more pressure, blast, flash and recoil with smaller magazine capacity…I prefer the 9 mm or going up in caliber to a .40 S&W.
I have carried both, but now am now issued the 229 in .357 and Love it. If I was buying my own I would be getting a 229 with the short reset trigger.
I would get the “R” one with the Rail.
Dave
Sorry for disappearing guys. I have been on the road for a few days. I have looked forward to your responses to this thread. I unfortunately have to hit the road again. I will try to respond to your posts by tomorrow. I am learning a lot here.
If you decide you want a rail and SRT trigger, consider the “Elite.” No handgun in my safe gets as much love from me as this gun, the rest are for the most part, taking up useful space.
W/Sig grip panels…
