I unfortunately had to sell my G19 for personal reasons and am looking to upgrade with its replacement. I carried it every day and want a compact frame to continue ease of carry. The only thing I want that was different from my G19 is to step up in caliber. I’m looking to move to a 40 cal because it’s readily available and is not as expensive as .45 (I’m waiting for a 1911 to be my .45).
Anywho…both the p229 and P30 feel fantastic in the hand and feel very natural. However there is a downside to both. I’m not too much of a fan of the bore height of the p229 seeing how I just came from a G19 which has a very low profile. Also I find the weight might eventually get annoying, but then again I could get used to it. With the P30 I’m not a fan of the mag release and the fact that HK mags are crazy expensive.
I don’t want this to be a debate of which manufacturer is better because we all know both Sig and HK are fantastic weapon manufacturers that have huge faithful followings. I’m more curious to see if anyone else has been in my position and which choice they made and why.
Yes, I’ve been in your position many, many times in the past 25 years. I’ve owned many HK’s, Many Sigs’s and a whole host of other designs. And I am right back to the Glocks. My ccw for the past 4-5 years has been a G19. I too had to sell off a Glock due $$$ problems. The one I sold was the G17, the G19 is not going anywhere. Now that I reached somewhat of $$$ relief I am now planning on getting another G17 in the next few months.
Let me say this; GET another G19. After traveling many roads many different times I keep coming home to the Glock, in paticular the G19 (#1) the G17 (#2) and the G26 (#3). If for some reason I could not own another Glock my second choice would be a near tie between the M&P9 and the HK P30, everything else would follow.
It is your choice, your money but if your path mimincs mine as closely as it sounds you will most assurdley end up back to Glock anyway.
Well seeing how it’s my home/personal defense pistol, I want something with a little more power behind it than a 9mm. I’ve had about 2 years behind a 9mm and feel comfortable with going up in caliber since I’ve done well with larger caliber pistols that my friends own at the range.
Unfortunately I can’t really go with another Glock due to personal reasons as stated before. I don’t want to go into details but my soon to be fiance is not a fan of the G19 in particular for reasons I’d not like to discuss. So to avoid making her uncomfortable, I’m going to stay away from Glocks for the time being. Fortunately being the wonderful girl she is, she has no problem with me replacing it with something else.
First off, between choice - P30 hands down. As for your drawbacks regarding the P30, the mag release is easily mastered and once mastered, many typically find it faster than your traditional push button magazine release. As for magazine price, around here (Ohio) P30 mags run ~$31.00 per and your typical Glock magazine runs ~$24.00. Sorry, but the price difference in magazines is a non-issue.
I used to be a fan of Sig; however, in recent years, their anodized frames seem to self destruct if you don’t coat them with 5 lbs of slide glide. The Sig requires way too much maintenance to be a viable option for me.
Don’t fall victim to the caliber debate. There’s a lot of .40 S&W haters here. That is them, not you. If you want a .40 then get it. I am one of those who actually like the .40 S&W and as a matter of fact, my EDC and duty weapon is a P30S V3 .40 S&W. Love it!!
Well I feel stupid…I just did a search and found some pretty good prices on the mags. I don’t know why I thought they were up there with the price of USPC mags (which was something I was looking at for a while). My buddy owns a USPC 45 and every time I look for mags for him at the gun shows, I can’t find them for under $60!
I’ve read rumors about Sig frames fracturing however I chalked it up to be one of those harsh rumors that was started because of one or two recorded occurrences. Can anyone else claim to that happening?
I found myself in a similar situation. I have a Sig 226 that is being upgraded to a HK P30s. I had been considering a M&P 40FS but the P30’s ability to customize the grip just that much more, plus the glowing reviews by some people I trust, sold me on it.
I also had some worries about the higher bore that both seem to have compared to the M&P or Glock, but I figure between proper training and the ability to change the grip angle by putting the largest backstrap on should solve the issue.
Just my .02. I hope you find one that will work well for you.
Early 226’s (1980’s) experienced some slide rail cracking, usually after high usage. At my department, Sig replaced the guns with no questions. I haven’t heard of anything since
OP I carried a P229 for over 10 years on duty. The pistol never let me down. I have shot HK pistols but never owned one so I will not bash them. My department switched to Glock, only because the 229 had reached the end of service life!
The P229 in .40 is a very nice gun, but I prefer the mag release on the HK. I trust the HK more as well (with no empirical data to back this up). Also, the P30 just may very well be the most perfect feeling pistol I’ve ever put my hands on.