Sig P229 DA/SA: An Old Favorite

I bought a Sig P229 9mm DA/SA in 2009. I liked the weight, the balance, and overall build quality.

The bore axis is a bit high so muzzle flip is a bit more pronounced than it probably should be in a 9mm semi-auto.

But no matter how much I tried to love the Sig I just never shot it well. My grip seemed slightly different each time, and my shots invariably ended up low and left.

I tried compensating but that's a never-ending downward vortex of badness.

So I'd shoot it, shoot poorly, put it away, and shoot the Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm compact instead.

Until this December, when I finally decided to do something about it.

I ordered Trijicon night sights and Hogue Aluminum grips.

After a quick sight install by a local gunsmith (Thanks Kinsey's Outdoor Store in Elizabethtown, PA!) the grips arrived. Replacing the stock grips was easy and the new grips lined up perfectly (it looks as if it's one solid piece of aluminum).

A few days of dry-fire in the basement and I started to have some confidence in the new setup.

Finally I had some time to shoot at the indoor range. After a few shots from the Browning Buck Mark, I lined up the Sig with Magtech lead-nosed 9mm ammo (required for our indoor range).

What a difference....

I feel like the gun is welded to my arm, rapid re-sighting is a breeze, and sight alignment is spot-on.

This is now my favorite shooter.

While it's a bit heavy for everyday concealed, it works well as a house and open-carry woods gun.

I'm also a fan of the DA/SA action, as it permits frequent dry-fire practice (no need to rack the slide after each trigger pull as with a DA-only striker fired pistol).

-------------------------UPDATE-------------------------------

I wrote this review a while ago and have added a few new pistols to the fleet. My current favorite all-around (carry and range) is my Commander-size Springfield Armory Range Officer Elite 1911 in .45ACP. It conceals well with winter clothing, shots great, has been flawless shooting reloads and factory ammo after about a 500 round break-in period, and breaks down easily for cleanup (now that I know the peculiarities of this setup).

I enjoy shooting my full-size 1911 but the slight difference in length makes the RO Elite a bit easier to conceal and carry.

I still carry the Walther PPS when I need deep concealment.

The Smith & Wesson M&P 9c (compact) is still a great gun, I just carry it less frequently. It's thicker than the 1911s or PPS, so doesn't conceal well (for me). The S&W M&P 9mm 5" is a great shooting handgun, but it and the Sig 320 XFive are too big for concealment.

So the Sig 229 remains a nightstand pistol. I shoot it enough to remain proficient but it's starting to show it's age relative to how much progress has been made in striker-fired pistols since 2009.