Sometimes what’s old doesn’t have to become new again to be popular — sometimes stuff just never goes out of style. Just look at the internal combustion engine. Its basic design is over 100 years old, and it’ll still get you to the Golden Corral before the Baptists get there.

It’s even better when a time-proven design is tweaked and refined into a greater state of usefulness, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Such is the case with SIG’s steel-framed P series of pistols — most notably the P226 and its compact cousin, the P229 (the subject of our review). These designs have been around for decades, yet remain perennially popular among all walks of shooters.

There’s a sharp distinction between these older hammer-fired steel-frame pistols and SIG’s newer polymer-framed striker-fired lineup, the P320 and P365 series. There’s a world of info and opinions out there on these new blasters, and they’re great guns as long as they don't go off when they please.

Now then, what’s a hulking steel-framed wunder-blaster got to offer in today’s polymer world? Plenty. Let’s review the ins and outs of the 9mm Sig Sauer P229 to help you make the most informed buying decision.

What Is the Sig Sauer P229?

In original trim, the P229 is an undoubtedly classic gun in every sense of the word. In fact, (almost) all of SIG’s steel-framed P Series guns are classics. We’re not gushing just to gush, either. The Sig P229 is a truly reliable, steel-framed 9mm handgun with respectable capacity for modern firearms (huge capacity for when they were released). Plus, it’s ergonomic as a glove, and like lots of German-made stuff, has timeless styling.

A Double-Action/Single-Action Wonder

There are loads of variations of the P229, but at its core, it’s a hammer-fired, double-action/single-action (DA/SA) handgun. The double action component means that a pull of the trigger accomplishes two actions when the hammer is down (cocks the hammer then releases it) and one with the hammer cocked (drops the hammer). Hammer-fired and single-action guns are noted for their smooth, easy trigger pull and here, the P229 delivers. There are other variants with different trigger types, but the majority are DA/SA.

Ergonomic As Hell

The P229’s all-steel nature is a bit chonky by today’s standards. They’re generally pushing 30 ounces and are an inch-plus wide. Many popular concealed carry guns today are less than an inch, which matters when you’re carrying inside the waistband (IWB). Width is a non-issue if you carry outside the waistband, though, or use the gun for home defense. In fact, extra girth and weight are a boon because they add mass to the gun, reducing felt recoil, and permitting faster follow-up shots.

Most of the P229’s stats are totally comparable among modern peers, except weight and thickness.

Sig Sauer P229 Specs

SIG P229 Variants

A quick glance at the company’s lineup reveals that SIG has always been in step with market trends. What began with one pistol has now grown into a lineup of five, including the Classic to the heavily tuned Legion, and the all-out custom Pro model. There’s something for everyone from the fuddiest Fudd to the biggest John Wick wannabes. The newest models have cuts for standard-sized red dot sights for full-sized handguns, picatinny rails, flat-faced trigger with custom work, slide lightening cuts, and G10 grips.

No matter which P229 you choose, it’s gonna hold 15 rounds in the mag and deliver a world of confidence into your hands. It's a brand and series that has proven its performance across decades around the globe. But how does SIG manage to keep its steel-framed P series alive with today’s plastic fantastic wunderblasters? Simple: the guns just work.

Like classic cars (and wine, we’re told), some things get better with age. Such is the case with the P229. Yes, loads of other pistols on the market carry 15+ rounds of ammo, and are lighter, thinner, smaller, whatever, but do they have the proven heritage, legacy, and the pure masculine energy of the SIG P229? Negative.

P229 Operation & Details

Again, the SIG P229 is a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) pistol. It’s built to be a combat sidearm, so no expense was spared in making it stout and reliable in all conditions. In M11-A1 trim, the P229 served as a sidearm for the United States military, and other P Series handguns have served as sidearms for military and police forces worldwide since their debut. A track record this long speaks volumes for the gun’s design and popularity among shooters.

Its DA/SA trigger offers a layer of safety with the heavier double-action pull needed to make it go boom before settling into the crisp single-action pull. This feature made it a hit with police departments that had trigger pull requirements for safety (as if making a gun harder to fire accurately is going to make it safer).

Outwardly you’ll also notice the takedown lever and decocker (on some models). Taking the P229 down to clean is a matter of dropping the mag, ensuring the chamber is empty, pulling the slide rearward, turning the take down lever, and letting the slide forward in a controlled manner.

Different models of P229 have different grips, triggers, and sights, but rest assured all are absolutely top notch, and partly why these guns cost about a grand each. If nothing else, Germans are known for doing things meticulously.

Shooting the SIG P229: Performance Review

As dumb as it might sound, shooting is where the P229 shines. Sure it’s a gun (and shooting is what they do) but too many of today's ultralight, sub-micro-mini-compact pocket rockets are downright painful to shoot, let alone shoot well.

As always, there’s a tradeoff between shootability and concealability; the easier a gun is to hide, the harder it is to shoot. The P229 resides firmly on the “easy to shoot” side of the spectrum, even surpassing larger peers.

An Honored Son of the P226

Recall that the P229 is a chopped down version of the full-size P226. Back in the ‘90s, there wasn’t much engineering manpower spent devising the next great concealable pistol. Most of the time, duty guns designed for police or military contracts were shortened and called “compacts,” and later marketed to civilians. However, born from the full-size P226, the P229 retained 90% of the former’s shootability. We can’t say the same for many compact polymer-framed guns, which are endowed with about 50% of that sweet shootability.

Excellent German Engineering

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of spending more than a minute under the hood of an Audi, VW, BMW or other Teutonic automobile, you’ll know the Germans do things a bit differently. Things that are straightforward on a domestic model seem like a Rube Goldberg contraption on a German counterpart. But, for as “odd” as German-engineered stuff can be, it can never be called crap — and they never do things halfway.

The P229 is no exception. The internal controls are all impeccably polished and finished, the grip and slide are expertly machined, and the sum of these parts add up to one durable, superbly shooting (and freakishly accurate) handgun. If you buy a P229, it will be in your family for generations.

Pure, Reliable Functionality

Most importantly, every iteration of the P229 is reliable without question. No matter what you feed it, if the ammo is within spec, the P229 will eat it up and spit it out with admirable regularity. The weight of the P229 keeps recoil extremely manageable, and when combined with the ergonomics, it’s one of the most controllable guns of its size. It simply excels at what it was designed to do.

SIG P229 Upgrades

Because the P229 has been around for so long and enjoyed so much popularity, it’s amassed an ample aftermarket. However, because the P229 has so much solid engineering, there’s not a lot available in quick drop-in items like triggers. While these do exist, they’re mainly variations on the trigger style and shape — besides, an out-of-the-box P229 has an excellent trigger already.

That said, there are a lot of options in the grips. SIG offers a handful of P229 models, each a little different. You can perfectly tailor your P229 with the addition of G10, wood, rubber, or various plastic grips. Some grip upgrades give you a better hold on the gun (rubber) and others give your gun a bit of visual flair (G10).

Keeping with today’s trends, SIG offers two P229 variants with a cutout on the slide for a mini red dot sight. You can now also find companies that can mill a cutout for your P229 after the fact.

Finally, because it’s a duty/carry gun, there are a world of holsters available for the P229. Leather, Kydex, plastic, inside the waistband, outside the waistband, and more can all be found.

Final Thoughts

As awesome as the P229 is, it’s not without fault. Heck, no gun is. It’s a homerun where it is absolutely critical (reliability), but compared to today’s polymer-framed subcompacts, it falls short as a concealed carry piece because of its size and weight. These days you can get a gun that holds more bullets, weighs less, and costs less than the P229. But it won’t have the heirloom appeal or soul of an all-steel Bavarian blaster.

Many of the P229’s contemporaries have been relegated to the dustbin of shooting (*cough* Ruger P89) but the SIG P229 has a timeless look and feel that won’t go out of style anytime soon. Plus, SIG continues to evolve the lineup to keep in step with what shooters want. In today’s world, the SIG P229 is a fantastic candidate for home defense pistol or concealed carry gun, being:

• Flawlessly reliable
• Very shootable
• Boasting good capacity at 15+1
• Decently concealable (with the right holster and clothing)

Whether or not you’ve got a P229, you need some ammo to put it to good use. Look no further. At Pro Armory, we’ve got good quality ammo you can afford that ships fast. Browse our collection of 9mm ammo in small boxes and bulk cases to save money on plinking and self defense ammo today.

Plus, keep your eyes peeled for online training. We’ll give you the ins and outs of becoming a better marksman, teach you how to up your tactical game, and keep you frosty as a legally armed citizen. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when training officially launches.