Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	SIG SAUER GmbH & Co. KG More Info

About the Gun

The P229 is a compact double-stack pistol offered in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .357 SIG. It features a stainless steel slide on a black hard-coat anodized aluminum alloy frame with the short-recoil locked-breech operating system and DA/SA trigger with decocker. It was the first pistol manufactured at SIG Sauer’s Exeter, New Hampshire facility. Variants include configurations with and without an accessory rail, fixed combat sights or SIGLITE night sights, two-tone and Equinox finishes. Select models are equipped with Crimson Trace laser grips.

Production

Limited Custom Shop production from 1998 through 2005.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $1,400 – $1,700. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $1,100 – $1,600.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	357 SIG
Alias:	N/A
More Info

Analysis

The P229 Sport was developed as a target and competition variant of the compact P229, adding a heavy barrel assembly to reduce muzzle flip and improve stability during rapid fire. The stainless steel barrel weight adds forward mass without extending the actual rifled barrel length, which remains approximately 4.8 inches in both the standard and compensated versions. The compensated variant features a port in the weight to vent gases upward. Introduced in 1998 and produced in very limited numbers through the early 2000s as part of SIG Sauer’s Mastershop / Custom Shop offerings in .40 S&W and 357 SIG, these models represent an early precision-focused evolution of the P229 platform before the later introduction of Elite and other competition models.