P229-CARRY

On the cusp of the Texas Firearms Festival, SIG SAUER (one of the main exhibitors) is announcing that they have sliced off the nose of their P229 handgun. Originally designed as a more concealed carry friendly version of the iconic P226 the gun was still a little big for some buyers, but the new version is about as small as you can get before you start falling into the “mouse gun” category. Press release after the jump . . .

NEWINGTON, N.H. (November 12, 2015) — SIG SAUER, Inc., is now offering the P229® Carry chambered in .40 and .357SIG. These reduced-length pistols maintain the standard grip length and magazine capacity as the standard P229, but with a shortened slide and barrel length.

Available in Nitron® and SAS models, the P229 Carry features a non-railed alloy frame and durable Nitron finished slide. SIGLITE® Night Sights come standard. Black G-10 grips offer a stout grip, even when wet.

The 3.5˝ barrel makes the P229 Carry easy to draw from concealment or a duty rig. Ideal for inside the waistband (IWB) carry, the P229 Carry uses standard length, full capacity P229 magazines, making it a great back-up choice.

“As we’ve worked with armed professionals over the years, we kept hearing comments about shorter slides and barrels, but with full-size magazines and grips,” said John Brasseur, Director of Product Management for SIG SAUER, Inc. “This combination offers advantages in certain low visibility applications. One benefit of our New Hampshire-based facility is that we can adapt new designs very efficiently to meet the needs of our users in the field.”

The Nitron model features a DA/SA trigger and the full set of internal safeties found in all Classic SIG SAUER® pistols. The SAS model features the Short Reset Trigger system (SRT™) and has had the SIG Anti-Snag® treatment applied, where all sharp corners and hard edges have been rounded, making for a more comfortable gun to conceal.

Both the Nitron and SAS P229 Carry models are shipping now in .40 and .357SIG. A caliber X-Change™ kit will also be available to convert .40 and .357SIG variants to 9mm.

MSRP is $1,142 for the new gun. I wonder if they will have it at the Texas Firearms Festival…

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40 COMMENTS

  1. Very interesting that it only comes in .40 and .357Sig. I’d be all over it if it were available in 9MM. I’m not really interested in dropping money on it and then having to turn around and buy their caliber X-Change kit.

    • Pop a 9mm P224 slide/conversion on it. Is it just a P224 with a P229-length grip, or is it a P229 with a P224-length frame+slide? Does it really matter?

      • If you look at the specs for a p224 you’ll see that the new 229 Carry is just a 224 with 9/10ths of an inch longer grip. Very smart of Sig. They can use most all of the same parts, magazines and such while producing a much better platfom than the 224. Mine is arriving later this week.

        If you compare the final package, you get a 1.3 inch wide pistol with a full size grip that allows you to shoot it well. The p225 is virtually the same width but a single stack and the regular 229 is 1.5 inches thick. The 224 always was available with a 12 round extended magazine with a sleeve on it….. Guess what those dimentions turn out to be…. yep, identicle to the 229 carry.

  2. This seems backwards to me. The part that you have to work to conceal is the grip, because that’s the part that extends above your belt and away from your body. That’s where shorter is better for concealment.

    • I will never understand the attraction to horizontal shoulder holsters. They’re not classy at all (unlike a vertical shoulder holster), and you’re muzzling everyone behind you constantly. I can understand someone who carries OWB or appendix wanting a short barrel, though.

      • Me too man, IMHO drawing from a horizontal shoulder rig needs a really low collar, if not an unzipped/unbuttoned jacket, which kinda defeats the concealment the outerwear affords

  4. The P224 also has a 3.5″ barrel, but the smaller, more easily concealed grip. Will they be using P224 barrels. Note that if you have a P224, the 9mm, .357SIG and .40S&W barrels use the same slide and recoil spring.

  5. What the heck. It seems like all it is is a regular P229 except they removed the pic rail and lopped off the front part of the frame. That’s not much of a change. According to sig’s website, it seems like the weight INCREASED a few ounces (better alloy?), but all the other dimensions are exactly the same. You would think that they would have also changed the slide length as well.

  6. They already have a P239, bringing back the P225, and various smaller frame polymer models. Who is running their R&D?

  7. Shorter grips matter, a shorter slide much less so. SIG knows this as they designed their C3 1911 around the idea. I honestly don’t who thinks a shorter barrel with a standard grip is useful or even sensible.

    I’m open to enlightenment though. What is the advantage of this set up in low visibility settings?

    • True operators use the newly invented operational vert carry. Instead of going barrel down into a holster, slowing your operating, you go barrel up with the grip inserted into the holster. That way when you are sliding across the floor as the pigeons fly by in slow motion, the barrel is pointing up at opfor. You of course need the tactical pants with the special remote trigger function as well to perform this operational maneuver.

      • Pshhh… Not operator enough for me. Let me know when it comes with night vision and a rail mounted launcher.

      • John Woo uses doves, NOT pigeons. Your cinephile credentials just got pulled and you’ve lost your LA privileges.

  8. while this cut down P229 isn’t for me I would have happily considered the P225-A1 if the price had been a little lower, say around $700 retail. I know that it’ll eventually reach what I consider a reasonable price in a year or two and I might get one then.

  9. It looks like they pinched the slide stop and de-cocker from the legion series. That and they went no rail, while refusing to make a standard p226/p229 without it. And they went with the thing(short reach trigger) that everyone with even a medium sized hand seems to hate.

      • SIG has a short reach trigger, and a short reset trigger (a.k.a.: SRT). They are two different things that are often confused because of similar names and they produce the same acronym. While no one really complains about the short reset trigger, some, including myself, prefer the fatter standard reach trigger with which they used to equip their guns.

  10. Everyone keeps saying that the shorter snout is useless compared to a chopped grip; Am I the only one who hates getting jabbed in the gut when appendix carrying? I could conceal a glock 33rd mag against my front, but anything longer than a g26 nose makes me have to compromise between getting pushed in the gut when sitting, or riding the barrel lower so I look a little too excited to see people.

    • I appendix carry a Sig P229 and I can carry all day, drive the car and do everything with no discomfort. The ONLY thing is taking a leak. When I lower the zipper and reach in, there is a barrel in the way and it takes a little some shuffling to get at things.

      • Ha. Nothing like cold steel against your wang… I don’t appendix carry, but I think the shorter grip has advantages for some. I hate it when my cheek gets pinched between my pocket knife and the end of the slide. Does anyone else have this issue?

  11. My initial inclination was to like the hell out of this. But the further I looked and read into it, I got annoyed. Issue one: no 9mm variant out of the gate. It’s personal preference, but it’s nice to be able to get more range time in for the same amount of money (cents/shot). Issue two: G10 grips on this, but the plasticky sandpaper grips on the current E2 series P229’s? SIG, please take the R&D time and refine what you have first. Issue three: where does this really fit in their lineup? A non-railed P229? I’ll take an M11A1, at 7 dollars more MSRP. Shorter barrel, why not a P239? Actually the P239 barrel is 0.1 longer, come to think of it. It also has the less prominent hammer. Pass.

  12. Been wanting this out of Glock forever. A G19/23 size 2nd gen frame with a G26/27 size stainless slide. Nobody from Glock must read any gun blogs.

  14. Is it just me or does Sig have a hopelessly confused product line? Just in the 20 something comments so far people mentioned p224, 225, 225-a1, 226, 229 and probably some more. Then they come out with nightmare versions, desert versions, and whatever else. Their production line must be the actual nightmare.

    • I spoke to a LGS salesman who said Sig had hired 4-5 guys from Kimber, whose goal was to expand Sig sales, by what he referred to as, Sig goes Starbucks. Endless unique variations for people who don’t know what they want. Swell. Anyone here know if my LGS salesman is speaking truth?

  16. How many folks crapping on this idea are currently carrying p229s? Or have ever?

    Anyone?

    I (currently, have always, still do) carry a p229 in an OWB holster. I happen to like .40. I don’t recommend it to a lot of folks, but after I spent the money to get over the snappiness of the round I refuse to flip over to 9 mm. We’ve made peace with each other, I’m stickin’ with it.

    And many of us that are larger and can carry these meatier guns concealed, we tend to hate the market trend of tiny grips and floating pinkies. And really limited magazine counts.

    But obviously, something’s gotta give if you want better concealability. Muzzle length is worth considering. So really, Sig made a pistol that possibly fits me and probably a few tens of thousands of other .40/.357 p229 peeps pretty well. So why the hate?

    • Personally, I don’t give a rats ass about the hate. Most of them don’t carry a P229 in .40 like you and I do.
      I’m 5.8 and around 160 lbs and I have no problem at all carrying my firearm concealed with total comfort. I have shot all kinds of rounds from .22 up to and including .44 magnum. .40 was just what I wanted and the most important thing, I can hit with it and I carry it. Everything else is inconsequential. Pick a gun, pick a caliber, practice with it and carry it. THAT is what matters. It makes no difference if it’s a S&W, Ruger, GLOCK, Sig, Springfield or whatever floats your boat. For the huge majority of the folks out there, pick one, practice with it and carry it. That’s whats important.

  17. Make it a 9mm and I’m all over it. Hell, I currently use Model 19 magazines (with a slide-on collar adapter) in my Glock Model 26. It’s the perfect size for those of us with large hands who want short barrels for carry. Short grips, on the other hand, are for pygmies. (Oh, I’m sorry…am I being too politically incorrect?)

  18. I’ve bought 2 of these 229 Cary SAS 3.5″, I think they’re great, with both the short reach trigger and the thin G-10 Grip my small stubby hand and short trigger finger finally fit a Sig Hand Gun. The gun reacts well and without the stupid rail the weight feels great to me but then I don’t care for all the junk mounted on my weapons. I own 2 other older P229 Nitron’s one with the E2 Ergo grip and the other with a G-10 grip and really all 4 guns shoot about the same. I personally favor shorter guns because they’re lighter.
    The only thing I’ve always wondered is why Sig just didn’t make the 226 in the shorter version. The gun is thinner than the 226 and has larger capacity mags, I use the Mec-Gar 15(226) and 14(229) round mags.
    Anyway I like the 3.5″ barrel and the 229 Carry SAS 3.5″ pistol. I’ll be glad when some after market products are released, like different colored grips(no it’s not the same, the screw holes are different) or maybe SS guide rods. All in all really great gun, for me anyway.

  19. They only shortened the barrel (and by extension I guess the slide) by .3″? Hardly seems worth it. And I can’t even find this on Sig’s web site. Limited Edition indeed. And Sig needs to get over this SRT crap for *carry* guns. Stupid stupid stupid.

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