https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/brass-tacks-sig-sauer-p229-legion-9mm/BY TOM MCHALE MAY 1, 2018
What?
While the Sig Sauer P229 has been around for 52% of forever, the Legion series is just a couple of years old. The idea behind Legion is simple. Take the basic and tweak appropriate features for serious users.
The Legion adds the following. It contains a Gray Guns designed trigger assembly which not only smooths out the feel, provides a crisp break, but also reduces pull weight. This one measures 8 ½ pounds for double-action and 4 pounds for single-action.
The sights are also upgraded. The X-RAY3 sights feature a large fiber optic dot on the front with a Tritium insert. The rear sights are notch-style with serrations to reduce glare. The notch is flanked by small Tritium vials.
Accuracy is stellar. Almost every ammo tested grouped below two inches for five shots at 25 yards.
Like the traditional P229 models, it’s a double-action, single-action design. There’s no safety lever – just a decocker. The longer and heavier first trigger press acts like a revolver, requiring a deliberate action to fire the first shot. Subsequent shots operate in single-action. If you don’t fire a full magazine and need to reholster, just flip the decocking lever down to safely drop the hammer and return to double-action mode.
There are other upgrades like spiffy G10 grips, forward slide cocking serrations and improved checkering on the grip and underneath the trigger guard to prevent support hand slippage.
It ships with three 15-round magazines but considering the “all business” intent of this pistol, you’ll want more.
With its gray finish and G10 grips, it’s an attractive pistol too.
So What?
Here’s what’s interesting about the Sig Sauer P229 Legion.
The sights are truly fantastic. Some sights are good in daylight. Others are good in lower light. Some work great against light backgrounds, while others (fiber optic for example) show brightly against dark backgrounds. These are highly functional against most any background in any ambient light condition. The large front dot really jumps into vision.
The trigger also shines. Part of the Gray Guns design is a special short action reset feature. Normal P229 pistols reset after about 3/8ths of an inch of forward travel. This one resets in just 1/8th of an inch. If you shoot for speed using the reset, you’ll love this trigger.
Reliability is boringly consistent. I’ve put over 2,000 rounds through the pistol shown here with near 20 types and styles of 9mm ammo. I’m still waiting for the very first malfunction of any kind.
Overall, you’ll feel the differences. Like a fine car where the doors make a satisfying yet subtle “click” when you shut them, the P229 Legion just oozes quality.
Tom McHale is a committed learning junkie always seeking a new subject victim. As a lifelong student of whatever grabs his attention on any particular day, he thrives on beating rabbit trails into submission. In between his time as a high-tech marketing executive, restaurant owner, and hamster cosmetology practitioner, he’s published seven books and nearly 1,500 articles about guns, shooting, and the American way.
