Is the Sig P229 Legion worth the extra money?

In my opinion, yes. BUT.

In terms of trigger between the standard Legion and my standard Nitrin with SRT I didnt notice any improvement, the Legion maybe felt a little smoother, but not worth the extra cash.

But in my hands, the beavertail and undercut are absolutely worth it, makes a standard 229 or 226 go from, "eh, ok, workable" to pure "almost 1911 comfort" joy in my hands.

Not sure why the Elite doesnt feel quite as nice to me, possibly the longer beavertail doesnt fit as well, but I also much prefer the Elite frame to the standard.

Much as I like my Legion, however, the finish does not hold up nearly as well as the nitron. Mine has held up pretty well in 6 months of carry, but it still is showing more wear than my 229 nitron that I carried for a while after it spent a few years in a LEO holster. So if finish is a thing for you, the Legion is a clear downgrade.

In my opinion, no. But there are some nice features on the Legion pistols. Most of these can be added to a regular Nitron P229 and that is what I have done.

If you really want a beavertail, the miniaturized decocker and slide stop levers, and the frame and slide modifications found on the Legion, then it is probably worth the price. I found a number of the Legion features undesirable, so I much preferred modifying Nitron P229s to suit.

I do like the short reset trigger kit and the Grayguns P-SAIT trigger that comes on the Legions and both can easily be added to a Nitron P229. I also like the G10 grips and the SIG X Ray sights, but again, these can both be added to a Nitron version. OK, the G10 grips wound be exactly the same and won't have the "lambda" medallion but they will be functionally equivalent. The one frame modification on the Legion that has some appeal to me is the mild frame relief cut at the rear of the trigger guard. But when I shot a Legion pistol back to back with my Nitron P229s I did not find that this made any functional difference in how well I shot the pistol.

Legion features I do not care for:

The grey PVD finish which has been spotty and not sufficiently durable for some Legion owners. Interestingly, SIG Sauer seems to have finally acknowledged this as a problem for some and new Legion pistols will now have a Cerakote finish.

The beavertail. I know some people think it is the cat's meow. It does not help me and only adds weight, additional length, and snag potential.

The miniaturized controls. I have never had any problem with the standard control levers and find them much easier to use, especially the slide stop lever, than the small controls on the Legions.

The other frame and slide modifications I am ambivalent about. I really have no use for front slide cocking serrations and feel that the pistol has a cleaner appearance without them. I also see no value in the checkering at the front of the trigger guard and I found that the additional checkering on the front strap really made no difference.

I prefer the cleaner appearance of a no-rail frame and a Legacy-style, short exactor slide, neither of which are available on the Legion P229.

I think so but that is up to each individual as to what the extras are worth. The sights, grips, trigger, and frame under cut are appreciated by a lot of shooters and they seem to sell well. I would not hesitate to buy one ifI was looking for a new P229. It is good to have more models of pistols available to buy.

Personally, I like the look, feel, and little additions that come with the Legion series versus the standard guns. To me $400 extra to get the variant I really want isn't too much to ask.

If you can get the same features for the money, I would love to know from where.

I have to think the frame undercut alone (adding in the refinishing) would be more than $400.

I have the Legion P229 in .357 and it's one of my EDCs.

The guns are great, and a great value for the money. The whole "legion" nonsense was another Sig blunder in my opinion. No mystique or exclusivity, just overpriced accessories.

As someone who owns both a P226 and P229 Legion, I'd say bypass them. Are they nice guns? Absolutely. Do they shoot reliably and accurately? Of course they do. Are there some extra "features" that aren't on some of the others in the P226/P229 line? Yes. Are they worth the shocking price premium over other available models? Nope. The things that I like about the Legions are down to the sights, the undercut and checkered front strap, the profile of the beaver tail which does seem to allow for a higher grip, and the smaller controls for the slide stop and de-cocker. As mentioned above, the finish isn't quite as durable as standard Sig Nitron. I carried my P229 for a stretch and it definitely shows wear on the high corners of the muzzle and around the trigger guard where it locks into the holster (I use a Blackpoint Tactical Mini Wing). The SRT trigger is no different than that of any other sig with the SRT kit. I do like the physical trigger itself as it feels better under my finger than the standard wide flat trigger that Sig typically uses. The only reason I bought my two Legions were because they were at a killer price (bought from a friend who is a private FFL) and I had some discretionary income to play with at that moment in time.

I will add, for the SAO Legion models my answer is YES.

They are fantastic and the flat trigger really works better for me over the curved SAO triggers that have been available on other models.

JR24 said:

I will add, for the SAO Legion models my answer is YES.

They are fantastic and the flat trigger really works better for me over the curved SAO triggers that have been available on other models.

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I've been debating over this and a CZ TSO or Shadow 2 for some time.

I really like both, but don't actually need another 9mm.

460Shooter said:

I've been debating over this and a CZ TSO or Shadow 2 for some time.

I really like both, but don't actually need another 9mm.

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The CZs will very likely have a nicer trigger, IMO, I just find both the ergonomics (with beavertail and undercut) and safety location (critical on a SAO) more "1911 like" on the SIG. I also like that the 226 SAO is a bit smaller and pretty easy for me to carry, YMMV of course.

Michael A Ferber said:

I'll stick with old blue for another year or two. Again, thank you all... MikeView attachment 826293

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Probably a good call, old blue looks solid. My wife loves the E2 grips on my (her) 229, I prefer something a bit thicker

Unless you want a nice challenge coin or legionnaire humidor.....no.
If you are patient you can buy (or send an already owned gun) to grayguns and get a better gun cheaper.

Also they no longer have the grayguns trigger, they use a ( supposedly exclusive) mim unit made in house now.

I agree that the whole legion thing was a huge misstep, an attempt to get the snobbery back up to HK levels, after it took a hit when they had to start making polymer guns to keep a decent market share. I love the 220/226/229 guns btw and not knocking sig nor HK. When fans are adamant (fanboys as this site tends to call them) that's fine to me. But when the company pushes for it and even charges for it, its a bit of a negative, to me at least.


Eta... my main problem with it is this, all the "improvements" made to the legion are drop in parts made in house and assembled by the same folks who make the others. The parts cost no more, so if they are such an improvement shouldn't a company who claims to be for professionals, and strives for the best product, put those improvements in all their guns? Its not like it's a hand fitted, custom blued and engraved piece. Those things cost extra. Nothing in the legion should. Except maybe the finish but while it looks nice new, no one who actually uses their gun is happy with it anyway.

Meet my 'Halfbreed' it's a p229 Legion RX caliber conversion on one of my well-worn p229 carries (with a perfect trigger) I figure I saved around $600 getting the conversion kit although it is still expensive:



And I just realized you have to have already purchased a Legion pistol to be able to get this. I have a Legion p226 in .40. Personally, I agree with most of the comments above. I do not think buying a Legion is a cost-effective move. Confession, I AM a Sig fanboy and my p226 Legion is basically a safe queen. I have two primary carry Sigs (and many others), the 'Halbreed' above and an identical (before the xchange kit) p229 which also has a perfect trigger. Both of these p229s were originally refurbed turn-ins and I have been extremely happy with them over the last 12-15 years

The SRT kit is pretty easy to install and you can still get a real P-SAIT trigger as was originally installed on the SIG P22x DA/SA pistols from Grayguns, although Bruce Gray now calls it the "P22x CT Classic Standard Trigger". This trigger has a slightly reduced trigger reach compared to the stock P229 trigger as well as an over-travel stop. What's more, the cost for this trigger has come down since Grayguns has introduced the P22x CT Dual Adjustable Curved Trigger which also incorporates a pretravel stop as well. The trigger that used to be called the P-SAIT (P series adjustable intermediate-reach trigger) now costs $39:

http://grayguns.com/product/p-series-precision-adjustable-intermediate-trigger/

The SRT kit does not include a trigger. It is a modified sear and safety lever. The sear, safety lever and trigger on the P229 is not too difficult to swap out so long as you know the steps. There are some videos on youtube from a fellow who calls himself FerrariSteve that can guide you through the process.

Another modification that might be considered is swapping the stock mainspring to a 19 lb reduced force mainspring which should still provide reliable ignition. This will reduce the DA trigger pull moderately and the SA trigger pull slightly. These are available from Wolff Gunsprings but you need to know what style hammer strut and shoe you have in your pistol:

http://grayguns.com/grayguns-diy-action-upgrade-spring-kits/

The Wolff website provides the required information.

I shot one of my P229s in which I had installed the SRT kit, P-SAIT trigger, and 19 lb Wolff mainspring back to back with a Legion P229 on three separate occasions. Among four different observers, two who had actually shot the two pistols and two who had dry-fired them side by side the vote was unanimous. The DA trigger pull on my Nitron P229 was superior to that on the Legion. The SA trigger pull was equivalent.

Some have considered that and possibly (or possibly not) have installed the SRT by themselves after being coerced by the numerous Youtube videos on how to do so. Those nefarious individuals (whomever they may be) might also have kept the original parts to reverse the installation should they have to send their pistols back to Sig.

Or you could just get a Sig refurbed turn in. The downside is that you won't get to learn how to make your trigger smoother (it will be smooth and lighter) and also you will need to find a way to spend the several hundred $$$ you will save. You will still need the SRT if you want a short reset but the trigger will be lighter and smooth ^^^. I didn't see any need to modify the trigger in my two refurbs.

Yeah. 400-425 dollars like new with night sights for 226 and 229. Right now is the perfect time to buy if you can accept a 40. The 9mm and 357 sig are harder to find, and higher too

Is the Sig P229 Legion worth the extra money?
As an owner of some Legions, for me, yes. For others, perhaps not. Frankly, I wouldn't ask a bunch of random folks I don't know if they think a particular gun would be worth it for me.

Some will always find a reason to not like a particular model, cost or features, whatever. Some will say you can make a non-Legion SIG into a better pistol than a Legion for a lot less money. But that's not answering the question.

But for me, I tried the Legions, I loved 'em. The P-226 Legion SAO (not pictured) has quickly become my favorite 9mm full-size pistol, and the P-229 Legion a favorite carry pistol.

My wife had a P220 Legion and I had a P220 Combat. I didn’t feel like the Legion was worth any more money than the Combat. I also don’t see how it would cost Sig really any more money to make the Legion over the standard models. If you like the low profile controls and the Undercut then I’d say go for it. I personally don’t like trigger guard undercuts.

Michael A Ferber said:

If I didn't already own my P229 Nitron, I believe I would opt for the Legion.

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That’s kind of my take. If buying new and I liked the offering I’d get the Legion. But if I had a good sig already I don’t think I’d trade it in.