Dressing up a Sig 229?

[MikeJ]

I have a 229 that I think is great but I want to make it a little more fancy shmancy. It has the blackened slide and frame and I thought about having it hard chromed as I like that look on a few other guns I have seen but now I am beginning to think that just a set of nice wood grips would do it for me. This is strictly a range gun and is kept in prisitne condition.

I would like to know from anyone who has purchased wood grips for their 229 two things:

1. Can I get a pair that don't add bulk to the grip size? I tried a pair of Hogue rubber grips and felt they were to thick and went back to the originals.

2. Who do you feel makes the best wood grips for the 229? I know that Hogue makes them and they look nice on their web site. If you have any experience with those I would appreciate knowing what you think about them.

If any of you have had your 229, or similar model, hard chromed I would be interested in hearing about that as well.

Of course pictures are always great.

 

[popeye]

Finish: There's a smith around here that does a bead blast (I think that's the process he uses) on SIG black stainless slides and exposes the stainless. He takes the trigger, slide stop and decocker lever and has them matte hard chromed. Also replacing grip screws with stainless. I bought a used 229 done up in this configuration. There's a term for the way this gun looked, which I can't express here. I sold it. My thought is SIGS are MP guns and should be black.

As to grips: The SIG factory grips are thin molded plastic and serve the purpose of trying to reduce grip width and still maintain "hold". The only experience I've had with SIG wood grips was with Hogue checkered, on a 239 .40. They improved appearance but I think they were 30 LPI and really tore my hand up, and also increased width of grip.

Just my opinion

 

[MikeJ]

Thanks for the reply Popeye. I don't want to increase the grip size at all.

 

[greyeyezz]

I added a wood set of Hogue's to my 229 and they increased girth substantially. They look nice but aren't really functional for me. Nills might be thinner but are pricey.

 

[MikeJ]

Thanks for the replies. I have decided to keep her just the way she is and possibly buy the new all stainless version when it comes out.