Sig P229 vs. H&K P30 vs. Beretta PX4 Storm

[sigarms228]

I am also looking at both the P229 & P30. Why does it matter if the P229 is made in NH versus Germany?

99.9 percent of SIG P229s here in the US since SIG started making them are made in Exter with German made frames. The P229 has an outstanding record of accuracy, reliability, and durability.

The P229 is the firearm of the Secret Service An agency not bound by the same budget restrictions when seleting a firearm like your local PDs are that usually end up with Glocks and M&Ps because they are practically given to them. I am not saying there is anything wrong with Glocks and M&Ps.

In the end one has to choose what works best for them.

For a P229 I would look for one that has the original style slide with the short external ejector.

My choice for DA/SA pistols is SIG and for poly pistols is Walther PPQ.

Here is a link where users/owners of the P229 have rated them.

http://policelink.monster.com/produc...s/273-sig-p229

[Nevertoomanyguns]

Now my choice is a little bias because I don't own the other options. My vote is for the Sig P229. I just bought one of the P229R E2 last October and I am in love with this gun. I carry for ccw all the time now. I am not a big 9mm fan but this Sig I bought is a 9mm and for some reason I just cant stop shooting all the 9mm ammo I load up. I haven't shot .45 auto or 40 s&w since I got my hands on this sig. It just feels good in the hands.

It has the srt trigger and the smaller grip and yet it has the 15 round magazine capacity. She is a real fine shooter, it is made in Exeter and I haven't had any issues with it yet! I have about 1200 rnds through it without a problem. It was a used firearm when I bought it and it looked as though the original owner had put a fairly good number of rounds through it maybe 500-1000 there were some slight signs of wear, but not too bad. I've been keeping my dillion reloader awfully bussy. good thing I have an endless supply of 9mm nato brass!!!

I'm not good at sexy gun pics, this is getting ready to clean it after a trip to the pit.

[Microgunner]

HK trumps SIG and Beretta every time, IMO.

[MLeake]

It might be helpful to explain why you prefer HK. Just saying you prefer it doesn't really tell the OP anything.

[Microgunner]

I own three HKs and I've yet been able to make one malfunction, even when I've tried to.
The same can't be said for the SIGs and Berettas I've owned, although they've been very good pistols. Just not as good as the HKs in my hands.

[IMightBeWrong]

I've seen two FTRTBs with HK pistols and I've never seen a SIG malfunction in person, ever. So my experience is different there. Both are exceptional, though.

[MLeake]

Microgunner, thanks, that was a useful input.

Again, I have no firsthand experience with HK's, so can't comment on them.

I never had a malfunction of any sort with the Beretta 92 Centurion I owned for fourteen years.

I had one malfunction with a SIG P220 that I had for fifteen years.

I've only owned my PX4's for a year or so. I have had no malfunctions with them so far.

The one P229 I owned ran flawlessly, but it had a gritty DA trigger. This surprised me, as my P220 and P239 had very good DA triggers. I kept hoping the P229 would break in, but it never quite did.

[BRJACKET]

I really am enjoying everyone's input. It sounds like all 3 guns are great. As I said before, I have a lot of sentimental attachment to my px4 but I haven't been shooting it lately. I just haven't been able to get excited to take it to the range.

I have decided on the p30. I think I would be equally happy with the sig p229, but the p30 just feels right in my hand. Unfortunately, I couldnt find a range to try them out but really think I can't go wrong either way. I wii be able to hit the range this coming week with the p30 to have some fun.

I read somewhere that HK recommends 124 grain for the first 50 to 100 rounds. I typically use 119 grain at the range. does this really matter?

[Microgunner]

115 grn will work just fine. The 124 grn just speed up the break in process.

[Sgt Pepper]

Good pick. Can't go wrong either way.

[HKGuns]

I read somewhere that HK recommends 124 grain for the first 50 to 100 rounds. I typically use 119 grain at the range. does this really matter?

Not in my experience. I expect my pistols to eat what I feed them. I've also never had to break one in per se either.

[BRJACKET]

Thanks for the response. I'm ready to hit the range!

[Murdock]

Consider the range of options for the P229. Buy a .357 Sig barrel and you turn a .40 into a .357 Sig. Works the other way around too, if you have a .357 and want to use .40 S&W. And you don't need different magazines. A special conversion barrel will turn either into a 9mm. (You can't go from 9mm to either .357 Sig or .40 S&W though). Plus, Sig has a nifty .22LR conversion unit as well.

[Leejack]

229

[RT]

http://pistol-training.com/archives/...s/p30-thursday
"But while many folks have criticized the term “torture test” to describe the pistol-training.com endurance tests, torture is exactly what these guns are subjected to. In 91,322 rounds, the gun was only cleaned fifteen times — once going over 12,000 rounds between cleanings. It was rarely lubed more often than once every 4-5,000 rounds. Multiple days per week it was subjected to consecutive hours of high volume rapid fire practice that often made the gun too hot to touch."

[Donovan655]

The PX4 is a heavily underrated and overlooked platform. The full size version is every bit as reliable and consistent as current production sigs and HK pistols.

I have three that have hundreds to thousands of rounds through. I've bought them at different times. I've treated them the same and the results are consistent: no failures of any kind including fit and finish issues.

I at one time had taken the plunge on an hk usp 9mm that failed to extract every 100 or so rounds reliably. This gun was later traded for a g19 (which has 700 rds with no issues other than the typical casings-to-the-head symptom). I could not stand having paid almost $800 for a pistol that was less reliable than an old ruger that has 5000 rds through it.

My px4s have been more reliable than my old hk. they have been as reliable as my 92s and as reliable as my glocks.

Characteristically, when asked for details on PX4 failures, there are crickets or incredibly a single, old, annecdote of canadian police needing hammers to pound off the slide.

My story shows that these pistols are every bit as capable as "premium" pistols.

[Gats Italian]

http://pistol-training.com/archives/...s/p30-thursday
"But while many folks have criticized the term “torture test” to describe the pistol-training.com endurance tests, torture is exactly what these guns are subjected to. In 91,322 rounds, the gun was only cleaned fifteen times — once going over 12,000 rounds between cleanings. It was rarely lubed more often than once every 4-5,000 rounds. Multiple days per week it was subjected to consecutive hours of high volume rapid fire practice that often made the gun too hot to touch."

It also broke ten percent of its parts and chunked the frame getting there. Frankly the M&P was more impressive despite S&W's legal department stopping its test north of 60k when S&W CS would have happily replaced a cracked slide under warranty and the engineers had cleared it to continue with a hairline crack at the ejection port.

M&P: 62,333 rounds 2 stoppages, 0 malfunctions, 3 parts breakages.
HKP30: 91,322 rounds 13 stoppages, 0 malfunctions, 5 parts breakages.

If we extrapolate each out to 100k rounds, the M&P would have 4 stoppages, 0 malfunctions and four parts breakages. The HK would have 14 stoppages, 0 malfunctions and five parts breakages.