As I mentioned in my intro post... I started shopping about a month ago for a home defense/range pistol. I miss my old 226 x5 dearly but fell in love [instantly] with the P229 SE. She feels great, shoots fantastic and is a beauty queen as well. My purchase was from Hyatt's in Charlotte and I would highly recommend them. My quest led me to many places to look and learn and my intent was to consider a couple of places. Hyatt's treated me very well and I paid for it in full the first visit there... and it was torture waiting for my purchase permits to be approved. (in my state you have to get a permit to purchase from the county sheriff)

The Stainless models do feel differently due to weight and do shoot differently. My opinion is the SS shoots better but its so subjective to individual taste and mood... My initial 100 rounds net me a nice grouping that I can cover with my fist sans 2 strays. This gun has a comfortable recoil that is extremely manageable for the 90 pound misses and the SRT trigger is fantastic. I had an identical shot group with my also newly purchased HK which I also love for different reasons(I "HAD to have" the sig and found a super deal on the HK - used and never fired.) Aesthetics aside there is no "better" option on the market - different but not better.

The feel of this gun should also be considered as a differentiator. The 229 is listed as a compact but the stainless elite is a very "meaty" feeling gun. The rosewood grips are a little thicker than the rubber ones on the rest of the 229 line and add to the bulky feeling caused by the weight of the stainless slide and frame. To me its not too bulky and feels just right but this is a very subjective aspect of any fire arm and I did want to note that this particular model [in my opinion] would be too meaty for for an appropriate CCW. It feels substantial and is. I don't feel like its over the top and apologize for the slight rant but did want to make a point since it is a differentiator for the stainless elite vs the other 229 variants.



In addition to the actual gun, my advice to anyone reading/researching would also be to take into account cleaning supplies, oil, range bag, lock, ammo, ear protection etc when putting together their budget for an initial purchase. This is my initial hand gun for my collection and accessories [not even mentioning finding a steal on a used HK] did put me over what I was considering to be my budget.

My plans for this piece are going to be to change the front site to a fiber optic and steel guide rod.

What else are people doing to these particular models?