[Wulfmann]

Any comparison is subjective to say the least so right off I will state IMO and repeat IMO

This is not about rail or no rail or grips or blah blah

It is about how they shoot and frankly the both shoot super just superb

However, there are some differences.
I have 2 M11A-1s. One is I believe a 2012 build (But it has a 2016 slide and barrel bought from a member here)
The new M11A-1 (less than 200 rounds now) is an Oct 2016 build and the P229 Legion is a Aug 2016 build

What is interesting in this shoot off is the used M11A-1 having been shot over 5 years now (round count, no idea) has a much nicer trigger than not only the new M11A-1 but the Legion.
All 3 have the Sig SRT and the Legion has the Grayguns trigger, very nice and the 2 M11A-1 have the SReachT trigger which I modified to remove the pinching it gave me.


The well broken in M11A-1 frame/trigger was the nicest to shoot.
With a new barrel and slide it shoots as well as the other two but the trigger is not only much better than the brand new M11A-1 but is actually better than the Graygun Legion trigger.
The Legion trigger is much nicer than the 2016 M11A-1 trigger

I prefer the cheaper M11 grip feel and while the M11 can not add a light it is a better conceal piece

The Legion is stellar just sweet as can be but in truth the M11A-1 has a more durable finish and cost less but in order to get the trigger improved to compare with that nice Graygun trigger you would spend a lot of money on ammo (or just send it to Sig for a trigger job)

I have to say the older M11A-1 is my wanna take along to the range Sig but who says we can't have them all?

The older 2012 M11A-1 is the one on top

 

[MoRivera]

The P229 (to which I'm also adding the M11A1) is a bit odd in that even though it is essentially a 'compact' version of the P226, in some ways it feels kinda' like a bigger gun...especially the railed version. It feels wider in the grip to me with whatever comparable grips, and the slides seem thicker even though they are shorter.

I prefer the G10 grips on a P226 like on my Legion, but on my P228 and stainless P229, I prefer the original Sig Polymer grips...which are slimmer than the newer ones that come on the M11A1, and a bit slimmer than G10's.

I had a Stainless Elite P229, but it just felt ginormous, especially being a .40. Traded it in for a late-90's P229 stainless with no rail and 'legacy' slide which to me is more streamlined, and I recently put together a FrankenSig P228 which feels much more compact and streamlined with its original-style carbon-steel slide.

 

[TXSouthpaw]

How about this, in 2017 most 9mm Legions are $1229.

Sig charges $180 for an action enhancement package.

$1229-$180-$55(shipping)= $994

So if you can get M11-A1 with any alterations under $994, you are probably walking away with a better pistol for less money.

 

[bumper]

Interesting.

Slight variations in critical components, such as the sear and hammer and their engagement surfaces, can cause guns of the same model to not feel the same. One may have a better or worse trigger "feel" than the next example. This is due to manufacturing tolerances, especially in the molded parts which are not subsequently machined or hand fitted - the Legion, and it's lesser stable mates, are production guns that are assembled, not custom guns that are built and fitted.

Can a production gun be disassembled and fitted like a custom gun? Why yes! Can this make a dramatic difference in the way the gun feels and shoots? Same answer, though of course the shooter still has to do their part, and a pro will shoot a crappy gun better than I can shoot a custom gun - - every time. But I'll still be smiling!

For action enhancement or trigger work, I'd send a gun to Robert Burke, or one of a few others who specialize in SIG's and have a good reputation, before sending it to the factory.

 

[Spiritfox]

I have both. Do I need both? Not really. They each have a different feel--carrying, handling and shooting. I like them both and plan on keeping both of them.

 

[Wulfmann]

How about this, in 2017 most 9mm Legions are $1229.

Sig charges $180 for an action enhancement package.

$1229-$180-$55(shipping)= $994

So if you can get M11-A1 with any alterations under $994, you are probably walking away with a better pistol for less money.

I just made 2 posts on pricing. Both GB open bids and NIB.
A P225A-1 went for 635 and a P229 Legion went for 980 but then I bought my 2016 M11A-1 in Feb for 701 so your point is still relevant and IMO accurate

I like having a rail option for any gun but not for a carry pistol. Every thing that adds bulk makes carrying less likely.
The Legion will fit in my IWB but sticks out almost a half inch (I believe that is partially because the M11 SAS frame TG is rounded) more than the M11A-1.
Plus the beavertail is longer adding to the size and printing making it too big, just

 

[Raif79]

Wulfmann I love the modifying you did on the short reach trigger. I've got one on my P227 and was thinking about how a little shaving would make it comfortable and quit the pinching. That's how that trigger should have been. It's the only thing stopping me from buying an M11a1 that I've been eyeballing. I was going to buy a grayguns trigger to swap out the one on my P227 but now I might try my luck at shaving it down myself. If I'm successful I'll probably walk into my LGS when I get done and slap a wad of cash down on the M11A1. If not I have two other guns that are calling my name too.

 

[Wulfmann]

R79, grinding of that annoying tip changed the M11 completely almost like changing a standard AR trigger to a Geissele SSA-Enhanced does.

I was baffled by the difference in the way it shot with the modification. Not only in comfort but the gun improved in accuracy by a noticeable degree.

I am not a licensed gunsmith and can not legally do this for other people unless you came by my house and did not leave the gun with me

If you can remove the trigger (some find that to much to do) then grinding it down is the easy part.
It takes Oxpho-blue well (heat up the tip helps) and I recommend the paste version (Brownells)

I ordered one of the Armorycraft flat triggers for my newer M11A-1 because the DA is just too hard and the flat trigger mostly improves the DA.
It will arrive tomorrow so I will soon shoot that and compare it to the Graygun on the Legion and broken in Short reach on the older M11A-1

 

[GCBHM]

As fate would have it, I was just at my LGS to compare these two guns side by side, along with the Legion 226 and MK25. My intent was to narrow the race down to one gun, and I believe I was able to. While I like the M11, it just does not fit my hand as well as the MK25, or either of the Legion variants mentioned, but btwn the remaining three, as much as I wanted to go with the MK25, and regardless of how fond I am of the Legion P229, I determined that it is the Legion P226 that is the best of these for me.

I like them all, and who wouldn't, but the 226 Legion just seemed to melt into my hand, point more naturally, and it really isn't that much larger than the P229. In comparing the triggers of the M11 to the Legion guns, for me the reset of the Legion guns is much quicker, and I like the pull better as well, although the difference there is really marginal at best. Couple that with the fact that I can use the 18 round Mec-Gar mags with it I think I have a winner. This wouldn't be a primary carry gun, although I have made other P226s work without peril. It isn't the most comfortable gun to carry, but hardly the least.

My plan is to procure a Legion P226 first followed by either a MK25 or a nice W. German model, depending on how soon I can find one of those to my liking. My LGS has a few police trade-ins that look well worn, and I've considered buying one of those to fix up, sending it to the factory for a full service package of some type, having it coated, etc., but in the end I want to end up with a nice complement of P226s since it is, after all, my favorite pistol of all time. I think it's time to devote necessary attention to building that arsenal of sorts. Don't you think?

 

[TXSouthpaw]

For action enhancement or trigger work, I'd send a gun to Robert Burke, or one of a few others who specialize in SIG's and have a good reputation, before sending it to the factory.

I will be taking mine to Robert Burke. I thought about putting Burke's prices, but there are those that won't do anything non Sig, so I just added the AEP price.

 

[Raif79]

Gcbhm you will love the Legion P226. I've always been a fan of SIGs and owned several over the years. When I picked up my Legion P226 for the first time it felt so right in my hand. It is so refined. The M11A1 has a similar appeal when in my hands (except the tip of the trigger).

 

[Trave1ingEast]

These are mine,

There is no doubt one is better than the other. And after much research I've determined it's whichever one I'm holding in the fire position.