Caliber and mag capacity appear to be the same. What makes one different from the other?

I believe the 228 only comes in .9mm, while the 229 is available in .9mm, .40 and .357SIG. The 229 also has a heavier slide which is forged stainless steel that is then coated with their proprietary finish.

Quoted: Caliber and mag capacity appear to be the same. What makes one different from the other?

from what i know... the 229 has a stronger slide...  and is a few OZ's heavier.... they are the same dimensions....  the 229 can handle the 40sw and 357sig fine... and obviously 9mm.. the 228 can only handle 9mm... but it does so very well...

i'm leaning more toward 229 at this point

The 228 has a stamped steel slide and a pinned breach block. As posted above, the 229 is a forged and milled stainless block. The 228 is lighter and only available in 9mm, but the 229 can handle .40sw and .357sig.  The .40/.357 can be converted to 9mm via a barsto conversion barrel or by swapping the slide assembly  and locking insert to the 9mm parts, but the 9mm ones cannot be converted to .40/.357.  Supposedly Sig heat treats the .40/.357 frames differently to handle the higher pressures.

At least that's what I read on the internet, so it must be true :)

Oh, the 229 feels a bit top heavy and is noticeably lighter than the 228.  I chose the 229 in .40 and I have a barsto 9mm barrel on the way.

Any difference in the finish between the two?

Quoted: Any difference in the finish between the two?

Yes.  The 228's finish can best be described as being similar to the older finish on AR15 mags, while the 229 is smoother and blacker.

how good are the barsto barrels?  are they reliable?  durable?  etc?  Compared to stock barrel...

if i got a 229 in .40cal... i could buy this barrel and shoot 9mm?  what other changes do i have to make to the pistol if any?  what magazines do you use in it?  9mm mags w/ 9mm in the 229?  or do you just use .40 mags for all cal's?

Thanks!

I've got a similiar question about the mags.  Does the 9mm 229 use 228 mags?  I've never seen a 9mm mag advertised for a 229, only .40/.357.

Quoted: I've got a similiar question about the mags.  Does the 9mm 229 use 228 mags?  I've never seen a 9mm mag advertised for a 229, only .40/.357.

Yes, they use the same magazines.

whats a stamped slide?
Explain the safteies to me. I was talking to a more knowledgable guy and said that there aren't any safeties. I Can't see them like on say a berretta. I would really like to understand the safeties that I don't see.  I was told that the da/sa is a safety feature in that in the middle of a stressed situation it provides protection from unententional discharges?

Quoted: whats a stamped slide? Explain the safteies to me. I was talking to a more knowledgable guy and said that there aren't any safeties. I Can't see them like on say a berretta. I would really like to understand the safeties that I don't see.  I was told that the da/sa is a safety feature in that in the middle of a stressed situation it provides protection from unententional discharges?

The stamped slides are simply folded and pressed from a piece of sheet metal. The slides for the P226ST, the P220ST, and the .357 and .40 caliber Sigs are machined from a block of steel.

Sigs have no external safety mechanism, they are decock only and have a decocking lever on the left side.