Sunday, May 5, 2024

Guns of Pop Culture: ‘The Matrix’ & the Sig Sauer P229 Sport

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The Matrix has plenty of guns…tons and tons of guns.

The first movie has that great scene where Neo asks for lots and lots of guns. You could argue there are too many to pick from.

While not a major character in the Matrix movies, Ghost (Anthony Wong) was a major playable character in the spinoff video game, Enter .

There also aren't a whole lot of character guns. Neo doesn't have just one gun he uses, nor do any of the other main characters outside of Agent Smith and his Desert Eagle.

However, one of the side characters certainly likes one specific gun. Ghost and his gun aren't exactly staples of the film series, but he was always a character I liked.

A P229 Sport chambered in .357 Sig. These high-end P-series debuted well over a decade before Sig's Legion series. (Photo: wYn.swiss)

He premiered as one of two playable characters in the game Enter the Matrix and then popped up in the movies.

Throughout the game and his limited movie interactions, his sidearm of choice is the Sig P229 Sport.

Enter The Matrix

The Matrix films aren't exactly known for their realistic gun handling, but they are known for their distinctive gun handling.

These films are incredibly stylish when it comes to this, and it's all about being cool and a little over the top. Ghost is no different.


Ghost loading his P229 Sport in the film Matrix Reloaded.

He dual-wields the P229 Sport fairly often, and there is plenty of opportunities in Enter the Matrix to jump through the air in slow motion while spewing bullets at bad guys.

Dual-wielding anything is difficult, and if you weren't a Matrix operative with extreme training dropped in via programming, it's not a good tactic.

Ghost is said to be one of the most talented fighters, and it's proven over and over throughout the video game, with him taking down hundreds of bad guys via guns and martial arts.

Ghost grabbing one of his two P229 Sport pistols in Enter the Matrix.

While you can use various firearms throughout the game, the P229 Sports serve as constant companions.

One of the best scenes with Ghost and the P229 Sport is when he checks the chamber after jumping into the Matrix. Niobe asks why when the gun is programmed to be loaded, but he always does it.

The P229 Sport in Real Life

Nowadays, everyone has a compensator on their gun, but the P229 Sport was rocking well before it was cool.

Aftermarket compensators are far more common in 2023 than they were in 2000.

With its single-stage compensator, the P229 Sport is about the same length as the P226.

The grip is a little shorter than a 226, but it is still a big gun. The guns come in various calibers, including .357 Sig, 40 S&W, and 9mm.

Being a big steel gun outfitted with a compensator makes it soft shooting and easy handling. Sig mounted the front sight to the compensator too, which does two things.


Fixed front sight blocks and compensators were typically found on higher-end competition pistols. (Photo: Northwest Firearms)

First, it extends the sight radius the make the weapon easier to shoot accurately. Second, the front sight remains fixed when the slide cycles, making it easier to track between shots.

The Sport series guns were built by Sig's Mastershop in . They came with outstanding triggers, stainless steel finishes, and hand-fitted barrels. The quality and craftsmanship of these guns make them extremely well respected.

The Sports are sometimes tough to find (or priced out of most people's budgets), but if you want something similar, you can always go for any of the other P229 models.

Final Thoughts

While it may not look like much in today's world of affordable and easily-acquired competition guns, the P229 Sport was quite the gun in its day.

It's a shame that both Ghost and the P229 Sport had less camera time than they deserved.

I can see why if you had to program yourself to have a gun in the early 2000s. You'd pick the P229 Sport. Today these guns go for a pretty penny, but I'm willing to say they are totally worth it.

Read the original article in its entirety at pewpewtactical.com.

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