Looking for a pistol for my sister. She went shooting with my dad a few weeks ago and they rented a few smaller auto pistols and revolvers for her to try out. She shot a compact Sig chambered in .380 and liked it a lot. I am guessing she shot the P232, but they cant remember. I dont think .380 is a bad round, but with .380 being a semi-difficult to find round right now I figured getting her something in 9mm would be a better choice since 9mm is so much easier to find and my family has a few guns chambered in 9mm already so we already have quite a bit of ammo.
I know the quality of Sig in general, but I am looking for some insight on the P239 specifically the 9mm version. Any thing to watch out for, gotcha’s or anything like that or will it be GTG right out of the box.
I have an older one, it seems like a good pistol for a SA/DA (which I hate). Truth be told, the only reason I still have it is because my dad bought it for me and I carried it for the short time I was in Iraq, else I would sell it. It’s just too damn big relative to its’ capacity. Seemed very accurate, though.
Mine was purchased when Sig was the old Sig…before the management change and accompanying issues.
My P239 is a good little handgun. It’s been reliable and it’s a pretty accurate little handgun. I’ve never liked the controls on the Sig, personally, but the weapon worked well for what it was intended to be.
It’s a decent handgun…but these days I’d much rather have something like an M&P or G19.
She has shot my dads Glock 19 as well as my XD40SC and both were/are to big for her(she wants a purse gun basically). She really liked shooting the revolvers as well(dont know which ones she shot though). She also liked the Sig she shot, that is why I am trying to help her find a gun in that size range. Alot of people like the Ruger LCP or Kahr PM9, but I am not a fan of either, probably more a fan of the Kahr than the Ruger. There aren’t to many other guns in that size and the P239, while not quite as small as the Kahr or Ruger, is pretty close.
I am trying to steer her clear of revolvers, I am just personally not a fan of them, but if I found a good deal on one I would probably get it for her.
She may have shot the P238. I believe those are having issues. I like the original Sig formula and I probably wouldn’t stray too far from that. P228’s a good guns but may be a touch larger than she wants.
If revolvers work for her, that’s what she should get. I don’t particularly care for revolvers myself, but if that’s what worked for my wife, I’d have no problem buying her one.
I’m pretty much all sig, all the time…Except when it comes to compacts. I train hard with sigs, I’m a certified armorer with Sig, and I like them. But I decided to go M&P compact for a compact. Lighter, more rounds, simpler. etc. But P239 is still a great shooter.
Great gun though. Dan’s currently has some West German P239’s that would probably be an excellent choice.
Well, I talked with her some more today and she has decided on a revolver. Her hands dont fit well around a double stack semi-auto pistol. She also said the DA pull on the SIG was pretty hard and she didnt care for carrying with the hammer cocked in her purse where something might happen.
She is looking at the S&W 442 and 642. Gotta figure out the differences on them. I wish they made a revolver in 9mm and not in .38 special or .357 mag, again not that they are bad rounds, but just can be difficult to find right now.
rjacobs, I’m late to this thread, but I think a P239 9mm is an excellent choice for her. You should try to get her to at least shoot it if she already hasn’t. The grip size on the P239 is relatively small.
I’ve carried revolvers (S&W .357’s) but I can’t get my follow up shots on target(s) fast enough for me to feel good about it. I’m not sure if that’s a concern of hers, but tell her about that. The DA/SA Sig system is weird, but tell her to think of it as a traditional revolver (DA) first shot, with the luxury of fast (SA) follow up shots.
I’ve also carried a polymer frame Kahr. It’s a great little gun, but it has reliablity issues like a lot of Kahrs.
I can’t think of any P239 specific issues. However, as John_Wayne777 implied, I would also think twice about getting a current or recent production Sig. They seem to have quality/reliability issues. This is one of the rare situations where I’d feel better about getting something used.
That P232 has a really sharp kick. If she didn’t complain about it, you’ve got one less thing to worry about.
Thanks for the advice. Like I said in the previous post, she has pretty much decided on a S&W 642. She enjoyed shooting it and the grip felt good in her hands. Just got to find a ready supply of 38 special FMJ for the range.
For range use it is not a bad shooter. Had to get rid of my P239 in favor of a USPc. For CCW it is a bit on the heavy side, and at a total capacity of 9 rounds, a little on the under powered side. The 239 did conceal well for me and it does have a nice feel to it grip wise. Long trigger pull IMO but a smooth one. If she is a new shooter I don’t know if I would start her off with a DA/SA. Might be a little difficult to master at first.
Interesting. Make sure she practices with the J-frame. I much prefer dealing with the DA/SA on the 239 over the DAO of a 642. I’m sure it’s possible, it’s just hard for me to grasp that the DA pull of a Sig is too much to handle but the always double action which feels even heavier to me on a 642 is manageable.
I completely agree and dont really understand it myself, but she says she enjoyed shooting it much more than any of the semi-auto pistols she shot. If she gets it and then doesnt end up liking it, I am sure it wont be that difficult to sell and at least break even to try something else.
If she liked the 642 and will carry the 642, she’s way ahead of most women. Be glad she wants to carry a gun and be proud that she took the time to choose one based on her shooting performance.
As far as the P239 goes, a short trigger is available for those who’ve got really tiny hands. If the DA pull is a challenge, there is a DAK version of the gun.
I have a P239 I carry in the winter in my Sig jacket but the P229 is now the carry gun, soon to be replaced with an M&P when I can get it set up the way I would like etc.
Yea she said she liked shooting the 642, from everything I have read on it, its got pretty decent recoil and a pretty heavy trigger pull(I cant find a spec for the # though). I just dont understand why she wants it, but if thats the gun she shot and enjoyed shooting it, who am I to argue with that. My guess is though that she is going to get it, shoot it a bit more than 50 rounds and decide she doesnt like it, and I will inherit a revolver.
She didnt like the DA trigger pull of the first shot with the hammer down. I dont understand though how she could not like that, but be ok with the SW 642 that is always double action.
