Sig 239 Questions

Update

Holy cow, big disappointment! I was in Charleston, SC this weekend and found a rental range, Trader World Gun & Range, that has a Sig 239 (.40 caliber) in the rental inventory. I had other people with me so I had to keep it brief but here’s how it went;

This Sig had the “Dot the I” sights, not the Sig night sights. I found the sights very hard to acquire and focus on. Granted, this was an indoor range and I have similar issues with just about all indoor ranges. There just doesn’t appear to be enough light from behind me to properly see the sights, even night sights.

I was consistently shooting 8 inches low. I found the recoil very manageable so I am certain I was not dipping the muzzle in anticipation of recoil. My XDm Compact in .40 has worse felt recoil than the Sig and I rarely dip the muzzle with the XDm and shoot much better groups with the XDm. With the exception of one shot that I pulled to the left when I fired a round in DA mode, all shots were acceptably grouped left to right. Elevation…..not so much. It might be worth mentioning that I rented a Sig 229 earlier this year and had virtually the same results with accuracy and that one had the Sig factory night sights.

I fired 30 rounds of Magtech 180gr FMC-Flat ammo supplied by the range. I had one Fail To Feed in those 30 rounds. Granted, this was a rental gun and I have no idea when the last time it was cleaned and lubed but this was a huge surprise givent he Sig reputation. I slapped the mag and it was tightly seated. I dropped the mag and ejected the round and looked it over, nothing obvious. I re-seated the mag, chambered the next round, added the “bad round” to the magazine and shot the remainder of that mag without incident.

So I am no longer 99% certain that I am going to switch to the Sig. I really like all the positive attributes of a DA/SA, Hammer Fired, Single Stack pistol but I was hoping for MUCH better accuracy. As a comparison, and it pains me to say this, but I have fired exactly three 1911s. All within the past 12 months, all Kimber. With all three I picked the pistol up for the first time and fired 7 rounds inside a playing card sized zone at 7 yards. Having said that, I absolutely hate the thought of carrying a 1911. I dislike the 1911 platform the attitude and the bravado that goes along with the 1911 but that is the accuracy I am shooting for, no pun intended.

So, Sig shooters, you were kind enough to offer comments before, help me out here.

Update

Over the past 6 months my interest in the 239 wained, especially after I shot the rental 239 in .40 caliber over in Charleston. I just couldn't get it to group. My oldest son is turning 18 in November and I told him earlier this year I would buy any pistol he wanted and it would be his when he turned 21. That gives him 3 years to practice with it before it becomes officially his. He did his research, fired his uncle's 239 in .40 and decided on the 239 in .40.

Last weekend I was at the Land of the Sky gun show in Columbia and ran across a used 239 in 9mm in the box with paperwork and one extra mag, hogue finger groove grips and factory nite sights. It looks just like Mainsail's post #13 above. The guy was asking $500 but I talked him down from there. Since my son had only fired the 40 caliber version less than 20 rounds I took a chance that he would settle for 9mm and bought it.

I took it to the range to make sure it fired and cycled while the guy was still in town. Remember, I had shot two other Sigs a 229 in 9mm and a 239 in .40 and had not been able to get them to group. My first round went through the X. After 5 or 6 magazines of getting used to the trigger and grip I put up a fresh target and started with a new box of ammo. 49 out of the next 50 went through the 10 ring at 7 yards. I had one flyer that was clearly my fault. Given my previous experience shooting Sigs I was floored.

8 rounds of 9mm is obviously lighter than 11 rounds of 40 so with full mags for comparison, the 239 in 9mm feels almost identical in weight to my XDm in 40. The Sig drops right in the Galco holster I've using for the XDm and the Sig feels thinner. I've carried the Sig all week and now I don't want to give it up!

I've got until November to decide what I am going to do about my son's birthday but a 239 will on my hip going forward. I still like the XDm but prefer a DA/SA for carry.