Which Sig for my wife?

D

Daymon

Inactive
I come from an extended Sig family. Everyone in my family owns and loves Sigs. Now it is time to buy my wife a Sig that she intends to carry in some type of gun purse. She has shot and can handle the recoil of my 229 .40. I want to buy her something smaller like one of the 239s, but I am concerned with the recoil from a smaller gun. Unfortunatly I have not had the pleasure of shooting the 239 in any calibre and I would like to know what type of recoil to expect. I have also read in a gun magazine article that the 9mm 239 has a very unpleasant DA trigger pull when compared to the .40 and .357 Sig 239s. Has anyone else had that experience or did that magazine just get an abberant gun? And although I am not a big fan of .380s, I need to make sure that the gun I get is shootable for my wife so I am also considering the 232.
 
I'm a big fan of the 225. Good caliber, nice ergonomics.

I have had SIG do a trigger job on two of mine - great results, very reasonable price. Nothing was wrong with either - just wanted them mo' better.

Giz
 
I have a P229 in .40 and a P239 in 9mm. The 239 has less recoil than the 229, and the DA pull is smoother and easier. My 229 is new, and I expect the trigger to smooth out with use, but there is nothing wrong with it now. Never shot a 239 in larger caliber, so no help on that. I have large hands, and found the feel of the 239 was greatly improved by Hogue grips.
 
I carry the 232. Though not a big fan of .380 either, my theory is that I will regularly carry a light gun and will not carry a heavier gun. In alloy, the 232 is very light and slim enough to fit anywhere. Although its got a bit of a kick b/c of it being a blowback design, its still very shootable. I'm pretty quick on double taps w/it.

If thickness and wieght are not an issue, I'd go w/the 239, though. Either way, get the Hogue grips - makes a world of difference. Hope this helps.
 
Greeting's:

If your wife is going to be carrying in some type of purse,
the I would recommend either the single stack P225 or the
double stack P228; as plently of high capacity still exist
for the latter.

Respectfully,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
If she can shoot the .40, maybe she would be comfortable with the P245 -- single-stack, compact, and enough whomp per trigger pull to make serious adjustments to a mugger's outlook on victim selection. Borrow or rent one and have her try it.
 
My wife has a P228. It was her carry gun for a while, but it's really too heavy for that. It's a great shooter.
 
It is not your decision.

My wife really likes the P232. She has held the Kahr's, the Glocks, the HK, the PO, the Kimbers but likes the look and feel of the Sig. She also mentioned something that I had not heard as a complaint before. The guns unloaded are not really a problem, but loaded most become too heavy. Although it is not an effective man stopper (unlike 20 years ago), she still punches holes at 10 yrds with aplomb.

Make sure you load it up before you buy for the opinion, remember the fact that if it is too heavy, it most likely will not be carried.
 
Easy: whichever one she likes best.

You'll be very smart to let her try several different ones, either by getting some friends to come to your rescue, or by going to a range and renting them.

Something as personal as a handgun needs to be chosen by the person who'll use it.

(If she has a small hand, a good place to start would be with the P-232 or p-239.)
 
Walt is right. You should have her try several before rushing out and buying one. We issue the Sig 225 for our officers with small hands. But the 239 is just a bit smaller and comes in better calibers, .40 or .357 Sig. Recoil isn't too bad in either caliber.
 
I don't necessarily think this will help much, but of all the SIG models and calibers my wife's favorite is the P230 in .32 ACP. This is "her" SIG!
 
Have her try several

Rent them. Borrow them. Have her shoot them.

Being a Sig person already, you know that there are a number of them that can be eliminated as carry guns for her (or almost anyone else, for that matter) right off the bat.

I'd suggest staying with the smaller calibers (.380 or 9mm) in their smaller packages (230, 232, 239, or 225), but that's for her to decide with some help from you.

I carried a 239 for about three years. Absolutely loved that gun. I would suggest it (in 9mm, as recoil is quite sharp in the .40 and .357 versions) as a solid starting point.
 
Husbands Don't Let Your Wives Carry Mouse Guns!

For some reason, just because you're a woman people think they should carry dainty little guns. I completely disagree with that. We all confront the same monsters.

(I could never understand why snub nose .38s were pushed on women, its small size is nice for a purse but its hell to shoot for a beginner. A lot of women probably gave up on shooting because of the snub nose .38)

Bottom line, since she is you're wife I'm assuming you'd want the BEST PROTECTION she can handle. So why are you suggesting a .380 when she seems to handle a .40 just fine? IMHO, EVERYONE is capable of shooting at least a 9mm with practice, especially a beginner that wants to commit to the complexities of an auto. Besides it'll give you more reason to practice with each other (no, not "on" each other, you know what I mean:) ).

I too love my Sig P229 but I have no experience with the P239. But don't discount it until you've tried it, I've heard excellent things about it. Another option is the Sig P225, harder to find, but well worth it!

There are also lots of purses by Galco I believe that can hold large service guns, so why not a P229 in .40?


*In the end, it is her decision and if the .380 fits her lifestyle better make sure she chooses good hollowpoints and do a function test of at least 100 rounds w/o failures. Especially with a .380 since they're more finicky.

[Edited by Ian11 on 02-13-2001 at 03:54 AM]
 
I wouldn't give you any of my SIG's for your wife. I am sure that she is a fine woman, but I don't like to get rid of any guns. I would suggest the 210-8 that is comming out. A fine pistol if there ever was one. Since she is going to carry in a purse. BTW not a good idea unless the gun is attached to her while it is carried in the purse and very few models have that feature. If she doesn't like the P210 you get a new gun then try the P220 Sport. That is sure to be too large and heavy so you acquire another pistol. Then the P229 Sport in .357. She won't like the muzzle blast so you get SIG number three. Definately try the P245 next, she is sure to dislike the small .45 ACP pistol. Another one for you. All the P225's that I have seen come from the factory with a heavy DA pull and most women don't like them for that reason. One more for you. Next try a P229 or P239, whichever one you think she will like less, the other one will be the one for her to keep.
 
I have shot the P239 in .40, and the recoil is not too bad compared to other .40's. Compared to the 229, the recoil is about the same. If she has smaller hands (like most women), the 239 should be great for her, just a matter of which of the 3 calibers is best for her.

CFB
 
I agree, the 228 and 239 are great firearms for people that are sensitive to recoil and/or fatgripitis. I've seen a lot of women (in this area) that buy a semi-auto for the first time buy either a SIG 228/239/232, Glock 26, or Walther PPK/S. Either way, the SIG is a fine firearm.
 
Daymon,

At risk of sounding a bit contrarian, you might want to consider having your wife shoot an HK P7 before deciding on a Sig. My wife, and a bunch of other women I know, find the P7 the easiest gun to shoot accurately, work the slide etc. My wife and I went to the range one day and shot Sig's 232, 220, 245, 229, and the P7. She was extraordinarily more accurate with the latter, found it more comfortable to shoot, and overall, didn't consider any of the Sigs in the same league.

Best wishes on finding something that works.
 
Just another vote for the 225.

Because it works for all the right reasons--relatively small, narrow grip, accurate, reliable...
 
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