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Sig Sauer
https://www.sigsauer.com/
Every gun company has its unique approach to making guns, and a way of fulfilling a new demand in the marketplace. Pocket micro 9mms have become the hot topic in guns because concealed carry has exploded as the next big thing in America, and Sig Sauer has its own take on the micro 9mm, and as usual, it is pure Sig.
The P290 is a hammer fired, double action only, polymer framed pocket sized pistol in the line of famous P226. It is a respectable 20oz. empty, 5 ½” long and 4” wide, and an inch thick. For size, it is in line with the rest of the field. There is an optional mini laser for the front. It looks like an Insight (another New Hampshire company) though the website doesn’t specify.
What makes Sig unique is somewhat esoteric. It is preference, pure and simple. People just like the way Sigs feel, and their reliability has always been without question. Other companies may get more press. They may have bigger and better law enforcement contracts, and they may have a great PR campaign that makes everyone think they are the greatest gun in the world. But when you ask a Sig owner if he’ll trade his Sig for the competition, he (or she) will generally say heck no.
So when it came to making a micro 9mm, Sig just kept doing what they have been doing well for so many years. They just made it smaller. Some of the thinking that went into the P250 modular system were carried into this gun. The grips are replaceable and you can get them in a number of materials and finishes. The polymer frame is a departure from the next smallest Sig, the P239, and this was clearly a next generation choice they made for this pistol.
“To Hell and Back Reliability” is my favorite marketing saying in the whole gun industry and Sig has used it now for several years. I feel that for these micro 9mm guns, reliability is going to be an issue as we go down the road. Most of what we are seeing are new designs, and very few of us writing out here have even gotten a test gun, let alone been able to run 500 rounds through one in an afternoon to see if it breaks. Making a gun smaller means making the internal parts smaller, and in a small light gun, a +P 9mm rocks your world, and the gun’s world. A tried and true Sig hammer fired design should be of some comfort if you are wondering which one of the field to buy. By this time next year all this will shake out as to which ones were the good ones and which ones were the not as good ones, and my money is on Sig to be in the first group.
I love the Glock like looks of it, but I’m not moving from my P229 DA/SA in 357SIG, yes they are heavy and expensive, but, so are many things of great utility value.
Leave it to Sig to make the largest, heaviest, and most expensive gun in it’s class.
I like the little 290 Sig-Sauer real nice Gun would like more Info.on the gun.
Nice little 290 Sig-Sauer
I was Trying to purchase a certified pre-on Sigsauer P224 got everything but.
Could you please tell me if any are available it might be the way I worded my request.
Also the price would be helpful if they are available thank you very much
So you are about 71 years old then and still carrying that gun. Wow, most guys that age in my retirement community have switched to pocket guns.
PM9 fits well in my front pocket….unfortunately after a month I have holes in my pockets. I wish someone would make pants with reinforced pockets
I was in the market for a 9mm sub compact 9 to replace the Sig P232 .380 I was carrying (wanted a little more potency). I wasnt in favor of the “break-in” period for Kahr pistols – not to mention hearing about spring issues, etc. I didnt like the Diamondback’s small-ish sights. Kimber Solo has “issues” according to so many reports. Then I saw the P290. I know that this is a last resort carry or backup gun and that was my intended use. On the way to the range after purchasing one ($630 w/ 2 6 rnd and 1 8 rnd mag plus a holster and full size nightsights) I was skeptical of accuracy at ranges between 20 and 25 yards. Out of the box, after a quick wipe down and lube (the gun, not me) I fired a 8 shot group from the 25 in a 4 inch high by 2 in wide group. Not bad. And this was with +P Remington. I have put 200 rounds through it with one feed issue (last round from 8 rnd mag) which was attributed to a limp wrist! Easy to fix and not the guns fault. I like the gun and I like how it shoots.
Got my p290 back from Sig. They did some firing pin work on it. Shot 250 rds without a misfire. no feeding problems. Functioned great. Sig took care of any insecurities I had about carrying this gun. Love it. Shoots very accurate for a pocket pistol. Had a Diamonback 380. Sold it in favor of this gun. glad i did!!
I have had my p290 for 3 weeks now and have put 1500 rounds through it. No function issues at all. Heavy feel to it really cuts down on the recoil. Extremely accurate pistol. I have also tried the 8 round mag but the design of the bottom leading edge seems to cause me to shoot low so I am more comfortable with the 6 round mag (probably a function of all the S&W J frame shooting I have done with only two fingers on the grip).
I carry it with a SmartCarry holster (AIWB position) so weight is not an issue. I also like the rough feeling pattern on the grips, they give you a confident non slip feeling of the grip.
My only complaint is that w/in a week for some reason the front sight quit “glowing” at night. Contacted Sig and they said they would replace it free of charge. Haven’t sent in yet as don’t want to part with it for the estimated 2 week turnaround so am going to wait another month when I will hit their 5,000 round threshold and send it in for maintenance and have them do it then.
Bought my p290 last week. Once at the range already sending it in for warranty work. Firing pin doesn’t strike the primer hard enough to discharge. Frustrating! Look forward to getting it back to see how it does. Own several Sig firearms, and have never had a problem like this.
I think you are referring to a comment here not to the actual article itself. The Para has never failed to fire btw, and has always shot a ragged hole. Do you they make a pocket holster for that anti aircraft gun?
I’m not too thrilled with this gun. I think there is better tactical gear available from other sources.
Jim:
How do you engage the laser on the P290? In pictures, I can’t seem to spot the button.
I’ve got a P290 w/laser and love it. I have fired Russian steel case, S&B, reloads, 115 +P jhp, and carry it with Winchester PDX1 124 gr jhp Bonded Personal Protection. Not a single hiccup. I’m not that good a shot, but a lady friend shooting mixed ammo at a 2 1/2″ steel swing target I made, at about 30′ hit it three out of six. Plenty good for me! I am waiting for a local bag maker to modify an Uncle Mike’s #3 pocket holster so it will hang off my belt into my front pocket, as I have found it slapping against my leg when walking is distracting. It does take a couple of times field stripping to figure out how with the extremely stiff springs, but once past that, no problem.
It has been seen in magazines and talked about for over 6 months now. The P290 is STILL not available as of August 2011. There must be serious problems getting this piece into production.
Does it have a safety?
No Saftey
I recently purchased a P290. It will not fire HP ammo. Any suggestions?
I own a number of sig products including a P290 and have had no problems with cycling HP ammo. I use Speer Gold dots religiously in all my carry guns with no problems. Among other things, I am a NC concealed carry instructor, and have seen issues with others who use “cheep” ammo in their guns.
I would have this advice:
-Always buy quality carry guns (You did buying a sig). You carry a gun to protect yourself and those you care about. When you need it, you will need it to a life, so it has to go BANG all the time. Is an extra couple hundred dollars worth it to get the piece of mind? Buy a quality gun.
-Always buy HIGH quality carry ammo, AND run a few boxes of it through the gun to check function. After that you can practice with cheaper ammo.
-If you do experience a problem: Don’t use it for carry, until after you get it fixed. If you purchased a quality gun it should have a quality warrantee, so send it back to be fixed.
Joe is dead on with his comment. If you are complaining about the price of this gun then you are forgetting that the point of carrying a pistol is that one day you may need it to protect your life and you want it to work every time all the time. Personally my life is worth spending an extra $200 to purchase a quality firearm from a company with a proven reputation. As far as concerns about weight or size, this is a very small pistol that can easily be carried in a front pocket, back pocket, or concealed in an iwb holster. I currently carry a glock 27 with hornaday critical defense ammo (no problems fitting my glock in a front or back pocket of my jeans) and I plan on purchasing one of these p290s by the end of the month so that I have a slimmer option when carrying in warm weather with lighter clothing. If you are considering this pistol, my advice would be to go to a local firearms dealer and put it in your hand, that is the only way you will truly know what you are looking at in terms of size and weight.
how is recoil on this pistol? and how many rounds is this
I had the opportunity to really wring one out (with their ammo). I shot it side by side with my PM-9. The Sig is more accurate and has less felt recoil. I shot a three shot 1 hole group at 15 yards with it. I will own one.
I love pocket 9’s. I’ve invested quite a bit of time and money to discover the good ones and the bad ones. I have little doubt that this will be a a well built and reliable pistol. My concern is that at 20 oz before adding ammo, it will end up being too heavy for daily front pocket carry even in the lightest holsters. Back pocket carry will be impossible. Like the LC9 mentioned below, this one will best work IWB or cargo pocket. From experience I have found it is possible to front pocket carry up to a G-27 in the right jeans. Member’s Mark jeans from Sam’s Club seem to have the biggest and deepest front pockets. With Levis, the upper limit is about 18 oz in a pistol no larger than a PM9 and even that seems too big at times.
I’ll probably get one and also one of the new Kimber Solos, but I’ve pretty much planned that these will work best in a cargo pocket.
So I guess I should not pass go not collect $200 for my 2.5 lb Para P-10 currently in my front pocket that has been carried there off and on for years? Your preference is very fickle.
you are an idiot. How about pass on a gun that weighs two pounds in your front pocket? You must be wearing coveralls everywhere if you are still comfortable. The mad made a valid point, anyone who wears fashionable jeans or pants and not waders cannot fit a large heavy pistol in the front pocket. Why do you think the lcp and snub nose pistols such as the 640 642 sw variant do so well?
What a classy way to start a response, “What an idiot.” You showed who the idiot really is on that one. I have a full house ParaOrd PDA that weighs 24 ounces, the same or less than several of the micro 9s. The LDA trigger is great and it is safe to carry with the chamber loaded in a pocket. And it’s a real caliber, .45 ACP. I’ve been to the stores and laid the new little 9s on top of my Para and found, at most 1/4 or less difference in height or length. Thanks, I’ll stay with the “idiot” gun that has served me professionally for 50 years. It has never failed in the real world, not the gun shop commando BS.
I have a 380 PPK, which is samll but still heavier than the new Kimber Solo and Sig P290. I hope to see both at a gun show next month. You think the Kimber and P290 are comparable?
I’d get the Sig in given a choice.
Probably a great CCW handgun at a very un-great price. Then again you pay for the name and the quality.
Take a look at the new Ruger LC9, also a full 9MM in the sub-compact class. Appears to be less than an inch difference in length, height to the Ruger LCP.. Pretty sure that the price will be more in line for we mere mortals. Ruger quality is also top notch.
Just my .02 cents
RAS
It is about time Sig got back into the small auto fight. I used to have a P230 and loved it, but now am a Ruger LCP fan. Concealed weapons permit holders looking for a new gun or their first gun should take a look at this.
It looks like another well put together Sig firearm, would love to see a vid in action. By the way, somebody messed up the video’s editing at the end, the credits show the wrong website: shouldn’t it be http://www.sigsauer.com/ instead of cz-usa?
Yes, thanks for the heads up. One mistake in hours and hours of late night video editing isn’t bad I guess. This was replaced with the correct URL at the end.