Sig 1911 RCS vs. P239 for carry

damo450 · January 2, 2013, 10:48 AM

I am looking at buying another carry gun and am really torn between these two pistols. I am a sig junkie with 2 P226's, 1 P229, and a 1 P228. I want to know what, if any, issues anyone on this forum has with either of these pistols. Caliber difference being what it is I am almost certain I would rather have 8 rounds of .45 acp vs. 8 rounds of 9mm. However I have carried a 9mm for quite some time and love the round and would not feel undergunned defending my family with the round. I have several 9mm's and no .45's never owned a .45 so maybe that answers my question for me! there is really not much difference in size, weight/thickness/length aren't far off. Thanks all!

Tactical Jackalope · January 2, 2013, 11:43 AM

If your muscle memory is stuck to SIG... (like me) get another SIG.

I went to a 1911 after my SIG craze and having my muscle memory tuned to SIG / Glock under stress. And I didn't do too well with the 1911.

Amazing gun. My favorite. But for carry, I've already tuned myself to no external safety.

My vote. SIG P220 IF you want a .45 for carry.

Since you're cool with 9mm. Then 239

Dragline45 · January 2, 2013, 12:11 PM

Seems to me you want both guns about equally as much. Do you currently have a carry gun? Also what are your requirements for a carry gun, are you looking for small and concealable or do you carry a full size? If you already have a dedicated carry gun I would get the 1911 and hold off on the 239.

JustinBiscuit · January 2, 2013, 12:29 PM

My 239 has been 100% with around 300-400 rounds down range. To me (now that I have SRT triggers in both) the gun feels very similar to P226.

That said its heavy compared to my PM9 or bodyguard .380

MLeake · January 2, 2013, 01:36 PM

I am not familiar with the RCS variant, but generally speaking I would be concerned with reliability in most 1911s built to similar size to a P239's.

Going smaller than Commander size really tightens up feed and ejection tolerances. Short barrels also may have problems getting the .45 up to expansion velocities, too.

Don't get me wrong, I love 1911s, but mine are in 4.25", 5", and 6" configurations.

KyJim · January 5, 2013, 12:32 AM

The RCS has a commander length barrel and an officer length grip frame so reliability should not be a problem (Sig's website says a 4.2 inch barrel but I think they just rounded the number for some reason). Having said that, I would recommend the 239 for the reasons Constantine mentioned. You'd hate to really need the gun for defense only to forget to flip off the safety.

January 2, 2013, 10:48 AM	#1
damo450 Member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Posts: 42	Sig 1911 RCS vs. P239 for carry I am looking at buying another carry gun and am really torn between these two pistols. I am a sig junkie with 2 P226's, 1 P229, and a 1 P228. I want to know what, if any, issues anyone on this forum has with either of these pistols. Caliber difference being what it is I am almost certain I would rather have 8 rounds of .45 acp vs. 8 rounds of 9mm. However I have carried a 9mm for quite some time and love the round and would not feel undergunned defending my family with the round. I have several 9mm's and no .45's never owned a .45 so maybe that answers my question for me! there is really not much difference in size, weight/thickness/length aren't far off. Thanks all!

January 2, 2013, 11:43 AM	#2
Tactical Jackalope Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 6,429	If your muscle memory is stuck to SIG... (like me) get another SIG. I went to a 1911 after my SIG craze and having my muscle memory tuned to SIG / Glock under stress. And I didn't do too well with the 1911. Amazing gun. My favorite. But for carry, I've already tuned myself to no external safety. My vote. SIG P220 IF you want a .45 for carry. Since you're cool with 9mm. Then 239

January 2, 2013, 12:11 PM	#3
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	Seems to me you want both guns about equally as much. Do you currently have a carry gun? Also what are your requirements for a carry gun, are you looking for small and concealable or do you carry a full size? If you already have a dedicated carry gun I would get the 1911 and hold off on the 239.

January 2, 2013, 12:29 PM	#4
JustinBiscuit Senior Member Join Date: September 18, 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 184	My 239 has been 100% with around 300-400 rounds down range. To me (now that I have SRT triggers in both) the gun feels very similar to P226. That said its heavy compared to my PM9 or bodyguard .380

January 2, 2013, 01:36 PM	#5
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	I am not familiar with the RCS variant, but generally speaking I would be concerned with reliability in most 1911s built to similar size to a P239's. Going smaller than Commander size really tightens up feed and ejection tolerances. Short barrels also may have problems getting the .45 up to expansion velocities, too. Don't get me wrong, I love 1911s, but mine are in 4.25", 5", and 6" configurations.

January 5, 2013, 12:32 AM	#6
KyJim Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2005 Location: The Bluegrass Posts: 9,142	The RCS has a commander length barrel and an officer length grip frame so reliability should not be a problem (Sig's website says a 4.2 inch barrel but I think they just rounded the number for some reason). Having said that, I would recommend the 239 for the reasons Constantine mentioned. You'd hate to really need the gun for defense only to forget to flip off the safety.