The issue of the P239 and Sig-Sauer ending production -- except apparently for a government contract -- is kind of a dead horse that doesn't need another beating.

And the virtues of the P239 vs. more "modern" single stack plastic guns is another dead horse.

But, thinking about a replacement for my P239, and focusing on hammer-fired guns, I took a good look at the Springfield XD-E. That seems to be a pretty nice pistol. Here's the strange part that I ran into: In almost every dimension or measurement, except frame width, it is very close to the P239!

The XD-E weighs about 25 ounces and the P239 weight 29.5 ounces. Both have a height of right around 5 inches. The P239 is 6.6 inches long with a 3.6 inch barrel while the XD-E is 6.75 inches long and has a 3.3 inch barrel.

The biggest difference in addition to the weight is that the XD-E is 1 inch wide, while the P239 is 1.2 inches wide -- the XD-E feels svelte, while the P239 is a little chunky. And the XD-E is available in the low $400's, which is $250 or so less than the going prices for NIB P239s.

Bottom line, the P239 has been put out to pasture, but isn't really that far off the mark being set today for single stack pistols. The P225-A1 is a great gun but is very expensive ($1032 MSRP). Sig-Sauer needs a hammer-fired single stack pistol to fit in the niche where the P239 flourished quietly for so long.

Note: This item was corrected on 29 Sep 18 to show the proper weights for the two pistols -- the initial version of the post had the wrong weight for the P239.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RoverSig,

I suspect the margin on the P239 was smaller than the margin on the P225-A1 and with available manufacturing resources being limited, the P239 came to an end. I think the good folks in Newington took a different tack with the small single stack concept and brought the P365 to market.

I would pick the Sig between the two of them. I bought an XD-E the very first week it came out. I sold it after 1 range trip. I just did not like it.

I had to work WAY too hard to shoot it well. I am also not a big fan of fiber optic sights on a self defense gun.

I previously had an M&P Shield. In general, I prefer DA/SA. I no longer have the Shield, and I carry a HK P2000 and P2000sk now. The XD-E is bigger than a Shield. And, in pocket carry, it honestly looked the same as the doublestck P2000sk (the bulge in the pocket).

I MUCH, MUCH prefer the P2000sk over the XDe.

I do have a hard time believing that the P239 is lighter than the XDe, but your stats claim it is. I tried the 224 when they first came out, but I found it to weigh almost as much as a fullsize Beretta 92.

I'd look at the P2000sk or P30sk if I were you.

But, between ONLY those 2 choices, I think you should pick the Sig

I also had the XD-E and sold it quickly...I felt that the trigger was not in a good alignment with my trigger finger. Also, to rack the slide was uncomfortably easy. I felt that for such a small pistol, the recoil spring should be a bit stiffer. I have a couple 239's and have no plans of selling them.

Too bad we don't live closer to each other. I'd love to get another P239, and have a XD-E that to me is just ok. Rather have the Sig.

I wanted to like XD-e, but discovered that it just lacked the ergonomics, so I passed.

I bought my wife a 9mm XD-E for Christmas last year, and she likes it. Easy for her to rack the slide and can shoot well with it. Last year I bought a S&W Shield .45, and although a nice pistol that shot well, it had a nagging problem with the third round out of the magazine "nose diving". Racking the slide to the rear then releasing fed the round, but was a frequent occurrence. Reading online, this was a common malfunction with the Shield .45. I dumped it earlier this year and got a XD-E in .45 for myself.
Both my wife's 9mm and my .45 have had zero malfunctions with over 1,000 rounds out of each. I like the DA/SA action, and it can be carried cocked/locked SA if desired. The big drawback is the high bore axis compared to striker fired pistols (they had to add some height to the frame to accommodate the hammer).
It took some practice with it, but I can shoot it well two handed, as well as one handed, both left and right, DA on the first shot with SA follow on shots.
If you are looking at the XD-E, find a local range with one for rent, and take it for a test drive. That's what my wife did before she settled on the XD-E.

P239 is way better gun. I recently put G10 grips on mine and that thing is a laser...

00464b if you ever decide to sell the XDe, let me know. Also in SE WI.

There used to be a mag extension available for the P239 mags -- the word on this forum was that a government agency commissioned someone to make a whole bunch of them for their P239's, and the excess ones were available on the open market. For a while, Top Gun sold them. They made the 8 round P239 9mm mags able to hold 9 rounds, a useful addition that makes the P239 a little more competitive with more modern single-stacks.

Galloway Precision makes a +1 mag extension for the P239 -- two versions, one for 9mm and one for .40/.357 -- and they are the only ones who have it, I believe. I just bought two more, which are "second generation" versions with a small screw to lock them onto the mags. (They fit only Exeter-made mags, not German-made mags).

Anyway, a nice addition, and I assume it is okay to put a plug on here for them (I have no relation to the Galloway Precision company). These will presumably go away eventually as there are fewer and fewer P239's out there.

I wish someone would make a single stack hammer fired DA/SA in 9mm that was the same size as the single stack striker pistols. The XD-E and the 239 are huge compared to Glock 43 or M&P Shield. I would like a pistol similar to the subcompact S&W Chiefs Special (CS9) 9mm pistol.

Ya gotta have room for that hammer and mechanism that goes along with it. A striker.....well is basically a couple of springs and a metal toothpick .

Here is the actual weight loaded with 124 grain

Pistol WO Mag W Mag Loaded

SA XD-E 9mm 22.6 O 24.9 Oz 28.8 Oz
Sig P239 9mm 25.6 Oz 28 Oz 31.8 Oz

Sorry for the mis-alignment, I tried...