I have an opportunity to snag a used Sig p290RS for a pretty good price. This is one that I dont have in my collection right now. Anyone have one or had one? What are your thoughts? Thx

I had 2 and only abandoned the idea because the cm9 fills that role better for me.

I found my examples to be reliable and accurate. Sig never came through on accessories for the proprietary rail other than the laser. The gun is over built. Great from a durability standpoint of you are okay with the weight. Many do not like the triggers, though mine never registered as objectionable.

I have a P290-RS. It's a DAO that has a surprisingly hard trigger. It's also pretty heavy for its size. I like to carry inside my pocket, and it's not practical (for me) to do so. On the other hand it fits my OWB holster very nicely!

I own one and have had it since it was new. Has a long DA only trigger pull.

In other words don't expect a nice SIG DA/SA trigger because it doesn't have one.

Did you put your hands on one? The grip is pretty small. Worked for me but YMMV.

The "P290RS" was a redesign since the first P290's had some problems. I bought an RS new for a steal of a price years ago(sub-300). It's been a CCW favorite for me.

I've shot my P290RS quite a bit and never had any problems with it. Not many holsters for it even back then.

Nice thing about the RS is it can be dry-fired without having to cycle the slide, and being a CCW great practice on an otherwise meh trigger.

P290RS has been replaced with the P365 in the SIG lineup similar to how the P250 got replaced by the P320. Similarly the P250/290RS are hammer guns whereas the P320SC/P365 are striker fired.

It has 6 rounds(8 with extended grip magazine) vs the P365 10 in regular magazine or P250SC/P320SC having 10 as well.

I like my P290RS and of course I don't know what price you are getting.

Unless you've used one before and really desire it for carry, it's a pass.

Owned one for about 1/2 a year. Top heavy, crunchy trigger, snappy recoil, and magazines that like shedding the top round before loading.

Wanted to like it, but just didn't. Sold it to someone else who wanted it.

I liked mine okay, carried and shot it quite a bit. Reliable, accurate, easy to carry. Had siglite sights that were well regulated and worked well for me. Trigger never bothered me, but I grew up on DA revolvers.

It weighs as much as a G26 but holds way fewer rounds and is harder to shoot well fast, the slide is too short for someone with long thumbs (me) to safely use a thumbs forward grip, the finish on my slide was slick and got away from me a couple of times, and the spare magazines always puked the top round or two or three, depending on how I carried it. I’d gotten my G26 and fallen in love, so when my wife asked me for a G42 like her friend has, I traded it off without a regret.

I handled one and didn’t care for the trigger pull- not nearly as light and smooth as the 250. With prices really starting to drop on the 365, there’s no reason not to go that route for just about every reason.

The P290RS is a decent gun. If you WANT a DAO trigger then get it. I have a P290 that I sent back to SIG and they converted it to a P290RS.

I actually really like the size and weight of it. It has standard SIG Night Sights so for a small gun it has very good sights. I don't mind a DAO and I find my P290RS very shootable, especially with the extended 8 round mags.

All that being said, I don't carry it as I've not put enough defense ammo through it to fully trust it. So far it's been very reliable, I just need a couple hundred more rounds thorugh it. I also generally carry a P229 or P220 mostly.

I have one and like it. It is accurate and reliable and I like the feel of it in my hand. It is my wife's house gun and she likes it and shoots it very well. She does not carry it. A number of my lady students have shot it and do well with it. The sights are good for such a small pistol. Depending on your perspective and purpose, the long trigger pull and weight can be a plus. If I had one back when on the street, I would have liked to have carried it as a backup. If you want a crisp trigger, you won't be happy with this gun. For a primary carry gun, in my opinion the P365 is a superior choice.

I sold mine off to get the P365.

The grip felt like I was holding a 1"x2" board. I made some grip panels for it which gave it a bit of a palm swell. That helped.

I had some difficulty with where the trigger broke. The tip of my finger moved beyond the point where it would have formed a 90 degree angle to the trigger and frame. The break was so far back that sometimes I was unable to pull the trigger far enough to fire the pistol. If you have slightly smaller than average hands, or slightly shorter fingers, this might not be an issue.

Extra mags losing rounds has been covered.

My little finger was under the grip.

Thanks everyone for the input,,, Based on you tube videos i saw and actually getting to handle it today, it will be a pass. For what I need, I already have several alternatives. Just thought it might be something I might have to have.

I've had the original P290 (without re-strike capability) for 5-6 years now. I was a good/great carry piece for my OWB holsters but had some drawbacks for some shooters. The major complaint, as I see it, is its long revolver-like trigger pull. This was not a problem for me as I spent a great deal of time with revolvers over the years.

2nd was the lack of re-strike. That's the ability to pull the trigger again if you have a failute to fire. I didn't find this objectionable because I've trained to handle malfunctions with a a tap & rack for this particular problem. A second pull on the trigger is wasting time in my opinion.

My P290 is 100% reliable, after going back to Sig for light firing pin falls with some ammunition. Sig worked on the trigger and may have replaced some springs; they also replaced the front sight tritium tube as it was dimming. This was all done on their dime, including shipping.

Overall, it's a good carry gun, with somewhat limited capacity, similar to a revolver in both capacity and trigger manipulation. Its weight makes it not suitable for pocket carry in my opinion short of a winter parka. I still like it, but it rarely comes out of the safe, having been replaced by a Sig P365. I'm an OWB CC guy and both the P290 & P365 are carried in that manner.

HTH's & YMMv, Rod

I bought one of the originals years ago at a gun show,the p290. At the time I bought it, I thought I found the perfect pistol. The trigger pull seemed light and it was comfortable to carry. That changed after my first range session. The trigger pull was much longer than I thought prior after shooting about 50 rounds at the range. A little after that, the pistol had issues. It would not fire and I had to send it back. The RS version came out after and dealt with the problem the earlier ones had. When I got it back, I just did not feel comfortable with shooting it or carrying it and wound up trading for a Sig all metal gun.

I wrote a review some years back but I can't remember where it was published. 2012 Warren was long winded.
Here's the text:

Sig Sauer P290 RS

I don't like mouse guns. Experience has taught me to be wary of little guns for a lot of reasons: They can be finicky about ammunition. Recoil is a bit more harsh and groups on paper can be a little harder on the ego. So, they tend to be carried a lot and shot very little, as the old saying goes (which is unacceptable practice for someone who carries a firearm as a weapon rather than merely a Talisman). Most importantly, they come mostly in mouse gun calibers.
It used to be almost a given that the smaller the autopistol, the less reliable it was. However, in this age, gun manufacturers are making a lot of decent little pistols for concealment which also function very well. One of those is the 2.9-inch barreled P290 RS. It is incredibly easy to conceal, but still offers a decent capacity given the choice of a six or eight-round 9mm magazines and a useable grip for full-size folks like myself. It also works great for back-up in a front pants pocket, on body armor or on the ankle with the aforementioned six-round bullet box. Still, it's big enough that a lower primate like myself can manipulate its controls and shoot it somewhat effectively.
We generally avoid caliber debates here, but my personal preference is to carry only service calibers for defense. Even with advancements in bullet technology, I have never felt comfortable with the calibers in which most super small pistols are offered. However, the P290 is offered in 9mm, which is comforting. Mostly, I don't like pocket pistols because I have the hands of a monkey without the inordinate strength necessary to shoot them well. Big hands and long fingers make it especially difficult to find a small handgun in an effective caliber with a decent grip.
Those are a few of the reasons I'm an advocate of carrying something as close to a duty-size handgun as possible for one's off-duty pursuits. Still, there's no denying the need for those little guns when it's impossible to conceal a larger gun and for back up. In fact, for such a large gun advocate, there certainly are a lot of subcompact 9mm and .40 caliber pistols in my gun safe; just no "starter pistols." You know the kind I mean: the ones that are chambered in rounds which are better at starting fights than ending them?
Features
RS stands for Re-Strike. The P290 has second strike capability which goes hand-in-hand with the double-action-only system. There were some sporadic complaints involving early pre-RS P290's with light primer strikes. Sig quickly addressed that issue and there appears to be no further problems in this area. There certainly weren't any with this pistol. It came with one six-round magazine. Another of the eight-round variety can be purchased for about $40.00 plus shipping. Considering these pistols are often on sale for $300-$350, that's still quite a deal. The large slide stop is especially appreciated. At first blush, it seems disproportionate to the diminutive pistol. I was concerned that my thumbs would inadvertently manipulate it during live fire causing the slide to go forward on an empty magazine or lock back prematurely, as is often the case for me with polymer guns. Despite the usable size of the P290's slide stop, it is set forward enough that my opposable digit caused no drama. The frame is black polymer which helps keep the unloaded weight down to 20.5 ounces. I weighed it at 23.2 ounces loaded with seven rounds (the six-round magazine plus one in the chamber) of Federal 124 grain HST +P and 25.6 ounces with nine rounds (the eight-round magazine plus one in the chamber.
Options
This P290 RS came with steel three dot sights. They are actual gun sights as you would find on a full size pistol. Siglite ® night sights are an option. It came in Nitron ® finish (black) but can be purchased in natural stainless. The polymer grips are seriously stippled. Even the polymer grip extension that comes standard with the eight-round magazine screams, "Severe Tire Damage!" I actually prefer it that way for pocket carry, but it may be a bit aggressive for some folks when carried against bare skin. I shouldn't be complaining. Some carry guns that come with smooth grips are harder to hold onto than an hand-written report on a windy day. This is one of the features that make this gun easy to shoot. For those who don't like the stippling, however, Sig offers a smooth set of grip panels, also. In this configuration, the front and back straps still allow for a great purchase on the pistol, but the side plates don't irritate the skin. The P290 RS has a removable plug at the bottom of the dust cover to mount an optional laser. They really seem to have thought of everything with this little gun.
Bang and Buck
The best feature of this pistol is its combination of compactness and power. At about 5.5" long by 3.9" tall and approximately an inch in width, this 9mm is approximate to many .380 autos on the market, but chambered in 9mm. I carried it several times while running and in my front pocket as a backup for a few weeks. It is very well-suited to both roles. Even as a large gun snob, I could see carrying the P290 RS as a primary pistol.
Disassembly/Assembly
The P290 has gotten a little bad press for its difficulty in takedown procedure. Its design necessitates removing the slide stop while holding the slide fully rearward. Another reviewer called this, "a three-handed procedure." This P290 included a small plastic block which can be inserted into the ejection port to hold the slide back. It makes removing the slide stop much easier. Then, it's just a matter of removing the recoil spring, guide rod and barrel. Reassembly is a little more difficult, but not nearly as emotionally traumatic as I'd been led to believe. This is coming from a guy with the manual dexterity of a seal who didn't quite make the cut at Sea World...San Antonio.
Trigger
If you've ever shot a Sig P250 or a revolver, you'll have no difficulty acclimating to the Double Action Only type trigger of the P290. Don't go into it expecting to break any records on split times. It's not that kind of pistol or trigger. However, the long nine-pound pull is well-suited for deep carry where a long trigger stroke is an asset. Arguably, the P290 is very much a single stack miniaturized version of the P250 which is one of my favorite training/defensive pistols.
Range Time
For a two day range test, three of us shot 50 rounds of 124 grain +p Federal HST, 50 rounds of Remington 124 grain +P Golden Saber and 50 rounds of Winchester White Box 124 grain FMJ and 50 rounds of PMC Bronze 124 grain FMJ. The second day we threw 50 rounds of nearly 25-year-old Corbon 115 grain +p into a mix of pot luck FMJ's. It may not seem fair to the ammunition or the pistol, but testing equipment of this importance shouldn't be fair. Very few defensive guns will be pressed into service in a defensive encounter. A few, however, will be truly needed in less than ideal circumstances where only perfect performance is acceptable. That's why I try to use a less than optimal grip during function testing of any autopistol. After about 300 rounds total, we had no stoppages, malfunctions, mishaps, or whatever the cool kids are calling jams these days. The P290 RS just worked. It should be noted that many of the FMJ's that we shot were PMC Bronze. I read several accounts of the pre-RS P290's having light strikes with this ammunition. As stated above, they all went bang in this pistol.
The P290 shoots relatively softly with normal practice FMJ's, but becomes a little more of an attention grabber with the Federal HST +p. I would compare the recoil impulse to a lightweight 1911 Commander size pistol in .45ACP. It's not intolerable, but certainly noticeable compared to a full size plastic 9mm duty pistol. Still, no one who tried it had any trouble placing several quick rounds on target after shooting a few magazines for familiarization. The Corbon on the other hand was quite the handful. I don't think this quarter century old loading was ever intended to be fired in a 20 ounce, 2.9" gun. The recoil was abrupt. It may take some sort of specialist to get the smile off my face after launching 115 grain bullets at 1240 feet per second out of a pocket pistol. It's reminiscent of firing full power 10mm out of a grownup pistol which also makes my heart happy.
Beware The Tiny Pistol
This wee weapon was perfectly reliable and, most importantly, easier to shoot than most guns its size. This is especially true when using the extended eight-round magazine. I usually say beware of small guns because of their flaws. In the case of the P290 RS, I say "beware," because, it will try very hard to convince you to make it your primary concealed carry pistol.



Corbon 115 Grain JHP +P Federal 124 Grain HST +P
Shot # 1 1246 1085
Shot# 2 1239 1093
Shot # 3 1252 1100
Shot # 4 1217 1092
Shot # 5 1232 1102
Average 1237.2 Feet Per Second 1094.4 Feet Per Second

Thanks for that great review of the P290RS.

I have had a SIG P290RS since new, about 5 years.

I like it. It has been reliable and is very accurate. It shoots well for me. But it has several characteristics which particularly suit my needs. First of all, the DAO trigger with exposed hammer. I have had striker fired pistols for many years, (Glock G26, Nano, etc). While I like their ergonomics and the way they shoot, I was never comfortable carrying with a round in the chamber, in my pocket, which is my normal method of carry. And I would never carry one inside the waistband. Too many negligent discharges for my taste with these strikers.(I know, many disagree, and that is a matter of opinion).

The P290RS solved this problem, with its DAO hammer system. It has a heavier trigger, like a double action revolver, but I am used to those and have no problem with them. Also, with the exposed hammer, you can put your thumb on the hammer when drawing and replacing it in a pocket or holster. It is much safer to me. I carry it regularly with a round in the chamber. I would not do this with the G26.

And it is heavier than some similar sized pistols, like the G43, etc. but it works for me in the pocket and is small enough to fit my pocket. Yet is a solid piece of work.

One issue it does have is the disassembly and reassembly, with the pin that holds the slide. It is a bit tricky at first, but once you do it a few times, it is doable without much trouble.

So I still have and use it, but it is now a backup. I acquired a new P365 MS last summer. It has replaced the P290RS, due to its larger capacity and similar size, and it has a great feel in my hands and shoots well. Love it. But the critical thing is it has the manual safety. With that, I will carry it with a round in the chamber, and feel much safer than with the G26. But there are times when I will still carry the P290RS, as we live in two locations, and it can depend upon which pistol I have available. No problem with either one.(I have Hogue grips for both of them. and they really help with the feel and accuracy).

So if anyone should run across a P290RS for a good price I would have no problem with it. There should be lots of them around.

I have three of them.
One from right when the RS came out. I like it a lot and carried it in warm weather until I got a P365 that replaced it for CCW. The P290RS shot well, was accurate, and had great sights. The weight did not bother me and I carried it in a belt pack or an OWB holster.
Bought a second one to use at the range (I like to keep my CCW guns with fresh, but range-proven parts) and the one I bought for the range had a different shaped trigger that has a little "hook" upwards on the end of it. Makes it harder to pull the trigger all the way back and then release it for the next shot. Not a disabling feature, just one that I notice when shooting it and do not like. But I did like carrying the gun until I got my P365. Now, I use the former range gun P290RS as my rainy day gun. I don't like taking my nicer guns out in the rainy weather. I know, nothing bad will happen to them and they can be dried and cleaned and re-lubed, and all of that, but I don't like it. With that range gun P290RS, I don't care if it gets wet. So, it's now my rainy day carry gun.

Got a third one for $295 a few years ago, right before Sig dropped the P290 9 mm guns from the line up because I could see the drop-from-line-up coming and wanted the gun for spare parts. The trigger on that one is not very good, and has some trigger-return issues. Doesn't matter to me because I just wanted the gun to be a spare parts donor for the future anyway. Then Sig comes out with the P365 which I now carry all year round (except, of course, rainy days).

I had one and was very sorry to get rid of it because I actually liked it quite a bit.
Problem was I bought it brand new and after only 2 months, the trigger went dead. Sent it back to Sig and the report said they adjusted the trigger spring. I know spring steel has memory so how do you adjust a spring? On this forum I read about others having the same problem.

Anyhow, a month later the 290RS was dropped from the Sig lineup. After that I could never trust the gun as a carry; so I sold it after owning it only 4 months.

I have an original P290 (not the re-strike model) I carried it for a while and shot it little. I like it... nice little tough 9mm.... no problem with the double action only trigger... it is what it is. I'd rather carry a DAO pistol than a striker fired one...

I love it. My wife has very painful arthritis in her hands and she can both rack the slide and shoot this gun. It is a .380

I've decided to look for one in 9mm to carry as a backup. I live 14 miles from the border and carry all the time.

After I handled one of these, my take was it was the perfect gun for a J-frame shooter who wanted a small 9mm auto. It had a near perfect revolver trigger.