Personally, I've always been extremely fond of the little P.245" s, especially after carrying my full size P.220 around for years. ( And I'm not a really big guy, as in 5' 7", 160 Lbs,it can somewhat difficult to hide it at times, especially in the warmer months. ) So naturally the reduced size 245 appealed to me, albeit even if requiring a bit more forethought in choosing your carry ammunition, due to its shorter barrel length. From what I recall, it was like they were commonly available, then all of a sudden they disappeared from the market ? I surmise it had something to do with a combination of slow sales & Sig's introduction of newer, yet similar Models ? So, if anyone happens to have any information on this issue, I'd appreciate hearing about it. THANK YOU !

Best, Dom P.

Because it wasn’t a huge seller. The combination of it being .45 in a 9mm world, and being DA/SA in a striker fired world guaranteed its early demise.

I would appreciate a 245 Legion, though.

What Jones said. The 245 came in right at the end of the folded slide models, right as Sig was transitioning to stainless milled slides. The form factor was revived for a short time as the P220 Compact, with a stainless milled slide, but eventually succumbed to the 9mm/striker-fired market.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
I would appreciate a 245 Legion, though.

As would I. The 245 was just a timing thing.... came out during the wave of double stack 9's and .40's being what was wanted.

That said, I'm sitting on a few 245 magazines just in case I stumble across the right gun at the right price on the right day.

I understand the double-stack era, but I'm still not sure why SIG never tried making the more compact 220s in other chamberings like 9mm. The 239 was always a bit small for some of us.

It didn't help that the followup product, the P220 compact, was not fully interchangeable part-wise, with the original P245. So customers were forced to decide on German-made folded slide original's or the newer style CNC'd P220 compacts with stuff like external extractors, beaver tails, etc.

I personally preferred the old-school design original P245 and still have it.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
I understand the double-stack era, but I'm still not sure why SIG never tried making the more compact 220s in other chamberings like 9mm. The 239 was always a bit small for some of us.

Because they don’t sell. The thing I’ve learned about what the community says versus what the community does is this. Whenever a particular concept is pitched, you’ll get a bunch of chatter “I’ll buy one” or “you’ll sell a million of them”.

When SIG takes the idea into production, they’ll sell roughly 1.5 units for every 10
People that claimed they’d buy one if produced. Most of the 10mm projects are prime examples of this concept.

^^^^^^^
What he said.

See
-manual transmissions
-sport wagons
For a perfect car guy example of this.

The reality is “enthusiast” buys are such a tiny % of the buyer pie. I am an enthusiast shooter. I love an odd gun or a cool single stack or .45 etc. etc. the reality, however, is your average GlockandWesson striker fired wunder nine holding half a box of ammo and is cheaper and easier to shoot is just a far more compelling gun for the VAST number of buyers.

I mean even I, who really digs the 245, isn’t relying on it for my go to.

Don't know, but have owned 2 of them, and couldn't really get attached either time. The most recent I sold last year, and it weighed exactly the same as my 1997 folded slide P220, so there was no weight advantage for me.

Gotta agree with cslinger and Jljones. We went into the "big city" today to do some shopping, and while I really wanted to carry my P245 (especially after reading this thread this morning), I ended up taking my RMR-equipped P320 instead. It just offers more capability, I've been putting in more training time with it lately, and this time of year with coats and sweatshirts concealability is not an issue.

At the end of the day they are all just tools (well ok, some are toys), and emotional attachment has to take a back seat to practicality.

The P245 is a fine shooting pistol..

I feel the exact same way in reference to the P.245 being an excellent Pistol !! My 3-11 Shift Relief allowed me to carry his 245 for a week or so & that's what really make me fall in love with it. At the time, IIRC, I used the old CCI 200 JHP, aka 'The Flying Ashtray', which was an excellent Load for the time. But by the time I was able to buy my own, there were none to found, at least locally anyway. As time passed my yearning for one cooled off somewhat, as I moved on to other calibers & weapons, but I have always been very fond of the model overall. Perhaps one day I'll get around to calling Sig C/S & ask if they'll share the total number of P.245's ever sold in the US ? I'm just curious as it couldn't have been too high, at least based upon my knowledge of the model ? Well, THANKS AGAIN Gentlemen, as always, I appreciate all the kind replies !

Best, Dom P.

quote:

Originally posted by Xer0:
It didn't help that the followup product, the P220 compact, was not fully interchangeable part-wise, with the original P245. So customers were forced to decide on German-made folded slide original's or the newer style CNC'd P220 compacts with stuff like external extractors, beaver tails, etc.

I personally preferred the old-school design original P245 and still have it.

People often talk about the balance of a P-228 vs P-229, which if both in 9mm is mostly psychological. The weight/balance between the P245 vs P220c is significant, the bulk of the slide on the p220c.

I have a P245 that was basically new when I got it (for $500 no less), but I carry a P-220 DAK that I paid even less for and is already broken in, has night sights, have a holster etc...

Because SIG?

With the transfer of technology from Germany to the USA, the production of cold-drawn sheet metal slides was also discontinued. The slides were then milled and the P245 was renamed the P220 compact. The performance ratio of capacity and size was not adjusted. For a capacity of 6 + 1 cartridges, the pistol turned out quite large compared to the 9mm compact pistols and that was probably why the type found only a small number of buyers. I own a P245 from the pilot series and like it very much, but I consider it rather critical for defense purposes for the reasons mentioned above. It offers no more than a 357 revolver which is ballistically much more powerful than a .45

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

The P245 is a fine little pistol, if somewhat low on capacity. Before I retired, my duty gun was a P220. The obvious choice of backup was a shared caliber/magazine and the 245 fit the bill. While a bit beefy for a bug, it worked fine for me. Then my agency disallowed it (despite sharing every small part with the full sized pistol except major components like slide, barrel, and frame) and forced me into a P220C which I made do with. I eventually switched to a P226 with 4 20 round TAC-ops mags and the P365 with 1 spare mag until the last end of shift. If I part with one of the compact .45’s, it will most likely be the railed P220C.

THANK YOU 'OTD' for that summation of exactly what became of the little P.245 !! I know it seemed somewhat odd for it to just disappear from the Sig Line Up. Yet for my personal preferences, I would still choose the older 245, as although I haven't confirmed any specs yet, I assume the older version was a bit lighter, just due to its design ? I was aware of Sig's decision to change over to the 'milled slide design', as opposed to the older 'folded, w/ pinned breech-block' style, but just didn't realize how close in time the 245's introduction was in relation to the manufacturing process change, & of course that does explain a lot regarding the P.245's short run. As for Sig's P.239 Series, I personally never warmed up to them & I can't really say why ? Back somewhere around 2004+/-, my Department was offered a decent deal by the Sig Factory Rep. for pretty much any Sig Model / Caliber we chose, purchased as an 'POW'. Many of us chose the P.239, in assorted calibers. Well, I can report that quite a few weren't too fond of either the .357 Sig or .40 S&W's recoil characteristics ! ( Soon after we received them, the Bulletin Board suddenly had an assortment of them 'For Sale' or Trade !! ) The 9mm's were a different story though, as many found them just fine, if not somewhat larger than some other available options. And now that I'm remembering back, I don't recall the P.245's being offered along with ball the other Models ? But, I guess if I really still would like a 245 they are available with a little searching I presume. However when I start asking myself my personal 'Save Money' question, which is usually, "Do I really want or more importantly need this particular gun" ?. Once I've asked myself that, well, I usually move that thought to the proverbial by 'back burner' ! THANKS AGAIN for all the replies Folks, they're most appreciated.

Best, Dom P.