I have my Beretta 92s up for trade locally and just got an offer for a P290RS Extreme 9mm. Good, Bad or just OK?

Pass, meh gun that has been discontinued

What RHINO said.

I had a 290 and didn't find it to be very comfortable, I felt like I was holding a 1"x2" board. I didn't adapt well to having my little finger unsupported. I found the trigger difficult to pull through until it broke, I needed a longer trigger reach. A few times, during the several times I qualified with it, I did not get a few rounds off because of this.

I did like the compactness and ability to easily conceal.

When the P365 came along, I found what I was trying to find in the 290. The 365, with a Hogue grip sleeve, fills my hand well, the trigger reach is perfect, the 12 round mags support my little finger, and the extra capacity is an advantage.

While the 365 is not for everyone, I feel there are better options out there than the 290.

Up front, I have never fired one, but I have handled more than a couple in the past few years. I wouldn't touch one of them if you are going to use it for EDC. The DAO-only trigger is waaaaaay too long. And, at least around here, they don't have much in resale value. One has been on VA gun trader here for $250 for a while ... and it's in NIB condition with NS.

I’ll add that I owned one and put 500rds through it before selling it. Tried to like the pistol, but the execution just wasn’t there.

Weird gritty trigger that felt different between dry and life fire, sharp magazine feedlips, mags with a tendency to shed the first round while outside the gun (ie a reload not inserted), top heavy (reportedly made to take 40 as well), erratic ejection from 1 to 12 o’clock, including straight up.

Thanks guys! That is exactly what I wanted to know. Much appreciated.

I have large hands. Small guns are difficult for me. I reviewed it for Police Marksman some years back. Here's the text:

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.

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.

My experience mirrors enidpd804's excellent write up. It's heavy, has full size sights, it's small, it carries a good caliber, it's reliable, it's trigger pull is long like a double action revolver... I'd never carry it as a duty gun, but as a backup strapped in my vest, it served its role well for over 5 years.

Another endorsement for the P290.

I like mine, it shoots well, and I carry it quite often in a Tucker holster. My only caveat is that, if I'm wearing loose, untucked shirts, it's not that much more difficult to carry a P220 instead.

It is great to be able to carry a small, dependable pistol in a serious caliber.

my experience mirrors inspcalahan's description...as well as other positive reviews here...

Bill

Another happy 290RS owner here. Mine has been completely reliable with everything I have fed it over many years and several hundreds of rounds. I pocket carry it frequently when a larger pistol isn't convenient.

I find it funny when people complain about the trigger. It's actually a smoother and lighter pull than the DA pull on any of my classic Sig DA/SA or HK DA/SA pistols.

Shopping today I'd probably look at the P365 instead once the new pistol growing pains are sorted through. The P290RS is actually a bit smaller than the P365 making it slightly easier to fit into a pocket so I plan to keep mine around even if I eventually pick up a P365.

I like it. It is my wife's carry pistol. If I were still working the street I would carry it as a backup due to the small size, big sights, and weight. The trigger is just right for its purpose.

I liked mine by accident

Mine came to me as part of a trade package. I had something that one of our very young local officers had to own. So I made a deal that would work for him, even though I now had to turn his trade stuff back into cash



I had always planned to just sell the P290RS Extreme off to recoup the money had I had in the firearm he took possession of.

I never intended to like the P290RS Extreme. In case you have not notices I am very prejudiced against auto loaders as pocket guns. I am a HUGE proponent of the Smith and Wesson Centennial design for pocket and purse carry

I had to take it to the range. Not just to see if I liked it, but I will not pass on a firearm to the next owner unless I know that it works or I disclose what is wrong with it.

I do not really find it perceptibly heavier than a Smith and Wesson 640 or Kimber K6 when put into pocket service.

I was impressed with the firearms accuracy and reliability with all the ammunition that I had brought, even the Speer +Ps. Recoil was manageable and reliability was 100%. I never had to make use of the Re-Strike capability of the firearm.

Now, Years later, I still own my little P290RS Extreme and do not see myself parting with it

I have had my P290RS for a number of years now. I like it fine, just as some others have said.

I also have striker fired pocket pistols, but I prefer the P290RS because of the hammer D/A. When I draw it from a pocket, my thumb is on the hammer. I feel it is safer that way. I have no qualms about carrying it in a pocket holster.

It is a bit of a pain to disassemble, but you get used to it. It is easier than other pistols that I have had. And it is very accurate and reliable.

I also plan to get a P365 eventually, but am waiting for the manual safety version. Even then, I will still keep the P290RS.

The bottom line is, I feel confident carrying it.

I have one but not the new 're-strike' model... mine came with a factory laser. For carry I like it and it shoots great the one complaint I have is with spare magazines ... the top round will work its way out over a few days....

I had one and really liked it, but with fewer than 200 rounds the trigger stopped working. Sent it back to Sig and it was repaired but soon became discontinued. The trigger problem was apparently common because when I was first looking to buy one I looked at 4 290s and three of them had failures of the trigger to reset. Salesman told me the trigger just needed to wear in but that just wasn't true .

I traded it off on a 938 and is a great gun from day one.

I also had one of the original P290 and had many problems-dead trigger and feeding issues. I returned it to Sig and they upgraded it to the P290 RS trigger. It fired every time but still had some issues with feeding. I traded it in to my ffl dealer at quite a loss. I wanted to like it as the trigger was really smooth and the size was perfect. The trigger pull was long but not heavy.

I've had the original P290 (no re-strike capability) for 4 years now. Carry it in a high ride OWB holster. Initially I had a dead front sight and a light strike firing pin. I was getting FTF's at the rate of about 2 per 50 round box. Sig made all that good on their dime including shipping and the gun has been flawless since. It feeds everything I've tried to date, including my LSWC reloads.

As to the re-strike feature of the updated model, I'd say it's a non-issue. For any failure to fire, I've always been taught to immediately perform the appropriate malfunction drill. Basically, a Tap and Rack will solve 90% of malfunctions...but a 2nd trigger pull in response to a dead primer, or failure to seat the round completely or to have failed to chamber a round initially...is a waste of time when a second's delay can't be afforded....Click (no bang), assess, Tap & Rack...will fix the gun if it's fixable.

All in all, the P290 is a good carry gun for its small size, but it's weight demands a holster of some sort. It's just too heavy for pocket carry in any garment I've tried. There are probably better choices for the size, that offer lighter weight, and more capacity if desired.

The night sights though are excellent, and honestly, I can't imagine a CCW without them; as most encounters I visualize are in dim light at best. My Smith M60 doesn't have them, wish it did, but all the rest for serious CC are so equipped.

The P290's trigger puts some shooters off, due to its long pull length and perhaps the reset. I'm a long term revolver shooter so this was not a problem for me, and I'm used to resetting at revolver's long draw length. To be sure, this isn't a pistol for handgun games where a short reset is of benefit to minimize "split" times, but frankly I'm not convinced that the quarter second difference "advantage" of a short reset is of any real benefit in a close quarters gunfight and matters not a whit at longer distances. YMMV

The six round mag capacity is limited but mine was also supplied with an extra 8-rounder for back up. I shoot the little gun with the 6-rounder as that's the way I carry it, and have no problem with grip length...hell...you really don't need that pinkie on the bottom of the grip anyway. Check out Hickok45's videos when he's shooting the dinky Glocks and ringing the gong at 80+yds, if you think it can't be done! So, I feel comfortable with one in the pipe and six in the mag for carry...and my usual Smith M60 is two rounds short of that, but THEY'RE .357's and not 9's! Flame on you 9 lovers!

Lately, I've not carried it much, preferring the Smith M60, where concealment is an issue (it uses an OWB holster of roughly the same size), or more frequently, my M11A1 or P225A1, (I do like the 225 for its svelte grip and accommodate to it's 8+1 mags) where it's not. But for that 8+1 capacity, and longer sight radius + greater bulk, I give up the compactness of the P290...choices don't always make sense eh Komrads? For pocket carry I've got a a Smith Bodyguard 380 that's reliable, and just the right size and weight. An LCP would work as well I suppose.

Just some ramblings here...HTH's Rod

I had one. Mine was reliable and shot well, but felt weird in the hand, had a less than ideal trigger, and the magazines would shed rounds in the pocket or pouch. I sold it and don't miss it. The p365 killed it dead and I see new examples priced under $300 at my LGS in an attempt to get them out of the store.

It's an unpopular discontinued handgun with a short production run. In my world it would have very low trade value, but someone else might see it completely differently.