The P239 is the sub-compact variant of Sig Sauer’s classic full-power autoloading pistol, making it a great deep concealment or backup gun.

On the right is a ten-year-old standard P239. On the left is a recent “Tactical” variant, which includes front serrations on the slide and Sig’s Short-Reset Trigger (SRT). This one also has an extended barrel threaded for a suppressor, which increases the barrel length from 3.5″ to 4″. Both pistols are equipped with SIGLITE night sights. (Illuminated sights are essential for any pistol that might need to be used in low-light conditions, as defensive arms so often are.)

Calibers

The P239 is available in 9mm, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W. The left pistol is chambered in 9mm, allowing it to carry 8+1 rounds vs 7+1 in the pistol on the right, which is shown in .357 SIG. Switching calibers is only a matter of changing the barrel and recoil spring, and putting in the correct magazine.

.357 SIG, though not as popular as the other two calibers, is uniquely appealing. A typical defensive load for the 9mm is a 125gr bullet. Loaded to +P specifications it will leave a 3.5″ barrel at about 1200fps. The .357 SIG fires the same bullet at 1400fps. A typical .40 load is either a 150gr bullet that reaches 1200fps or a 180gr that attains 1000fps.

Many of the arguments over defensive calibers are anecdotal, and in that domain people who have to shoot a lot of animals consider the .357 SIG to be a more reliable stopper than the slower alternatives here. Higher velocity also seems to offer some resistance to deflection and assistance to barrier penetration, though the nuances vary largely with the bullets and materials being shot. Nevertheless, there are two objective metrics that everyone agrees on: (1) Kinetic Energy, which determines the maximum amount of damage a bullet can do, and (2) Momentum, which is proportional to recoil, which determines how difficult it is for a shooter to control the gun and make accurate follow-up shots. While Energy continues to be quoted in foot-pounds, the shooting industry has adopted a measure of momentum called “Power Factor,” which we will use here:

The .357 SIG is a clear standout for a short-barreled pistol like the P239: Of the available calibers it offers the highest velocity and energy without exceptional recoil. However, it is not as widely available as the other two calibers. Also, 9mm is significantly cheaper and can squeeze one more round into each magazine. If I were on a budget and wanted to do a lot of practice I would probably use 9mm at the range and switch the gun back to .357 SIG for protection.

Triggers

Sigs are fine pistols. The examples here cost about $1000 each. The fit, finish, operation, and reliability of these guns are superb.

The classic Sig Double-Action/Single-Action (DA/SA) trigger system offers some unique features. These pistols are designed to be carried with the hammer down. In that condition the first pull of the trigger is a long and heavy (about ten pounds) double-action that serves to cock and then release the hammer. After the first shot the hammer is cocked and the trigger performs the single action of releasing the hammer (with just over four pounds of pressure). When the shooting is over the decocking lever (second on the left side) lowers the hammer, rendering the gun safe to holster. I.e., the gun’s “manual safety” is the double-action trigger pull. That “safety” can also be disengaged by manually cocking the hammer when the gun is first drawn.

The single-action trigger pull and reset are superb. The standard trigger takes about half an inch to reset. From there it is slack until pulled back to the sear release point, where it breaks and stops crisply. The SRT, standard on the Tactical and an easy $50 upgrade on any other model, takes the trigger to a level I previously thought existed only on custom-tuned 1911s: The SRT resets in little more than an eighth of an inch, and there is no discernible slack after the reset. This allows a shooter with a properly disciplined trigger finger (i.e., one that doesn’t unnecessarily release or jerk the trigger) to fire shot strings with only minimal finger movement.

Not long ago if you wanted to carry more firepower than a pistol, but you wanted something more wieldy than a rifle, you would carry a sub-machine gun. Typically equipped with folding or collapsing stocks and extended magazines, these could put more rounds on a target more quickly and accurately than a handgun. But sub-machine guns shoot handgun rounds, not rifle rounds, and even before the ubiquity of body armor the ability of the former to penetrate barriers and stop bad guys was a known shortcoming.

Today sub-machine guns are tactical relics, replaced by a smorgasbord of rifles with short barrels, folding stocks, and (my favorite) bull-pup configurations like the Kel-Tec RFB shown here. These are almost as easy to carry and maneuver in close quarters as sub-machine guns, but they shoot the full-power rifle rounds you’d much rather send towards a bad guy or vehicle when your life depends on it.

When I tested the Kel-Tec RFB I mounted one of my high-power scopes so that I could wring out its full potential for accuracy. Since it shoots the mid-range .308 round it wouldn’t be unreasonable to equip it that way, but since it is also proportioned for close-quarters battle I wanted to test some CQB-appropriate optics.
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After spending some time with this SCAR 17S I have a few salient observations. If you’re looking for a complete review start here or here.

Overall the FN SCAR 17S is an overpriced but good 4th-generation “heavy” tactical rifle. SCAR stands for Spec-ops Combat Assault Rifle, a procurement project developed by US SOCOM almost a decade ago that ultimately resulted in a production contract for FNH. The 17S is a semi-automatic version of the reliable SCAR-H being produced for the military. “Heavy” refers to the rifle’s caliber, not its weight: At 8 pounds it’s actually quite light for an auto-loader that shoots the mid-power 7.62x51mm NATO round.

Typically this combination of a light gun shooting heavy rounds is a recipe for jarring recoil that makes fast follow-up shots impossible. But the SCAR 17S does a remarkable job taming recoil: In addition to a very effective muzzle brake its massive reciprocating action has been tuned to dampen the recoil impulse to such a degree that it can be fired accurately as fast as a 5.56mm carbine.

Like most 4th-gen tactical rifles the SCAR has a piston action, monolithic upper, folding stock, short-throw safety, and ambidextrous controls (except, strangely, for the bolt catch). It can be field-stripped without tools. Barrels can be changed out with a torque wrench.

Many of my complaints about this gun are based on its price: Almost $3000. This puts it in the realm of custom-tuned AR-10 rifles which, though heavier and lacking in 4th-generation features, are capable of far greater accuracy. Out of the box the SCAR 17S comes with a trigger that is absolutely awful. In fact we abandoned our first range trip to test its accuracy after realizing the trigger was too sticky and heavy to approach 1 MOA. After upgrading to a Timney drop-in trigger we were able to shoot about 1 MOA with match-grade ammo.

The SCAR stock and lower are made almost entirely of polymers. For the price one would expect a decent grip, but it ships with a bottom-of-the-barrel A2-style plastic grip. Compounding this annoyance is the fact that it does not quite fit standard AR grips. We tried an ERGO grip sized specifically for the SCAR, but that had too much flex to positively control the rifle. So we resorted to what many SCAR owners apparently do: filing and Dremeling a true AR grip to fit. (In this case a Magpul MIAD.)

Another annoyance is the fact that it does not work with standard AR-10 or FAL magazines, but rather requires magazines that only fit the SCAR 17S.

For me a potential deal-breaker is the fact that the 17S has a reciprocating charging handle. In principle I don’t think a reciprocating handle belongs on unmounted guns. There are plenty of support positions that can interfere with the movement of that handle during firing. For example, the first time I raised the gun to shoot offhand, with the magazine well tucked into the web of my support hand, the charging handle hit my thumb. Fortunately the recoil impulse is slow enough that it doesn’t seem likely to break anything, but if I want to use that stance I would have to switch the handle to the other side and operate the action with my trigger hand.