I had been looking for a compact carry pistol over the last year and finally decided on the Sig Sauer P290RS. When looking, I found the Ruger LC9 and also the Kahr PM40. Both are quite capable carry guns but being a Sig owner, P229 in 40 cal., I have become favorable towards Sig Sauer's products. At this point, the LC9 is a bit lower in price while the PM40 is slightly above. The PM40 would have been nice because I didn't own a 9mm until now so I wouldn't have had to worry about different ammunition sizes.
After researching and making my decision, I checked local shop pricing and it would seem I'd be in the $700 range by the time I paid taxes and fees. I ended up ordering online and having it shipped to my local FFL dealer. This ended up saving me over $100.00.
First impression
I really like the size and quality of the gun. The P290 is slightly larger than both the LC9 and the PM40 however it is still more than compact enough to carry undetected. The weight is just over 20 oz so if waistband carry is desired, it won't be pulling your pants down. I haven't picked up a holster for ankle carry yet but I would envision there would be no noticeable bumps unless you are wearing skinny jeans.
The packaging contained the pistol, two magazines (one is 6 round and another is 8 round with grip extension), a lock, a small tube of lubrication, laser, and instructions. I was a little disappointed that there was not a hard carry case but that is remedied easily enough and to be honest, this pistol will be holstered most of the time anyways.
Setup
There really wasn't too much to do here except I did have to mount and sight the laser in. The slide is removed and a dummy plug is pulled. The laser aligns to the front of the trigger guard and a retainer inserts into the frame. A twist of the retainer and it is locked into position. There are two hex screws (wrench included) that adjust windage and elevation. I do not own a bore sight so I relied on my rail sights to match up to the laser which worked well. I still need to tweak a bit however 99% of the time, I'll be using the rail sights.
I performed a quick inspection and proceeded to load both magazines.
Firing
The first thing that was noticeable was the trigger pull. This pistol is a double action only gun so every pull of the trigger is complete front to back. I have shot these types before however never owned one myself. The manufacturer claim is approximately 9 lbs of trigger pull. This took some getting used to but after a few magazines, I started to feel the trigger out and noticed some points along the trigger path which helped me keep on target and anticipate the actual firing.
The first shots were fired at about 5 yards. My group was all within 5 inches which I was quite happy with. As the day progressed, I moved that group to less then 3 inches. The recoil is pretty easy to deal with which can be an issue with the compact carry guns. Additionally the slide sights are tridium night sights which were dead on from the factory.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this pistol and would recommend it to anyone considering a purchase. Sig Sauer has always put out a top notch product although their pricing does reflect that. I would not be opposed to purchasing the LC9 by Ruger or the PM40 by Kahr however I am glad I stuck with the Sig line of products.
Tripper