I will be needing a very reliable 9mm for serious CCW and have narrowed the choices to my currect G19 or maybe a SIG P239 with the DAK feature. I would appreciate specific input as to sixe comparisons between the two. Much casrry will be IWB and my thoughts are that the Sig will be thinner but I can't find one to compare. I have the G19 and do not want to spend the bucks if they are really close in thickness. Pics would be even better.

Please keep discussion to the two models mentioned, although the same guns in different calibers (G23 etc.) would still be relevant for size comparison.

Thanks

Cixelsyd;

Thanks tons, brother. That goes a long way. Looks like the difference, even with the stock grips, would be almost nothing thickness-wise. I realize that different pistols can feel or tuck away differently for different people, (the thick cylinder of a revolver can hide quite well in some circumstances and not in others) but given where I will be, and some of the social situations I will be involved in, I was really hoping to see more difference than what appears to be the case in your pics. Do you find one easier to CCW than the other?

The 225 handles like radar for me, but is too thick to make the cut for this situation with only 9 rounds, and after several 228's which I like, they are not as thin as the G19.

Chris;

Thanks again! Agreed the single stack mags tuck away very nicely. I was hoping for something close to my LW Colt OM in .45 except in 9mm and with a single trigger pull to deal with...DAK is no problem for me as I am an old revolver shooter. I will probably use an IWB (VMII or ComTac) most of the time but also a fanny pack and maybe a "ballistic daytimer" as well. Dress will range from sport coat and slacks to shorts and T shirt, and situations from Christmas services in a large cathedral to the beach, to nice restaurants, to home parties with friends and relatives where it might or might or not matter if they tumble to my CCW.

Best is if no one knows unless I need it...and that is a distinct possibility. This will not be in the US, but I am licensed to carry there.

Quoted: FWIW, i felt the Sig had fewer square corners. You would be surprised what a difference that can make when sitting in a car, restaurant, or even working in the yard. It's not something you can tell from pictures.

And that, my brother, is a fact!

I was looking at the 239 specifically because of that as well as hoping it was a bit thinner. I completely understand the little nuances of difference that pics never seem to do justice to, but they sure seem similar to me at this stage. The G19 is a bit of a pain in an IWB while the OM is fine, even with cocked hammer, but I will use only a 9mm for this "mission". Can't reliably Mex carry, so I need a thin holster, and a thin pistol wuld be a big help as well. Mags are, in fact, an issue if carried on the belt, but I may not always do that.

I likely will...I have taken it before and it served very well, but this one is a bit more "civilized" than the others so far. Lots of close interaction with civilians and such.

Of the two I'd go with the G19

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, guys, but my old computer just may have made the decision for me over the weekend. It crashed and burned and I got pizzed and bought a new box, so I do not have as much in discretionary funds as I did when I originally posted.

I don't have a problem with telling you this will be in South Africa, but in some of the relatively better areas of Cape Town...a beautiful city. The seasons are reversed, so it will be high summer there. The G19 is a bit harder for me to hide in an IWB than a slimmer handgun would be, but I trust it, and if I shoot some thug it might be tied up in evidence forever, or handed back to me the same day...you never know over there. To me, a Glock is just a tool, with little to no "soul"...I can always get another. An excellent and reliable tool, but not like one of my old friends, my 1911's.

I will carry WW 127+P+ SXT and will have three mags at my disposal, although I may only carry one spare, depending on the place / situation. In SA if you have permission to carry, you MUST carry, or the weapon must be under lock and key. If it is stolen you may be arrested...and you do NOT want to see the inside of their jails!

As darm has noted in a different thread here, the "dynamics" of confrontation there are totally different than here, and while some victims are allowed to go unharmed or at least not deliberately killed, a great many are not, especially females, and I will be with an old and very good friend who is definitely female. I will not "go gently into that good night", nor allow her to do so.

Still, my curiosity is up and I will be at the next fun show to look closely at the 239 DAKs..it is still possible I may try one out if it is noticeably slimmer to me.