Oh boy, think I caught the bug again. Sig Sauer's P238.

[coldpointcrossing]

Seen one at the counter while picking up some 9mm today. It was all black with night sights. Very nice looker. After holding it too briefly, I decided to look more into it.

Anyone care to share their experiences? I'd like to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly concerning the P238?

[familywgn]

Shot my friends' today. 3 rounds of pure bliss. No recoil on a gun that small. I'm getting one ASAP.

[Sledzep01]

I have one. I have about 1400 rounds through it. It is a lot of fun to shoot and disapears when you need it to'

[Rivallure]

The gun you are ogling is an old Colt Mustang redone with Sig's quality.
There have been some issues with the safety. A recall is out there so check that. Since we, you, got the bug it is easy to grab for the little rascal.

The pocket pistol should also be lite. This Sig is one of the heavier offerings.
The TCP 738 Taurus was my choice after narrowing in on the intended purpose. Not the money. It is no way as hansom as the SIG.
Conceal-ability, lite and made in the USA seemed to be a good set of criteria.
I can not complain about the Taurus 738 as it does perform just the way it is supposed to. I find it extremely accurate for such a small slide action with very small sights.

They all have to be broke in and seem to be ammo sensitive.
Good luck with the SIG. and be sure to share your experience.

I am a fan of all metal guns so I may not lose the SIG-Bug as well.
:rolleyes:

[oosnakeoo]

Im just waiting to pick mine up, cant wait to take it to the range. It was expensive I thought but looking at sigs website, it seems the msrp has jumped up significantly within a short amount of time, its very popular. I wouldnt say its on the heavy side though. According to sigs site, its just over 15 ounces but i think its more around 14, according to nutnfancy on youtube.

[B18C5-EH2]

The exterior dimensions are no smaller than Kahr Arms PM9 which is chambered in 9mm, which as you know is more abundant (the 9mm luger ammo I'm referring to) and in many areas cheaper than .380 auto. I don't mean to start a caliber war, but I'd rather have 9mm luger if I'm going to carry a gun the size of the P238. They both have 6+1 capacity except that the PM9 comes with a 7 rounder mag too.

This guy traded his P238 for a PM9 (http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/non-xd-handguns/141102-sig-p238-kahr-pm9.html)

Seems that a number of people want to trade their Sig P238 for a PM9 or P380... (http://www.google.com/search?q=p238%20pm9&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw)

P238:

Length - 5.5''/Height 3.9''/Width 1.1''/Weight 15.2oz. w/o mag
Capacity - 6+1

PM9:

Length - 5.3''/Height 4.0''/Width .90''/Weight 14oz. w/o mag
Capacity - 6+1 with 7 round mag included

The shape of the P238 lends itself to more snagging when trying to draw from the pocket too. I tried this repeatedly at a gun store and it just is not a true pocket pistol IMO. The PM9 isn't a true pocket gun in the sense of the word either, but it is more pocket-able.

...or I'd simply get a better pocket gun and go with the Kahr Arms P380 which is much smaller than the P238. If budget is an issue then there's the Diamond Back .380, Ruger LCP, Kel-Tec P3-AT, and possibly the Taurus TCP 738 (if their customer service didn't suck it'd be a more viable option IMO) for true pocket-ability.

If you are a big 1911 fan and want the mini version though, including it's safety, hammer, etc. then the P238 is probably your choice. I just personally rather carry a DAO deep conceal pistol.

It would seem as though I'm coming from left field with my reasoning, but I figured I'd post an out-there point of view seeing as how you can have slightly smaller external dimensions, an easier draw, less weight, and the better ballistics and availability of 9mm luger as opposed to .380 auto.

:D

[JimK66]

I'm a fan of the little 380 bugs and have several I like very much(Bersa T, Ruger LCP, Sig P232, Colt MKIV Gov, Colt Mustang, Colt Pony and the P238). The new little P238 does resemble the old Colt Mustang in many respects and uses the same magizen but that is where the similarty ends. The Sig is a much higher quality weapon, softer shooting (the sofest shooting 380 I
ve ever fired) and much more accurate. It's really a truey micro/mini,mini 1911 in design.
Hope this helps and you might want to check out Youtube for some interesting info on the P238.
JimK
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i138/JimK60/SigP238-1.jpg

[cwb]

my wife loves her little p238 "rainbow"

[KyJim]

Put me in the group that really likes the 238. It shoots well and carries well. The idea that it is too heavy for a pocket gun is ridiculous. You don't think anybody pocket carried before polymer was invented?

I can understand if someone wants to carry a double action like the Kahr, but I like the single action 238.

[dreamweaver]

I love mine. it is a little too angular (slide) for my taste, but i'm planning to do a meld on it. i actually sold a PM9 to buy the sig. PM9 is a great gun, but i'll take a 1911 style any day!
the sig did have some FTF with JHP initially but now it shoots everything i feed it. i just picked up another mustang, so the sig might have to go, but i'll be sorry to see it go.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5701/dscf0319s.jpg

[golfnutrlv]

I love mine, even ran a for fun IPSC with it yesterday. They shoot really great.

My brief range report: P238 (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=397199)

[HisSoldier]

It's really a truey micro/mini,mini 1911 in design.

Not even close. The safety is entirely different, it is activated the same way but uses an entirely different principle internally. The disconnector is totally different, there's no grip safety. Neither the Colt .380 nor the Sig are close in any way internally to a 1911.

[bagman]

Jimk66 - that two-tone is one pretty gun.

[coldpointcrossing]

OK...I'm having a harder time than I thought I would in simply finding one in stock (the one I did find was sold before I could get to it). Anyway, I picked up a ??"matte chrome"?? LCP in the mean time...

http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae289/coldpointcrossing/Ruger/RugerLCP.jpg

Haven't shot it yet but I have plenty of ammo at hand for when I get the chance. I plan on carrying with 90g Hydras.

[Patchman]

I really like the looks of the P238. I've got an LCP and really like it. I carry it where ever I go. I would like to hold a P238 so I can see how heavier it really is. The LCP is so lite I forget I have it on me.

[9x19]

I sold my Kahr P380 in favor of the Sig.

I found the recoil to be much milder in the Sig (important to me), and it pockets just as well for me.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/pb9x19/SP238.jpg

[Ace_Breaker]

I passed on the 238. It costs about double what my perfect running LCP costs. Secondly, locked and cocked single action in the pocket doesn't work with me. Third, I didn't want to chance carrying with a cocked hammer and have to worry about lint or other objects getting between the hammer and firing pin. People say it won't happen, but it will, and does. Fourth, I want to draw and shoot, not draw, turn off safety, then shoot. Many people have forgotten to turn off the safety in times of stress and paid for it. A perfect example of the east coast jewelry store owner that got shot numerous times on video because he forgot the safety. He thought he was shooting but it was the sound of the badguy's gun. These aren't meant to be target guns. The DAO LCP is perfectly fits the niche as a back up or deep CCW so why change? On the other hand, the Sig is a cool looking gun so just to have one as a collector would be ok. I just wonder why Colt quit making them if they are such a great design?

[gglass]

It is hard to compare the P238 to anything other than the Colt Mustang after which it is modeled.

Why is it hard to compare?

It has a better trigger than just about every other SFF semi-auto.
It has the most mild perceived recoil of any firearm in it's weight class... What kind of Voodoo do they use to achieve this?
No compromise on functionality. I.e it has a functioning safety and a last round slide lock-back.
It not only has real sights, but they are night sights to boot
The looks are simply 1st class
Most other handguns give you a single choice for aesthetics... The P238 comes in 6 different finish and grip combinations. (I'm sure there will be more.)


My wife is completely in love with her P238:
http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/8325/jenssigsmall.jpg

[Wrothgar]

I love my Sig P238. I recently put the new Hogue mini grip on it as I found the stock plastic grips to be a little slippy.

It takes Buffalo Bore +P ammo better than most of the other micro pistols (LCP/P3AT). It shoots great and comes with night sights. A little pricey, but me gusta mucho.

[Steam Boat]

The Sig. P 238 are great,
I Had two, the all black Nitron with white dot sights and the two tone with night sights. I put Sig power checkered aluminum grips on both. I gave the two tone to the wife and eventually sold the nitron to finance something else, and have been kicking myself in the a$$ every since.
I want to get the Sig add on laser for the wifes P 238, and I am looking for one of the HD all steel models to replace the nitron I sold.

P.S. The P 238s seem to be readily available at most all the local shops in my area now, if you can't find one locally to you, try shopping online there are plenty to be had by a mere click of the mouse.

[coldpointcrossing]

I was perusing one of my local haunts today around noon with the purpose of picking up an extra 6rd mag for my spankin' new LCP. You know, the one I picked up yesterday. You know, the one I bought 'cause I was having a hard time finding a P238 in stock in my area.

So there I was, with a fresh mag in hand, checking out the display cases and lo and behold there sat a P238 in two-tone w/ night sights for $499 and change. I had just called the day before to see if they had one in stock!

I think I used every foul, four letter word I knew multiple times. Initially, I was so loud that I startled the counter guy on the opposite end of the cases. Man, you ever get burned like that? It suuuucks. I walked all the way to the cash register, probably sounding like I suffered from tourettes. I did get a new 6rd LCP mag and some extra 380 WWB.

http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae289/coldpointcrossing/SigSauer/57634.jpg