[Richard2003]

I really like the way the Sig 232 looks.
i have .380 ammo so I need to buy a gun for it.
Opinions on this gun?

Richard

[Cueball]

Go for it! SIG's are great firearms. I have the predecessor to the 232, the 230 and I love it. It is my most frequent carry gun and it is 100% reliable, you won't regret going with that for a 380.

[MICHAEL T]

Get a Bersa 1/2 the money and works. I also like PPK/S The sig just doesn't feel right in my hand.

[XLMiguel]

Sweet gun. There will be those who ill say it's big for a .380, but the point is 'shootability', and none of those pocket .380s will ever come close to the facility of the SIG in handling, reliabilty and accuracy.

Not that looks mean a whole lot, but it is a damn fine looking pistol.:D

[Murphster]

Had one. I agree with what Mike in VA says. If I was a regular CCW fellow, the 232 is what I'd CCW. One caveat and the reason I got rid of mine: about ever 25 rounds or so, the slide on mine would slice a surgically precise line down my hand AKA slide bite. Tried bandaids but would have a nice slice in the bandaid as well as my hand. I've since heard different grips might cure it.
Some folks are susceptible and some aren't. You might want to grip one and look at whether you're a candidate for a blood letting prior to purchase.

[jacobtowne]

Agree. I've carried a P232 for several years. I installed Hogue rubber grips, since the grip frame is a little small for my hand. It's accurate, reliable, and light due to the aluminum frame.
JT

[Dr.magnum]

It's true that you can get a Bersa for half the price. I have one and they are fine guns. I've also owned a Sig 230. There is a noticeable difference in quality. The Sig just feels like a finely tuned machine. I really think the felt recoil in the Sig was a little more comfortable too.
The Sig is a gun that could appreciate in value, or depreciate very slowly. A used Bersa has depreciated considerably.

[Pilot]

I like the 232, my wife almost bought one, but chose a revolver instead. I carry a .380 sometimes, but its a Beretta M85, which I prefer over the 232 due to the grip, control placements, etc.

[38snapcaps]

I too was infatuated with the Sig name and its good looks, but shooting it was a disappointment for me.

I had been shooting a Bersa .380 for a couple of years and so I thought this .380 would be even better, it ought to be at twice the money!

I found it wasn't as accurate as the Bersa but the main problem was the hand stinging recoil. The Bersa never bothered me but after a box of ammo thru the Sig my hand would be aching and halfway thru another box there was a tingling sensation going up toward my wrist. I stopped shooting it but the aching wouldn't go away for another two weeks. Obviously the shape of the grip and the gun's harsher recoil was doing me harm. I waited a month spending the time with my 1911 and G-19 until the aching subsided. Going back to the Sig brought back the problem.

I sold it after only 250 rounds.

[XLMiguel]

The Bersa is definitely a good value, but there is a difference in overall quality. As noted, the alloy framed gun is pretty snappy, recoil-wise, the stainless version is more comfortable to shoot, the alloy more comfortable to carry. Sllide-bite may be a problem if you have bigger hands, but I still think it's a sweet gun.

[jacobtowne]

I can shoot 100 rounds through my 232 with no discomfort whatsoever, except for a sore thumb from loading the magazines.
Perhaps the rubber grips help.
JT

[carolinaman]

Hi there,

I had one and shot it a little. Why?

I couldn't take the slide bite all of the time.

Test shoot one before you buy it and make sure that it fits your hand.

Or, buy the Bersa instead.

Chris

[MICHAEL T]

GEE I thought only the older PPK series Bit people Never heard any thing about SIG

[c_yeager]

GEE I thought only the older PPK series Bit people Never heard any thing about SIG

Any auto in the world can bite you, if you put your hand in the wrong place.

[P7]

I've had two 230s, one alloy and one stainless. Curently, I have a 232 SL. Great guns. Attractive, reliable and comfortable to carry.

[JMusic]

I have a 230 that I squirrel hunt with. I have never had an issue with discomfort during shooting, but hand size and hold may very well be the issue. Just joking about the squirrel hunting but mine is extremely accurate and easy to do double taps with.
Jim

[outofbattery]

Mine nicked me once in a few thousand rounds when I had been shooting reloads and switched to either Santa Barbara or American Eagle that was considerably hotter yet I was still,in poor form I admit,shooting with too relaxed of a grip.My take on the 230/232 is that if SIG could possibly have made it to fire 9mmP,I would own at least 2 of them.There isn't another pistol that points as naturally for me and though it's large for a .380,it carries very well and I happen to shoot it well.It is a little snappy in the non SL but I'd never consider it uncomfortable.Of course I'd have mine just fer lookin at.

[1911 guy]

My wife carries a P232. Reliable, very concealable (she's small and hides it easily) and fairly accurate. As far as getting bit, if it fits you you'll have no problem. Kim is a relative newbie to pistolcraft and has yet to get bit in the several years she's owned it. And as far as "letting" my wife carry a certain pistol, the criteria was it had to fit her hand and I had to approve maker reputation and quality. I'm not sending my wife out into the world with a peice of %&*@. Her only complaint is the recoil is snappier than it needs to be due to blowback action.

[Buckman]

The new guy here, I just bought a nib 230 (7.65) 32 auto, have not shot it yet, can some one tell me a little more on this round and gun. I still have my 226 in 9mm a bought way back in the 1980's but I wanted something lite weight to carry.

thanks marty

[jacobtowne]

What would you like to know?

Here's some historical background.

The cartridge was designed by John Browning (naturally) and introduced by FN of Belgium in 1912 as the 9mm Browning Short.
In Europe it's known as the 9mm Browning, 9x17mm, or 9mm Short (Kurz in German, Corto in Italian, Court in French).
It was adopted as a military cartridge by such countries as Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Italy, and has been much used by European police departments.
Here in the U.S. it's the .380 Auto or .380ACP, despite the fact that there is nothing .38 about it - like our other .38s, it's a .35 caliber gun.

It is considered a minimum for personal defence.

JT

[XLMiguel]

Ummm, I believe the question was regarding the 7.65mm, aka .32 acp, which is also available in the SIG P230/232. I've not shot one, but I know one owner who says it's much milder in recoil than the .380 (9mm Kurz/Courto/Short), but also quite accurate. IIRC, the .32 P232 was an issue gun for some Japanese police depts.

Though it is 'big' for it's caliber, it's natural pointability and larger grip makes it a very 'shootable' pistol, and the longer barrel helps the velocity/energy of the smaller rounds (.32. & .380).

[Frandy]

Love mine. Yes, the Bersa is less money and the "value" .380 handgun. But, I prefer the 232 for all the postives already posted by others. And, no bites or slices on my hand. Plenty accurate. Mine is totally reliable. No way I'd get a different .380.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=25776&d=1119585432

[JJE]

I shot a P232 this weekend. Just 50 rounds out of a rental, but it pretty much convinced me to buy the gun. I had been reading about how the recoil is more than you might expect - well after reading that, it was less than I expected. I could shoot the P232 all day long, and it DOES point very well, as many people have noted. Didn't bite me once, no malfunctions. The first double-action shot, after having de-cocked the gun, was obviously tougher than I would like, but the action was slick even on the first shot and I was surprised how light the trigger pull was in subsequent SA shots. The magazines are tough to load - I finally figured out that my Glock loading tool would work on the P232 after most of the box was shot up. I shot 50 rounds out of my Glock 19 right afterwards for comparison. Hey, the G19 is a nice gun, too! Since I already own a G19, I can't really justify buying the P232, but I'm going to do it anyways. The P232 is very, very neat and I can see it being my favorite shooter.