Is the SIG 232 worthy or a piece of junk?

I have an alloy/blued P230 which is the previous model. Recoil is sharpish. I get slide bite unless I lock my thumb down. Sexy pistols. Mags are $40-60 used.

Sig 232 is one of the top quality 380s and $350 is a very good price. The reason why they are not sold anymore is because these medium sized 380s are too large for the caliber. 380s like the Ruger and Kel-tec are much smaller. And you can buy a 9mm Shield or Glock that is the same size as the 232. Also the recoil is more than you would expect because of the blow back design. A nice gun for the collection but not very efficient in terms of caliber or overall size for concealed carry.

I had one and it was the most accurate handgun I owned, but when I wanted a 4566 I traded it away. Beware the DA trigger pull is a stout 10lbs

For a "service" style .380, I prefer the Beretta 85FS, or 84 if you want more capacity, but the Sig 230/232 are high quality pistols that shoot well.

I've owned several. Currently own two. A two tone alloy frame and an all stainless. (Ones a P230 the other a P232...don't remember which is which).

Fixed barrel, incredible accuracy. Very well made and reliable handgun.

Out of production, mags hard to find.

The all stainless is fun to shoot all day. The alloy stops being fun after 50 rounds or so.

The alloy is very light and easy to carry.

The P230 series is big enough to handle and shoot like a real gun. It's a service/duty size. Much like the Walther PP.

That's a good price.

I wrote about my P230SL in a thread here. I've only owned it for a year or so but it's been 100% reliable. It was my first .380 and I was surprised at the snappiness of the recoil. It is a pleasant to shoot, accurate pistol.

I concur with everything sgt127 said. Very easy gun to shoot with the Hogue soft polymer grip. Excellent pistols.
Similar in size to the Beretta.


Several options in finish and grip style.

One of my favorite Gunbroker dealers had a run of P230's a while back. I'm assuming they were surplus of some kind. I bid on quite a few of them and eventually won this one for $225 or something like that. It feels like a service pistol, like for a LEO or military officer to carry in a belt holster. Mine is alloy. It is light and would be easy to carry all day. I don't find the recoil to be offensive. It fits my XL hands fairly well. It is quite accurate for a smallish service pistol with smallish sights. It's a good natural pointer and balances well in the hand. It makes my Beretta seem chunky and unrefined.

A friend of mine had a P230 which he picked up in trade. Beautifully designed and built pistol albeit a bit large for a .380. Recoil was along the lines of a Walther PP in the same caliber. Accuracy was very good in single action mode while the double action was a tad on the heavy side. Reliability was first rate though I have heard they might have problems if a lot of rounds are run through them and they're not cleaned regularly. Supposedly this is because of the tight tolerances with their construction.

I’ve never heard a Sig 232 called a piece of junk. A little old school compared to some of the newer 380’s out there, but certainly not a piece of junk.

Outdated design. There are much better options out there.

HexHead said:

Outdated design. There are much better options out there.

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The same can be said about the 1911, but people still love them!

I'd love to own a Sig P232. Ah, someday.

Great gun...

Only complaint is its heavier than the competition but IMO it's well worth it.
That us a killer price, at least half the retail price. If it's in good condition jump on it.

I like the Sig P232. My wife owned one for many years so I had the chance to shoot it a bunch and see others shoot it even more. Great little pistol. Always went bang and cycled reliably. The pistol was a bit too small for me (a big guy) to shoot accurately, but I watched others do very well with it. Due to increasing ammo costs and the greater effectiveness of the 9mm, my wife eventually moved away from it. When I was a handgun instructor, I saw lots of 380s have feeding and functioning issues (even some expensive ones), but never a Sig 232 or Sig P230. Most shooters with small to medium hands were also pretty accurate with it after some practice and instruction.

If you are looking for a vastly superior .380, as far as I'm concerned, the 230/232 is the best. But, Sig Sauer blew it, big time, when they discontinued this great little pistol. My respect for Sig Sauer has gone down the toilet for discontinuing the 230 and the 225. One thing that burns me up is that they discontinued the 225 and then put out their 225-A1 replacement model but made sure that none of the parts are compatible with the original 225! They are money grubbers, and I'm through with them!

It's a Sig they don't make bad guns

I wanted one for many years, finally got one and quickly sold it. It ate my fat hand more than anything else I have ever shot. Browning HP's are supposed to be famous for that but I don't have an issue with them like I did with the SIG. I still like the gun, think it's a classic and a good option for certain people but not me.

That said, at that price (if you don't have a fat webby hand) I would go for it.

Hokkmike said:

Thanks all for the great replies and pics.... SADLY, I waited too long in Gander's demise and it was SOLD...

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I've learned the hard lesson, "if you snooze you lose", as well. Sometimes you've got to follow your intuition and jump on a deal when you have the chance.