Sig 238? Should I buy and how to carry

I have one, it's a great little gun especially if you're into 1911s like I am.

It'll outshoot any similar pocket .380, shoot it next to your P3AT and you'll notice a difference.

I pocket carry mine, and occasionally ankle carry it. I've got bigger guns for belt carry.

I do carry it cocked and locked, it's perfectly safe and it's the best way to carry it IMHO.

Don't own one (yet) but I have fired a few. Easily the softest shooting .380 I have tested. They are small enough that a IWB/OWB holster would be virtually wasted on them. Although you can get one from key companies. The P238/938 size is ideal for pocket carry. They are single action just like a 1911. So carry it hammer cocked and safety on with a round in the chamber. Only difference is no grip safety. Sell the P3AT though. Once you carry the 238, you won't want that Kel-tec anymore.

Excellent little gun. Incredibly small and light with a nice trigger and night sites! Lightest recoil of any .380 on the market. Shoots and points easily.

Carry cocked and locked as designed. Meant for pocket or ankle carry. To me the only 380 that can be considered comparable in terms of looks, feel, accuracy and worth the cost is the Walther PPK IMHO

I've got the P238 Diamondback model. Great shooting gun, a real pleasure to shoot. I generally pocket carry with an extra mag in another pocket. I do have a slide type holster that I occasionally use.

I like the P238 enough that I bought it's bigger brother the P938.

Ditto to many of the above comments. Outstanding little gun. My wife bought one and I like it so much I got one. While it won't replace my 4" 1911 as my primary carry it's a great gun I can drop into my pants pocket if I'm not dressed to conceal a holster. I have a pocket holster for the Sig that works great.

The P238 is easily the best pocket 380 period. One nice feature is you can cycle the slide with the safety on. Carry cocked and locked. If you absolutely dont trust that, carry it hammer down, safety off, loaded chamber, with the hammer in the safety notch.

It is king in the world of pocket .380s IMO. I would only choose the PPK over it as an IWB gun.

My only gripe is that the safety does not lock the slide like on a 1911, otherwise I like it.

-Jake

Ill be the oddball here...I carry empty chamber. Two reasons one is I'm a lefty shooter and my two don't have ambi safeties. Mine are early generations. Second reason....I learned on mil spec 1911qs being a lefty and learned to rack while drawing.

I draw and load as fast as I can turn safety off and get my trigger finger back across the trigger area....so no speed advantage for myself, ymmv.

I have both pocket carry holsters (typically with cargo pants), and IWB holsters (jeans and casual/dress slacks), for my P-238. The only way I carry it is in Condition One: Cocked and Locked with one in the chamber.

Ridiculously mild recoil from my 238HD has me worried my wife may commandeer mine. Being an HD model (stainless frame rather than alloy, adding a few ounces) makes mine undesirable for pocket carry for any length of time.

Though Thunderware/SmartCarryworks well for something this size, shape and weight, a tuckable holster is a better idea IMHO. I carry mine nearly exclusively in a Harwell concealment holster. Once on, I carry all day often forgetting I'm packing.
My primary carry is a M&P40c, but I find myself carrying this little .380acp often. It's just so darn easy to shoot well. Having tritium sights and no hiccups using RA380T doesn't hurt either.

The P238 is a sweet little pistol.

I have a NIB two-tone w/nite sites and a factory laser, I am getting ready to post if anyone is interested.

herrwalther said:

Don't own one (yet) but I have fired a few. Easily the softest shooting .380 I have tested.

Click to expand...

If you think the 238 is soft shooting, you should try it's gran' pappy, the steel framed Colt Mustang.

The sig is wife's primary carry and it is awesome shoots and points well and the night sights are good.
It is a fun gun to shoot, zero problem's with it

Fatboy
The 238 is much loved. No question it is a higher quality pistol than most 380s. To make an intelligent decision, keep in mind nobody who has advised you has ever been in a defensive gunfight. It is all range work, reading, and imagination.
Other things to consider: The safety is small and often stiff, the grip is short. Taking this small safety off on a draw has to be a practiced move. Otherwise a DAO such as a Kahr will be more reassuring, especially when carried in a "deep" concealment.

03fatboy said:

The sig is wife's primary carry and it is awesome shoots and points well and the night sights are good.
It is a fun gun to shoot, zero problem's with it

Click to expand...

My wife loved the feel of it so we decided to get one. I have it on order through Sig's IOP, so I'm just waiting for it to show up. We'll be carrying it cocked and locked.

I have a P238 Equinox. I used to carry an S&W Bodyguard 380 and then a Ruger LCP.

I pocket carry with a DeSantis SuperFly; used to have a DeSantis Nemesis. I strongly recommend the SuperFly.

Out of the BG380, LCP, and P238, the P238 I can get tight groupings at 21'. I can barely get any shots on target at 21' with the BG380. The LCP is okay. Accuracy at 3' is not a problem with any of the guns which is a more realistic scenario with a .380.

I have a lot more confidence in the P238's trigger pull than the long DAO pulls on the BG380 or the LCP. The additional weight of the P238 makes it much more pleasant to shoot at the range as well; if you don't enjoy firing your gun, you won't end up with enough practice to be confident using it when you need to.

I carry cocked and locked. Do enough dryfire drills with flipping the safety off and you'll be fine. The safety switch is much easier to use than the BG380's.

The P238 eats up the Buffalo Bore "+P" (yes, I know there is no definition for .380 +P) stuff just fine, and the extra recoil is much less punishing than on the polymer-framed lightweights.

I do not notice the extra weight in my back pocket--we're talking micro sized .380s here.

Biggest downside? The Ruger LCP is easily had for $299, and the P238 is... a lot more. Expect to pay $40 - $60 for extra P238 mags as well, although I hear Colt Mustang mags work.

I use cheap Colt Mustang mags I picked up from a gunshow, no idea what brand they are. They work just fine.

But to be on the safe side I only carry with Sig mags.

I carry mine with a Crossbreed OWB and it is invisible under any t-shirt.

Yes i agree that practice is the key to being comfortable with handling any kind of weapons,
weather it's for protection or hunting or what ever it is

We go to the range at least once a week and practice to stay familiar with the pistol.
My wife is on the small side so the sig fits very well in her hands and she shots and handles it very well.

Now is the 380 the best in stopping power not likely but if something did happen and she had to defend herself it would be better then nothing

Looked at the kahr but always went back to the sig.

I've got both the P238 and P938 in my carry lineup. I think the P238 is the best of the micro .380 on the market.

The Sig P238 is, IMHO, the best pocket .380 currently available w/regards to quality/accuracy/etc. However, neither the wife or I were comfortable w/the idea of her having to remember/manipulate the safety under stress so we replaced it w/a Kahr P380 which has all the features she wanted but w/o an external safety (YMMV).
Tomac