S&W 649 vs. a Sig P230

[Bill B.]

I have both a S&W 649 38 Special & a Sig Sauer P230 SL 380 ACP. I carry both and find them equally great. With the chamber loaded the Sig 230 gives me 8 rounds of .380 vs. the 5 rounds of 38 special the S&W 649 carries. Both are about the same size, weight and one is as reliable as the other which is to say they function first time every time! If I had to chose one over the other it would be a tough choice. I guess it comes down to the fact if you are revolver or a auto guy and I would have to say I like both!

 

[AK103K]

I have 642's and P230's, and generally prefer the SIG's over the Smiths, although I do also carry a 642 fairly regularly.

If I had to pick just one, it would be a SIG, hands down.

 

[orchidhunter]

Bill B., If all things are equal about them, it just comes down to which one you like the most. orchidhunter

 

[sophijo]

649

.38 +P is a different animal than .380; 5 should be enough.

 

[usp9]

I can't shoot little revolvers at all, plus they are fatter. I'd carry the Sig. Eight .380 should be enough too.

 

[AK103K]

I shoot both on a regular basis, and practice with hot reloads that pretty well mimic +P in both guns.

.38 +P out of lightweight snubbies, are a very different animal. They take a good deal more practice to stay on top of them, and thats usually short lived practice due to the beating you take. I'm usually lucky if I get through a box of 50 at an outing and my hand still hurts for a day or so after.

The P230 on the other hand, can be shot all day with hot loads, and my groups at 15 yards are usually tighter than my groups with my 642's.

Paper ballistic wise, they are basically a dead heat.

 

[Marcus L.]

There's just something about having a good SA trigger for every follow up shot until your magazine is empty. Provided that your missile of choice is capable of getting the job done, the two more important characteristics in line is to fire rapidly and fire accurately. How ever you get that done is your business, but some tools can do that better than others. My feeling is that the P230/P232 does this better. With quality defensive loads like the Hornady XTP and FTX, the .380acp is capable of getting the job done short of meeting duty needs such as shooting through windshields and car doors which the .38spl out of a short barrel doesn't do all that well either.

 

[MassMan]

649 vs Sig

I think that whatever you feel most comfortable with and shoot better is the gun you should select. One point needs mentioning. The 649 is Smith's J frame bodyguard style handgun capable of shooting 357 mags. That makes it the better self defense gun if you shoot it well.

 

[AK103K]

The 357mag out of even the heavier J frames, like the 60 or 649 is still brutal to shoot. I'd be surprised if anyone could shoot it better than the SIG. They definitely are not going to practice with it using full power loads for very long.

Personally, if I wanted true 357MAG power out of a gun that was much easier to shoot well with and not much larger than a J frame or the P230/232, I'd take the P239 in 357SIG. It too can be shot all day without tiring, and the results are also much better than the smaller revolvers, and the 4" revolvers too for that matter.