Sig P238 .380 - Condition 1 or 2 Carry?

[Mr_Toad]

Hi, All,

My apologies, as I know the 1911 "Carry Condition" topic has been debated ad nauseum. (I tried to search my question.) :banghead:


QUESTIONS: Since the new Sig Sauer P238 does NOT have a grip safety...

(1) Is still a good idea to carry this 1911-style pistol in "Condition 1"?

(2) If carried in "Condition 2", can an accidental and hard drop on its hammer cause the P238 to fire. (I think yes, but the Sig manual is vague.)


REASON: I am thinking of carrying this P238 in "Condition 2" as a securely holstered "Briefcase Pistol", since it is easy to thumb back the hammer on this .380 pistol.


CONDITION SUMMARY: Copied directly from SightM1911... www.sightm1911.com
Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
Condition 1 - Also known as "cocked and locked," means a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety on the side of the frame is applied.
Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber and the hammer is down.
Condition 3 - The chamber is empty and hammer is down with a charged magazine in the gun.
Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, hammer is down and no magazine is in the gun.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!


Robt.

 

[Guns and more]

I think it's easier to rack the slide than thumb the hammer. So far, my P-238 has gone condition 3. I might go to condition one in the future. My holster does a good job of covering the trigger and the safety.

 

[rhinoh]

Good idea in condition 1? Depends on the carrier...

Drop on the hammer fire it? Hope not, the hammer is also protected by the beavertail, it would take a pretty unusual drop to even hit the hammer on something that could bust the safety and drive it forward.

The P238 has a pretty stout safety lever, quite hard to move to the fire position accidently.

 

[GunNut]

Carry it cocked and locked or buy a gun that you will feel safe carrying loaded, IMHO.

You will not have enough time to either chamber a round or thumb back the hammer if the need arises.

 

[sidheshooter]

It's designed for condition 1, so that's how I'd carry it (FWIW). con-3 is for leaving in a car glove box, or in the nightstand (where some experts suggest 3: the required slide rack is to make sure that you're awake enough to be handling a firearm at all in the middle of the night).

YMMV.

As an aside, I just today received one of GunNut's (above) RKBA pocket rigs for a bersa, and it looks pretty sweet!

A public thumbs-up on that purchase.

 

[DougDubya]

I'd personally have to wait for someone to make an Ambi-safety for it.

Regular handers should feel good carrying it Condition 1 however.

 

[Girodin]

Condition 1! IF you are not going to carry it that way get a different carry gun. I would add that you don't need to have any reservations carrying it that way. As with any gun put it in a good holster, practice safe gun handling and you will be fine.

 

[DasFriek]

I pick mine up tomorrow and it will be condition 1 always,all my ccw guns are done that way.So far ive purposely have chosen SA guns with manual safety's to keep a unified theme in handling them.
Now that doesn't mean im comfortable putting a P238 in my back pocket in a holster and sitting my 260lb butt on it.,that one ill be thinking and reading about.

 

[Mr_Toad]

Thanks everyone for your help!

Coincidentally, I also have an order in with RKBA for a P238 holster. It's good to see folks who produce a quality product realize success.

Robt.

 

[David E]

If the Sig is their version of the Colt Mustang, there is a firing pin safety, so NO, it won't fire if dropped on the hammer.

If it is not, and the hammer is fully down, then again, NO, it won't fire a round in the chamber. The firing pin does not protrude into the breech with the hammer down.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I would have to say One. A little hammer on a little gun is going to be difficult to cock quickly under stress, especially one-handed. Since there is no grip safety, use a holster that will not let the little safety lever be inadvertently wiped off.

 

[Adam5]

Mr Toad,

How would you safely lower the hammer if you wanted to carry condition 2? It's designed for condition 1 carry and does not have any kind of decocker.

 

[Guns and more]

A little hammer on a little gun is going to be difficult to cock quickly under stress

It's actually better than you think. The serrations are very good and your thumb grips well.
For me, it would be "rack the slide".

I also have an order in with RKBA for a P238 holster.

Speaking of that, I see from your pictures it looks like your pocket holster doesn't cover the safety either. Can it be made a little larger to do so?
I have a DeSantis Nemesis, and it covers the trigger, but not the safety.

 

[GrandmasterB]

I carry my Colt Mustang cocked & locked.