What's with the Sig P238 and P938?

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Dr_2_B

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I don't have a beef and I don't have an agenda. I honestly want to know the appeal of these two pistols. It seems there are many options that are lighter and arguably more functional. By functional, I guess I'm specifically talking about the fact that these are presumably carried cocked and locked - but I wonder if anyone carries cocked and locked in a pocket.

Would like to hear why they're popular.
 
I can only speak to the P238.

I like it because it is the softest shooting .380 that I have ever shot. It has a 1911 manual of arms (which I am a fan of), and it is just a classy pistol. It is modeled after the Colt Mustang, and I think that both are great choices.
 
I carry a condition one 238 in my pocket and a 938 on my belt all day at work. I never leave the house without at least the 238. The appeal? Very compact guns that are eminently pointable and shootable.
By functional, I guess I'm specifically talking about the fact that these are presumably carried cocked and locked - but I wonder if anyone carries cocked and locked in a pocket.
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Yes, and functional to me also means I can quickly and repeatedly hit whatever I aim at. I do that much better with a nice crisp SA trigger than with any DA trigger I have ever used.
I use the Sig pocket holster for the 238 (I cut the square flap off since I use it for front pocket carry) That holster covers the safety and trigger, I have never found the safety off, even after strenuous exertion. I was born and raised on 1911's. Flipping off the safety is instinctive. Condition one is much better than mile long trigger pulls.

http://www.amazon.com/SIG-SAUER-P238-POCKET-HOLSTER/dp/B003ITBBA8
 
[The SIGs] are eminently pointable and shootable.
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You know, that's another thing about them. The grip seems oversized from the look of it. Sounds like you're saying that's only in appearance - not in practice.
 
Look at it this way. When most guys go hunting they have no reservations about carrying a chambered round in their over/under shotgun or rifle with the safety on, but let them see the cocked hammer on a 1911 type pistol and they nearly wet their britches. With the shotgun or rifle they're trudging over rocks, uneven terrain, or mud in the worst conditions imaginable yet they feel totally comfortable insofar as safety is concerned. They worry little about that cocked hammer on their hunting guns because they can't see it.
 
You know, that's another thing about them. The grip seems oversized from the look of it. Sounds like you're saying that's only in appearance - not in practice.
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The grip is not oversized at all when you are holding it. It really is like an extension of your hand....naturally pointing right where you want it.
 
The manual of arms is very much like that of the 1911. It has a manual safety that's easy to operate. It has a pretty good single-action trigger, not a spongy double-action trigger. It's light enough and small enough to ride in a pocket all day, but not so light that shooting it is painful. It's made of metal, not plastic.

My wife has an IWB holster for hers, but she doesn't like to carry anything in her pockets. I think if her clothes didn't have pockets she wouldn't even notice.
 
Have you shot one?

The 238 shoots circles around competing pocket .380s. Better sights, better trigger, and a heavier frame equals faster and more accurate shots, along with less felt recoil (a big deal for some). Go shoot a LCP/P3AT/Bodyguard side by side with a P238, you'll see the difference.

I prefer cocked and locked carry, it is equally as functional as any striker/DAO auto, it just functions differently. Cocked and locked is how I carry my 1911s as well as my 238 and a pocket carried 238/938 in a quality holster is perfectly safe. The safety is not likely to get disengaged in a pocket and even if it is, that's why the holster covers the trigger.

It's heavier than others, but it ain't THAT heavy. It's still a very pocketable gun, I guess maybe if you pocket carry in basketball shorts or something it might be a bother... But I only wear pants/shorts with a belt.
 
It shoots better than any other .380.......that's the appeal. I dumped my LCP years ago because I didn't enjoy shooting it. The P238 is accurate because of the sights, the trigger, and the reduced recoil. The LCP used to bounce around in my hand so a follow up shot required me to make sure I was holding the thing securely after the recoil of the first shot. The P238 has no problem. It's like plinking with .380. Plus, aesthetically, it's a great gun.
 
There just another choice and but they do have the smaller SA corner kinda covered. Compair the 238 to an old colt mustang and its nothing special. And I guess colt will get there 380 working well so there will be more to pick from. I want a 380 for one purpose ,two be light and small and I did that with a tcp and it has a nice smooth 6lb trigger and is more than accurate enought. The 938 is kinda half way between several others. Not the smallest or lightest and not the most grip for its weight. Not even a great trigger compaired to some. But its the hot gun of the month. It does make sence I guess for a sa pistol shooter but that it. Just a couple more choices.
 
They shoot so much better than the same size guns in plastic (at least IMO). And they operate as a 1911 which I love.
 
My wife has a p238 and it is a very easy to shoot and accurate gun. She carries it cocked and locked in a pancake holster. It seems that there is never a printing issue.Very easy to conceal; she is only 5' 1". She has fired 3,000 plus rounds through it. She had issues with maybe the first 100 rounds, but after that, it has never failed. I'm not a big fan of the 380 and I have tried to get her to try other guns. However, she shoots that p238 so well and has so much confidence in it and her ability with it, I've learned to just keep my mouth shut and just be thankful there is a gun available for her to use so well. The defense ammo she uses are the Federal Hydro-shoks.
 
ns66 said:
just a thought, for weak round like 380, maybe FMJ is better choice

i don't have p238, yet, thinking about getting one
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I agree and carry the Winchester 95gr fmjfp in mt P238.

In koldenloki gelatin test the Winchester 95gr fmjfp penetrated 17" of gelatin which I think is just about right.
 
Well, I've had the firing pin block fall out of a 938 I borrowed and lock the slide back, so I'm not inclined to think very highly of this particular model.
 
Well, I've had the firing pin block fall out of a 938 I borrowed and lock the slide back, so I'm not inclined to think very highly of this particular model.
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Because a sample size of 1 is so meaningful?
 
Pocket carried a P238 for over a year and a half. Recently started carrying a PM9. Picked up a P938 this weekend. Have also pocket carried a keltec p32 and smith 642 over the years. My wife carries a P238 as does my sister in law and a good friend.

The P238 and P938 are in a class of their own. They carry like pocket mouse guns but shoot like full size handguns. Real functional sights, mild recoil, and decent to good triggers all add up to a make them very nice guns that easily outclass other competitors. The closest thing I found was the pm9, while a great gun the long trigger pull and reset drove me to get a P938.

Ran 200 rounds through the P938 today. Had a half dozen fte in the first 50 rounds of lawman 124gr tmj. The last 150 were flawless a mix of the 124 lawman and 115gr monarch steel case.

They are more expensive than some others, but are easily worth it in my opinion.
 
I have been looking at baby guns and got a chance to try a few. Compared to the LCP, bodyguard and ppk, the 238 is top of my wish list now. It shoots much nicer than my Makarok, even though it's much smaller.
 
I have 2 Colt Mustangs what the 238 is a copy of . Cocked and locked same as the sig people . Good holster and don't worry about it . Like said before these are the softest shooting 380 you will fire .
Mine loaded with the Corbon DPX or the BB version DPX
 
I will echo what other P238 owners have said.

I purchased one over the weekend because I wanted a pocket gun that I could feel more confident with. I was carrying a Kel-Tec P3AT/P32. They worked, but they didnt inspire a lot of confidence. I narrowed my search down to the Sig P238 and a Kahr P380. I went with the Sig.

The P238 has almost zero recoil. Recoil is still light even with hotter loads. I was keeping all my rounds in the X ring of a B-27 target at 10 yards. The little sig is a blast to shoot. Shoots like a big gun.
 
SIG 938 weight W/O magazine 16 oz, M&P Shield 9mm 19oz, according to each websights. Havent seen the model of 938 in the model I want, at least not less than $100 over MSRP. Loved the P238, just not as much as my wife does. What more could you want in a defensive pistol, lower recoil, SA, night sights, light weight all in a reliable package.
 
Why I don't pay attention to people that knock guns.
It wasn't too long ago that a couple of posters were insisting that the P238 was a defective design and unreliable. Boy were they wrong!
 
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I sold both my Kel-Tec P3AT and Ruger LCP on to other owners. I bought two (2) Sig P238's (one for me, one for wife) and never looked back. I have a P938 on order with my favorite discount retailer.

The hard trigger pulls on the LCP and the P3AT went on forever and ever making a quick accurate shot nearly impossible. Sure, they do OK at the range when you have three to five seconds to aim and loooonnnng squeeze an accurate shot but in the field when time counts, that's not a solution.

The sig's trigger pull is light and crisp and the recoil is nil allowing for fast follow up target acquisition and shots.
 
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