I recently purchased a Sig Sauer P238 for my wife as her primary CCW. I liked the gun so much I got one for myself. I have carried mine for a little while and I am just now getting around to doing a range report for anyone thinking of purchasing one for themselves.
so here we go:
Philosophy of use:
This tiny gun is designed for concealed carry or a backup weapon to a primary. It weighs in at 15 ounces unloaded. It is 5.5 inches in length and 3.9 inches in height. It is 1.1 inches in width. This gun is about the same size as my Ruger LCP or the Kel-tec P3AT. It is made out of an anodized aluminum lower and a stainless steel slide and barrel. it is designed like a tiny 1911 pistol with the same battery of arms. The magazine holds 6 so the gun can be carried with seven total rounds. It has a thumb safety where most 1911 have the thumb safety.
This gun disappears in my pocket in a Blackhawk #2 pocket holster and I don't know it is even in my pocket. you can wear this gun in any way you can think of it is so small. Pocket, OWB, IWB, Fanny pack, Ankle, Belly band or any other way you can think of.
I give this gun 5 dead bad guys out of 5 in conceal ability and comfort of carry.
Fit and Finish:
This is what you would expect from Sig Sauer. It is excellent. Mine is the blackwood special edition dual tone nitron upper and black lower with blackwood grips. The Niron finish is fantastic it is an anti corrosive finish on the slide area that gives a dull sheen almost like a nickel plating. The lower is well protected aluminum. The grips are nice they are comfortable in the hand and allow for control of the gun in rapid fire. Though I would probably change out the grips for some aluminum grips just so I don't ruin the wood grips as this will now be an everyday carry gun for me. The thumb safety engages with a distinctive "Click" and is easy to disengage with the thumb before shooting. The safety is kind of cumbersome to re-engage to make the gun safe due to its small size.
I give this category 4.5 dead bad guys out of 5 for the gun
Accuracy:
All I can say is WOW! I am really impressed with how this gun handles. I was able to keep 1 to two inch 5 shot groups at 15 yards with this gun. It is the most accurate .380 pocket pistol I have ever shot. I have shot and own a Ruger LCP and this gun out shoots it in spades. I attribute this fact to the fact that this gun has sights. It has combat style tritium night sights and allows for very fast target engagement. Most other small .380 pistols I have shot and seen have small trench style sights that are almost nonexistent. This added feature make this gun in my opinion one of the most accurate .380 pistols on the market. I would even venture to say more accurate than a Walther PPK. The trigger is very crisp and breaks nicely and the gun is a SAO pistol. The trigger felt like it broke at about six pounds and did have a little bit of creep. I am ok with the trigger having creep and being as stiff as 6 pounds as it is a carry pistol not a target pistol where you can have no creep and a 2 pound trigger. The gun was easy to shoot and was very quick to get back on target with little felt recoil.
I give this gun 5 out of 5 dead bad guys
Deployment:
I had some issues with deployment out of the pocket with this gun. I found that the hammer, beavertail, and sight area of the pistol did have a tendency to snag on my pants pocket as I would try and draw it out for engagement. I would not recommend for pocket carry for this reason. The gun does not have any sharp edges but something about the way it is designed just makes it catch in the pants pocket. I changed my carry method to an High Noon IWB holster and a OWB slide hoster and deployment was fantastic from those two positions and very comfortable to carry. No snags and was very rapid to clear leather and get on target. The slide accutates smooth as silk and my wife and several small women I have had shoot the gun can work the slide very easily.
I give this gun 3.5 out of 5 dead bad guys
Reliability:
I have shot about 500 rounds out of this gun to include Winchester White Box, Federal Hydroshoks, Cor-Bon's, and Golden Saber's. All shot really well and without a hiccup. No FTF or FTF or FTE. This is what I want to see in a carry gun. There was no break in period for this gun. I have spoken to some who have had trouble with feeding of the Hydroshoks and other hollowpoints with a wide opening catching on the feed ramp but my gun has had no problems with this.
I give this gun 5 out of 5 dead bad guys in this category
Firepower:
lets be realistic .380 is not the best self defense round on the market but with advancements of modern powder and bullet manufacturing a .380 can get the job done. sure I would rather have a .45 strapped to my side (and I do every day) but rule number one of a gunfight is bring a gun. what you make up for in size, conceal ability, and comfort you will give up in firepower. You can carry seven rounds in the gun and .380 is the smallest round I would every carry for self defense.
I give this gun 3 dead bad guys out of 5 in this category
Accessory's:
as this guns popularity increases more thing are coming on the market. Most colt mustang holsters fit the gun well and some makers are making holsters now for the gun. There is a laser made for the gun that Sig has manufactued. I would expect CT and laserlyte to come out with one soon. but as it stands now there is not many options for holsters and or lasers out there for this gun and it is too small for a light rail (not that a pocket pistol needs one).
I give this gun 3.5 dead bad guys out of 5 in this category.
My overall impression of this gun is that it is an fantastic firearm for someone's primary CCW or a back up gun for law enforcement. I carry this gun in holster sewn into my ballistic vest when on duty and I trust my life to it if my primary were to go down in the fight. I do feel that the price is really expensive for such a small gun. At a price range of $500-$750 dollars it is a bit expense compared to other options out there like the LCP, P3AT, dimondback, Walther, and others. but you do get allot of gun (with night sights) for your money and Sig will retain it's value.
I give this gun 4 out of 5 dead bad guys overall for this gun.
Here is the gun
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Size comparison:
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so here we go:
Philosophy of use:
This tiny gun is designed for concealed carry or a backup weapon to a primary. It weighs in at 15 ounces unloaded. It is 5.5 inches in length and 3.9 inches in height. It is 1.1 inches in width. This gun is about the same size as my Ruger LCP or the Kel-tec P3AT. It is made out of an anodized aluminum lower and a stainless steel slide and barrel. it is designed like a tiny 1911 pistol with the same battery of arms. The magazine holds 6 so the gun can be carried with seven total rounds. It has a thumb safety where most 1911 have the thumb safety.
This gun disappears in my pocket in a Blackhawk #2 pocket holster and I don't know it is even in my pocket. you can wear this gun in any way you can think of it is so small. Pocket, OWB, IWB, Fanny pack, Ankle, Belly band or any other way you can think of.
I give this gun 5 dead bad guys out of 5 in conceal ability and comfort of carry.
Fit and Finish:
This is what you would expect from Sig Sauer. It is excellent. Mine is the blackwood special edition dual tone nitron upper and black lower with blackwood grips. The Niron finish is fantastic it is an anti corrosive finish on the slide area that gives a dull sheen almost like a nickel plating. The lower is well protected aluminum. The grips are nice they are comfortable in the hand and allow for control of the gun in rapid fire. Though I would probably change out the grips for some aluminum grips just so I don't ruin the wood grips as this will now be an everyday carry gun for me. The thumb safety engages with a distinctive "Click" and is easy to disengage with the thumb before shooting. The safety is kind of cumbersome to re-engage to make the gun safe due to its small size.
I give this category 4.5 dead bad guys out of 5 for the gun
Accuracy:
All I can say is WOW! I am really impressed with how this gun handles. I was able to keep 1 to two inch 5 shot groups at 15 yards with this gun. It is the most accurate .380 pocket pistol I have ever shot. I have shot and own a Ruger LCP and this gun out shoots it in spades. I attribute this fact to the fact that this gun has sights. It has combat style tritium night sights and allows for very fast target engagement. Most other small .380 pistols I have shot and seen have small trench style sights that are almost nonexistent. This added feature make this gun in my opinion one of the most accurate .380 pistols on the market. I would even venture to say more accurate than a Walther PPK. The trigger is very crisp and breaks nicely and the gun is a SAO pistol. The trigger felt like it broke at about six pounds and did have a little bit of creep. I am ok with the trigger having creep and being as stiff as 6 pounds as it is a carry pistol not a target pistol where you can have no creep and a 2 pound trigger. The gun was easy to shoot and was very quick to get back on target with little felt recoil.
I give this gun 5 out of 5 dead bad guys
Deployment:
I had some issues with deployment out of the pocket with this gun. I found that the hammer, beavertail, and sight area of the pistol did have a tendency to snag on my pants pocket as I would try and draw it out for engagement. I would not recommend for pocket carry for this reason. The gun does not have any sharp edges but something about the way it is designed just makes it catch in the pants pocket. I changed my carry method to an High Noon IWB holster and a OWB slide hoster and deployment was fantastic from those two positions and very comfortable to carry. No snags and was very rapid to clear leather and get on target. The slide accutates smooth as silk and my wife and several small women I have had shoot the gun can work the slide very easily.
I give this gun 3.5 out of 5 dead bad guys
Reliability:
I have shot about 500 rounds out of this gun to include Winchester White Box, Federal Hydroshoks, Cor-Bon's, and Golden Saber's. All shot really well and without a hiccup. No FTF or FTF or FTE. This is what I want to see in a carry gun. There was no break in period for this gun. I have spoken to some who have had trouble with feeding of the Hydroshoks and other hollowpoints with a wide opening catching on the feed ramp but my gun has had no problems with this.
I give this gun 5 out of 5 dead bad guys in this category
Firepower:
lets be realistic .380 is not the best self defense round on the market but with advancements of modern powder and bullet manufacturing a .380 can get the job done. sure I would rather have a .45 strapped to my side (and I do every day) but rule number one of a gunfight is bring a gun. what you make up for in size, conceal ability, and comfort you will give up in firepower. You can carry seven rounds in the gun and .380 is the smallest round I would every carry for self defense.
I give this gun 3 dead bad guys out of 5 in this category
Accessory's:
as this guns popularity increases more thing are coming on the market. Most colt mustang holsters fit the gun well and some makers are making holsters now for the gun. There is a laser made for the gun that Sig has manufactued. I would expect CT and laserlyte to come out with one soon. but as it stands now there is not many options for holsters and or lasers out there for this gun and it is too small for a light rail (not that a pocket pistol needs one).
I give this gun 3.5 dead bad guys out of 5 in this category.
My overall impression of this gun is that it is an fantastic firearm for someone's primary CCW or a back up gun for law enforcement. I carry this gun in holster sewn into my ballistic vest when on duty and I trust my life to it if my primary were to go down in the fight. I do feel that the price is really expensive for such a small gun. At a price range of $500-$750 dollars it is a bit expense compared to other options out there like the LCP, P3AT, dimondback, Walther, and others. but you do get allot of gun (with night sights) for your money and Sig will retain it's value.
I give this gun 4 out of 5 dead bad guys overall for this gun.
Here is the gun
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Size comparison:
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