Sig Sauer P238

For those of you that have been reading for a while you may remember my article about my XDs and how I said that it is my favorite handgun. I am a Springfield fan through and through and as much as I love my XDs something about the Sig Sauer P238 and P938 kept appealing to me.

The P238 is a .380 and the P938 is a 9mm. I have primarily been a 9mm shooter from the beginning. I like the idea of all my handguns being the same caliber so I had a really hard time choosing between the two Sigs. Most everyone I asked said they like both, but a overall I was told that the P238 has less recoil and that they had better shot placement with it.

Once I finally settled on the P238 my next decision was which one to choose. I think it is safe to say that this little gun has the largest variety of options that I have seen of any gun on the market. There a different color slides, frames, grip styles, sights, and even scrollwork available. They even have one with a built in laser.

The journey to find my new handgun commenced. I searched and searched.  The minute I saw it I immediately knew that it was the one. Well, purple IS my favorite color. The frame is black, but the slide and grips are purple. Purple pearl grips to be exact. The safety, slide lock, magazine release, and screws have a rainbow titanium finish. It is a real thing of beauty.

Not only is it beautiful, but it also has SIGLITE night sights which I am a big fan of since this is a carry gun. The sights on this gun are bright and are easily visible which I am very pleased with.

Some of the P238s come with two magazines, one 6 round magazine and one extended 7 round magazine. Mine only came with one 6 round magazine, so I immediately purchased an extended magazine. The extended 7 round magazine has a pinky extension which is nice for my grip since I do have big hands "for a girl".

I could not wait to take this little gun to the range and try it out. I was curious to see how it would feel since most small guns are uncomfortable to shoot, especially after a magazine or two. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my P238 not only looks good, but shooting it feels good too. I did not experience any discomfort shooting it and the gun is accurate too. I was able to shoot some really tight groups which is obviously the most important factor.

I have always been a little leery of pearl grips because I have always thought they are slick and would make it difficult to maintain a good grip on the gun. These pearl grips are a different because they are actually made of a rubber material. They look slick, but work really well.

If you know anything about my XD, XDm, and XDs you know that they are striker fired handguns. My Sig Sauer P238 is basically a miniature 1911 with a thumb safety. I thought that it might be awkward for me to transition to a hammer fired handgun but it actually seemed natural to me to use the thumb safety.

One of my favorite things about this gun is the concealability. This is the smallest gun that I own which makes it much easier to conceal carry than my other handguns. The P238 is 5.5 inches long, 3.9 inches high, and 1.1 inches wide. It has a barrel length of 2.7 inches and weighs only 15.2 oz. without a magazine. Due to it's size, there are more carrying positions available than the other guns that I own. I am very happy with my purchase and Gene likes it so much that he is considering one for himself.

[Gene] As Christy said, I really like this gun. I am a 1911 shooter and, despite its diminutive size, it is a 1911 so it feels natural to me to shoot it. The 238 feels great in my meat paws, I mean hands, even without using the extended mag. This gun feels substantial to me compared to other .380s I have shot of this size. This is due in part to the metal frame versus a polymer frame found in other .380 sub compacts.

Another thing I like about this gun is the sights. Sig decided to use regular sights instead of some chopped down version which makes shots beyond 7 yards much easier. Even though I already have a compact 1911 [Springfield EMP] this gun would be a great carry option when something a little smaller makes more sense. Overall I am impressed with the 238 and I looking to pick one up for myself. Well, maybe I will make mine a "little" less flashy, and with the dozens of variations this gun comes in it will not be hard to find one to suit my taste. I will just continue to enjoy Christy's in the meantime!