Suppressors Sig P238

R

royboy

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Minuteman
Nov 15, 2008
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mound, mn
#1
I always have been a Sig fan. I fell for the new P238,got to have it.
I will sure beat carrying a full sized 226 or 220 around and I will always carry it rather then leaving the gun at home. Some say it a direct copy of a Colt Mustang.
 
#2
Re: Sig P238

Go looking for 380 ammo before you pick one up. I've heard a lot of rumors about shortages in that particular caliber, so you may want to confirm for yourself before buying.

Again - I hate passing on rumors, but what I'd hate more is for you to buy a pistol and not be able to find ammo at a reasonable price.
 
#3
Re: Sig P238

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lazlo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Go looking for 380 ammo before you pick one up. I've heard a lot of rumors about shortages in that particular caliber, so you may want to confirm for yourself before buying.

Again - I hate passing on rumors, but what I'd hate more is for you to buy a pistol and not be able to find ammo at a reasonable price. </div></div>

Lazlo,

Spot on. Thats is what has swayed me from a .380. The last gun show in KC, I saw it going for $38 a box of 50. WOW
 
#6
Re: Sig P238

I'm a big Sig fan. Been carrying a P226 for over 20yrs. I was never a fan of the Colt mustang. Which is what it is.

What are you going to do? Carry that thing in your pocket cocked and locked? Please.

You're way better off getting a S&W642 or something similar if you need a pocket gun.

The Mustang was junk. So, is this.

Sig should stick with it's P22X line. The whole Sigpro, P250 etc... crap leaves me very disappointed.

My .02
 
#7
Re: Sig P238

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Joe-n-TX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm a big Sig fan. Been carrying a P226 for over 20yrs. I was never a fan of the Colt mustang. Which is what it is.

What are you going to do? Carry that thing in your pocket cocked and locked? Please.

You're way better off getting a S&W642 or something similar if you need a pocket gun.

The Mustang was junk. So, is this.

Sig should stick with it's P22X line. The whole Sigpro, P250 etc... crap leaves me very disappointed.

My .02

</div></div>

Was planning on carrying it in an ankle holster or in an OWB holster. I am w/ you on carrying it locked and cocked in the pocket. I would be afraid that some type of debris would get between the hammer and and slide cause an obstruction that would not allow it to fire. In addition to your commit...I like Sig's but I am not the traditionalist "die hard" Sig fan. I do believe that the Sig P238 is aimed at a certain market. Mainly those that the 1911's appeal to. I love the way this little gun looks and I can't wait to pick on up....but first I am going to wait for the price to come down.

I am also in agreeance w/ the Colt Mustang being complete trash. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that there were some that were reliable, but I am speaking from my expereince as I owned 2 many years ago. They were both very unreliable even w/ qaulity factory ammo. From all of the reveiws that I have read in regards to the P238 it is exactly the opposite. Sig has done what Colt couldn't do and that is make the P238 reliable...just my thoughts for what it's worth.
 
#8
Re: Sig P238

I'm not a fan of the "9mm short" to start with, and as previously mentioned, .380 ammo is more expensive than any other caliber that I shoot. I'd personally stick with the Kahr MK9 that I already own than buy something that shoots smaller bullets at a higher price.

Yea, that Kahr is heavier, but it's 9mm vs. .380, same capacity, and solid stainless for those +P+ rounds.

 
#9
Re: Sig P238

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wiskey_33</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not a fan of the "9mm short" to start with, and as previously mentioned, .380 ammo is more expensive than any other caliber that I shoot. I'd personally stick with the Kahr MK9 that I already own than buy something that shoots smaller bullets at a higher price.

Yea, that Kahr is heavier, but it's 9mm vs. .380, same capacity, and solid stainless for those +P+ rounds.

</div></div>

I have had bad expereinces w/ Kahr's. I owned 2 of their compacts...one in .40 s&w and one in 9mm and neither on of them would cycle through a whole magazine w/o a failure using factory ammo. I even tried FMJ to no avail. I will never purchase another one as, in my expereince, they are extremly unreliable.

As I stated earlier the Sig P238 fills a certain niche. I personally carry a Ruger LCP as my preferred firearm for concealed carry. I like the compactness of it. I have in the past carried 1911's, Glocks, Sigs, Snubnose revolvers and many more and none of them come close to the comfort of the Ruger LCP & the Kel-tec for all day carry.

So, I like 1911's and the Sig P238 is essentially a scaled down version of one. I will be getting one in the near future. I appreciate the input.
 
#10
Re: Sig P238

The polymer Kahrs have a bad rap for sure. Mine is all stainless and doesn't flex like a polymer frame would. Only issue I ever had was my thumb hitting the slide stop, but fixed it once I learned what was causing it. It's been 100% ever since.

I'm sure the P238 will be just fine for you though, as SIG makes a fantastic pistola. I love my P229 in .40 S&W
 
#11
Re: Sig P238

Picked one up last week........

Couple of things right off the top:

1. Early models are under a "mandatory safety upgrade"--aka recall---problem with the hammer potentially falling once safety is released. You call sig, they send you a box if needed, you send them pistol...Mine is in the serial number range but didn't need to go back. All pistols shipped after mid july or so should be gtg according to the nice lady at sig.

2. Its a .380. Been killing people and scarring bad guys for a long time. Most were European so factor that in, but still
wink.gif
.

3. I have been combing the various forums and the only other real issue that I have even heard about is FTFires from a few guys (more on that below)



I very much like the pistol. The absolute best thing about it so far is the ergonomics. It feels both solid in my hand but is small and lite. It is easily concealable almost anywhere. It is noticeably heavier than a Kel-tec, but still very lite and so much better handling than a kel-tec. It is designed for a cocked and locked carry if you are to carry with one in the chamber so that does effect how its carried (IMHO). For me, it is an IWB piece or a pocket piece without a round chambered.

It also shoots very well. It is a locked breach system (not blowback) so the recoil is light and without snap. It is much easier to control and much more comfortable to shoot than even a Kel-Tec in 32acp. Double Taps are very easy to perform and the pistol stays on target very well. It is Single action only and the trigger is very nice IMHO---crisp but not heavy. Didn't shoot groups.....it hit where I pointed it though (tore up paper plates at 10yrds
grin.gif
)


I have 106rds down as of now. It fed and ejected all 106 rounds (magtech and WWB FMJ) without a single issue. I did have 2 FTFires in the first 75 rounds. Neither had a pin mark on the primer and both were from the first round out of the magazine. I did not really take good notice of the first one, but I did notice on the 2nd that the slide did not appear to have slid all the way into battery. I took the gun apart and lubed the rails and didn't have any problems with the last 25 rounds. From the reviews I have read, this sounds typical of those having any issue at all--1st round, no pin mark. I am going to put another 100rds down before I even really worry about it. I will assume that it just needs a little breaking in.

For me, the pistol is nearly perfect. I have a G-19 and a S&W Model 36 I can also carry. The P238 is going to be what I carry when concealment is most difficult and/or most important. It will be carried when I would most likely leave the glock or even the Smith in the car or at home. I don't plan on shooting anything other than FMJ so I am not worried about feeding. The 380 is what it is and if I ever need it I will want sure penetration over marginal (IMHO) expansion.

I will try and get another 100 down next week and update....
 
#12
Re: Sig P238

Wow, I just watched Nutnfancy's review.

I really wonder where that guy gets his information sometimes. How can one report as to the reliability of a gun that is brand new to the market? He also raves on and on about Sigs and HKs, when their gun designs are typically well behind trends by other manufacturers. He's always talking about law enforcement and military as if they bear any resemblance to the gun enthusiasts' safe. Either way, I guess he's the best we've got, and his advice is free...and presumably worth what we pay for it.

Personally, I love the 1911 and this gun looks interesting. I do think it will have a hard time competing with the Kahr 9mms, the P3AT, and the Ruger LCP.

Considering that it's locked breech, I really wonder why they didn't make it a 9x19. It seems to me that only the recoil spring and the chambering would have to change, and they'd have a gun that can seriously compete with the Kahrs--cheaper, better trigger, etc.

No clue what they were thinking with this gun....and way too expensive for a .380. Really cool that it's single action/single stack, though.

Maybe I'll have a look at a used one someday.
 
#14
Re: Sig P238

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ghogs Nightmare</div><div class="ubbcode-body">At least the finally put the mag release where it outta be.
.
Not that I really want to hafta reload especially if shooting a 380, but thats the primary reason I got rid of my old one with the "euro" release. </div></div>

that and the new one is significantly thinner and easier to carry then the older. I had the "james bond" one for a while but the thickness of it really made me not like it as a BUG carry piece.
 
#15
Re: Sig P238

fired another 100rds through the pistol today. I picked up 3 extra mags and basically would load all 4 mags and shoot them all about as fast as I could....not going for a world record, but pretty fast.....I would then let the pistol cool down and repeat. I loaded each mag with only 3-4 rounds once each to make sure they would work without full spring pressure on the top round....so I did 6 "rotations" of loading and firing all mags

Results:
NO failure to fires. Tried to get the failure to fires from the last time but couldn't. No matter how I chambered the round and no matter how many rounds were in the mag when I chambered a round, no FTF's. Whatever that little issues was in the first hundred seems to be fixed.

Had 3 failures to extract taday....but not the pistols fault. Last round failed to fully eject. But, all three failures were with the same mag. I pulled that mag from the rotation and ran through 3 more cycles of the remaining 3 mags and no problems....

Pistol shot extremely well for whatever that's worth. Put up a 8.5x11 piece of paper and shot the center out. Couple guys at the range wondered over wondering how such a little pistol fired so fast could shoot so well.....

Conclusion......I am pretty comfortable with the pistol as a carry piece now. I will fire another 50 or so rounds just to be sure but I ran the pistol hot and dirty today and couldn't get it to malfunction once the iffy mag was removed.


 
#17
Re: Sig P238

I have 250 total rounds through the pistol total.

During the first 100 there were 3 FTFires with no pin marks. I lubed the rails and I cleaned the firing pin channel well and there has now been 150 rounds through it without that issue at all.

In the last 150 rounds, there were 3 FTE's on the last round of a mag. All were from the same magazine and stopped once that mag was sidelined. It looks (and feels) like the follower is not quite at the right angle compared to the other mags and I have concluded that the case got hung-up on the exposed follower during extraction.


As I said, I am "pretty comfortable" with pistol now. Another 50-100 rounds will go through it and need to be without fail now before I will carry it only. But, I think it will work well as a BUG for now. Fortunately, winter is coming here and concealment of my primary won't be an issue soon....unfortunately.....

The last 54 rounds of the day were without any failure.
 
#18
Re: Sig P238

Poor QC on P238, FTF, Mags etc.
When I first purchased my p238, it would not manually feed rounds by cycling the upper much less while trying to fire. It would not even chamber the 1st round manually. It came with the new style mag which has the lower/shorter follower. Sig shipped me 2 new mags to try. They were identical and would not feed. I went back to the dealer who had a p238 with the old mag. It would feed rounds consistently. However, IMO, the old mag with the raised/higher follower would cause the FTE on last round. So that is not an option. I have read that some shooters have had success forcing the mag deeper into the pistol while shooting. I have also read that some shooters suspect the feed ramp to be "adjusted" upon "upgrade" return.

I shipped mine last Friday with Sig's next day air label. Tuesday they said they had it fixed. I was told they "adjusted" the mags to rectify. I questioned the resolution and was told they would replace with 3 more new ones and retest. I called today and Diana told me it had no failures with an additional 100 rounds using the 3 new mags.

Sig can not use the excuse that the mags were the problem in my case since I received 1(with pistol) +2(additional) "newer" ones to begin with and none would work.

While I appreciate being able to deal with the head of customer service directly, it would mean so much more if the responses weren't like that of the Obama administration, smoke & mirrors and OZ like. Problem is, I asked what the original resolution was and she told me my "new" mags had to be "adjusted." I explained that was interesting and uacceptable. I rhetorically asked if Sig was going to "adjust" all of my future mags at Sig's expense. I received an illegitimate answer to almost every question I asked. I asked her about the sale of Sig in 2000 and the current board of execs who have only been in place since 2005 and she told me Sig was never sold and the board of execs change often... proof is in the pudding https://www.sigsauer.com/AboutUs/Management.aspx

In theory, this pistol was a home run. In reality, it's a foul ball. There is a myriad manufacturing issues that were missed during poor QC. I don't know the current return rate but I would suspect over 50% are being returned due to FTF and lack of reliability. I highly doubt law enforcement would accept the failure rate the p238 delivers. I am at the point of wanting a full scale investigation into the p238.

Bottom line, when mine is returned and I get more than 1 FTF in 50 rounds or 100% FTF on JHP's, it's going back and Sig will have to white glove deliver a replacement or a check for refund.

IMO, they had to have adjusted my feed ramp and the mag catch to make mine shoot at all. I am not a gunsmith but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night!
 
#19
Re: Sig P238

The only small caliber Sig I've owned was the P232. It was an excellent gun, except for the euro mag release. Only other thing was that the slide recoils VERY CLOSE over the top of your "thumb knuckle?" when it cycles. It is definately a self correcting error. I've carried a P220 for eight years on duty and can't remember ever having any problems with it whatsoever. Love Sigs! BTW, .380 is still scarce and $expensive$
 
#20
Re: Sig P238

I have received my "repaired" pistol. It still will not manually feed JHP's. I don't trust Sig service since they did not thoroughly review and repair the pistol which explains the quick turn-around.

Therefore I have taken it upon myself to resolve the issue. The rounds appeared to be hanging on the left side of the feed ramp/barrel. I have polished the feed ramp and slightly adjusted the angle of the lips on the magazines so the ammunition is lined up perfectly parallel to the barrel. I can now manually cycle rounds (JHP - Cor Bon). I will follow up with range results once I can find some more ammuntion. I may grow to like this pistol but I will NEVER purchase another Sig. Too bad they have decided to rest on the laurels of brand recognition alone and not back it up with QC.

BTW, Diana Chapman was in place temporary to resolve the many P238 returns and complaints. She is not seasoned firearm service personnel, so I would take her responses (typical sales ignorance) with a grain of salt. However, I also spoke with Bill Silver, Vice President of Commercial Sales. He off course did not want to buy the pistol back but did offer that I could return the pistol to the dealer and they could negotiate a refund. I am determined to see if I can make it work reliably. Like many of the public, I am not interested in the poor customer service at Sig.

I am not a gunsmith but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night!
 
#21
Re: Sig P238

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 3ald3eaver</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I am not a gunsmith but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night! </div></div>

Hahaha..

Sorry to hear about your bad luck and very poor service. Sad to see a company in these times not taking care of the customer. Good luck man.
 
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