TexasCHLforum.com

Starting up a thread for those of us who carry/own the P238 to share tips, tricks, information and pictures.

I've got the Sig Sauer P238 Nitron however its from Academy so the front sight is the TruGlo fiber-optic version and it came standard with a 7 round magazine and I love it. Since I'm waiting on my Crossbreed Minituck to arrive I've been using the OWB plastic Sig holster that I presume is made by Fobus and it is doing rather well right now. I've put over 200 rounds through it with no jams, ftf or fte. My carry load currently are Remington 88gr jacketed hollow points. I carry cocked and locked.

Here she is:

My gun is perfect. I like the glowing sights. Really helps when it is dark. Only FTF I have had was one time the slide was not fully back in place. I'm not as accurate with this gun as a full size. Its me, not the gun as I had a sharpshooter put three inside 3 inches at 15 yards one time.

I look forward to comments on holsters as I just pocket carry it in a pocket holster that naturally comes out with the gun as I draw.

I like that sight set up ... wish truglo would sell just the tfo front sight separately - I prefer bright front with plain rear

philip964 wrote:My gun is perfect. I like the glowing sights. Really helps when it is dark. Only FTF I have had was one time the slide was not fully back in place. I'm not as accurate with this gun as a full size. Its me, not the gun as I had a sharpshooter put three inside 3 inches at 15 yards one time.

I look forward to comments on holsters as I just pocket carry it in a pocket holster that naturally comes out with the gun as I draw.

I'm with you on that. I was mostly a full size guy before this. It took me a bit to get used to the trigger pull as I've never had a SA only gun before and I've managed to get it dialed in to a point where I'm more than comfortable with it.

A-R wrote:I like that sight set up ... wish truglo would sell just the tfo front sight separately - I prefer bright front with plain rear

I like it quite a bit as well. They're all green in the dark but still very easy to distinguish between them and acquire targets with. In the light the set up is fantastic and the front sight glows nice and bright.

We have the Equinox variant of the P238 with probably 1500 rounds through it to-date. We had some early issues with casings being ejected (here's a YouTube video of a very early outing with the Sig) into our forehead and Sig replaced the extractor. It's a great little pocket gun but I rarely get a chance to carry it, but I do get range time with it. Carry options are the Remora, Kangroo Carry, and an IWB holster (Talon Training Group.) I have Sig's laser for it but took it off, can't see the laser in daylight but it was very helpful for training purposes to try to figure out point-of-aim.

johncanfield wrote:We have the Equinox variant of the P238 with probably 1500 rounds through it to-date. We had some early issues with casings being ejected (here's a YouTube video of a very early outing with the Sig) into our forehead and Sig replaced the extractor. It's a great little pocket gun but I rarely get a chance to carry it, but I do get range time with it. Carry options are the Remora, Kangroo Carry, and an IWB holster (Talon Training Group.) I have Sig's laser for it but took it off, can't see the laser in daylight but it was very helpful for training purposes to try to figure out point-of-aim.

Hadn't even heard of Kangaroo Carry until your post. What are your thoughts on it? It looks pretty interesting.

Never had issues with the EQ version, wish 380acp was priced closer to 9mm ammo. This pistol is a great for pocket carry with the right wallet type holster; it easily blends in and not even noticable those those situations when you can't carry a compact or mid size pistol.

CoffeeNut wrote:

johncanfield wrote:We have the Equinox variant of the P238 with probably 1500 rounds through it to-date. We had some early issues with casings being ejected (here's a YouTube video of a very early outing with the Sig) into our forehead and Sig replaced the extractor. It's a great little pocket gun but I rarely get a chance to carry it, but I do get range time with it. Carry options are the Remora, Kangroo Carry, and an IWB holster (Talon Training Group.) I have Sig's laser for it but took it off, can't see the laser in daylight but it was very helpful for training purposes to try to figure out point-of-aim.

Hadn't even heard of Kangaroo Carry until your post. What are your thoughts on it? It looks pretty interesting.

I bought one for my wife for her Kahr CW9..........she never uses it.

I acquired my P238 Scorpion via ghost industries.com and had it shipped to my friends gun shop in League City, TX. I am a tall skinny individual and the P238 is easily concealable on my body.

The P238 is stovepiping and mangling brass cases quite a bit. It did it a lot at first and seems to do it less now that I have put 400+ rounds through it. It cycles perfectly with the limited amount of Hornady XTC and the Zombie Max rounds I tested recently, but with most fmj target rounds it is stovepiping either occasionally, or even a lot with some manufacturers ammo. I even started keeping track of it and ran 300+ rounds through it while keeping a record of the stovepipes and mangled brass. If I had another pistol to carry right now I would send it in immediately, but I cannot afford to be unarmed as we were recently burglarized. My other pistols are also malfunctioning or are not suitable for carrying. My Walther/Smith and Wesson P99 .40 malfunctioned during the shooting portion of my CHL class and the spring broke. I need to contact SW or Walther and see if it is covered under a warranty of any sort. Once I get it fixed and running I can take the time to send the Sig in, but I cannot be without a pistol for any length of time, even one that is occasionally stovepiping.

I have become very proficient in dry fire exercises in clearing a stovepipe and just have to hope that carries me through any bad situation that arises in the next month or two.

I still love this little gun though. I can hit the target at even long distances and the SigLite sights are awesome. I even got lucky enough to find a scorpion on the ground recently and was able to get some sweet photographs. It is a replacement for a Colt Mustang Pocketlight .380 that got stolen during the burglary.

I am carrying the P238in a Don Hume leather IWB holster at the moment and keep two extra mags on my belt in a mag holster designed for a double stack .40 mag until I can order a mag holster specifically for two of the 7 round mags.

I am interested to see if you guys ever have stovepipes and what ammo you have tested.

Also, the guy who sent his in for repair by Sig: How long did that take?

Thanks,
Joel

CoffeeNut wrote:Hadn't even heard of Kangaroo Carry until your post. What are your thoughts on it? It looks pretty interesting.

It's hot in the summer but it is PERFECT for those dressier situations when you need to tuck your shirt in. If fact I was wearing it last night (with my M&P) when we went out for a show and dinner. It's surprisingly comfortable to carry under the arm - the weight doesn't seem noticeable under the arm like it does on my hip (my usual carry is OWB.) We have a Kangroo model for all three handguns. Not the only holster you would want, but a valuable option.

BioGuy wrote:I am interested to see if you guys ever have stovepipes and what ammo you have tested.

Also, the guy who sent his in for repair by Sig: How long did that take?

My wife had a lot of problems early-on with the Sig failing to eject, but the root cause of that problem was her limp-wristing it. Once she tightened up her grip, it has performed flawlessly. I've run lots of different ammo through it with no issues.

I sent our Sig back to the factory.

When I called, they said they were running two-three weeks out and that's about what the turn-around time would have been if they hadn't sent it to a gun shop in Anchorage, Alaska by mistake . Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call informing me they have our Sig. Long story short, the gun shop returned the gun to Sig, and Sig included their laser for free for all of my hassles when they sent the gun back to me. That was a very nice gesture.

philip964 wrote:My gun is perfect. I like the glowing sights. Really helps when it is dark. Only FTF I have had was one time the slide was not fully back in place. I'm not as accurate with this gun as a full size. Its me, not the gun as I had a sharpshooter put three inside 3 inches at 15 yards one time.

I look forward to comments on holsters as I just pocket carry it in a pocket holster that naturally comes out with the gun as I draw.

I love my little 238 and have been able to keep my groupings just about as accurate as my larger 239 and 226.

With my pocket holster I am able to draw and leave the holster in my pocket by pressing off the holster with my thumb as I draw.
For me the 238 is a pocket carry only kind of gun, if I have a belt on I'm carrying my 239

zero4o3 wrote:

philip964 wrote:My gun is perfect. I like the glowing sights. Really helps when it is dark. Only FTF I have had was one time the slide was not fully back in place. I'm not as accurate with this gun as a full size. Its me, not the gun as I had a sharpshooter put three inside 3 inches at 15 yards one time.

I look forward to comments on holsters as I just pocket carry it in a pocket holster that naturally comes out with the gun as I draw.

I love my little 238 and have been able to keep my groupings just about as accurate as my larger 239 and 226.

With my pocket holster I am able to draw and leave the holster in my pocket by pressing off the holster with my thumb as I draw.
For me the 238 is a pocket carry only kind of gun, if I have a belt on I'm carrying my 239

I'm jealous of your Sig collection. What pocket holster do you have and what 238 model?

[The P238 is stovepiping and mangling brass cases quite a bit. It did it a lot at first and seems to do it less now that I have put 400+ rounds through it. It cycles perfectly with the limited amount of Hornady XTC and the Zombie Max rounds I tested recently, but with most fmj target rounds it is stovepiping either occasionally, or even a lot with some manufacturers ammo. I even started keeping track of it and ran 300+ rounds through it while keeping a record of the stovepipes and mangled brass. If I had another pistol to carry right now I would send it in immediately, but I cannot afford to be unarmed as we were recently burglarized. My other pistols are also malfunctioning or are not suitable for carrying. My Walther/Smith and Wesson P99 .40 malfunctioned during the shooting portion of my CHL class and the spring broke. I need to contact SW or Walther and see if it is covered under a warranty of any sort. Once I get it fixed and running I can take the time to send the Sig in, but I cannot be without a pistol for any length of time, even one that is occasionally stovepiping.

[/quote]

I have one also and was having similar issues when I first got it. I called Sig and spoke to them about it. They sent me two new springs for it which helped. Also I switched from Remmington UMC in the big 250 pack box to WWbox which seemed to finish the answer. In looking at the UMC stuff the bullets were seated at different depths in the shells. I asked the store I bought the ammo about it and they told me a long story about the price versus quality control trade-off. All I know is no problems with my SD ammo or the WWbox, so I am thinking there might be something to it.

rwg3 wrote:[The P238 is stovepiping and mangling brass cases quite a bit. It did it a lot at first and seems to do it less now that I have put 400+ rounds through it. It cycles perfectly with the limited amount of Hornady XTC and the Zombie Max rounds I tested recently, but with most fmj target rounds it is stovepiping either occasionally, or even a lot with some manufacturers ammo. I even started keeping track of it and ran 300+ rounds through it while keeping a record of the stovepipes and mangled brass. If I had another pistol to carry right now I would send it in immediately, but I cannot afford to be unarmed as we were recently burglarized. My other pistols are also malfunctioning or are not suitable for carrying. My Walther/Smith and Wesson P99 .40 malfunctioned during the shooting portion of my CHL class and the spring broke. I need to contact SW or Walther and see if it is covered under a warranty of any sort. Once I get it fixed and running I can take the time to send the Sig in, but I cannot be without a pistol for any length of time, even one that is occasionally stovepiping.

I have a Smith and Wesson model .622 .22lr pistol that I bought in 1986. I fired about 50 rounds through it then and it sat until July of this year. They stopped making that pistol in 1994. I started shooting it again in July and enjoyed it so much that I purchased 2 extra magazines from them for the gun. After using the two new mags, my trigger started failing to reset after each round. I used their contact us page on their website for warranty repair. They sent me an email message 2 days later with a prepaid fedex shipping label to return it for warranty repair. Got the pistol back 2 weeks after that and is working perfectly. THEY DID NOT CHARGE ME ANYTHING FOR THE REPAIR.

I say send it to them. Their customer service is awesome.