Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Sig P938 Impressions

I found a Sig P938 in stock at Top Gun Supply. I called my local guy and asked when it would be possible to put my hands on one locally. He said it would be a while for him to get one, and to buy it if I wanted it. I ordered it on 5/31. The FFL was faxed on 6/1 and I received it today. It comes with one magazine. At this time, spare magazines cost $700 and come with a free Sig P938.

The gun has a sticker on the box with a �born on� date of 5/24/12. It has a prefix and 3 zeros and 4XX, which makes it the earliest serial number of any gun I ever have owned.

I knew the P238 had birthing pains, and I knew I was going to be a beta tester and did not expect perfection. I drove straight to the range with a scrounged box of 115 gr. Winchester White Box (WWB) and some 124 gr. Speer Gold Dots. Because I was expecting trouble, I did something I never do. I stripped the gun and cleaned and lubed it. I noticed that the recoil spring was very stiff, and I had a hard time getting it back on the guide rod and settled in the correct position. The magazine spring was very stiff and it was difficult to load the sixth (last) round.

I took some pictures with a P238. The P238 has about 250 rounds through it and is pretty slicked up. The P238 feels like a toy next to the P938. The recoil spring on the P238 is very loose compared to the P938. A three year old could probably rack the P238 but not the P938. After dry firing the P238 for several hundred rounds, it has a much lighter, smoother, trigger pull. The P938 is heftier, and the sharply checkered G10 grips grab the hand much more firmly than the smooth Lego grip on the P238. The P938 also has very sharp checking on the frontstrap and the backstrap, as opposed to wide grooves on the P238.





I fired the first 6 shots at 10 yards with WWB. I had 3 failures to eject. In each instance, the fired round remained in the chamber and the next round was trying to feed. I figured it would be a return trip to the factory tomorrow. However, I have read that WWB isn�t really hot stuff, so I loaded 6 Gold Dots and fed them from slide lock. In the P238 I had a few instances during break in where Gold Dots would hang up on the ramp and needed to be bumped or fed using the slingshot. I tripped the lever on the P938 and it felt like it had a slight hesitation but it fed the first Gold Dot. Those 6 fired fine. I went back to WWB and shot some more. The magazine spring loosened up and maybe the recoil spring. I did not experience another malfunction with either WWB or the other 6 Gold Dots I fired. I also tried my standard �limp wrist� test that involves holding the gun with one hand as loosely as I dare (to avoid dropping it) with broken wrist and elbow and firing it. I only shot 6 that way, three with each hand, but no trouble. The wind was blowing very hard and it the target was giving me fits, so I could not shoot as much as I wanted. I figure I shot about 70 rounds. Again, the only problems were with the first magazine.

The recoil is stiffer than the P238, but it was not unpleasant in the least. With the P238 I could lock up and hold the gun and cycle through a magazine very fast and stay on target after taking one sight picture. The P938 would take more work and this technique may not be possible, at least for me, with the P938. The P238 is easily a 25 yard gun. The P938 probably is one also, but I have not gotten the sights regulated, and it also needs to be dry fired a bunch more to smooth things up.

One common problem for me is that I usually have to dial sights to the right. This gun was no exception. (The P238 actually was an exception, but upon inspection it appears to be drifted more to the right from the factory than the P938). I used a punch and rubber mallet and moved the sights and the groups, but I still need to do a little more work on this, and I tread lightly when doing this with night sights. The gun did not shoot way low like those 2 guys experienced in the C&R Reviews on You Tube.

The gun did fit in the Sig Sauer pocket holster made for the P238, but it would not be practical for the P938 because the fit was very tight. It fit fine in a DeSantis ankle holster marketed for the P238 but the thumb break would have to be adjusted differently. The dinky "Fobus-like" holster that came with the P238 would not work at all. I misplaced the Nemisis I bought a couple of weeks ago, so that test has to wait. If I put the guns in my pocket without a holster, the P238 definitely is less noticeable, but the P938 still does not appear to weigh as much as a steel S&W Centennial 5 shot revolver. You get the print of the edge of the rear bottom of the grip as opposed to the cylinder.

I like the ambidextrous safety on the P938 because it allows me to carry in either pocket or on either ankle in a backup capacity, and the safety can easily be manipulated with the weak hand. Of course, lefties should really love it. One feature about the 238/938 design is that, if the hammer is cocked, you can retract the slide with the safety on, so you can load it or clear it without taking it off safe. (If the hammer is down the safety locks the slide when activated.)

Measurements

I know a lot of people want to know measurements in addition to the ones on the spec sheet. The overall dimensions don�t really help because a brick could have the same overall dimensions and would not feel the same in the hand or ride the same in the pocket. I took calipers to the P238 and the P938, and put them both on an old school analog postal scale, and here are some of the differences (P.S. I am not an engineer, so don�t hold me to this stuff):

Grip length from frontstrap to backstrap halfway between the trigger guard and the bottom of the frame:
P238 1.74�
P938 1.9�

Height from top of slide to bottom of dust cover:
P238 1.23�
P938 1.26�

Width of grip (difference could be the material used):
P238 .908�
P938 .912"

Slide width near muzzle:
P238 .816�
P938 .882

Weight empty with magazine:
P238 15 ounces
P938 17.5 ounces

Weight loaded with 6 rounds:
P238 Slightly over 17 ounces
P938 approximately 19.5 ounces

These dimension differences may look negligible on paper, but they do make a difference in heft, weight in the pocket, and printing in the pocket. On a belt or an ankle, I doubt it would make the slightest difference, making the P938 the obvious choice.

My overall impression is very favorable. This gun is a keeper and, at least when spare magazines become readily available, it renders obsolete the S&W Centennials unless you think you may be firing while the gun is in your pocket. I think that someone trying to decide between one or the other needs to consider the mission. If it purely is a backup, the carrier may be willing to give up some power and take the P238, although the lack of an ambidextrous safety on a standard model is a limiting factor. I may choose to replace the P938 grips with something smoother, which would aid in pocket carry with, I suspect, no appreciable difference in shootability.

In the end, the difference may come down to this distinction:



Wtxj jumped on one of these as well. So, hopefully, within a few days, we will be able to read his impressions.