Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Small 1911 9's - Sig 938, Kimber, EMP 3 or 4

Anyone using these for carry? Read mixed reviews on all.

Any feedback welcome.

Always wondered about carrying one cocked and locked - wondered about safety.

I've had the P938 for quite some time. Never a bobble. Great little gun that conceals very, very well for a serious caliber. It doesn't recoil badly at all, especially compared to a Kel Tec of approximately the same size. The only criticism I have of it are it being fairly difficult to fully load a magazine. That said, it is better to carry a bit bigger gun with a double stack magazine if you can conceal it-which I certainly can in colder weather. The latter is commentary rather than criticism, because the little Sig is what it is, just like other slimline compact 9's.

I have no experience with the other gun. I compared the Sig to a bunch of similar pistols when I got it and it was smaller than all of them except the Kel Tec which I have owned and didn't like a bit. For instance, the Sig works whereas the Kel Tec didn't always. A gun that functions is always a plus.

Take the same precautions you would with any other 1911 type with the Sig. If you want to just drop it in your pocket then you better keep an empty chamber and if you do this, you better practice racking the slide as you draw.

My Sig P238 isn't 9mm, but .380, however it's the same category of firearm as you're discussing. I've carried it a few times, but in an IWB holster, not in a pocket holster. To me, even this little gun is a bit much for pocket carry. Very reliable and shootable though. Well made little gun.

Yep. I was thinking of adding the same comment in my post, but decided against it since he wasn't asking for opinions on single actions for carry, but if you watch a lot of security camera footage of CCW carriers who were forced to draw and fire at armed robbers, it's always a situation were fractions of a second determine the winners and losers.

Good points and info. Thanks for those and any others who contribute.

As I understand the 938. It has a firing pin block in the slide. The trigger has to be pulled for the FP to be able to strike the primer. This is one of the reasons the trigger pull is so heavy. Hasbeen

Hasbeen1945, You are correct, the Sig 938, is not a true 1911 action! That said, my wife has one and loves it. We even got the .22 RF conversion for it. The conversion doesn't always feed reliably, and with the .22 supply shortage, we have used that option much. The conversion may need more range time, hope to use it more when/if .22's become more available. memtb

Memtb, how does she carry hers. I put mine on half cock with the safety on and drop it in my pocket. Never been a fan of cocked and locked. I think about anyway will work with these. Been thinking hammer down with safety off is ok. Hasbeen

hasbeen1945, My carries in the purse (which I hate) most of the time, or occasionally in pocket holster. She carries, full cocked, safety on. Doesn't want to go through two-steps to put into service. She also added a Crimson Trace! What weights are you running? I'm still stuck "old school", running 147 Gold Dots. memtb

I carry a 938 in the SIG pocket holster as I mostly wear denim jeans. It's on the heavy side for pocket wear, but it works. People in Idaho are used to guns. Other places it could be a problem. For those places a S&W scandium J frame is a more discrete gun carry gun IMHO. This is what works for me

I wanted to use Buffalo Bore but had a lot of misfires. Switched to Remington 124 Golden Sabers , no problems. 9 m/m is the only caliber hand gun that I carry that I don't reload for.
The BB misfires were primer stricks that you could hardly see. I think the cases were sized to small. Been meaning to try them in my P7M8. Hasbeen

I misspoke I don't load for a 380 either. Hasbeen

In my hands, the EMP is the only one of these that functions like a 1911. That is, I can grab it and have is ready to fire in one swift smooth motion every time. Those micros with manual safeties - too much fuss and fumble. Yes - it's a personal problem, but it's real. You might want to check that out before relying on them.

Good info. The EMP - 3 or 4" ? How did it or does it shoot.

That's the beauty of the 938. You can chose whether to use the safety or not. You can carry it dry and chamber a round when needed . A lot of options. Hasbeen

65-, I have the Scorpian model P938 and really like it. No misfires, functions well and I can hit with it. I'm a lefty and carry it IWB, small of the back, with a right hand holster with a clip. Revolver capacity but a flatter profile; very compact but a serious piece.

Thanks. Good stuff.

I handled the 938 at the local gun store and I liked what I saw,

Then went to a different gun shop that rents guns,

shot the 938 and also the EMP 4".

The EMP followed me home.

You did mention carry use, after I handled the 938, it just didn't seem to make the most sense,

I would rather carry a G43 or a shield. Pure simplicity.

I don't think the EMP was available when I bought my 938. That's the best solution if you live near a place that will rent you one to try or have a friend that will loan you one. Then you can pick the one you like. Hasbeen

The P938 makes a lot of sense when you compare it to pistols in the class of it's own size. The EMP 4 is bigger and heavier than a G19. Wouldn't the simplicity point be the same for it?

From what I can recall, I don't believe the EMP is bigger than the 19. I consider the 19 midsize.

Regarding a carry pistol, give me a pure point and shoot pistol, no safety, no discussion on hot and cocked, no distractions and I want small and concealable like the 43 or Shield.

I bought the EMP as I like shooting that gun alot, it wasn't intended as my primary carry gun, many are using the EMP as a carry piece but the ambi safety makes me just a little nervous for a carry gun.

I like the ambi safety as I'm a lefty and if I was to carry it daily the left side safety lever would be removed.

YMMV.

I agree, the P938 wouldn't have the same enjoyment as a 1911 for someone wanting to shoot it a lot. Even though EMP was mentioned in the thread it's not really in the same class as a P938. That was the only point I was trying to make. I've owned 2 Sringfield 1911's and enjoyed both. Nice pistols. The charm to the P938 is it's ease of carry and the fact that it handles so much better than a lot of sub compacts on the market (for me anyway.) A safety on a carry pistol has never given me any cause for concern. That said I carry a LC9s Pro at times too. I feel comfortable with both styles.

The EMP 4 is bigger and heavier than a G19.
EMP 4 = 7 1/2" 31 ozs
G19 = 7 1/4" 24 ozs

Ok, I'm feeling frisky this morning so let's bring it!

The 19 is a 1/4 inch shorter? Hell, my love handles are two inches per side. 1/4 inch, pffftttt... I can bury that 1/4 inch anywhere on this cheese cake eating physique.

A 1/4 inch where? the grip is what "prints" and that 19 has quite the "print", barrel length matters little in the concealment game.

R.E. the EMP, What if there was a 3inch EMP? Game changer! shorter than the 19, Ha!

Weight, the weights you've given are mags empty, you're 2x4 19 double stack mag loaded is at least as heavy or heavier than either single stack EMP loaded..

The EMP was "mentioned" in this thread? GFG, it's in capital letters in the subject line!!!!!!!!!!!!

your turn............

Ha! OK, my turn.

I stated your gun was about the same size as a G19 and you said it wasn't and I posted specs and yes, it is.


Nope. The G19 is lighter loaded than the EMP 4 is EMPTY.


Still heavier! Empty it's only 3 ozs lighter than a G19 loaded with 15 cartridges!

A 1/4 inch and now micrograms,

Don't make me get the scale out.

I can't like the micro 1911's with no grip safety. My son-in-law just bought the itty bitty Kimber 9mm. I can't see what it does that a Glock 43 or S&W Shield does better. I have smallish to mid-size hands and when I snap the ambi safety off the micro Kimber the off side gets stuck on the meaty part of my hand inhibiting the manipulation of the safety. No grip safety on a 1911 pattern pistol, especially a tiny one, doesn't set well with me. Carry in Condition Three is goofy, why do that when there are plenty of handguns available that can be safely carried all up and ready to go? The little Kimber is already sacrificing magazine capacity and carry with one less doesn't make sense to me. If I only want five rounds a J-frame is a much better option in my mind. My son-in-law is 6' 4" and about 260 lbs with hands the size of salad plates. I doubt he will ever get the safety off the damned Kimber.

Preach it brutha........

I carried a Sig P938 in a front pocket for about 3 years, using a Ritchie pocket holster. I always carried chambered with the hammer cocked and safety engaged and never had an issue with the safety disengaging without being intentionally manipulated. I did not disengage the safety until the muzzle had cleared the pocket. I must say that I had a few times when I missed the safety during the presentation. It was a neat little gun but I perceived that it was not as durable as the slightly larger Glock 43 that replaced it

Preach it brutha.....




didn't mean to hijack, bored out of my mind, shoulda went fishing, soaked Musky suckers for 7 hours yesterday and not even a sniff,

but tomorrow it's gonna get real.

Great info gang. Appreciate all sharing.

I also agree that the EMP might be one that folks enjoy as much in the range or field. Seem like well made guns and the SA trigger likely aids shootability. The All metal should be very long lasting it would seem

The Kimber .380 works perfectly as a pocket pistol; their 9 Micro nearly as well.

1911's rarely make sense.

The mini versions make even less sense.

Wants aside of course.




Dave

Dave,
What's are your preferred SD side arms?

I handled the EMP4 at the store recently and I would definately carry one if I didn't already carry a G19.

Agreed. For concealed carry, technology has passed them by. It's mainly nostalgia that keeps them going in this role.

G23

Shield

LCR/J-frame

LCP.



Dave

About two years back, you sang the opposite tune, and you still have exactly the same level of actual experience (essentially zero).

Thanks Dave

TRH carries everyday and has since IIRC, the early eighties. That's hardly zero experience, unless you're talking gunfights. If you are then there are few here who should be commenting.

Chriss fantasizes about homesteading because he has a chicken coop in the chain linked yard around the crappy little house his parents bought him; he hauls ass from black guys in pickups; gets freaked out when he realizes that bugs are in his yard at night; pontificates about tactical shillelaghs and nunchucks; and has/had a vacuum sealed pistol in the shower.

About two years ago, he was ALL about 1911s for carry, and now he acts as if anything on-striker fired belongs in a museum; and NONE of his actual, practical experience, nor his irrationality in life, has changed.

The point I made is that he does have a wealth of practical experience in concealed carry, going way back and that your statement to the contrary is then, inaccurate. Am I right or wrong?

A wealth of concealed carry knowledge would be TLEE or EvilTwin or Mackey, or any number of other folks; due to their vefiable (key word there) history and their consistency. Chriss' opinions on CCW are, in my mind, about like his opinions on homesteading or teaching (two other areas that he is a fake and at best WAY overstates his actual experience, if not makes it up).

His mania about one style for many years, then an absolute sea-change to a mania in the opposite direction in just months, without ANY precipitous event intervening is something that, to me, undercuts whatever credibility on the issue he may have had.

Maybe the fluoride finally got to him?

The post I made was not about any other poster or any other area of expertise, it was specifically about your statement that TRH doesn't have CC knowledge, which is not factual. We could debate the term "wealth" but in context it meant years of experience, which he has...correct?

In fact, if you look back, your statement was specifically about TRH not having CC experience. This is not factual.

He says he does. He says he is homesteading, when he is actually living in small house on a small, suburban in north central FL instead. He has said that he's an experienced outdoorsman when in fact he is amazed and scared to insects in his backyard at night. Mom and Dad's house, and has said he was a public school teacher (when he wasn't as he had no FL license and no valid NY license), too. Chriss' "experience" needs to come with more than a little salt.

None of that has anything to do with his experience in concealed carry which is what we were talking about. When you say he doesn't have any or much, that is an inaccurate statement.

Actually, it has everything to do with his claim of experience; his claims elsewhere have been and are more than suspect. Ergo, his claims of experience here are as well.

Nope. You're broadening the claim out to include other areas. TRH has demonstrated experience in the area of CC time and again over the YEARS here. He's one of the first posters here on the site. Especially given the fact that this is a Handguns forum and can be directly related to concealed carry thereof but has nothing to do with the other two topics, his experience is significant and statements to the contrary are inaccurate. I am not debating other posters' experience, homesteading or schoolteaching. I am saying your statement in regards to his lack of experience in CC is inaccurate.

As to "proof", very few here are posting all their personal info and they would be stupid if they did. Most of his CC stuff posted over YEARS here will true right up with other posters' knowledge.

Are those the years when he as an acolyte of the 1911, or these past few months when only striker-fired were worth ever considering or carrying?

If his credibility that he has posted for years on other issues is suspect, so too is his credibility on this. As for verification; have you ever met the guy? Has anyone here? He's refused invitations with and from several that live very close to him. Contrast that with TLEE or EvilTwin or many, many others whose words are and should be trusted because what they say has been verified. Chriss' claims on more than a few topics are more than a little suspect, there is no verification of or for any of his claims, and that's the point.

There are many here who have not "met up" with other posters, so if we're going on verified posters, as in, they've met up with other guys on this site, it narrows the experience field considerably. This is only about TRH's knowledge of CC, not about 1911 vs. striker fired or anything else. By normal standards of the site, his knowledge of CC is considerable, which is what you are disputing.

Yep, I am, because his claimed knowledge on other matters is highly suspect. You may choose to believe him on his supposed expertise on this subject while overlooking his claimed and highly suspect expertise elsewhere; I don't. I tend to believe that if he is bullschitting and more than stretching the truth on other subjects, he's quite likely doing the same on this one; especially given the dramatic and very recent 180 on what he believes is "best" with no precipitous incident the cause of that sea change.

Well I will chime in I guess. I would LOVE to have a 938 but it is just not in the budget in the foreseeable future.
I have carried the 238, Kel-Tec P3AT, Colt Government Model .380 and dehorned S&W M60 (Remember that one Sean?).

All have moved down the road with the exception of the Colt .380 and I now carry a S&W 431 (dehorned) .32 H&R Mag.


Years ago I went through quite a few: Colt Commander .38 super, Colt Cobra, Colt Pocket model M. 32ACP, Glock 42 & 19 and full size 1911. I am most comfortable with a 1911 style like the Sig or a J frame revolver.

Yep; I recall that 60. Nice piece but heavy. That .32 is just sweet, and the Colt is just about perfect. If someone finally came out with a copy of the Colt 1903/1908 with an alloy frame, adult size safety, and nothing else changed, it would be a very nice piece even today.

Thanks, EE, for cluing me in to the developments in this thread.

It's actually been quite a few years since I was carrying the 1911 regularly. It's been a year and a half since my recent rediscovery, as it were, of the Glock series of pistols for concealed carry (I had a short stint with them in the 1990s). Prior to my recent switch to the Glock 17, for several years I was carrying a Model 13 Smith & Wesson revolver. Before that, the Colt Detective Special for several years. I'm still a huge fan of a good double action revolver of mid-size frame. My only reason for preferring the Glock 17 or 19 is the significantly higher capacity, and that they have an excellent track record in their class. They also carry, conceal, and shoot very well, IMO.

PS I have nothing against the vaunted 1911, and single actions of its type. I merely say that technology has advanced past it in automatic pistols for concealed carry, i.e., there are better choices. Not sure what all the hostility is about. Some people are very sensitive on this matter.

There's no hostility nor is there any sensitivity on what people choose to carry. Many, many good to great options out there. As to the "experience" and opinions that count, well, there might be a few points on that subject though I'm not surprised you run from that issue. It's really the only play you had.

Well the Colt 1903 has passed down but you are right and an alloy frame 1908 .380 with bigger safety would be just about the perfect auto-loader for discrete carry especially with a clip like mine.
Gramps was a smart feller.

Done right, I'd buy one of those FAST and carry it. Assuming my lovely wife did not lay claim to it (which she would, and T knows this for fact).

Roger that, and Sean would smile all the way to the LGS to get himself a replacement one.

Or, two...

My son has a Sig 938 and loves it. I have shot it and I am very impressed with it. It is very controllable and easy to carry.

LGS told me the Sigs are Unwanted bc the price

Been looking at the new 4 inch EMP, especially the carry model with a bobtail grip. Any reports on reliability and/or accuracy?

I have the 4" EMP, I've put over 600 rounds through it, with at least 4 diferent types of ammo. Not a single hicup.

Accuracy with Critical Defense from Hornady is top shelf.

there is nothing wrong with wanting a mini 1911 gun, nice to show your friends how cool you are for having one but that is about where it ends. Any modern striker fired pistol is a better choice.

Better choice in what areas?

(For the record, I currently carry either Kahr or M&P)

Just curious as to the better/worse question

I've shot most of those. The Springfield EMP is a joy to shoot, I must say; and I'm not a fan of chopped 1911's.

go watch the Military Arms Channel while the dude there dunks some guns in water, mud, sand, dirt, and as sure as death and taxes some nimrod will say "yeah but I take care of my guns" to which I say "so what". Life deals unexpected hands all the time, be prepared for the very worst thing that can happen and you might even be pleasantly surprised from time to time.