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Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
These appear to be discontinued? I'm curious fornthose who've owned them how are they regarded. They're small but really flat. There's also the Kimber and Springfield Armory versions which look similar. Have always wanted to try one of these small single actions but maybe I missed the boat.

Are these worth tracking one down?
Posted By: hasbeen1945 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
I’ve got the 938. I bought mine when they first came out. Trigger is stiff and feels gritty. I think there are better options out there now. Hasbeen.
Posted By: trplem Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
Also have a stiff and gritty triggered 938. The ergos work well for me, it's reliable, the trigger lets the gun down though. As far as better options, look at anything polymer framed striker fired pistol about the same size.
Posted By: memtb Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
Can’t compare the two… no knowledge about the 238, wife had and liked the 938. Trigger is heavier than I like, but not too bad. We also have the 22 RF conversion, which is kinda nice for low (no) recoil, low cost shooting! memtb
Posted By: Cheyenne Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
I've had both, but now have neither. I liked the P238 better because it was lighter and much easier to shoot. I only got rid of that one because I could not get ammo for it in the early 2010s. I wouldn't mind still having it. The P938 was a bit more harsh to shoot. I agree with the comments about the trigger. I did find it best to keep the rails well lubed on both and found that they would begin to malfunction if you shot 50 rounds through them without re-lubing. That made them too finicky by current standards but fine for self-defense guns.
Posted By: MarineHawk Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
Originally Posted by Theoldpinecricker
These appear to be discontinued? I'm curious fornthose who've owned them how are they regarded. They're small but really flat. There's also the Kimber and Springfield Armory versions which look similar. Have always wanted to try one of these small single actions but maybe I missed the boat.

Are these worth tracking one down?

I carry a P938 99% of the time.

They currently have three different P938 models on the Sig website.
Posted By: The_Real_Hawkeye Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
Originally Posted by Theoldpinecricker
These appear to be discontinued? I'm curious fornthose who've owned them how are they regarded. They're small but really flat. There's also the Kimber and Springfield Armory versions which look similar. Have always wanted to try one of these small single actions but maybe I missed the boat.

Are these worth tracking one down?
I've had the P238 for many years, and love it. I don't think it's ever jammed. I carry it quite a lot, when I need zero chance of printing, either IWB or in an Alabama Pocket Holster.

Springfield Armory took up manufacturing these little guns (exact copies) after Sig stopped. Not sure if they're still doing it, but likely are.

[Linked Image]
Posted By: TC1 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
I've got a P938 and absolutely love it. I almost ruined it to get it to it's lovable state though. It came with a plastic trigger that had a real gritty feel to it. It broke around 8 lbs. I took it apart and put a metal trigger shoe in, cleaned it all up and polished everything and put a reduced power spring in. It's been so long ago I can't remember the spring weight now. This reduced the the pull down to a little over 4 lbs and it's clean and crisp and 100% reliable. The problem was that little pin just below the slide release has to come out and someone at Sig Sauer doesn't want you to do that! I have never had so much trouble getting a pin out in my life. I ruined 4 punches and when it finally went I had destroyed the finish on the action. I had to patch up the mess and Cerakote the action. IMO, the Burnt Bronze finish made it all worth it in the end wink. Now this is the most accurate sub compact pistol I have ever shot! IMO, see the grips? These are the ones you want for your P938. They allow you to hang on to the little pistol and follow up shots are so much easier after they were installed. IMO, great little pistol after you show it a little love.

[Linked Image from photos.imageevent.com]
Posted By: hasbeen1945 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/09/23
Originally Posted by TC1
I've got a P938 and absolutely love it. I almost ruined it to get it to it's lovable state though. It came with a plastic trigger that had a real gritty feel to it. It broke around 8 lbs. I took it apart and put a metal trigger shoe in, cleaned it all up and polished everything and put a reduced power spring in. It's been so long ago I can't remember the spring weight now. This reduced the the pull down to a little over 4 lbs and it's clean and crisp and 100% reliable. The problem was that little pin just below the slide release has to come out and someone at Sig Sauer doesn't want you to do that! I have never had so much trouble getting a pin out in my life. I ruined 4 punches and when it finally went I had destroyed the finish on the action. I had to patch up the mess and Cerakote the action. IMO, the Burnt Bronze finish made it all worth it in the end wink. Now this is the most accurate sub compact pistol I have ever shot! IMO, see the grips? These are the ones you want for your P938. They allow you to hang on to the little pistol and follow up shots are so much easier after they were installed. IMO, great little pistol after you show it a little love.

[Linked Image from photos.imageevent.com]

I have also changed the plastic trigger to a SS aftermarket trigger. Polished everything but did not replace any springs. Still have a heavy, gritty trigger. Agree pin was a bugger to remove. Hasbeen
Posted By: ElJuero Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
I have had a 938 for more than 5 years. My local gun store allowed me to go over and examine several 938s until I found one that had a great trigger. Mine is clean and crisp and about 4 1/2 pounds. It also happens to be extremely accurate and will keep most stuff inside 2 inches at 25 yards. I carry mine daily in a horsehide pocket holster. Bottom line is whether the one you get has a good trigger. If it does have a decent trigger, I would snap it up. I have since found a 22lr conversion which seems to have become rare and it feeds and functions that as well. I got lucky if you read what others report.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
I found a 938 and a Springfield 911 380acp. The Springfield had a superior trigger. I think both are discontinued so that's an negative strike
Posted By: MarineHawk Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
Originally Posted by Theoldpinecricker
I found a 938 and a Springfield 911 380acp. The Springfield had a superior trigger. I think both are discontinued so that's an negative strike

P938s are still on the Sig website. What makes you think they are discontinued?
Posted By: Blackbat242 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
Originally Posted by Cheyenne
I've had both, but now have neither. I liked the P238 better because it was lighter and much easier to shoot. I only got rid of that one because I could not get ammo for it in the early 2010s. I wouldn't mind still having it. The P938 was a bit more harsh to shoot. I agree with the comments about the trigger. I did find it best to keep the rails well lubed on both and found that they would begin to malfunction if you shot 50 rounds through them without re-lubing. That made them too finicky by current standards but fine for self-defense guns.

I've had my 938 since April 2017 - I've put about 400 rounds through it without cleaning or lubing - finally, the last 50 rounds I had to push the slide occasionally to fully seat it due to it not coming forward to full lock during firing - due to accumulated dirt/carbon build-up.

That was planned, I wanted to see how finicky it was - not bad for a semi-auto (my Baby Eagle took over 1,000 rounds before showing the same symptoms).

Just after buying it I installed a pair of Hogue grips - the improvement was massive (aided by buying 3 of the extended magazines with the finger hook).
Posted By: Cheyenne Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
Originally Posted by Blackbat242
Originally Posted by Cheyenne
I've had both, but now have neither. I liked the P238 better because it was lighter and much easier to shoot. I only got rid of that one because I could not get ammo for it in the early 2010s. I wouldn't mind still having it. The P938 was a bit more harsh to shoot. I agree with the comments about the trigger. I did find it best to keep the rails well lubed on both and found that they would begin to malfunction if you shot 50 rounds through them without re-lubing. That made them too finicky by current standards but fine for self-defense guns.

I've had my 938 since April 2017 - I've put about 400 rounds through it without cleaning or lubing - finally, the last 50 rounds I had to push the slide occasionally to fully seat it due to it not coming forward to full lock during firing - due to accumulated dirt/carbon build-up.

That was planned, I wanted to see how finicky it was - not bad for a semi-auto (my Baby Eagle took over 1,000 rounds before showing the same symptoms).

Just after buying it I installed a pair of Hogue grips - the improvement was massive (aided by buying 3 of the extended magazines with the finger hook).

That’s good to hear. I had problems with the P938 when I would run a few magazines of 124 grain Gold Dots through it in a short period of time. The gun got hot and the rails dried out pretty quick. In fact, I switched to grease for the rails. It didn’t bother me because I didn’t need it to shoot more in one stretch than the 6 or so magazines I had. I will say that I am an early adopter of new technology, so that could have been a part of the issue. I had a 3 digit serial number gun that was replaced by Sig after the second trip to Sig. The replacement still was an early version. Sig tends to do rolling upgrades.
Posted By: AcesNeights Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
I have the 238 for my EDC pocket gun. It goes everywhere 24/7/365 with me. I’ll often carry my G19 or G20 depending on where I’m going but the 238 stays in my pocket. It’s never failed and at 25 yards I can easily stack them into minute of bad guys noggin. Modern ammunition makes the 380 a better option than in the past.
Posted By: The_Real_Hawkeye Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
Originally Posted by AcesNeights
I have the 238 for my EDC pocket gun. It goes everywhere 24/7/365 with me. I’ll often carry my G19 or G20 depending on where I’m going but the 238 stays in my pocket. It’s never failed and at 25 yards I can easily stack them into minute of bad guys noggin. Modern ammunition makes the 380 a better option than in the past.
Like.
Posted By: smithrjd Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/10/23
I've had a 238 for about 5 years, it's never bobbled and is very accurate. The trigger is clean and crisp perhaps 4 pounds. I like that it is basically a 1911 platform. Big bonus is that the wife has no issues racking the slide. Many others she could not.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/11/23
I'll look into the 238 and possibly springfield 911 380acp. All these are hard to find.
Posted By: The_Real_Hawkeye Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/11/23
Originally Posted by Theoldpinecricker
I'll look into the 238 and possibly springfield 911 380acp. All these are hard to find.
I remember when gun stores had dozens of P238s on display, in all sorts of varieties of color and design. They were like a collectable series.
Posted By: IZH27 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/11/23
I bought a 938 somewhere around ‘14 or ‘15. The trigger was good so I haven’t changed it out. It’s a nice light carry and is very accurate. I bought one of the models that had the factory Hogue grips and 7 round magazines. That set up is just right for my grip preference.

I’ve never shot a 238 so I can’t compare. The 938 is snappy but I don’t find it uncomfortable to shoot. Mine has been reliable with various ammo.
Posted By: The_Real_Hawkeye Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/11/23
The 938 was Ethan Edward's go to concealed carry gun. He loved it. I never had one, though.
Posted By: Rangersedge Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/12/23
I have a 938. Nice size. Trigger was horrible. After market trigger and spring kit fixed that. Mags carried in pockets will lose rounds. Second to my 365, my most carried ccw.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/13/23
They look like a decent CCW carry pistol but I think they would be fun to try also as an small game pistol. A lot of my handgun use beside just carry is small critter getter.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/13/23
They look like a decent CCW carry pistol but I think they would be fun to try also as an small game pistol. A lot of my handgun use beside just carry is small critter getter.
Posted By: Old Ornery Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/15/23
I shot a buds P238 HD, and was surprised the recoil. It wasn’t bad at all and it was pretty accurate for a 380. Most 380’s I’ve shot aren’t very fun after emptying the furst magazine.

I may get one of these someday.
Posted By: huntsman22 Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/15/23
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Mine has a good trigger and is accurate. It’s small and compact but being all steel it’s not the lightest in its class. The biggest drawback IMO is the miserable little pin to be removed and then replaced on breaking down and cleaning. I had expected something easy peasy like the other Sig models, but it’s not.

For me that would have been a no-go had I knew about it beforehand.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/15/23
Originally Posted by huntsman22
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Yep. That's my intent.
Posted By: Theoldpinecricker Re: Sig 238 and 938 - 02/15/23
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These are my current lightweight small handguns for carry and small critter getter. This Beretta 21a, s&w 317, and Keltec PF9 all weigh 11.5 and 12.7 ounces. Basically all the same. These are what I'm trying out at the present.
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