The SIG Sauer P238 is a compact, high-quality pocket pistol chambered in 380 Auto.
The first pocket pistol that I purchased was an interesting experience. I had just turned 13 and a neighbor offered a Colt Model 1908 Hammerless Vest Pocket Pistol in 25 ACP at a true bargain price. I hit my older brother up to partner with me, so we each paid $12.50 for the $25 purchase price, along with a few more dollars for the owner to throw in several boxes of 50-grain Winchester full metal jacket (FMJ) factory ammunition. We divided the ammunition and I was first to take the pistol afield. My daily work was done, so I grabbed a fishing pole, slipped the Colt 25 ACP in my back pocket with an extra magazine and hiked up Indian Creek that ran through the middle of our ranch to catch a few trout. A huge porcupine was spotted lumbering across the alfalfa hay field heading towards Indian Creek. In addition to killing trees, porcupines are very hard on livestock along with inexperienced cow dogs, and are real pests. I ran up beside him as he lumbered along at his casual pace, pulled out my new pistol and began shooting. The strike from each bullet could be seen parting his hair and quills, but his slow pace remained unchanged!
The SIG Sauer P238 came with two 7+1 round magazines.
When the first magazine went dry, I continued to walk beside him, reloaded the second magazine and kept shooting. Again, nothing changed! I was out of ammunition, so I figured out a more humane way to finish old prickly. After catching a few fish I hiked home and had already lost all desire to own that silly gun. In fact, my Ruger Single-Six 22 Long Rifle offered more power and penetration and the cost of ammunition was much less. The good news was that the Colt Model 1908 Hammerless with factory pearl stocks and a very low serial number made it fairly valuable, so it helped pay for a good portion of my first Colt Single Action Army 45 Colt. Oh boy, now I finally had a real sixgun and cartridge, but that’s another story.
The gun weighed 13.4 ounces without the magazine.
Modern pocket pistols have come a long way in terms of reliability and especially power. One outstanding example is the SIG Sauer P938 chambered in 9mm Luger that offers a fair amount of power in such a small, lightweight package. Select loads can push premium 124-grain, defense-style bullets from 1,100 to 1,150 feet per second (fps). The pistol is something of a scaled down, very compact version of the Model 1911 with single-action operation, a 3-inch barrel, 6+1 capacity (optional 7+1) and only weighed around 1 pound. Several years ago, I reviewed a P938 within these pages that proved 100 percent reliable and was accurate. The problem is that sensitive shooters find recoil a bit more than ideal.
This brings us to the P238 chambered in the 380 Auto, which is essentially the same pistol as the P938, but offers much lighter recoil. The 380 has a rather interesting history. Suffice to say that it was developed around 1908 and was initially loaded with a roundnose FMJ-style bullet measuring .355 with a muzzle velocity of 900-950 fps. Although John Browning designed it, Colt introduced it in the Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semiautomatic pistol. Frankly, these FMJ roundnose loads lack from a defensive standpoint, as they produce modest wound channels and offer very little shock. However, when the flood of modern concealed carry pistols began appearing a couple of decades back, ammunition and bullet makers recognized the need for better ammunition. They currently offer some quality loads that hugely improve the performance of this rather small cartridge.
The front and rear sights are dovetailed into the slide and are fitted with the optional SIGlite Night Sight.
SIG Sauer introduced the P238 in 2009, which is manufactured in Exeter, New Hampshire. Getting right to the chase, this is a quality pistol inside and out. Naturally, it shares the same design features as the P938, with single-action operation, thumb safety, external slotted hammer, serrated slide and optional tritium sights (known as SIGlite Night Sights). The sights are dovetailed into the slide and shaped to readily accommodate racking the slide using various surfaces to snag it on and using just one hand (in an emergency situation only). The P238 was fitted with Hogue rubber grips and came with two 7+1 round magazines with finger extensions.
When the safety is in the ON position, the slide can still be operated.
Engineers really can’t just scale a given gun design down and make them work. So even though the P238 is a scaled down 1911, there are technical design differences, but again, the general function and design are the same. There are a couple of changes that should be noted and include the lack of a grip safety (for good reason), although there is an extended beavertail-style extension to prevent the web of the hand from being pinched by the hammer. Even with my not-so-small hands, the gun never even hinted at pinching the web of my hand. Also, when the thumb safety is in the ON position, or what 1911 shooters refer to as the cocked and locked position, the slide is not locked, rather it can be pulled back to chamber a round or remove a loaded round from the chamber. In my opinion, that’s a great idea!
My initial impressions of the gun are very good, as it is tight and well-machined. It weighs 15.2 ounces with the magazine installed, and the barrel measures 2.7 inches. Incidentally, the frame is alloy while the slide is stainless steel and all parts are coated in a flat Black Nitron. The trigger pull breaks smooth. Guessing by the feel of the trigger pull, I estimated it was not over 4.5 to 5 pounds. However, checking it with a trigger pull gauge, it broke at a surprising 6.1 pounds.
The SIG Sauer P238 is a compact pocket pistol that offers respectable power and is easy to control during rapid-fire.
As indicated, factory loads have been hugely improved. For example, Black Hills Ammunition offers a 60-grain HoneyBadger at 1,150 fps and Hornady offers a 90-grain XTP at 1,000 fps. I have tested both loads previously, but neither was available at press time. These loads substantially improve the terminal performance of the 380. Another great option is the Buffalo Bore FMJ flatnose at 975 fps that offers outstanding penetration and still delivers shock. As can be seen in the accompanying table, the four factory loads tested consistently produced 1.10- to 1.45-inch groups at 25 feet, which is respectable accuracy from a pocket pistol.
Moving on to handloads, new Starline cases were used that were first full-length sized to assure proper bullet to case tension. Using the 75-grain Cutting Edge Raptor bullet, 4.5 grains of Winchester AutoComp reached 1,094 fps and the average group size (three group averages, five-shots each) was .90 inch. Changing to the 90-grain Speer Gold Dot hollowpoint, 4.2 grains of Hodgdon CFE Pistol reached 1,005 fps and yielded an average group size of 1.10 inches. The last, a 90-grain Hornady XTP bullet was pushed to 998 fps using 4.1 grains of Alliant BE-86 powder that averaged 1.05 inches.
The function was flawless with both factory loads and handloads. Recoil was very pleasant – perhaps best described as soft and should be easy to manage even by recoil-sensitive shooters. The SIG Sauer P238 is a worthy little pocket gun.
This target was fired offhand at 25 feet, which shows the easy-to-shoot nature of the SIG Sauer P238 pistol.
