Except for the mag release on all three of my sig's (2 238's and 1 938) all of them have been flawless. Sig fixed the mag release and they are great.

 

I don't have any concerns whatsoever and think that the issues are overblown, but if I were to carry another single stack 9mm pistol, it would be either a Glock 43 or a Walther PPS M2.

 

Guys, I am certainly not condemning every P938 every made. I mean I truly hope that the vast majority run smoothly and with no complaints. I don't know but I feel I should make that disclaimer. But it is a given, right? That the most of them run without problems?

 

My impression- the majority of the 938's run fine, but enough of them have problems that there is cause for concern. There isn't a model that won't have a lemon now and then, but there is a difference between a lemon and a pattern.

Another factor is that a lot of gun owners simply don't shoot much- so, owning a 938 that hasn't had an issue could simply be because they haven't gotten very far with it.

 

My p938 has had at least 200 rounds through it so far and no problems. I mean zero.

I trust it for edc.

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200 rounds isn't broken in, yet.

 

Mine was flawless for ~400 rounds before it started falling apart. Literally.

Keep shooting! If I can go 1000 rounds with no catastrophic failures then it's probably good for edc.

 

In what way was it falling apart? Was it first one thing that led to another? And what did you do about it? Is it still part of your arsenal?

 

At least 500 rds for break in.

 

So are you saying that you wouldn't trust for edc, until you've had 1st least 500 rds thru it?

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Yes. Especially if one of our owners here suffered his first in a series of malfunctions(?) - said it was falling apart - after 400 rds (which IMO is nothing). So, I would want 500 flawless rds before I'd trust it. IMHO.

BTW, that's my rule of thumb on all my guns since every pistol I own is one I intend to shoot and carry and if I carry it my life depends on it. Right now I am breaking in a recently purchased P220. And with 300 flawless rounds thru it I still will not carry it till I get to 500 flawless rounds fired thru it.

 

P238 born May 2013 and outside of one or two blips due to weak recoil springs, which I replace around 1k (+/-) there's been no issues at all. On my 4th spring by the way... Some rail and frame edges just starting to show some wear patterns which is expected but really, is an awesome little machine. Eats any ammo I've put through it, including some hot Underwood, and drives true to POA! Simple take down, simple maintence, great shooter & great performance!



As an aside, I would love to know the stats on how many sold versus issues. I think the OP forgets the internet phenomenon whereas people use the media channels to offer complaints mostly and people who don't have problems rarely seek the same to offer praise! It is well known and documented and an interesting phenomenon for sure, but can't be used to indicate any proper representation of a product's performance, by using ONLY internet responses skew the data. Again, remember, most people won't seek and outlet to voice how pleased they are with something, they just continue being pleased, lol. On the other hand when people encounter issues, they seek information, knowledge and remedy and utilize today's readily and easily available method, the Internet. How many people do you see post issues and problems, not just here, but had yet to contact the manufacturer? Lol, you and I all know, a lot... Hahaha.

Anyways, just my $.02

 

And there in lies the rub. We're never going to know the real data on how many sold viz. how many sent back for repairs, etc. But do we really need that to figure this thing out? Remember, this is not just the internet. This is a SIG(!) forum. So I take this as having more credibility than most. Okay? So, how many contributors on this forum do you figure own a P226? P220? Or any other SIG. When you consider this, and we can only do this anecdotally, as compared with how many own a P938 and then factor in the number of complaints the P938 garners, I think the implication is fairly clear.

Aside from myself, a true SIG believer BTW, there are others here who would discourage someone from making their first SIG a P938. IMHO.

Allow me to reiterate: I strongly hope and believe that the majority of P938s operate without issue and have happy owners. But its definitely not for me.

 

I have a feb 16 p938. I haven't had an issue with function. A grip screw came loose last range session. About 750 rounds through the 938. In general I prefer iwb carry, but have carried it in the pocket locked and coked without qualms. Someone earlier mentioned the trigger pull weight as a reason not to pocket carry it. While it looks like a 1911, the trigger is not 1911 like, it takes 6.5-7lbs pull (kind of like a g43, without any safeties)

In all honesty tho I much prefer guns without external safeties, which is why my p380 and g19 get carried more often. But there is no doubt in my mind the 938 is an excellent pistol.

Good alternatives imo would be a kahr pm9/p380, m&p bodyguard/shield or a g42/43


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We have had ours for over two years now and no issues, carrying it right now on a trip (P238). I also have a Ruger SR9C with no issues but it is heavier and bulkier than the SIg.

 

Its been settled that the P238 is a reliable weapon and has long ago overcome whatever issues there were in its infancy.

 

Sig P238 jamming

Just purchased a sig p238 and it jams when a clip is changed. It requires a hand slap to the slid to get the round to enter. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

Just purchased a sig p238 and it jams when a clip is changed. It requires a hand slap to the slid to get the round to enter. Any suggestions? Thanks

Are you releasing the slide and letting the spring carry it forward with full force, or are you following it with your hand?

I am assuming it happens regardless of ammo type, and only happens on first round, correct?

 

The root cause could be using a clip instead of the proper magazine.

 

More info

Upon inspection of the barrel before cleaning, I noted small ( very tiny ) particles of brass in the chamber. It's as if the brass cases is getting caught on something.
I will try to polish feed ramp and chamber with a soft cloth and Dremel tool. Hope it works.

 

 

Just for fun I like to go on the Garand forums and start calling it an 8-round Enbloc magazine.

 

Have 2 P938s & carry either one with full confidence. My Nightmare has been upgraded by Sig with the new MSH. Both guns are very reliable...

 

What is the alternative? An LC9 or Bodyguard with the crappiest triggers known to man? I have both the 238 and 938. On a precision weapon(tight tolerance)it is perfectly normal to have a FTF or two during break-in, until the weapon loses up. You have never heard of a break-in period when you buy a new car?, same thing. Since then both pistols have been flawless.

I will say I recently had ONE failure to feed with my 938 250+ rounds into a training class,....... tired and limp wristing?, or just got too dirty after 250+ straight rounds? Cares not says I.

 

What is the alternative? An LC9 or Bodyguard with the crappiest triggers known to man?

It's a little larger, but I am giving a serious look at the 1911 Ultra Traditional.

I just got an Ultra 45 and have fallen in love with it.

 

290 rs is an alternate to 938. Different trigger not all metal stats are close. weight given on 938 is without mag. 290 rs given with. It is a little shorter.

The only problem with this size gun for pocket carry is that it seems women"s clothing pockets are not as large as men"s clothing. My wife cannot pocket carry it in a holster it just hangs out some. (holster is the sig sauer 938,238,290 pocket holster)

 

With DAO trigger and polymer frame I do not think 290 is alternative for 938

 

I do not own 238 pistol, but have no doubt it is good little 380.
Now regarding 938, I think it is great pistol and really unique in 9mm. I do not think there is viable alternative currently on the market.
Regarding reliability, I believe Sig has dropped the ball on this gun big time. There were few very well known issues with this gun, which were corrected by Sig in current models, but instead of doing recall and correcting these issues like other manufacturers did (think of XDs for example) Sig decided to let it slide and let their customers take a hit. Yes, their customer service doing good job if you INSIST on them bringing the gun to current specs, but in my opinion it is unacceptable way to do business for company like Sig (famous for quality and reliability of their firearm and charging premium price). I believe they doing more damage to their reputation doing this than they saving money on doing recall on this model.
All this said, when all known issues are sorted, the 938 is as reliable as any other gun could be, and, as I said above, there is no real alternative in this size and caliber.

 

My 238's are from 2011 and they have both been reliable for over 500 rounds even with my carry version being neglected for several months with a herd of dust bunnies hiding in it. I am never worried that it wont function when needed. My daughters' first gen LCP is smaller lighter and absolutely reliable as well, but I hate shooting that uncomfortable little thing, and it is just a bit harder for me to clean and lube.

The idea of carrying condition 1 never bothered me, perhaps because I am less imagninitive in some ways than others so not a big deal to me. In 5 years of carrying my 238, I have found the safety off perhaps a half dozen times, but the holsters it resides in have the trigger completely covered and requires deliberate action for me to pull it far enough to release, it has not bothered me too much. I suspect several times I have simply neglected to switch on the safety. I know that makes me a bad and dangerous person in some peoples eyes, but honestly, everybody makes errors in life that can have bad results.
i am personally more concerned with people in their cars than with firearms. Talking on phone is bad but drinking coffee is ok? In VA back '89 I was driving an Econoline and watched the idiot in the BMW 3 series next to me go to throw his cigarette out the window only to have it bounce off the glass(he forgot the window was up apparently) and back into his lap. He swerved over and almost slammed into me, but you never hear anybody saying smoking and driving is unsafe like talking on the phone.

Any distraction at any time in any activity can have deadly results. I personally feel that modern firearms are simply some of the safest machines that have ever been made when you think it through. The only thing preventing me from getting a 938(or 2) is simply lack of money, the reliability of the device is something I will have to determine for myself with the ones I have.t is much too varible. Both of my Mosquitos are reliable shooters, and failures to function for me with them gets tracked back to a rimfire with a dent in the rim that simply did not light off and usually did when rechambered and hit in another spot. Otherwise it has been lack of lube and build up of crud, but once that was figured out and resolved, back to banging away.

 

We have two 938's and a 238. My wife and I both train and practice regularly. All three of these firearms have been completely reliable.

 

Remember when it comes to internet forums people are more likely to post their complaints then compliments about most anything...

Have there been some growing pains with the 938? Yeah, but the same can be said for lots of new models of firearms.

In regards to the 238/938, only you can decide if they can be counted on for defensive use or not ("my" gun may function perfectly, "your" gun may not)

In the case of your particular 238/938's:
How many rounds do you have thru them?

What problems (if any) have you had with Yours?

Then ask yourself:
How many rounds downrange do you feel is necessary to consider your gun reliable enough for carry?

What features are you looking for in a carry gun (single action, external safety etc)

What gun's are available with those features?

As for alternatives...with the same (or very similar) features to the 238/938 there's the kimber micro, the colt mustang, and some micro 1911's (in various calibers) such as the Sig Ultra 9 and the Armscor/RIA Baby Rock in .380 (RIA makes good stuff)

Others that come to mind (without similar features)
Kahr PM/CM 9
Kahr CW380
Kimber Solo
Beretta Nano
Walther PPS
Boberg Xr9
.
.
.
Ruger
Diamondback
Sccy
Taurus
Kel-Tec
.
.
.
You get the idea.....plenty of options in small pistols these days, but only you can decide which one is right for you in terms of features, ease of carry and reliability.

 

P238 malfunctions

I've been having a lot of malfunctions with my new P238 from Bud's I'm sad to say.

Last time I took it to the range after a good cleaning, I had a malfunction just about every other magazine (fired maybe 150 rounds). Everything from the slide locking open before the mag is empty (happened at least 3 times), stove pipes (a few), the butt of a spent casing actually getting caught in the lips of the mag (only happened once), and failures to feed via getting caught on feed ramp (happened several times with the ).

I've tried 3 types of ammo in it (Winchester white box, Remington green box, some hollow point range ammo that I don't remember the brand for, and American Gunner, the latter of which is a Hornady self defense brand I believe), and while American Gunner had fewer malfunctions (perhaps 3 in 75 shots, and I believe all were failures to eject), it was still unacceptable for me to be able to trust my life to.

Any thoughts? Should I send it in to Sig? I've never sent a gun in before since all my firearms currently work great, so I'm not sure what to do, although I've never owner a Sig, and I've never owned a 1911-like firearm before.