[romm]

Also I forgot to mention how much my wife loves this thing. My wife is no stranger to handguns and enjoys shooting with me. She saw the P238 on my desk and asked if she could see it. I safety checked it and gave it to her. As she handled it, she looked really excited. She wanted to know why I had not bought her a gun like this, and said it was perfect for her. I really did not expect this. I told her to wait until she shoots it, as she may hate the way it shoots. For the next week she kept asking when I was going to shoot and asked to see the gun again several times.

We went and shot it the other day for the first time and put about 150 rounds through it with no issues. We were shooting 100 grain ball ammo from Freedom Munitions. I got 1000 rds for .17/rd on a black Friday special. It is new ammo, not reman. The weight of the gun combined with the .380 caliber really keeps the recoil low. This is why I wanted the P238 and not the 9mm 938. My wife shot about half of the 150 rounds and loves shooting it. She can rack the slide easily and the recoil is definitely not an issue.

After our time at the range, I was so impressed with this pocket .380 that I ordered another one later that night, since the wife wants the Sig. I ordered a Kimber Micro Raptor (black) just to mix it up a little and compare to the Sig. It only weighs 13.4 oz, but the recoil on the P238 HD was so minimal for me, I don't think it will be an issue. I handle recoil well, as I shoot steel plates a lot (at least 1000 rds a month) and have good grip habits to get sights back on target. I like that the Kimber Micro looks a bit more like a 1911, has an aluminum trigger from the factory, and the trigger pull is supposed to be a bit lower than the P238. I guess we will see. I've never owned a Kimber and read so much **** about them, I want to see for myself. I've also ordered the 20 lb Colt Mustang hammer spring to make the P238 trigger a little lighter.

 

[mrjohnc1]

Always liked the feel of that gun being slightly heavier!

 

[Penna shooter]

Welcome to the Signess...

 

[Donald]

Nice story and great looking gun. I agree that the all steel models provide just enough weight difference over the alloy to make a nice improvement when at the range. Conversely the added weight is also felt when pocket carried, and is a slight negative. I am loving my Spartan model and I am sure you will continue to enjoy your HD version.

 

[sigsrok]

Glad you discovered the World of SIG Sauer.

I recently got the P238 Blackwood and it's a keeper!!

 

[kilyung]

I love the feel of all steel guns. Very tempted to pick up the 238HD but not sure I really need another one with my 238 Nitron.

 

[Randyp1234]

I'm glad I stumbled upon mine right after Christmas. Mine's a SS without the nickel coating with a "Born on" date of around 12/7/16.

 

[MG1964]

That's beautiful. If they offered that in a P938, I'd be all over it...

 

[romm]

I'm glad I stumbled upon mine right after Christmas. Mine's a SS without the nickel coating with a "Born on" date of around 12/7/16.

I think I would prefer the one you have. The MSRP is slightly higher for the SS version as I believe it is a superior finish. My wife seems to like the Nickel color though. Right now on Gunbroker you can get the P238HD stainless steel finish for $599 shipped, which is a pretty good deal. Especially if these things are discontinued for 2017. http://www.gunbroker.com/item/626756765
Cool that you found one that was made so late in 2016.

A P238 Heavy Duty in black or Nitron finish with some type of wood grips would be awesome. I would definitely buy another one if they made one like that. Something that looked like the Kimber Micro Raptor I just ordered below, but 20z and Sig!

 

[romm]

That's beautiful. If they offered that in a P938, I'd be all over it...

Yeah a P938 HD would be nice. I've seen several threads on this forum of people asking about them. I think Sig actually had them as a scheduled model a few years ago, but it ended up vaporware.

 

[BigAl512]

I Love the 238, went to the range the other day and My coworker had Bought a P320 compact,, oooooooooooooh so nice !! we were swaping Guns and I had had put a couple of +p rounds in the 238, Underwood, 90 grain XTP and Shot just as Good as the 9s, and really controllable has any one else used these Rounds ? with the Capabilities of these Rounds I wondering if Getting a 938 , I want the Navy/Black one!!! is really worth it, I do Know its really worth it , cuz its a Sig!!, But Just saying!!! Help I need a Yes!!! LOL!! I also Have a P2022 9 FDE and I Love , But finding I like the Micros, and sub compacts You just don't conceal a P2022, doesn't get the range time like my carrys, have a 9e Ruger, May sell that one , Great Gun Just don't shoot it much too bad there don't made the 9e a Sub Compact, I know they have the SRs, we'll see,

 

[romm]

Went to the range today and brought both of the pocket .380's. As stated earlier, I bought a Kimber Micro Raptor recently, just after buying and shooting my Sig P238. Put another 100 rounds through the Sig P238 with no issues. It now has 300 rounds through it. I put about 185 rounds through the Kimber. The Kimber actually failed to eject the first round lol. However, the next 184 were no issue. A few times, the slide didn't hold open after the last round, but this also happened with the Sig during its first 150 rounds. Both guns shoot great. The recoil is noticeably different between the two. The heavier Sig (weighs 6.5 oz more than the Kimber) has less recoil. This did not bother me one bit, but to my wife it did. She did not like the Kimber. The recoil and front stippling bothered her hand just after a few rounds. I love the stippling and it doesn't bother me, it really helps with keeping a tight grip. The trigger is better on the Sig. It is a few pounds lighter, as I have changed the hammer spring to a low power one. Also it is a bit more broke in. The Kimber Micro trigger is about the same as the Sig when it was bone stock brand new, but maybe a pound heavier. It will only sometimes register on my trigger pull tool, which reads to a max of 8.5 lbs. I pulled the Kimber apart to see about putting the original hammer spring from the P238, only to find there is no hammer spring! Seems Kimber has a slightly different design than the Colt Mustang. The reset is better/shorter on the Kimber Micro.

The tritium sights on both are great.

All in all, I do like the Kimber Micro. I put the 185 rounds through it pretty fast. The accuracy is as good as the P238. I was getting decent 3-4" groups at 7 yards with both guns. I like the way the Kimber looks too. It is a fine looking handgun. Just looks old school 1911. The Sig HD with the extra weight feels better in the hand though. Also, the slide is smoother than the Kimber and a bit easier to pull back. The Kimber looks like a nicer gun with all the serrations and detailed stippling, but the Sig P238HD, with the nicer trigger, smoother and easier slide, and slightly heavier weight, just feels a bit better built. The Kimber already has an aluminum trigger, but this did not make it any better than the plastic one on the P238. Also, I can get an aftermarket aluminum trigger for the P238 and get the trigger even better. Not sure what the options are for improving the one on the Kimber Micro.

I will continue to shoot these sweet little pocket .380's and update this post as I go. So far I am enjoying my first foray into these pocket guns! I am even considering getting a Glock 42, just because lol.