The SIG Sauer P238 is a compact

.380 ACP The .380 ACP (9×17mm) ( Automatic Colt Pistol) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pisto ...

caliber,

single-action A trigger is a mechanism that actuates the function of a ranged weapon such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow, or speargun. The word may also be used to describe a switch that initiates the operation of other non-shooting devices such as a tra ...

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...

announced by

SIG Sauer Several brother companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer . The original company, ''Schweizerische Waggon-Fabrik'' (SWF), later ''Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft'' (SIG), went through several selloffs, ...

at the 2009

SHOT Show The SHOT Show , which is an acronym for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show", is an American annual trade show for the shooting sports, hunting, outdoor recreations and firearm manufacturing industries. The show is owned and sponsored b ...

. It is modelled after the

M1911 The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for th ...

, similar to the

Colt Mustang The Colt Mustang is a line of two lightweight, single-action pocket pistols chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge, produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC (CMC, formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing ...

. Grip panels are fluted polymer making this an all-metal frame firearm in competition with plastic-framed pistols in the same class as the

Ruger LCP The Ruger LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol) is a subcompact .380 ACP pocket pistol manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. It was introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show. Overview With an overall length of and weighing only , this is Ruger's first entry int ...

and the

Kel-Tec P-3AT The P-3AT is a locked breech, double action only, .380 ACP pistol introduced by Kel-Tec in 2003 and based on the P-32. The frame is made of polymer with an aluminum insert, and the slide and barrel are steel. It is the lightest production .380 ...

. The P238 has an aluminium frame and a stainless steel slide (with the exception of the HD model which is all stainless steel). Initially, P238 pistols had standard sights with night sights as a more expensive option. However, all models currently produced have night sights standard. Starting in 2012, many variants have an ambidextrous thumb safety standard or as an option.

Variants

When introduced in 2009, the P238 was available in a matte black finish and a two-tone finish with a matte silver colored slide and black frame. Since then, SIG Sauer has produced a number of variants including some short run commemorative editions. Among the variants are versions with various finishes, with a stainless steel frame and different grips and embellishments. The

SIG Sauer P938 The SIG Sauer P938 is a subcompact single-action pistol chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, manufactured by SIG Sauer and introduced at the 2011 SHOT Show. A variant chambered for .22 Long Rifle was introduced in 2014. Design The P938 ...

, chambered in

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...

and introduced at the 2011

, is a slightly larger version of the P238.

Recall

In July 2009, SIG Sauer issued a recall of all P238s sold within a certain serial number range, which they referred to as a "Mandatory Safety Upgrade". The reason stated for the recall was that a small number of P238s were built with defective manual safety levers, leading to "the remote possibility that the gun could fire unintentionally, thus creating a risk of injury or death", although SIG Sauer emphasized that no such injuries had actually occurred. The recall only applied to pistols within a specific range of serial numbers, DA000501 to DA003216, and did not affect any 27Axxxxxx serialized pistols.

References

External links

P238 Nitron video by Sig Sauer

P238 Legion video by Sig Sauer
{{SIG semi-automatic pistols .380 ACP semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Switzerland Semi-automatic pistols of the United States SIG Sauer semi-automatic pistols Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2009