This is an interesting small, lightweight firearm weighing in around 15 oz. empty. At first glance, it is obvious this gun does not hold tolerances one would expect with a Kimber, or a Les Baer. With a 1911 battery of arms, it is reminiscent to the Colt Mustang that was discontinued several years ago. This pistol comes from the factory with Siglite night sites, which is an interesting feature. The grip is very short, which makes controlling this firearm a challenge for people with larger hands. Mine came with black polymer grips and trigger which I do not care for. The gun is not hard to hold on to, but the grip material could be better.

It also has a Commander style hammer and an external thumb safety. I will replace the grips at my first opportunity (which I have noticed aftermarket kits are now available). The plastic trigger does not feel like it belongs on a high quality firearm. I plan to replace that as well. The external thumb safety is placed right to catch it with the thumb knuckle, but it is hard to push if the hammer is back. While the safety is small enough not to catch on anything, it is large enough to engage at will. I would consider a longer aftermarket safety, possibly like what's on a Kimber Ultra Carry II.

For a gun designed for concealed carry, this gun gets the job done. I carry it as a backup and I am pleased with how comfortable it is and how versatile it can be. I can carry this in a belly band, on my ankle, in my pants pocket, in a shirt pocket, or in my waistband and hardly notice it. This is a gun for people who carry very often and may bot want to carry a heavy, large caliber pistol.

This gun has a very crisp trigger pull and a clean break. With very little stacking, I estimate the factory pull to be around 4-5 lbs. This seems appropriate, considering the p238 doesn't have a trigger safety like Glocks or the Springfield XD. The recoil is very manageable and target acquisition after the first shot is pretty fast; however, the three dot sights are not idea for fast target acquisition. While the recoil is easy on the hands and wrists, the barrel wants to climb. This gun should not be fired limp-wristed.

Within the first 100 rounds, I had several feeding problems and ejection failures (averaging around 1 failure per mag). I was using Winchester jacketed flat point. Once I switched to round nose, the feeding problems stopped. After 200 rounds, I switched back to the Winchesters and had no problems. 300 rounds into my test, the p238 would eat anything I put through it, including hollow points, round nose, and flat points of several brands.

My groupings were not what I wanted them to be. I thing a huge factor here is the fact that this is the first small handgun I've owned. I've only owned guns .40 or bigger with full grips. The small frame takes some getting used to, and my shot groups reflected it. At 15 yards, my first groupings were around 8 inches. By 300 rounds, I made that same grouping shrink to around 3.5 to 4 inches.

Breakdown is very simple. Push the slide back, pull the slide stop out, and the slide pushes forward off the frame. Cleaning was also very easy. Sig reminds gun owners in the owner's manual that overlubrication is harmful and can shorten the life and/or accuracy of the firearm. Assembly was a little trickier, simply because the ejector sticks up and must be depressed to get the slide back in place.

Oversized mag release (not ambi)
External thumb safety
1911 battery of arms
Slide grooves for rechambering
Easy assembly/disassembly
Mags interchangeable with the Colt Mustang