Sig Sauer P938 Review

Home > Reviews > Sig Sauer Reviews

Sig Sauer P938

Meet the Sig P938, a platform similar to the Sig P238 but with the ballistic advantage of the more powerful 9mm round. Sponsoring a SAO trigger coupled with a full size SIGLITE Night Sights suite in the same size range of the P238, the P938 is one large pistol that remains an easy to handle CCW buddy.

With dimensions just slightly larger than its 380 ACP counterpart and an all metal frame, the P938 packs six plus one rounds of 9mm. Contact with its cocked and locked single action trigger results in some aggressive, though accurate, discharge from the chamber. For a pistol its size the P938 is nothing less than a conceal carry cannon.

Sig Sauer has the trademark tendency to intrigue shooters with historic symbols from the firearm industry. This time around fans will feel their 1911 when depressing the thumb safety, magazine release and slide stop lever. P938 has them in spread across its frame in memory of the 1911. The ambidextrous, non-discriminatory, safety makes the P938 easy for left and right-handed shooters. Then there is the extended seven-round magazine available separately. Finally, Sig celebrates its most compact 9mm (in its product line) with rolling the P938 in five configurations.

Then again Sig also has the tendency to innovate. One of the changes in the P938 is the new recoil spring and guide module that handles the 9mm cartridge. The new recoil spring is a flat coil, and not the traditional wire. As a result, the flat spiral allows for greater absorption of recoil. Given how energetic the 9mm Parabellum ammo is, you won't really feel the recoil even during extended rapid fire sessions.

Mechanically, the P938 is short alloy framed single action pistol in 9mm. The slide hosts the SIGLITE Night Sights that flow towards the surface in snag free transverse dovetails. The sight system offers the standard 3 dot combat sight setup we have become accustomed to. The slide has the Sig styling cues and serrations. On the inside the slide has the expected clearance slot for the ejector and an external extractor. But interestingly, the pick-up rail of the slide has a top cartridge control bump. This keeps the top round in the magazine in position and literally under control when the violent recoils tend to exacerbate the cartridge's explosive tendencies, the ingenious mechanism keeps it in check and ready for its turn.

Similarly, as with the P238, Sig has kept up with its serrated trigger. Though arguably a cause for magnifying the feeling of the pull weight, the P938's trigger pull clocks in between 7.5 and 8 lbs. Then there are P938's safety buttons which are snag free and protrude just far enough for rapid disengaging on the draw, but not enough so that you're unlikely to accidentally bump the safety while it's holstered.

All that said the Sig P938 represents a nearly ideal convergence of size, capability, and shootability. Weighing a level over a Smith & Wesson 642, yet packing six or seven rounds to the Smith's five rounds and its much faster reloading time makes this one must have CCW.

Model: P938
Action: SAO
Caliber: 9mm
Overall Length: 5.90"
Overall Height: 3.90"
Overall Width: 1.10"
Barrel Length: 3.00"
Sight Radius: 4.20"
Sights: Adjustable 3-Dot
Capacity: 6/7 + 1
Weight: 16.00 oz.