If – and it is a big if – you can find a Sig P230 or P232 at a decent price – which in today’s market puts you in at about $800 bucks entry level ( and they go up from there! ) are they worth it??
They are smooth shooting – easy to conceal – and good looking pieces – They are FUN to shoot so you will tend to practice more with it than with an itsy bitsy teenie weenie .380 – for instance – KelTec P3AT – great little pistol – however it beats the snot out of your hand . . . You will tend to not practice with it – and accuracy with a marginal round such as the .380 is a necessity – you really need to put the rounds where they need to go – and that ability to do that consistently comes with – wait for it – PRACTICE – Damn Bruce! – There you go with that P word again!!
For the most part we are going to look at pistols ( and a revolver or two ) that are about the same “footprint” as the Sig – caliber wise until the later posts in this mess I will stay in the 380/9mm/.38 area . . .
And for no other reason than I had these pics ready – I’ll start with the Smith & Wesson 642 . . .
If the entirety of this was a beauty contest – the P232 just won best of show . . .
Size differences are minimal – the 642 is a little thicker due to the cylinder . . .
The P232 can almost hide behind the 642 – and yes I know the 642 is loaded – the rule – “Treat every gun as if it is loaded” – is true around here – because if they are “out” – they ARE loaded – and no – we have no children around here – the last time any were brought over it took about 20 minutes to get all the firearms gathered up and secured – then the parents had to sign the waiver – “Any children left unattended will be sold to the circus” – and then the children were allowed in . . .
And the 642 can just about hide behind the P232 – Damn that Sig is a good looker!
Caliber wise?? – the .38 Special walks away with the giant stuffed panda bear – compared to a .380 – there is really no comparison – But Bruce – I have 95 Grain Super Duper Elephant Killer rounds in my .380 – Why they are coming out at a blistering 1000 feet per second!! – The 642 with the Ergo Grips comfortably shoots the old FBI loads – 158 Grain Semi Wad Cutter Gas Check hollow points at 946 fps ( that’s averaged with a chrono on a 25 shot string ) – but we are comparing kiwi fruit and pears – the firearms themselves – P232 – 7 rounds in the magazine + 1 in the chamber is 8 rounds – much quicker reload with a magazine – better sights – smoother shooter – dare I say an elegant looking pistol – and of course I make it look better. . . LMAO!
The 642 carries better in my pocket – YOUR actual mileage may vary – but for me the 642 just “fits” correctly in my pocket – and the 642 can be fired from inside a jacket pocket – and no – I don’t recommend you doing that without a LOT of practice – ( the Goodwill store is your friend – LOL ) and the part I found interesting in the linked video is that he managed to empty the magazine on the semi-auto from inside the jacket pocket – I have never managed to get more than 3 rounds down range without an auto loading pistol malfunctioning!
I started with the 642 simply because I had the pictures already taken for a different purpose – someone wanted to see the size difference . . .
I will get into the lock boxes and get pics this weekend and give you folks a look at the P232 compared to some other .380’s – now enough of this internet crap – get your happy ass to the range and PRACTICE! – tell your boss you have to leave work early to go shooting and I said that it’s OK!
Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!
