Ok found my new pocket semi. Not a huge fan of .380, but they fill a niche. This is one sweet looking little number. Its on Sig's website. Anyone seen one for real yet??

I'm sure it will work just as well as a standard 238. The alloy frame is merely anodized or painted a different color. If it were me I would go with a real 238 HD (all Stainless no alloy) not a 238 HD-lite. Right now CDNN has the 238 HD nickel which is all Stainless with nickel finish for $549. If I were in the market for a 380 that's what I would do.

https://gun.deals/product/sig-...ts-54999?mobile=true

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
Right now CDNN has the 238 HD nickel which is all Stainless with nickel finish for $549. If I were in the market for a 380 that's what I would do.

Honest question: Why would they put a nickel finish on a stainless gun? Isn't plain stainless more durable than nickel plating?

I'd be happy to be wrong -- please help to cure my ignorance!

Looks and lubricosity are my guesses. I'm sure it's more of a nickel boron nitrate than a standard nickel plate. I don't really care that's it's Nickel. But you are getting an HD for $100+ less then the normal price.

Had a nickel and an HD. Both good, reliable fun shooters but this pistol is made for summer pocket carry and they were small but heavy.
With the ASE, I get the same great looking package 6oz. Lighter.
Just my preference

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Had a nickel and an HD. Both good, reliable fun shooters but this pistol is made for summer pocket carry and they were small but heavy.
With the ASE, I get the same great looking package 6oz. Lighter.
Just my preference

Agree. My aluminum frame P238 has very soft recoil, and is very reliable. Given that the P238 is intrinsically a carry gun, I consider the heavier SS frame to be a disadvantage. Some might prefer SS for cosmetic reasons, but I don't. I don't value any sort of bling on a CCW. They are, after all, concealed.

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Had a nickel and an HD. Both good, reliable fun shooters but this pistol is made for summer pocket carry and they were small but heavy.
With the ASE, I get the same great looking package 6oz. Lighter.
Just my preference

I would find out if the frame is anodized that color or if it's some sort of cerakote like finish over standard anodizing. I say this because silver anodizing will never be as strong or durable as black. Just look at Inox Berettas. The older ones especially will turn yellow and wear pretty easily. The older Smith 642's that were anodized silver (before going to that silver paint that is just as bad) wore very quickly. From my understanding for anodizing to alloy for a silver color it has to be thinner.

PVD, according to the gun's web page. Probably holds up as well as the Legion finish.

Though I haven't been much of a fan of .380, I like my alloy 238 quite a lot. It's an amazingly soft shooter compared to my much heavier P232SL; IMO it doesn't need the added weight that comes with having a stainless frame.

I've had my P238 SKU# P238-380-B since mid 2010. It's a plain jane Nitron finished stainless slide and black hard coat anodized 7075-T6 aluminum frame with basic 3 dot contrast (not night) sights. Unloaded it weighs in at 15.2 oz with factory grips which I've replaced with The Finer Grain (Sarge) Mallee Burl gloss finished grips.

Very soft recoiling. So from my knothole I don't see the need for a full stainless version with the extra weight. I agree with pipesmoker.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Given that the P238 is intrinsically a carry gun, I consider the heavier SS frame to be a disadvantage. Some might prefer SS for cosmetic reasons, but I don't.

I have an HD and an alloy-framed P238. I value the HD because it is such a soft-shooting gun, noticeably more so than the alloy one.

I had the HD first, but it was just too heavy for pocket carry. So I bought the alloy one. However, I kept the HD for belt and glove compartment carry.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: toivo,

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:


I would find out if the frame is anodized that color or if it's some sort of cerakote like finish over standard anodizing. I say this because silver anodizing will never be as strong or durable as black. Just look at Inox Berettas. The older ones especially will turn yellow and wear pretty easily. The older Smith 642's that were anodized silver (before going to that silver paint that is just as bad) wore very quickly. From my understanding for anodizing to alloy for a silver color it has to be thinner.

I have an anodizing set up at my machine shop, though I'm not a pro, I do anodizing. Anodizing grows a honeycomb like layer of oxide. If dying the item, the dye goes into those open cells and then the item is sealed, easiest for a small shop is steaming for 30 minutes of so. I'm not aware of the dye or color adding anything to durability or wear.

There are different specs and procedures for hard anodize etc, and this is surely what SIG has done on their aluminum frame guns. Hard anodize is more durable than normal, thinner anodizing - still, non-dyed stuff is just as durable as dyed.

Most of us have seen SIG's black anodized frame rails with the color worn off. This may or may not mean the anodizing has been worn through. Test with an ohm meter or test light etc. If anodize is intact, the surface will be an insulator and the ohmmeter probes will show an open when touched to the silver surface.