A friend from Hawaii, now in Montana, is getting her CCW and wants a small carry pistol. Someone she knows is offering P938 9 mm for $600. Seems to me a P365 is a much better gun all around--BUT I've never shot either one, given the S$(@## CA handgun roster. She's a good gal, strong conservative, strong 2A supporter, and I want her to have a good CCW pistol. MCRimm, you've met her. it's the phone gal.

I'd buy it.

I paid about that much for a P238 HD a few years ago.

In today's prices? Send us some pics when you get it home.

She should test fire it first. It may not check off all the boxes for her.

Mrs. Mike had a Taurus 380 and loved it. Then some mom left her kid next to her purse in a grocery cart and the kid did what kids do. Mrs. Mike then wanted a safety. So she went to the LGS and wound up with a S&W 380 with a frame mounted safety and an abysmal trigger….but it made her feel better. And she can score well on the target so I keep my mouth shut.

I personally would prefer the 365X, super easy to carry and shoot like a full size gun to me.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Asking for a friend (really): Is $600 a good price for a 938? I'm trying to talk her into a 365...

A friend from Hawaii, now in Montana, is getting her CCW and wants a small carry pistol. Someone she knows is offering P938 9 mm for $600. Seems to me a P365 is a much better gun all around--BUT I've never shot either one..

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
She should test fire it first. It may not check off all the boxes for her...

Yeah, but she should try both first. That's the only good way to decide for herself. Me, the 938 or 238, or any of those Mustang-like guns will never do it.

I agree that she should try both to see which she is more comfortable with. Personally I would not part with my P938. The majority of the time it is my daily carry. My wife has a P238, which I occasionally "borrow". For me the 1911 type manual of arms is how I learned to shoot, so the P938 was a pistol which was easy to adapt to.

Me, the 938 or 238, or any of those Mustang-like guns will never do it.

^^I'm in the same boat with you

How much does she know about firearms and the different types-da/sa,sa/1911 type,etc.? I agree,she should go to a gun shop and look around for one that fits her best and rent one/try it out prior to buying.

One thing I will say is that she may be better served with a striker fired gun due to their simplicity of operation and one trigger pull type. While a 1911 style pistol is not a hard gun to understand, it does take more familiarization and confidence to carry/shoot one and be able to use it when needed compared to a striker fired gun.

For someone of limited experience, she sounds like someone that would come to appreciate the 365 simplicity and size as well.
Some have told me the 1911 manual of arms intimidates them.
But, I agree that she should try both.

As already pointed out, handling, shooting and exploring carry options is by far the best way to make an informed decision. You can't always depend on gun writers reviews as this is metal and plastic that needs to interface with the human hand which of course comes in many sizes and shapes unique to the shooter.

I've had both the P938 and P238 at some point over the years and they are both gone now, replaced with other options.

Without being pushy, I'd suggest to her the P365. Just a tad bigger then the aforementioned pistols, but in comparison (at least for me) it's very comfortable to shoot and easy to conceal. A real winner for Sig. Can be had new at around $500 most everywhere.

I would suggest renting guns and giving them a try. Preferably with someone well-versed.

One thing I learned is that smaller guns may not be better for women as the smaller guns has more felt recoil. The recoil may dissuade her from practicing and getting proficient with it. I understand you also don't want a big honking desert eagle but the optimal choice is somewhere in between.

I also think good classes are a great investment.

Why talk her into anything. If she buys the 938 and begins the learning , she will decide and have a true basis for her choice. Selling is always an option. After all, you don't own either so actually have no more basis for the decision and have nothing for her to try. {other than hearsay}

The 938 is a perfectly acceptable carry gun with lots of features {like rack the slide with safety on and ability to lock the action if desired so the slide can't be racked}{and it's not plastic and has an external hammer and a load sight window for visual load condition}

Forgot to also mention that Sig did , at one time , make a 22 cal conversion for the 938. They do show up now and then.

My friend asked me to post the question as I did. Except for yours, all the other replies have been quite helpful to her.

The correct answer is to buy both of them

Had, and carried the 938 for a while, great pistol, you do have to want a safety and learn how to operate a gun with one, not only for defense, but clearing it to perform maintaining the firearm.

I did have the safety disengage in my pocket a few times, now it was in a Remora pocket holster and the double sided safety was probably the issue since the left side wasn't covered, the solution was to convert it to single side to eliminate that problem or sell it, which I traded it in on something since I couldn't trust it to not disconnect the safety 100% and wasn't going to remove the off side safety lever.

For the money the P365 offers a lot more capacity in a slim package and a very good trigger system and if you get the right model, prepped for an optic should she decide that's what she'd like. P938 won't have that option

Other than both shooting 9mm and being guns, they couldn't be more different platforms.

As much as I like the 938, I'd probably recommend the P365, and they have a 380 version with lighter recoil, plenty of capacity and easy to operate, if I was in the pocket gun market probably a p365.

Right now I have the LCP 380 Max, that fits easily into a pocket Remora holster, light, easy to operate, easy to carry, plenty of rounds, extra mags. IF I hadn't bought it recently I'd have a 365-380 in my possession.

My local gun shop has a used 938 right now for $475... $600 for a used 938 seems a bit steep to me....

I have both, and I think the 365 offers more.

I have pocket carried both, and don’t feel much difference carrying either as far as weight and bulk.

Here is where the 365 excels: it holds more rounds, and it is easier to rack the slide. To reassemble after cleaning The recoil spring in the Sig is an absolute bear to put back in place. It is an extremely tough spring and tends to wiggle all over the place when you try to compress it to put it back in place. Also the 938 has an innate flaw with the 2 piece guide rod; which sometimes has a tendency to come apart rendering the gun inoperative.

I can sum it up by saying the 365 in many aspects is the best gun I’ve ever owned in my 17 years carrying a gun.

I have both the 938 and the 365. I have not carried or fired the 938 since I got the 365. Everything Stroonz said is accurate.

I thin that $600 for a used 938 is a bit high.

It always seems to me that less experienced people start with larger pistols and should be progressed to smaller pistols as their abilities improve. Might take months, or years.

Recently sold a Micro 9 to a woman with limited shooting experience with pistols (her words). After handling several polymer micro compacts including the thumbsafety 365 and Hellcat and 'politely' listening to the pros and cons of each, she decided the Kimber was best for her.

"Doesn't feel like a plastic toy" was one of her reasons. And that it looked "100 times" better and more like a real gun, only smaller (presuming she was bonding with the 1911s that were also in the case next to the Micro 9s), which I couldn't dispute that. In her case, her O/U shotgun experience probably dictated her biases more than anything else.

But the point is that people are going to choose what they want for their own personal reasons. I can think of many occasions where I let aesthetics get in the way of sensible and intelligent decisions (<ahem>...pre-marriage, let me make that clear). Best to let them do it their way and allow them to learn from it--both the good and bad. In the case of a firearm, they can reboot later on if needed. Bad girlfriends...those get messy.

As for the price: $600 sounds a bit steep for a pre-owned 938 (unless it also comes with batch of magazines), even if it were unfired. A clearly used one in great cosmetic shape should be $500 or less around here.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I would suggest renting guns and giving them a try. Preferably with someone well-versed.

This.
Renting a P365 was a big surprise for me. It surpassed all my expectations and hope you, sjtill and your friend get a chance to try one.