Sig P232

[Packing26]

My wife is getting her CCW and so last weekend we went gun shopping. I had her feel EVERYthing, in the end the Sig P232 won her over. (I was wishing for a Glock) My question is for thoes of you that have one...how well do you like it, does it shoot well ect. Does anybody know if Sig uses a hammer forged barrel on the Sig P232?

Thanks for the Info.!!!

Jason

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ron8903]

I don't know about the hammer forged
barrel,sorry
I have the older model p230 and if the
p232 is any thing like the p230, you have
a very accurate and dependable hand gun.
The only thing I would change on mine is the heal
mag. release.
And yes I like it.........It's a Sig.

[BigE410]

I love mine, shoots very well. I have the 229 but I would imagine yours will be just fine...............its a Sig!!. Not the guy to ask about the barrel tho......sorry.

[rstickle]

Like others have said it's a SIG! Usually the complaint is that it's .380, it should shoot fine and pretty much forever.

['75scout]

What finish does she have? The all black model has an alloy frame to save weight. While the chrome and two-tones have steel frames. I'm not sure about the barrels either. I have fired my uncles alloy frame 232 and I like it alot. In fact that reminds me I need to tell him I want to buy it from him when he wants to sell it.

The 232 is a very slick carry gun and I found it to be accurate. I didn't have any reliability issues either. If I can get my wife to get interested in carrying I think the 232 would be perfect for her.

[theskunk]

The Sig p232 is unreliable .... jamming is a major problem

[MPOne]

Mine's a 230 as well, with the heel release magazine, but it shoots first time every time and is a tack driver. After all, it's a Sig.

[crabbys44]

The Sig p232 is unreliable .... jamming is a major problem

Really? Any type of supporting evidence or First Hand experience? Or is this just something your read somewhere?

OP I've had a P230 since forever and it has NEVER malfunctioned ("jammed" to the uninitiated) with anything I've put through it, every type of hardball I could find and most of the premium hollowpoints. NO problems whatsoever!

I have read, only read about it mind you, of some P230's being subject to "limp wristing" with a very loose grip. Grip it high on the backstrap and she should have no problems either. I did, however, replace the OEM plastic grips panels with Hogue's.

[ripley16]

I've never read anything about Sig barrels being hammer forged, especially on the P232. It's a great gun, your wife picked a world class gun. You may want to try the very excellent Hogue rubber grips, if your pistol didn't come with them. Enjoy the new pistol.

[Flint Ridge]

My thoughts on the 232....

Sig Sauer P232SL: In the competitive small semi-auto self-defense and concealed carry market there are many players. Some come and go, but one star has been around for 35 yrs. Let’s take a look at an old friend that has all the right moves and will always catch your eye.

History: Originally starting out as the P230 it was introduced back in 1976. Then in 1997 the P232 replaced the previous model. The differences were minimal and functionally the gun is largely unchanged in about 35 years. The one significant change was a re-profiling of the feed ramp to improve feeding of Jacketed Hollow Point ammunition. Other changes are the slide serrations for racking are now straight up and down and lack the sharp edges of the predecessor. The sights are also different, no longer stainless and the front is now pinned instead of fixed which will make changing sights actually possible.

The Good:
• Sig quality from the good old days – true craftsmanship – proven design
• Exceptional accuracy – the best natural pointing weapon I have ever used
• Sexy good looks – a work of stylish art – everybody looks good with one
• CCW sleek & friendly from every angle – look at the pictures
• Machine grooved and matte finish top of the slide to reduce glare
• Night Sights
• Locks open on the last round
• Easy takedown/field stripping
• Magazine extension really helps to get a full grip, especially when combined with the Hogue grips
• Easy to rack
• Very easy Single-Action follow-up shoots
• You can feed it most anything – previous P230 model had some issues feeding hollow points
• +P handled easily – though I would not feed it a steady diet – I carry mine with Buffalo Bore’s hottest .380 rounds with only a slight increase in felt recoil
• Extremely difficult to limp wrist. I kept trying and finally got it to do so, but I had the loosest grip ever, basically thumb on stock and index finger on trigger
• Crimson Trace grips are available – MSRP of $329
• No Safety – use of decocker allows carry with round in chamber and the Double-Actions heavier trigger pull

The Bad:
• Slightly more recoil due to blowback design – even more so for non-stainless
• Not super light, especially in the Stainless
• Larger frame not typically pocket friendly – but that helps make it reliable
• Not cheap
• Euro magazine release – also a positive if you’re a lefty
• No slide stop – must sling shot (rack it) to feed 1st round off a magazine
• Potential slide bite for some. The Hogue grips do seem to remedy for most folks
• No accessory rail
• No Safety – could be a +/- depending upon what you’re comfortable with

Accessories:
• Sig paddle holster with integrated mag pouch, $45. Comfortable, adjustable and easy to use. The mag pouch is a nice touch but will not be a quick retrieval in an emergency as it is on the same side as the drawing hand.

Function:

Blowback design

basically means that the slide and barrel will remain in position until after the round has left the barrel at that point the pressure causes the slide to retract as the fixed barrel stays put, hence the slightly higher perceived recoil with a blowback design. However, the upside is increased accuracy as the barrel is part of the frame – never moving. The slide has an integrated external extractor which also serves as the loaded chamber indicator. The P232 will lock open at the last round, but lacks a slide stop and therefore the slide must be pulled rearward and slingshot forward to pick up a round off a new magazine.

Euro-style heel magazine release

. This has never bothered me and is simply a training point, but to some it may be a negative as the manual of arms may be different from your other handguns. But it would be very rare for you to accidently drop a magazine, unlike somebody I know, who in the midst of a home invasion went to fire the second round “click”.
The decocker allows safely carrying a round in the chamber and trigger in DA, so you will have the safety of a heavy pull on the first round and the capacity of 7+1, with the follow-up shots on the very pleasurably light SA pull.

Takedown

is German engineering simplicity on display. Please note in the attached photos the takedown lever on the left side of the frame. Merely turn the lever down, pull all the way back on the slide, lift the rear of the slide, it comes up and forward and the gun is basically field stripped other than removing the recoil spring off the barrel.

Summary: This is the gun I bring out if folks are having trouble with their semi-automatics, especially the small pocket .380’s. I hand them this one, it will work every time it is comfortable and has the smoothness and accuracy that makes the aggravated shooter turn back to me and smile. Always works and looks good doing it. So, if you’re looking for the perfect concealed carry semi-auto that is also widely used by law enforcement as a backup gun, then here it is and it’s not a fairy tale – check out the “just right” Goldilocks – Sig Sauer P232SL.





How's it shoot? Here is round #49 & #50 of the first box I fired through my first of three 232SL's. 30' kneeling...

[Old School]

The last post on the thread until today was July 20,2006. Nice Post Flint Ridge !

[theskunk]

Mine's a 230 as well, with the heel release magazine, but it shoots first time every time and is a tack driver. After all, it's a Sig.

The Sig p230 was a german made masterpiece .... the Sig p232 is a CNC tooled piece, made by machine operators, and there is no quality control. The service dept is just reps reading off a standard page of Questions and answers.

These aren't gunsmiths, these are NY ad boys running a sales business. You can talk to service reps, but there isn't an old line gunsmith at the factory

[fiddlers]

Really a nice write-up Flint Ridge.

I am a big fan as you can see.

I might add that Marschal Grips can take care of the slide bite and I found CT laser grips all but eliminated the issue for me.
http://www.marschalgrips.com/p230bt/p230bt.html


You apparently have discovered Buffalo Bore Hardcast. What are your thoughts?

[QKShooter]

Your statements are amazingly & unbelievably untrue. SIG USA does more "in house" & prototype testing than any other firearm manufacturer worldwide.
The quality control standards are ultra high.
SIG now has close to 30 million new dollars invested in state of the art CNC precision manufacturing equipment.
I'd like to suggest that you take the SIG factory tour some day.
"You can talk to service reps, but there isn't an old line gunsmith at the factory" HUH?
My personal opinion is that your post totally lacks any sort of "real world" credibility.

And in fact SIG USA is an ISO 9001 compliant company that meets or exceeds ISO9001 standards & the ISO QC standards are German quality control standards so....I guess if American manufactured SIG firearms are not any good then that does not speak very highly of the German quality control and manufacturing standards.
So I think you just shot yourself in the foot.

The Sig p230 was a german made masterpiece .... the Sig p232 is a CNC tooled piece, made by machine operators, and there is no quality control. The service dept is just reps reading off a standard page of Questions and answers.

These aren't gunsmiths, these are NY ad boys running a sales business. You can talk to service reps, but there isn't an old line gunsmith at the factory

[ripley16]

I am a big fan as you can see.

Me too. I love these guns! A good reason for a gratuitous photo of Sigs.