P238 or bodyguard

[Cdems]

Hi, I'm new to the forum however I have been reading thehighroad for years. My question is I am between a p238 or bodyguard for POCKET carry.
I have been conceal carrying for about 10ish years. I EDC a p320 subcompact 85% of the time. Currently a glock 43 for the rest. I have owned a bodyguard before and "liked" it however I sold it years ago to get a different gun ( I know stupid). I have always looked at the p238.
This gun is for a very niche area of my life where I literally would not be able to carry anything else. I carry every day except at work due to my job and let's just say I don't need to at work and take that at face value. That being said I can carry about 5 days a week.
As I stated I carry my p320 all the time and when it's not in my g43. The g43 is just to big to pocket carry. I understand that it will be a slower draw from a pocket and I have pocket carried before. I guess I am just concerned that the p238 may just be to heavy and or thick for board shorts on a boat or gym shorts. I was looking at lcps but I don't like them. I also spoke with ruger about the lcp II and the rep stated that they currently recommend carrying without a round in the chamber...yeah no so that's out as well. The reason for that before you ask is there is no drop safety and it relies on a notch in the sear. That's for a different thread. Ruger was great though and I will not tell anyone not to carry what they like. This is just my feeling. Kahr cw380 was on the list but I find more bad then good on the internet. Looking for help making the decision. Thank you in advance!

 

[kokapelli]

If you like the G43 why not check out the G42 which is a little smaller than the G43 but otherwise pretty much the same gun?

I have two G42's that are flawless and have worked perfectly with probably a dozen different kinds of Ammo.

 

[Armored farmer]

I am a 1911 fan. If the choice was up to me, I would choose one of the many p238 models.
The little sig has a reputation for being accurate and reliable.
I think they might be a tad on the heavy side, but I have had my eye out for a p238 scorpion.

 

[Cdems]

If you like the G43 why not check out the G42 which is a little smaller than the G43 but otherwise pretty much the same gun?

I have two G42's that are flawless and have worked perfectly with probably a dozen different kinds of Ammo.

For the pocket of board shorts / gym shorts/ kaki shorts I think the 42 is a bit to big. Great gun just to big for my needs thanks though

 

[Varminterror]

Pocket carry in a holster? The P238.

Pocket carry without a holster? Nothing really, but the Bodyguard is better suited for that than the P238.

P238 is hands down the better pistol. Heavy though, for its size class.

 

[Cdems]

Pocket carry in a holster? The P238.

Pocket carry without a holster? Nothing really, but the Bodyguard is better suited for that than the P238.

P238 is hands down the better pistol. Heavy though, for its size class.

NO absolutely with a holster. I am fimiliar also with both manual of arms. The weight is what is concernibg me the most for light shorts. It's silly it will be a gun I maybe carry 5% of the time and my other guns fill the rest of the time. I have always loved how the p238 looks though.

 

[Old Dog]

The P-238 is an awesome little pistol. I personally haven't ever encountered a petite .380 with a trigger anywhere near as good as the P-238's. More accurate than the typical small .380s.

Great nightsights ... good ergonomics. Yep, a tad heavier than a polymer-framed .380 sub-compact -- there's a trade-off here, but I've carried ours in a "belly-band" under gym shorts and swim trunks doing some fairly intense physical activity and been perfectly happy.

 

[Varminterror]

One possibly deciding factor to tip you towards the P238 it seems you already favor - the Sig comes factory ready with Siglite night sights. The S&W does not. I've used tritium sights for over 20yrs, so while a lot of hype men might be tritium naysayers, the value in self illuminated sights on a pistol which might save my life is obvious for me.

Both are really accurate for their size, but the 2 P238's we have are scary accurate (for pocket pistols, of course).

 

[railroader]

Since the LCPII is out what about the standard LCP or the LCP Custom. I have the custom and it has been a great little gun. It's very reliable and is small and light.

 

[Cdems]

One possibly deciding factor to tip you towards the P238 it seems you already favor - the Sig comes factory ready with Siglite night sights. The S&W does not. I've used tritium sights for over 20yrs, so while a lot of hype men might be tritium naysayers, the value in self illuminated sights on a pistol which might save my life is obvious for me.

Both are really accurate for their size, but the 2 P238's we have are scary accurate (for pocket pistols, of course).

Budget in mind as well I have a few sig p238s I'm looking at used neither however have night sights and they are in the 450 range. I could drop a bit more and get night sights for them. Bodyguard definitely does not come with them and they are cheap to buy new. I have looked at the original lcp but to be honest I'm unsure of it I know it's been popular for years. I have had a bodyguard before and I will say I liked it. Buying a new sig is not off the table though (that's why I didn't say an amount because quality comes first ) and I agree fully that night sights are a big deal with carry but they also will only get you so far if the gun can't hit well pst 21 feet anyway. I will only be carrying this gun a extremely small percentage a niche gun as I adore my p320 subcompact and my g43. Really want for the pocket as I can do the 43 in a bellyband already. You guys are great with your responses keep them coming!!!

 

[Varminterror]

My wife and I shoot 25yrds and 50yrds on steel with our LCP's and 238's. I haven't shot her bodyguard past 25yrds, but it's servingly accurate to said range, same with the G42 and the P-3AT.

They aren't easy to shoot, but these pistols are all easily capable of 10" at 25yrds off hand. When we don't connect on the steel plate, it's not the pistols fault.

With my LCP and P238, I completed the Win/NRA Pistol Patch program to Dist. Expert CoF. Just a piece of decorum I feel appropriate for anything I carry, and plenty of rounds of practice for me to get comfortable and also rounds of provenance for me to get confident in a new carry piece. The accuracy is there.

 

[AZAndy]

This time of year, I have the 9mm version of the P238 (P938) in my jeans pocket and it works out fine. It shoots quite well. I use a Nemesis holster with it. I think you'd be happy with a Sig, though I haven't owned or fired a Bodyguard, so I can't make a direct comparison.

 

[bannockburn]

A friend of mine has a S&W Bodyguard .380 with the built-in laser module. The laser has been replaced a couple of times and still it doesn't line-up properly with the point of aim for very long. The double action trigger is heavy but fairly smooth. Sights are okay but could be better if night sights were available. Accuracy is decent enough for what the gun is designed to do.

The P238 while being a bit heavier really shines with it's great ergonomics, single action trigger, and available SIG night sights. I carry mine very comfortably with either a pocket holster or an inside the waistband holster.

 

[Cdems]

Wow a lot of love for the p238. Think I was/am just concerned with weight in pocket. Also as far as lasers go if I went bodyguard I would be getting the no laser version.

 

[kevincallahan]

I owned both when I retired. I loved my 238, but it was heavy compared to the bodyguard. I had carried 1911 45's for the last 8 years of my time on the job in plainclothes, and felt fine with cocked and locked on my belt. As I got into retirement and Texas summers, the little bodyguard was a perfect fit for shorts. It does have a heavy trigger pull, but it fit the bill for what I wanted for a pure self defense pistol. I got used to the simple Manuel of arms and ended up buying a sig 290rs that I use in winter months and with it and the bodyguard, I found that the 238 really did not fit in my carry needs. I love it, but the bodyguard was far cheaper is dependable, is better for me for both ankle and pocket carry and is fine for close up work if the need arises. The 238 is a great little gun, easy to shoot and great fun at the range. The bodyguard is built for work.

 

[Cdems]

My wife and I shoot 25yrds and 50yrds on steel with our LCP's and 238's. I haven't shot her bodyguard past 25yrds, but it's servingly accurate to said range, same with the G42 and the P-3AT.

They aren't easy to shoot, but these pistols are all easily capable of 10" at 25yrds off hand. When we don't connect on the steel plate, it's not the pistols fault.

With my LCP and P238, I completed the Win/NRA Pistol Patch program to Dist. Expert CoF. Just a piece of decorum I feel appropriate for anything I carry, and plenty of rounds of practice for me to get comfortable and also rounds of provenance for me to get confident in a new carry piece. The accuracy is there.

That is good to know about their capabilities

 

[Cdems]

So to elaborate more and after watching 200 (embellishing a bit) YouTube videos on comparisons the width of the p238 looks like the width of not slightly larger than the g43 which is a 9mm. Sig puts the width at 1.1 that is with the saftey which I really don't count. That being said width other than weight is a huge issue and the reason the g43 doesn't work for me in the pocket. I love this gun and I'm sure I will buy it (at some point). I am looking though for a purpose driven 5% of the time super thin actually shootable gun preferably with sights. I may open up my selections a bit bodyguard no laser seems to be the lead contender but the kahr cw380(which I hear is a jam o matic ), and the lcp original are in the running.
I keep going and comparing them at the shops but I feel like even though I desperately want a p238 it won't fit the need right now as summer approaches. Like I said niche gun. Opinions are welcome. I do go shoot about once to twice a month and have gotten decent with the p320 which drives it self and the g43. I am sure I can learn with any gun and I don't care if it's a complete joy to shoot however let's be honest if it feels like I'm shooting my own hand every round I won't exactly love it. You guys are great by the way again as a new member I really appreciate the responses and everyone's experiences that I can compare to my own.

 

[Tirod]

There are other choices, the sticky at the top of the forum details the sizes and weights of available pocket pistols.

The Sig P238 is considered by some to be on the heavy side of "pocket," which was settled when Keltec came out with their .380 and Ruger making it a best seller. 11 oz and under 3" barrel lengths with polymer frame is what many consider pocket. Larger owners get by with larger guns - and their pants usually have larger pockets. Being 5'5" I don't get that luxury. The LCP was the smallest gun that carried in my pocket, but even with a Desantis Nemesis holster it was bulgy in jeans.

When I went looking for a different .380 I wound up choosing it for the trigger, and decided to allow some compromise on size because I was not going to use a swaddling cloth pocket holster to carry that bulked it up with padding. It would be a single sided or kydex holster to minimize bulk. It also had to have certain features which are far more important after the size and weight - trigger weight, pull, slide hold open, sights, and recoil. I see a lot of folks compromising all of them to get a tiny gun when you don't have to - there are better choices on the market.

The LCP II wasn't on the market, I handled quite a few, and wound up with the Kahr CW380. It had a relatively light, short trigger pull for a DA, the factory states you rechamber releasing the slide release which makes it easy to use on the range, the sights are adequate, and the recoil is about as manageable as my S&W 4566. I enjoy shooting it, compared to the fear and loathing of the 1Gen LCP which is a known issue.

If you can't shoot it well and don't like it going off, why choose it as your last resort? Seems a major handicap just to get fractions of an ounce lighter gun with less than a quarter inch difference in some dimension.

Now add that blanket holster and you get this bulge in your pocket. It's a system - don't make poor compromises. I won't mind having to shoot it when needed - snappy recoil won't be the first thing in mind, getting the sight picture will be. That's because of the ingrained use at a range which is how we train and what we carry with us mentally.

Pick the gun you are confident in using that is easy on you and then fix the other issues that can cause problem not directly related to it. Sometimes our accessories and choice of how we carry are the real problem.

 

[Cdems]

There are other choices, the sticky at the top of the forum details the sizes and weights of available pocket pistols.

The Sig P238 is considered by some to be on the heavy side of "pocket," which was settled when Keltec came out with their .380 and Ruger making it a best seller. 11 oz and under 3" barrel lengths with polymer frame is what many consider pocket. Larger owners get by with larger guns - and their pants usually have larger pockets. Being 5'5" I don't get that luxury. The LCP was the smallest gun that carried in my pocket, but even with a Desantis Nemesis holster it was bulgy in jeans.

When I went looking for a different .380 I wound up choosing it for the trigger, and decided to allow some compromise on size because I was not going to use a swaddling cloth pocket holster to carry that bulked it up with padding. It would be a single sided or kydex holster to minimize bulk. It also had to have certain features which are far more important after the size and weight - trigger weight, pull, slide hold open, sights, and recoil. I see a lot of folks compromising all of them to get a tiny gun when you don't have to - there are better choices on the market.

The LCP II wasn't on the market, I handled quite a few, and wound up with the Kahr CW380. It had a relatively light, short trigger pull for a DA, the factory states you rechamber releasing the slide release which makes it easy to use on the range, the sights are adequate, and the recoil is about as manageable as my S&W 4566. I enjoy shooting it, compared to the fear and loathing of the 1Gen LCP which is a known issue.

If you can't shoot it well and don't like it going off, why choose it as your last resort? Seems a major handicap just to get fractions of an ounce lighter gun with less than a quarter inch difference in some dimension.

Now add that blanket holster and you get this bulge in your pocket. It's a system - don't make poor compromises. I won't mind having to shoot it when needed - snappy recoil won't be the first thing in mind, getting the sight picture will be. That's because of the ingrained use at a range which is how we train and what we carry with us mentally.

Pick the gun you are confident in using that is easy on you and then fix the other issues that can cause problem not directly related to it. Sometimes our accessories and choice of how we carry are the real problem.

I agree and like I said I carry the majority of the time iwb. But life gets in the way and there are just some places pocket carry needs to happen for my life style I carry a larger gun all the time this is for an extremely short amount of time (though still extremely important otherwise why carry). I have seriously looked at the kahr cw380 and really like everything about it. I hear 200 round break in which I could care less about. I go to the range a lot any way so I could do that. The thing is everything I have read says there are more bad than good out there. It is good to hear you had a great experience with it. I agree. I like sights and slide hold open on last round. Although I agree on sights and train using sights as well as point shooting and not to get into philosophy if god for bid the day comes it's time to use the gun the chances of seeing your sight on the first few rounds are slim in my own opinion.

 

[Cdems]

I owned both when I retired. I loved my 238, but it was heavy compared to the bodyguard. I had carried 1911 45's for the last 8 years of my time on the job in plainclothes, and felt fine with cocked and locked on my belt. As I got into retirement and Texas summers, the little bodyguard was a perfect fit for shorts. It does have a heavy trigger pull, but it fit the bill for what I wanted for a pure self defense pistol. I got used to the simple Manuel of arms and ended up buying a sig 290rs that I use in winter months and with it and the bodyguard, I found that the 238 really did not fit in my carry needs. I love it, but the bodyguard was far cheaper is dependable, is better for me for both ankle and pocket carry and is fine for close up work if the need arises. The 238 is a great little gun, easy to shoot and great fun at the range. The bodyguard is built for work.

Thank you! That is what I am trying to figure out. I need a capable gun that can be a super deep concealment gun that is reliable and not to heavy for super light dress that allows pocket carry.

 

[Cdems]

Just got back from the gun store! I looked again at available options. Kahr cw380, p238 bodyguard and lcp. In hand I like the cw380 the p238 and the bodyguard. I think as of right this moment the p238 maybe out for size and weight and to be honest for the amount of time I will carry the money. The kahr cw380 and bodyguard are in the lead and I really want to like the cw380 but worried about everything I have read. The body guard I have owned before and I do remember a few light primer strikes soooo ......thoughts?

 

[cfullgraf]

Have you considered the polymer framed Colt Mustang?

Same basic pistol as the P238 but should be lighter.

I know, not a Sig, but some folks say its not a "1911" without a pony on the side.

I have both a P238 and a metal framed Mustang. I find the Mustang is a bit trimmer than the boxy Sig.

 

[bannockburn]

cfullgraf

I have both of them too (Colt Mustang and SIG P238), and I also felt the Mustang was a little thinner and less boxy than the P238. Slight edge to the Mustang with the better trigger but the P238 definitely has the best sights.

Between the Kahr CW380 and the S&W Bodyguard .380 (without the laser), I would probably be inclined to go with the Bodyguard.

 

[Cdems]

I did not consider the polymer mustang because ...well I didn't know it existed lol. I am investigating that now. Also after speaking to and reading several posts and please no one get upset I do not mean to go against or hurt feelings I can't "pull the trigger" on a cw380. So that is gonna leave the lcp original (can't find a custom other than online and trying to support local business) and the bodyguard. Barring taking a look at this polymer mustang.

 

[Cdems]

Not loving the polymer mustang still pretty wide. Weight is nice though. So that leaves the bodyguard no laser or crimsontrace and lcp original or with crimson trace as the final two/4. Which sucks because I then titled this wrong and I guess I have answerd the bodyguard or p238 question at least for my needs.