Sig P232 - German Manufactured
Purchase Price: $576
Caliber: .380 ACP
Ammunition: WWB .380 Auto
Target: Caldwell 8" Bullseye Shoot'n C
Temp: 90F +
Wind: 8 - 12 MPH WSW (from behind and right of the shooter)
Date: 7/12/09
After purchasing the P232 I performed my normal NIB inspection, clean and lube. I was impressed with the fit and finish of the pistol. No slack in the slide, no nicks, mars, rubs or any other visible blemishes in the finish. The grip, though small, fit well in my hand (or so I thought). I thought the pistol felt a bit heavy for a .380 (or so I thought). 1st impressions were favorable and met my expectations. I had purchased the pistol as lightweight low recoil (or so I thought) gun for my wife to carry when she didn't want to lug around her full size CZ-75B.
The P232 is a blowback operated pistol, has a 3.6" barrel and weighs in at 17.6 oz with a 7 round mag inserted.The trigger is a DA/SA and is horrible. 9.3# DA pull and so much travel and creep when the trigger finally does start to engage in the SA pull that one wonders if the guy who designed that trigger was maybe working for the competition when he did so.
Here's what the P232 looks like.
http://www.sigsauer.com/upFiles/catalog/product/P232-detail-L.jpg[/url]
The 1st thing I do after acquiring a new gun is the aforementioned inspection followed by a clean and lube. The P232 is remarkably easy to take down and compared to a standard recoil action pistol has way fewer parts to mess with. Taking the P232 down is not without its hazards however. While taking the slide off I bumped the slide latch and the attached spring went flying. It now resides in the realm of lost springs as even after a 15 minute search by myself and conscripting my wife to help for another 15 minutes that little sucker was no where to be found. So I finished the clean and lube, a very quick and simple operation, reassembled and set to trying to find a replacement spring.
Numrich had a slide latch spring for $6.30. Ordered it on a Sunday - had it by Wednesday. Thought about it and called Sig since the schematic in the manual for my P232 didn't match the one that Numrich showed - maybe their part would be for an older version. Sig asked about the S/N in order to determine manufacture date since there have been some recent changes. Told the rep the part I needed. $5 part but Sig has a $30 minimum order. The rep told me that really wasn't a problem. He sent me 3, no charge! Ordered on Monday and received on Friday. I've heard a lot of bad things said about Sig service - sure could fool me - because I got good service from 'em.
After installing the spring on a Friday evening and function checking the pistol the wife and I decided Sunday morning would be the best time to go and put the P232 through its paces.
Arrived at the TriCityGunClub range around 9:30AM. The sun was blazing in a clear blue sky and it was already hot. The pistol range was in use by 2 other groups of shooters set up at either end of the range so I selected a bench near the center. I brought the P232 with 100 rounds of WWB .380 90gr and a CZ-7B 9mm with 100 rounds of S&B 115gr. Set it all down and plopped down into a chair in no real hurry for the range to go cold. Wife remained in the car with all 4 windows rolled down, the radio making noise and iced water well within reach.
After a bit the current shooters needed to put up new targets and down they went along with my self. I set up 4 8" bullseye shoot'n see targets at 10 yards. Loaded up the two mags that came with the P232, 7 rounds each. The range went hot and I took up the pistol using a standard Weaver stance, aimed carefully and fired my 1st shot.
Whoaaaa! That's a really snappy and hard recoil for a .380 (more about that later). Surprise - Surprise. 1st shot hit paper about 3" from the bull at 10 o'clock. OK. No more suprises. WRONG! Not one of the next 6 shots hit paper.
ARRRRRRGGGGHGHGHHGHG!
I do not suck at pistol shooting! It must be the gun but it's a SIG. What are the odds of me getting a lemon right out of the box? Not high. Right?
Sooooo - I loaded 15 rounds into a CZ-75 mag, inserted same into said Cz-75, took up my standard stance and commenced firing at a clean target. 12 of 15 rounds went right into the X ring with the 3 others not far off.
IT WARN'T ME! IT HAD TO BE THE P232!
I was steamed. Set down the CZ and started glaring at the P232. POS! After a bit I started to calm down and began to wonder what could be going on? Hmmmm... smaller grip, way lighter pistol. Felt recoil very high in my experience for such a small cartridge. Even Makarov's I've fired didn't have the felt recoil of the P232. Thought about it for a bit and decided I'd have to adjust to the smaller grip and very snappy and sharp recoil.
Targets still at 10 yards, I loaded up 2 more mags. Dropped into my shooting stance. Concentrated on grip, trigger pull, sight picture and subsequent recovery. 7 rounds fired and 7 on paper - but all over it. Tried again with 2nd mag. 7 rounds on paper with most inside the 6" ring. Getting better. Loaded up two more mags and repeated. By the 4th mag I was getting 4 of 7 into the X ring with the other 3 being a 1/2" or less outside the X ring at 10 o'clock. OK the thing shoots left and a bit high from the factory (wind was from the right but no way that accounted for the tendency to shoot a bit left). Windage on the P232 can be adjusted by loosening an allen screw on the rear sight. I didn't have my allen wrenches with me so I didn't get to adjust the windage. Height - ehhh - not adjustable as far as I know without replacing the front sight.
Range went cold. I moved the targets into 7 yards and repeated the above performance, improving with each additional mag.
I then loaded up two more mags and had my wife fire them. SHE was not impressed. With the CZ she can keep 15 rounds on paper at 7 yards. With the P232 she got 1 round on paper. She most definitely did not like the recoil and consistently shot high. The grip was way too small for her hands, even one handed - she has long fingers - and she made a point that the grip was just too small for her.
Left the range. Cleaned and lubed pistol. Only thing out of the ordinary was that the outside of the barrel was blackened for about 2" from the crown and back. I have never seen that occur on any of the many recoil operated pistols I own. Maybe that is normal for a blowback operated pistol. Not a big deal in any event.
If one is used to full size auto pistols as I am it will take many, many hours and hundreds if not thousands of rounds to become proficient with a P232. I have no doubt that with practice one could consistently get 4" to 6" groups at 25 yards with it but it would take practice. If one is used to small grip, very light (though compared to other .380's I've researched the P232 is relatively heavy) pistols one may be able to shoot the P232 accurately right out of the box. I couldn't. It took me almost an hour before I could put 7 of 7 in the bull. I have no confidence I could shoot the P232 that well in a high stress, self defense situation.
I ended up liking the P232, wife hates it.
Summary: SIG describes the P232 as a backup gun in its product description. That about says it all. The P232 is not appropriate for use as a primary CCW pistol in most cases IMO. I can imagine it being used in a situation where deep concealment is a necessity for non LEO CCW or as a purse gun for the ladies. I cannot imagine myself ever carrying one. The P232 seems a bit large for ankle or pocket carry (I've never done either so I may be mistaken in that judgement) and the very snappy recoil combined with its lightweight make its use beyond 10 yards or so in a high stress, self defense situation questionable by any but someone who has practiced extensively with it.
My P232 will be spending most of its time in the safe, being brought out only as a range gun and only when I am in the mood for something different.[/quote]
