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Sig P238 Problem...Want fire 2nd round??

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HK23BEACH

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Apr 13, 2007
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Just got a chance to go to range today to shoot Sig P238.
Really puzzled why it would only shoot one round.It was like the slide would not go completely back in place.Just wondering if anyone else had this problem before.I was shooting Winchester ammo...
Should I send it back to Sig to be checked out?
Many thanks for your Help!!!
 
I assume it's a new gun. Did you go through it, cleaning and lubing it?

Spent casings, any unusual markings, scratches, gouges, etc?

Try different ammo?
 
just to add more info .....the slide doesn't go all the way forward and close.
Yes I did clean it and lube.
It is a new.
I will try a different ammo.The ammo could be issue.
I do appreciate your replies very much...!
 
HK23BEACH

Try to eliminate the variables. Check the magazines and make sure they're functioning properly. Check the barrel chamber and feed ramp for any burrs or tool marks. Also check the frame and slide rails for the same thing. You said you cleaned and lubed the gun; was it reassembled properly, especially the recoil spring? As has already been suggested try using different factory ammo.
 
You are having Failure to Return to Battery. Small semi-autos require an absolutely perfect grip to cycle properly. Make sure you have that and aren't limp wristing it. Also try some other ammo, WWB is crap.
 
I carry WWB fmj/TC ammo in my P238 and have probably shot a thousand rounds of it through the Sig without a single problem, so I doubt the ammo is the problem.

Something is obstructing the round from fully chambering.
 
My P238 is a surprisingly reliable little gun. They don't tend to be as sensitive to limp wristing as some of the blowback guns.

Since there's not a whole lot of info to go on, other then Failure to return to Battery, check the standard auto pistol things:
#1 cause of malfs: Mags. Do you have another mag? if not buy one and try that. You'll want more mags anyway.
Next, swap ammo. Less likely, as WWB while not top of the line, is usually functional, but new ammo is a pretty cheap trouble shooting step.

After those two steps, if the gun is still malfunctioning, then it's definitely the gun. Could be something as simple as a burr on the breech or too tight an extractor, or as complicated as a mis machined feed ramp. We can walk you through the easy steps of troubleshooting, but we'd need pretty detailed descriptions or, even better, pictures. Of course, being a new gun, once you narrow the issue down to the gun, you could send it back to Sig, and let them figure it out.

But, seriously, it's the mag. It's almost always the mag. You could randomly post in this forum "it's the mag" without reading anything and 95% of the time you'd be right. Sig had some early issues with the 238, but they've been pretty solid for a couple years now.
 
I just picked up my new P238 as well and put a magazine of rounds through it as soon as I got home. Granted, it's only one magazine, but no problems experienced with Winchester 95gr. FMJ. I remembered my Dealer's words... "Okay, Sig Sauer recommends the first 100-150 rounds through this gun be full metal jacket.
 
New gun?

Let me guess. Winchester white box stuff.

First try different brands of higher quality ammo. Small auto's sometimes need a little push to operate smoothly. If you have a defensive round already in mind try it also.

The usual suspect with semi-auto's is the magazine but I'll wager it's the ammo.
 
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I would be seriously surprised if the magazine were the problem based on the description of the problem.
 
kokapelli said:
I would be seriously surprised if the magazine were the problem based on the description of the problem.
Click to expand...

What description? The slide doesn't close. The round could be nose diving, it could be hitting the top of the chamber, it might be releasing early, it might not be going under the extractor, it could be going under the extractor, but the extractor is too tight, it might be releasing late, the breechfase fould be burred, the breechface could be the wrong angle, the mag spring could be too strong dragging on the slide, the action spring could be too weak, the main spring could be too strong, the ammo could be out of spec, the chamber could be out of spec....it goes on and on.

No one on this forum has any idea what his problem is other then "the slide isn't closing". I was just playing the numbers and pointing out that auto pistol malfs are usually the mag.

If the OP wants to provide us details of the condition of the gun during the malf; extractor position, where exactly the live round is, position of the round on the breech, things like that, we can try and narrow it down. But as it stands, we're throwing darts, in the dark, at a list of malfs.
 
That it's usually the mag?

The mag is the cheapest part of the pistol, often made by a non OEM manufacturer to a price (instead of quality) point, and is often subject to less quality control. *

Also, the tolerance needing parts of the mag (the lips) are exposed tend to be more fragile then things like slides and feed ramps.

But mostly I say it because I've spent almost 20 years working on pistols and semi rifles both in the military and on my own, and when a semi-auto malfs, the mag is the first thing to check, and more often then not it's the culprit.

Obviously some mag and pistol combinations are more prone then others: 1911's with generic mags vs. Glocks with Factory mags, but even then the mag is the part of the process most likely to fail. IME anyway.

I wasn't aware this was a shocking opinion.

*in general when diagnosing malfs. This, being a new pistol, one assumes it's a Sig factory mag. But still a messed up sheet metal mag is more likely then one of their CNC mills machining something off spec. Not impossible mind, but unlikely.
 
dogmush said:
That it's usually the mag?

The mag is the cheapest part of the pistol, often made by a non OEM manufacturer to a price (instead of quality) point, and is often subject to less quality control. *

Also, the tolerance needing parts of the mag (the lips) are exposed tend to be more fragile then things like slides and feed ramps.

But mostly I say it because I've spent almost 20 years working on pistols and semi rifles both in the military and on my own, and when a semi-auto malfs, the mag is the first thing to check, and more often then not it's the culprit.

Obviously some mag and pistol combinations are more prone then others: 1911's with generic mags vs. Glocks with Factory mags, but even then the mag is the part of the process most likely to fail. IME anyway.

I wasn't aware this was a shocking opinion.

*in general when diagnosing malfs. This, being a new pistol, one assumes it's a Sig factory mag. But still a messed up sheet metal mag is more likely then one of their CNC mills machining something off spec. Not impossible mind, but unlikely.
Click to expand...
Not shocking, just a different opinion and experience than mine. I am 82 years old and have been shooting for 65 years and of all the pistols and hundreds of magazines I have owned I can only remember having one magazine that caused a malfunction.

I have three different brand magazines for my P238 and all have been totally trouble free including the three Colt magazines I use in my P238.

I guess we will just have to wait and see what the problem turns out to be.
 
Just want to thank you all very much for your time and help!
I took the P238 apart and cleaned again.
I did put back together,making sure the spring was put on as directed by Sig small end first.Did use TW25 lubricant sparingly during putting back together.
I believe the BOTTOM of the slide is VERY tight coming back over the top of the Hammer.I do believe it feels a little better than before.
I am ready to go back to range tomorrow to see how things go..I will have different ammo and may try to get another magazine.Do hope for better results.
This is my first Sig and feel sure not my last.
Will reply on how it goes.
Thanks again!
HK23BEACH
 
Just a update on P238 issue.
The Sig performed Great today at the range.
I did shoot several types of ammo.
Federal personal defense low recoil,Winchester and Remington.
All went well..
I even took a Springfield XD 9mm sub compact...It was new never shot.
Wow it was really nice to shoot.Trigger pull was nice and over 50 rounds no jam.
Thanks for replies and help!
HK23BEACH
 
HK23BEACH said:
Just a update on P238 issue.
The Sig performed Great today at the range.
I did shoot several types of ammo.
Federal personal defense low recoil,Winchester and Remington.
All went well..
I even took a Springfield XD 9mm sub compact...It was new never shot.
Wow it was really nice to shoot.Trigger pull was nice and over 50 rounds no jam.
Thanks for replies and help!
HK23BEACH
Click to expand...
Excellent! So as I expected it wasn't the magazine after all.

It's a really fine pistol that I'm sure your going to enjoy.
 
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