Review of the Sig Sauer P232 Pistol

This Sig Sauer name is synonymous with quality. A maker of some of the worlds finest pistols they have proven themselves to be a high standard in firearm engineering. This article is a review of one of their well known products, the P232.

Chambered for the .380 acp round, the P232 is a commendable pistol. It is not the cheapest .380 being that the MSRP at the time of this writing is $573.00 for the standard blued model and $800 for the stainless. Of course you may find the real prices somewhat lower depending where you shop or if you buy used.

The factory specifications for the P232 stainless are as follows:

Caliber: .380 acp
Trigger Pull DA/SA: 9.9lbs, 3.75 lbs
Length: 6.6 inches
Height: 4.7 inches
Width: 1.2 inches
Barrel Length: 3.6 inches
Sight Radius: 4.7 inches
Sights: Night Sights
Weight w/Mag: 17.6 oz, 22.4 in Stainless Steel
Mag Capacity: 7 Rounds
Grips: Rubber Hogue Grips
California Compliant: Yes

The P232 is an accurate pistol. It does not have a locking mechanism but uses a simple blowback system. The barrel does not cam but stays strait, the gun is also a straight shooter right out of the box. It is primarily used as a backup gun.

There are cheaper .380s out there such as those made by Bersa. You can find many good .380s for a lower price but they will not match the quality of the P232 in my opinion. Out of the box you can see that they really built a clean pistol with top CNC equipment and care. The finish on the stainless steel model is well done. You can add exotic wood grips if you want to dress it up even more.

The pistol fires as one would expect for a reliable .380. One just has to be careful to not get their hands bit by the slide. The pistol is similar to a Walther PPK so proper handling of the grip is necessary. As for the mag release, it is on the bottom and some may not like this factor, however it does not bother me.

While it is a reliable pistol it may jam with a few types of ammo. It is best to stick with the most reliable ammo for it. The recoil is noticeable but nothing compared to pistols of higher caliber. Perhaps it is something about the blowback design that makes one take notice of the .380 acp's recoil. The power of the .380 acp is a little less than a .38 special unless you use premium +p rounds.

The safety is an automatic firing pin block and the manual decocking lever is easy to use. The double action firing on the first shot is a little stout but relatively easy for the average person. The subsequent firing is relatively smooth. I kept in mind that smaller pistols seem to have tighter springs than full size pistols. Operating the slide should not be a problem for the average person. Small straight blowback pistols are relatively simple designs and just take a little bit of getting used to.

One noticeable thing about the pistol is that it has snag free edges. It is designed to be put into and removed from clothing or a holster without any problems. There are smaller .380s on the market, even 9mms for that matter. Also the 7 round mags may seem lacking to those who would rather opt for sub compact double stack pistols that carry more than 10 rounds. However, the P232 still has a place for undercover, backup, or concealed carry needs. It is still used by many police officers as a backup and is a rugged pistol.

If you are a gun collector the P232 is worth a look into. As for the P232 you can find one in two tone which costs less than the stainless. You may also want to look into the original P230 which is no longer produced any more. They have a pretty good resale value as all Sig pistols do. Whichever one you get I think you will be pleased by the pistol's appearance, operation, and durability.