After finishing up my review of the Sig P938, I had some grand plans to order a Crimson Trace laser for it and also try feeding the pistol a steady diet of defense loads to see if it made an improvement in reliable feeding and extraction. You know how plans go, they are easy to make and often difficult to follow through on. Between the unscheduled gun reviews and change over to the new clear gel ballistics testing media, I never got back to the 938.
Finally, last weekend was my chance to get the Sig back out to the range and see how it handled +P defense ammo. I took some Gold Dot and HST 124 Grain +P loads with me with every intention of running through at least 50 rounds of each. I also installed the Crimson Trace Laser Guard before heading out. The Crimson Trace fits really well, but I immediately noticed the change in available grip length after the install. There's not much real estate on the front strap to begin with and adding the laser made the available space even less. Undaunted, it was off to the range.
I had a shooting buddy meeting me at the range so I did some shooting with the 938 and I also let him shoot a bit too. I made a short video from the range session. I went easy on the editing and left quite a few of the candid comments in place.
I picked up on a few things during the range visit that I will share with you. Some of these you may have noticed in the video. The first thing I learned is the 938 isn't much fun with +P ammo. I was having some genuine discomfort shooting it that was not there during previous outings. Some of the discomfort may be attributed to the reduced grip area on the front strap now that the laser is installed. Some may be due to the additional recoil of the +P ammo. Going forward, I'm sticking to standard pressure defense loads in this pistol.
The other thing I learned is that I've developed a striker/double action trigger finger. I'm really glad Jon was with me to show me that the pistol sights were fine and it was my issue with trigger control that caused my shots to hit left of point of aim. Jon had no problem keeping his shots centered on the target. We talked about it later and we think I may need to have a bit less finger on this single action trigger. Jon shoots single action pistols about as much as I shoot striker/double action pistols so it's no wonder he got better results than I did
The last thing I learned is this pistol should be reliable if it's fed a steady diet of good quality defensive ammo. All through the review and even after the review, I've never had a single failure of any kind when using Gold Dots or HSTs. This includes the standard pressure and +P 115 grain and 124 grain varieties.
I was encouraged by the results from this last trip. I may work on my trigger technique or I may just cheat and slide the rear sight over a bit to adjust the pistol to me vs. adjusting me to the pistol.
Overall, are you satisfied with you P938?
ReplyDeleteI think it will be fine with Gold Dot 115 grain standard pressure. Adding the Crimson Trace was just dumb on my part because it eats up too much front strap. I'll have to use the extended mag if I ever want to shoot +P's in it.
DeleteI have the Shield, but I mainly got that because I couldn't find a P938. Now that I'm starting to see more and more of them, I am thinking about trading/selling the Shield for a 938.
ReplyDeleteI finally picked up a P938 - did not much care for it personally. The trigger pinched the heck out of my finger, and tore off skin. The checkering on the front strap left blisters on my right middle finger. I had trouble shooting it accurately....surprisingly enough, I traded a buddy for a Kimber Solo, and it's been great: accurate, reliable, and fun to shoot.
ReplyDeleteYou lucky dog. I'd do that trade in a heartbeat if it was offered to me. Isn't that trigger a real pain? When skin starts flying, it's time to review other options.
DeleteJust bought one though I may have reconsidered if I had read your review first. Have you considered filing off a bit of the bottom of the trigger so that it can't pinch? I can live with restricting my loads to a single brand if that solves the feed and eject issue but I'd have trouble with the pinched finger problem. Removing the trigger to file it looks like it might be a problem however.
ReplyDeleteI may do a bit of smoothing on that trigger corner in the future. I want to try the pistol again in the Spring and if it's still not extracting FMJ Range Ammo at that time, I'll call Sig again and see where they are on updates for the pistol. I got and early one so they've been tinkering with the pistol over time to improve reliability and I may not have all the updates. Specifically, I've heard they went to a different length on the recoil spring assembly. I may not have that update. After it's back from service, I'll start my mods.
DeleteI'm the same guy who posted on 1-JAN above. My P938 is dated 17-OCT-2012. Its a black aluminum frame with stainless slide, night sights and black aluminum grips. I don't even see that combination on their website. I went to the target range and ran 50 rounds of 115G Federal through it with no feed or ejection problems. I stopped after one box however since my trigger finger was getting sore. The trigger is very uncomfortable and the darn thing kicks even with a light load. I switched to my Baretta 92FS compact Inox and enjoyed another box. The 92 is a joy to shoot. Admittedly, I didn't purchase the P938 for target shooting but it shouldn't hurt to shoot. What was Sig thinking when they tested it? A slightly different trigger would fix the problem. I think the guard should be notched and the trigger longer. I'm not sure what to do. I'm considering a stainless trigger refit. I'd have to do some minor machining to shave the bottom of the trigger and round the bottom edge. I hate to mess with it while its under warranty however.
DeleteRich
I've looked at the trigger some more now that my finger isn't sore anymore. I think the problem is not that the skin gets pinched when pressing the trigger but gets drawn under the trigger when the trigger is released. When the pistol fires, recoil forces the firearm back and the trigger releases forward. Shaving the bottom off the trigger won't help and may make the problem worse. I've rounded the trigger bottom edge a bit, but I think the fix is to use less finger when firing. Using just the finger tip should avoid the problem. I still think its a poor trigger design. If I'm correct and less finger cures the problem it will prove to be a nice pocket gun. I'll just have to remember to fire a bit differently with this handgun.
ReplyDeleteRich
Funny that you came to a similar conclusion as I did. From the post above. "The other thing I learned is that I've developed a striker/double action trigger finger. I'm really glad Jon was with me to show me that the pistol sights were fine and it was my issue with trigger control that caused my shots to hit left of point of aim. Jon had no problem keeping his shots centered on the target. We talked about it later and we think I may need to have a bit less finger on this single action trigger. Jon shoots single action pistols about as much as I shoot striker/double action pistols so it's no wonder he got better results than I did"
DeleteI also identified the problem as too much trigger finger. Honestly can't see myself changing to accommodate the P938 when it's the odd-ball from all the others.
I've put 300+ rounds of S&B 115gr FMJ downrange through my P938. 3 sessions x 100rds each. Never had a single issue. Haven't pinched anything yet(?)
ReplyDelete