Sig Sauer-Security in an Unsecure World

As many of you are aware, the Mexican government is publishing a comic pamphlet with instructions on how to sneak across the border without attracting attention. It also tells the dirty rats how to keep from dying of thirst, how to find shelter, and how to integrate themselves into society once they get here. This sounds like an invasion to me. That sort of thing used to be considered an act of war. Imagine if we had found Russia publishing something like this at the height of the Cold War. Or found Al-Quaeda operatives with something like this.

Since there are going to be even more illegal aliens crossing into my country, I figured I’d write about another fine weapon which might have to be used to defend myself from the onslaught of criminals crossing the border, should they decide to get really out of line. I freely acknowledge that not all of the illegals crossings the border plan to rape, pillage, and murder once they are over here. However, there is a significant number who do plan to do just that. And let’s not forget: everyone who does sneak in here is breaking the law. Every. Damn. One. I’d say they probably have a predisposition as a group to hold the law in little esteem. Crime statistics bear this out. Consider, for instance the El Salvadorian gangs now running amok in major cities. They snuck in here from south of the border as well, though their predecessors came over under asylum.

Is it any wonder there are people flocking to get a concealed-carry license across the United States? Our little safe country is getting a bit worse every day, thanks in no small part to the hordes of illegal aliens coming across our Southern borders.

Sig-Sauer is a fine German firearms manufacturer. The Germans tend to do quite well with things that roll or explode, and Sig-Sauer is proof-positive. Their pistols are high-quality, and very reliable overall. I am now a big fan of the Sig-Sauer P232. This is a great little .380 auto, with good looks, great balance, and superb shooting characteristics.

I know, the big caliber bozos are already clamoring. “It’s a .380,” they moan. “It’s not big enough to do maximum damage. It’s not manly, like the .45.”

Yeah, it’s not a .45. I have written on this site about the .45 and the 9mm. I love them both. However, small calibers have their place. I have also written on this site about carrying a gun in Texas. It’s hard to carry a big pistol in this state. Small guns are good carrying weapons. Personally, if I could predict when and where I’d need a gun, I wouldn’t go anywhere near the place. If I just had to, I would probably pack an M1 tank. Since we can’t predict stuff like that, it makes since to carry something comfortable.

Besides, an armed citizen will more than likely deter any attacker with the simple brandishment of a weapon. More than likely, they won’t even have to fire. To that end, any gun one can carry is better than the gun left at home because it weighs more than the national debt.

The Sig 232 looks a bit like the Walther PPK and PPK/S. It is a bit longer, and definitely lighter. The Sig also lacks a manual safety, though it does have a decocker on the left side. The 232 also sports a European style magazine release, on the butt of the pistol close to the magazine well.

The Sig P232 is a great size. It can fit in the pocket of a good pair of jeans, without too much difficulty. It can fit nicely in an inside the pants rig, without excessive bulk. It is a full-size grip, so the shooter won’t have their pinky hanging off like a lady at a tea party. The 232 has a very slim profile, less than two inches. It is less than five inches tall. The blued version weighs less than 18 ounces. It is less than seven inches long.

All this adds up to a great gun for concealment. You can virtually hide it anywhere. Ankle holster, pocket holster, and belt holster all work with this great little gun.

The ergonomics are pretty impressive as well. The gun’s grip is full-size, as noted before. The upper part of the grip swells nicely, to fill out the palm of the hand. The engineers really studied the human hand, and its various widths and different points of the hand. The grip is contoured to fill the hand almost perfectly. The gun has a low bore axis, so it points very naturally.

The sights are well done. The P232 has a three-dot sight, with a decent low profile. The profile is not so low as to make sighting difficult. There is, of course, tritium-lit night sights available for this gun as well.

The 232 is an eight shot magazine, with the ability to carry one in the chamber. This gives the shooter nine rounds of .380. Most pocket revolvers have a five-shot capacity. The .380 hits about as hard as a .38 special, so the 232 has a definite edge there. Most other small autos have less magazine capacity, which is not really wonderful when you are talking about a .22 or .25 caliber. The 232 has them beat handily.

The pistol is a single-action/double action. The gun has a recessed hammer, which is still very accessible to the shooter’s thumb. The pistol has a fairly heavy double action pull. I like this feature, since the gun does not have a manual safety. Subsequent shots are single-action, unless the decocking lever just behind the trigger guard is engaged. The pistol will then lower the hammer, as well as return to double-action mode. As noted, the pistol can be easily cocked for a single-action trigger pull. When cocked, the pistol has a very smooth trigger, with almost no overtravel before snapping. I would guess the single-action pull comes in at no more than five pounds. The double-action pull is probably 12 pounds or better. The gun also sports a loaded chamber indicator, in the form of a red-tinged extractor which protrudes when a round is in the pipe.

Like the Walther PPK’s, the Sig 232 has a fixed barrel. This makes the pistol very accurate. Groups of less than an inch are easily obtainable at seven yards. That is plenty accurate for a pocket pistol. The recoil is very mild, probably due to the heavy recoil spring.

Field stripping is much like the PPK’s except the Sig has a takedown lever just in front of the trigger guard. It is very simple, and easy to clean. However, the pistol does have a tiny spring and pin located under the slide, just above the trigger. When cleaning, the shooter must be careful not to pull the pin loose. The spring will fling it to parts unknown, and finding it can be a problem. It’s very tiny. In this regard, the Walther has the Sig beat. No tiny parts will fly off when cleaning the Walther.

The stainless version of the gun is about 10 ounces heavier, which does make a difference. One of the main reasons I like this gun over the Walther PPK is because of the weight. I like the features of a Walther better, with the decocker/manual safety. However, the Walther is incredibly heavy in comparison. Also, the Sig has better grip ergonomics, probably some of the best I’ve ever seen on a pistol.

Reliability seems to be very high. No jams were suffered in testing with a variety of jacketed ammunition, including hollow points. The pistol went “bang” each time it needed to.

The fun factor is there, as well. One can shoot this gun a lot, without beating one’s hand to death. It’s just plain enjoyable to shoot.

As noted, the .380 is not a .45. Since the relative stopping power of the .380 is pretty close to a .38 special, I do not think the shooter gives much up with this caliber. I wouldn’t want to shoot a bear with it, of course. However, it should do nicely against the average goblin. A good defense round such as the Hydra-Shok or Glaser Safety Slug can greatly increase the stopping power. Also as noted, the pistol has a pretty decent ammo capacity for a pocket gun. It’s better than a .22, not as good as a .45. What more does one want? To maximize concealment, one has to sacrifice in the large caliber department. That is, until my dream .500 S&W derringer comes along.

I would venture a female shooter would find this gun pleasant to shoot as well. Recoil is very mild, and the pistol fits a female’s hand nicely. The long double-action might pose some problems to a female with weaker trigger fingers, but the pistol does have the option of being cocked for a very smooth single-action pull. XFILES fans will perhaps note Scully carried a 232 in the first couple of seasons of the show. How I miss it, but I digress.

All in all, this is a very impressive piece of hardware for concealed carry and self-defense. It’s also just plain fun to shoot. Plus, it's a bit of security in a world that seems to be going a little more mad each day.