Sig Sauer P938 - Carry Method

Y

YankeeIronSights

New member
Hi,

I have been reading and viewing videos about the benefits of always carrying semi-auto handguns with a round in the chamber. Without a doubt, having to unholster the pistol to then rack a slide, during a self defense situation, is a recipe for disaster. Too many things can go wrong. Long story short, if one carries a legal gun for self defense purposes, the firearm should be ready to fire, as soon as you take it out, aim and pull the trigger.

Some will say that Israeli Defense Forces train to rack the slide, when reaching for their gun. That sounds fine, if that is all you do for a living. As an ordinary guy, I prefer to carry with a round in the chamber. That is why I love revolvers. They are reliable and ready to use under most emergency situations.

With that said, I would like to hear from Sig Sauer P938 owners regarding how do they carry these pistols. Do you carry with a cocked hammer, using the safety? Or do you carry without a round in the chamber? After viewing videos of people being shot by assailants, after taking too long to rack their pistols, I am questioning if I should reconsider the use of my P938 as a self defense carry gun.

What do you think?


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"quick draw"

I just discovered the SIG938. "Cute" little gun. I don't own one but have shot one. I agree with always being ready to fire. I have a multiple battery from which to choose and really prefer several that are in my safe. But, for CCW, I rely on a Glock 19. Not my favorite but it meets my needs in an IWB Desantis Cozy Partner holster. No safety to remember to click off, no need to rack a round - just evaluate "fear for life", point and shoot: 16 times. All said. I still have the Sig938 on my "add to" list.
 
You should carry....I guess I should say...I carry them with a round in the chamber, hammer cocked and safety engaged. The safety is a requirement on a SA only firearm which is why I rarely carry one. The safety is just another step to manipulate in a process when tenths of a second could count. For me, I just want to draw and pull the trigger if that day ever comes.
Obviously if a SA auto is your carry choice you just need to train for muscle memory to disengage the safety in one fluid motion.
 
I have carried my Sig P938 for almost a year now and trained alot with it. I absolutely always have a round in the chamber, with the safety engaged. Disengaging the thumb safety is an additional step that most would rather do without, but like Targa said it Is absolutely essential to have safety engaged with SA only pistols while carrying. And not to mention the position of the thumb safety, like all 1911 platforms or designs, is incredibly well placed and designed. As I draw my pistol my thumb just automatically pushes down there, and rests upon it.

The other method I suppose is round in chamber, safety off and a decocked hammer, which truly makes no sense to me. It is incredibly less intuitive for me to cock the hammer manually while drawing to shoot a threat quickly, and not the safest for me to manually decock it before I leave the house.


Honestly, I do love the "safe action" triggers much of the polymers have, or a DA/SA system as well. They all work great, its just up to me to put the hours in training with what ever system I choose to carry, to the point it is an unconscious, second nature action of my hands, without having to think or look.
 
I wish the P938 had a back strap safety mechanism, like the 1911. Carrying a P938 with a cocked hammer and just relying on the thumb safety feature makes me uneasy. I do not think that this carry method is safe.

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I wish the P938 had a back strap safety mechanism, like the 1911. Carrying a P938 with a cocked hammer and just relying on the thumb safety feature makes me uneasy. I do not think that this carry method is safe.
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It should not make you uneasy. It is completely safe, without a doubt. You can do your own research to find that out or if you can stand a 16 min video of some guy that talks really really slow, then check this link out . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjlaEFe-d9Q&t=255s

If you want a quick synopsis of his point then just skip to 13:30 or so. It is safe, and quite impossible for that hammer to drop to the firing pin with the thumb safety engaged. Contrary to what you said, I think backstrap safety's are unnecessary and just another moving part that I have to clean every once in a while.
 
Very useful video. Thanks for sharing this safety information. It gave me a little extra peace of mind. As you say, one must practice drawing and disengaging the thumb safety. Without proper muscle memory, the drawing process could get complicated or cumbersome. Food for thought.


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No problem, hope I wasn't to crass about it all. I completely support the use of a p938 as a defensive gun, for those of us who cannot always carry something larger.

It shoots true, has 7+1 capacity (thats great for a pocket 9mm) and has been very very reliable for me. Like I said before, training training training. I practice drawing from concealment and executing a string of fire, from hip, and outwards as I extend to put my support hand up onto the grip.

I cant afford to shoot as much as I want to, so I also do quite a bit of dryfire drawing, disengaging thumb safety and trigger press practice. All in one, rapid, fluid movement.

- Gun out of holster, instantly disengage safety EVERY time that it comes out. Done handling gun, Safety goes back on EVERY time I am done with any string of fire or if im going to re-holster. Even when I am going to eject round for cleaning because you must disengage safety to clean the p938's according to the manual :p
 
Sawyer is on the money IMO.

The P938 is a pistol always on my list, just not at the top. I rented one some time back and both me and my wife, who isn't particularly good with pistols, really liked it and both did well with it.
 
The Sig P 238 and P 938 are quite safe to carry in the cocked and locked mode in a proper holster. The safety blocks the hammer and yet allows the slide to cycle while on safe thus you can load a round into the chamber with the hammer cocked and safety on.
I carry my 238's and 938 in a IWB kydex holster, easily obtained in a variety of carry positions and available on ebay or at most larger gun shows where they will mold and complete to your needs.
Both of the pistols mentioned are soft shooting and accurate pistols with excellent sights.
 
i had a little bit of a hangup carrying my 938 cocked and locked. I realise its how they are meant to be carried....its no different than carrying a glock or any other striker fired gun, you just cant see the hammer cocked back on a glock like you can with the 938, but both are in condition one.

To get over it i carried it cocked and locked without one in the chamber constantly for a couple of days trying to make the gun go off (sitting slouched down in chairs, backing into things etc) and finally was able to get over it

have to say its a great little gun, almost as light as my keltec pf9 but so much more pleasant to shoot.
 
I wish the P938 had a back strap safety mechanism, like the 1911. Carrying a P938 with a cocked hammer and just relying on the thumb safety feature makes me uneasy. I do not think that this carry method is safe.
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I interpret "back strap safety" to refer to the M1911/M1911A1 grip safety.

In fact, given the P238/P938 firing pin block, the grip safety would be entirely duplicative and offer no additional "safety." Here's why:

The primary risk of an unintended discharge of a single-action pistol carried in Condition 1 (cocked and locked) is a drop off, caused when dropping the pistol either causes the floating firing pin to move forward enough to activate the primer in the chambered round or a jar off, caused when some impact causes the sear to move enough to allow the hammer to be released. With the P238/P938, if either of these events happens, the firing pin is blocked such that it cannot reach the primer, unless the operator presses and holds the trigger all the way back for the entire time of hammer fall.

While the M1911/M1911A1 thumb safety does have some sear blocker function, it is primarily intended to interdict a wayward trigger finger.

Bottom line: you have to do what makes you comfortable, but in the process it helps to understand how the device works, so that you don't deceive yourself into worry about risks that don't exist.
 
The Sig P938 has become my primary carry gun. I've carried it for about two years now with round chambered, hammer cocked, safety engaged.

Assuming that you understand firearm safety and are competent in the safe handling of firearms, I don't believe that there's any reason at all to be concerned with carrying your P938. The safety has a very positive click ( I've never had it become disengaged while carrying). Also, the trigger pull is not nearly as light as a 1911. I believe Sig rates it at around 7-8 lbs.
 
I carry my P938 cocked and locked in a solid holster OWB virtually every day and do not worry about it anymore than when I used to carry an SP101. I prefer the flatter profile of a semi-auto.

I prefer a manual safety such as on the P938 to internal automatic ones such as a Glock (though I do on occasion carry a G29 when I am in more rural settings).

To me... there are a lot of variations in firearms out there for a reason. If you are not comfortable with a particular firearm or carry method for whatever reason there are plenty of options out there that would not present that concern.
 
I carry my P238 cocked and locked and don't worry. I use it as a pocket gun, and I have a holster that covers both trigger and safety, plus the safety clicks on and off quite decisively.

i had a little bit of a hangup carrying my 938 cocked and locked. I realise its how they are meant to be carried....its no different than carrying a glock or any other striker fired gun, you just cant see the hammer cocked back on a glock like you can with the 938, but both are in condition one.
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Not to be curmudgeonly, but for clarity for other folks reading this, I have to differ with that a bit. The Glock mechanism leaves the striker only partially cocked at rest, and the trigger completes the cocking before the release. It is, in that way, more like a DA, albeit a rather light one.

Personally, I am equally comfortable with the safety of both mechanisms, when handled conscientiously, and equally uncomfortable with them in the hands of a person who is not willing to pay attention. My EDC is an IWB Glock, and my pocket pistol the little Sig.
 
I wish the P938 had a back strap safety mechanism, like the 1911. Carrying a P938 with a cocked hammer and just relying on the thumb safety feature makes me uneasy. I do not think that this carry method is safe.
Click to expand...

Really, think about it; I don't feel safe carrying a gun with a safety?
Better a Glock, or Shield, or PPS, or Kahr, that have no safety?
 
The problem with empty-chamber carry isn't that it's slow, it's that you really need two hands to load the gun, and you may not have two available at the moment of truth.

I've had my P938 for about four months, have 200 trouble-free rounds through it - I know, not much or enough - and have used four different carry methods to date.

I bought a Don Hume JIT holster, because I like the "avenger" style, and wanted something cheap, quickly, so I could ponder about alternatives at my leisure.
Like everything from Don Hume, it's not cutting edge or trimmed in elephant hide, but it's thin, light, and for OWB carry, it's not a bad choice.

The actual shooting that I do is competition that requires multiple draws and re-holsters, and the thin leather tends to collapse when the gun is out, making re-holstering a bit of a hassle; a similar design with reinforcement around the mouth would be great, if a bit bulkier.

I also have a KRounds kydex IWB, for appendix carry, and while it would be great for someone who spends most of their time upright, I spend too much time driving or sitting at a desk for it to become a favorite.
It's a cool design that allows safe holstering before shoving it down your pants, and I intend to keep trying it.

Third, is a compression undershirt with a sewn-in "holster" on each side, that is surprisingly comfortable. It's one-size-fits-all - the holster - and if I were going to choose it as my primary method of carry, I'd probably want some additional stitching to fit it more closely to my specific gun.

Last, is my usual, off-body carry in a pocket of a briefcase. I'd prefer to have the gun on me rather than just within reach, but it's reality for a lot of people.

If the gun is on my person, it's always cocked 'n' locked, but off body, condition two; hammer down on a loaded chamber.
 
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