SIG Sauer P230

SIG P230 / P232[1]
A SIG P232 SL
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin Germany, Switzerland
Service history
Used by See Users
Production history
Designer Walter Ludwig, Hanspeter Sigg , Peter Blickensdorfer
Designed 1977
Manufacturer SIG Sauer, SIGARMS
Produced P230 1977–1996
P232 1996–2015
Specifications
Weight 520 g (18.5 oz) [1]
Length 17 cm (6.6 in) [1]
Barrel length 9.1 cm (3.6 in) [1]
Width 3.0 cm (1.2 in) [1]
Height 12 cm (4.7 in) [1]
Cartridge .32 ACP, .380 ACP and 9×18mm Ultra
Action Double Action/Single Action (DA/SA) With decocking lever
Feed system 8-round magazine (.32 ACP)
7-round magazine (.380 ACP & 9mm Ultra)[2]
Sights Fixed front and rear

The SIG Sauer P230 is a small, semi-automatic handgun chambered in .32 ACP or .380 Auto. It was designed by SIG Sauer of Eckernförde, Germany. It was imported into the United States by SIGARMS in 1985. In 1996[3] it was replaced by the model P232.[4]

Design

The design and function of the P230 is of the simple fixed barrel, straight blow-back configuration. It has a reputation as a well-built firearm, and competes with the smaller Walther PPK. With its relatively narrow slide and frame it can be carried in an ankle holster or beneath body armor.

The P230 was available in both blued and all-stainless finishes. The blued version features a blued steel slide and a matching, anodized aluminum frame, whereas the stainless version was completely made from stainless steel. Both versions came with a molded polymer, wrap-around grip that is contoured to give the shooter a comfortable and secure hold on the pistol.

The trigger comes from the factory with a 24 newtons (5.5 lbf) single-action pull, and is capable of both single-action and double-action. Pulling back the slide sets the hammer backwards and downwards to its single-action position, making for a very short trigger pull, with minimal take-up. The double-action pull is longer and more stiff. It has no external safeties, though it does have a de-cocking lever positioned just above the right-handed shooter's thumb, on the left side of the grip. The lever provides for a safe method of lowering the hammer from its full-cocked, single-action position, to a "half-cock", double-action safe position where the hammer itself falls forward to a locking point about an eighth of an inch from the rear of the firing pin. Once de-cocked, it is physically impossible for the hammer to drop completely and contact the firing pin, which would otherwise greatly increase the risk of the unintentional discharge of a chambered round. In order for the round to discharge, the full double-action pull would have to be completed, which allows for the pistol to be carried reasonably safely with a round chambered. In addition, the SIG P232 has an automatic firing pin safety.[3]

The sights are of the traditional SIG design and configuration, with a dot on the front sight and a rectangle on the rear sight. To aim using the sights, the shooter simply aligns the dot over the rectangle. The magazine release is located behind and below the magazine floor plate. The magazine is released by pushing the lever towards the rear of the grip, at which point the magazine can be removed from the pistol.

Overview

Due to its small dimensions, it is easily carried as a backup weapon or as a concealed carry handgun, holding 8 + 1 rounds of .32 ACP or 7 + 1 rounds of .380 ACP (9mm Short), respectively.

Discontinuation

Imports of the Sig Sauer P232 to the United States, and of spare parts and magazines, were discontinued in July 2014. Although the P230 and P232 are known for reliability and accuracy,[5] market competition had increased with the proliferation of smaller, lighter and less expensive pistols chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge.[6] The P232 and other Sig Sauer products manufactured in Germany were banned for export by the German Government, due to unlawful foreign arms sales by the U.S. State Department to the Colombian Defence Ministry.[7]

Users

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "P232". SIG Sauer. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Peterson, Philip. Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values: The Shooter's Guide to Guns 1900 to Present (16th ed.). p. 208.
  3. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  5. ↑ http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_380_pistols.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.rogueeliteinfo.com/tag/sig-p232-discontinued/
  7. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28291070
  8. ↑ Ayoob, Massad (9 July 2004). The Gun Digest Book of Sig-Sauer: A Complete Look At Sig-Sauer Pistols. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 58. ISBN 1-4402-2713-6.
  9. ↑ Jenzen-Jones, N.R.; McCollum, Ian (April 2017). Small Arms Survey, ed. Web Trafficking: Analysing the Online Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Libya (PDF). Working Paper No. 26. p. 87.
  10. 1 2 Marchington, James (2004). The Encyclopedia of Handheld Weapons. Lewis International, Inc. ISBN 1-930983-14-X.
  11. ↑ "SAS Weapons - Handguns". Elite UK Forces. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

External resources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.