PMCI - December 2019

enough to run dry quickly, but not too fast as to lose defensive
accuracy.
During reloads, I noticed the magazine would slide in about half
way without any resistance at all then stop. With a firm slap
from the bottom, the mag snapped into place with an audible
click of the magazine catch. This was evidently a design feature
to ensure the user firmly seated the magazine in each time.
The design worked because I found myself dropping mags and
slapping fresh ones in much faster and firmer than I would with
my usual polymer guns.
I was impressed with the clarity of X-ray day/night sights,
and how easy it was to re-acquire a crisp sight picture for
follow-up shots. Another item I would like to note is the ease of
manipulation of the pistols slide. Generally, with pistols in this
category the recoil spring is very heavy leading to some people
having difficulty racking the slide during normal operations,
let alone when there are any outside stressors taking a toll on
them. This is an issue that I have been trying to address with
my wife and our quest to find her the perfect defensive firearm.
Since I would be spending quality time over the next few
months carrying the SIG Legion 938 concealed, I decided to
reach out to my friend and local holster maker, Jim Kay at
Panther Concealment located here in Northeast Florida. Jim is
well known locally for his no nonsense practical kydex holsters.
I explained to Jim what I was looking for in a concealment
holster for the tiny P938. He immediately told me that he had
just the holster I was looking for!
A couple days later just in time for another range trip, I
arranged to meet Jim at his workshop to pick up the holster.
Jim’s holster design was constructed to allow the clip to be
switched for right or left-handed inside the waistband carry
with a straight drop or zero cant. The P938’s short 3-inch barrel,
combined with Jim’s excellent holster allowed for comfortable
carry practically 360 degrees around the body. What separates
this combo from others on the market is the size allows for
the gun to almost disappear from detection while still being
large enough to provide a full master grip and speedy draw
onto target. From the draw to shots fired, this gun and holster
combo covered all three “must haves” in a carry gun package.
It was very controllable, accurate and comfortable carrying in all
positions for extended periods of time.
THE LOWDOWN
As we come to the end of this review project, I would like to
mention I went in to this project with some misgivings. My
initial concerns based on appearances alone about the P938
were it would possibly be too heavy, too small and not very
controllable thus affecting accuracy on the range due to its size
and caliber. Much to my delight over the past year, I was wrong
on all points.
Shooting the P938 wasn’t even remotely close to the
experience of shooting most guns in the pocket pistol category.
Usually, I find the frames are undersized even for medium to
small hands let alone large hands like my own which causes
unwanted movement and constant regripping during firing.
I enjoyed the weight of the P938 absorbing more felt
recoil than my Glock 43 which resulted in quicker follow up
shots. Where the pistol excelled in carry for me was tucked
inside the waistband with the Panther Concealment holster at
the appendix position. The weight kept the pistol positioned
perfectly and I could access it in nearly any seated or standing
position. This gave me a solid piece of mind knowing I would
be fully prepared to react to an immediate threat situation.
With a MSRP of around US$900, this may seem steep for
a small pistol, but consider several things first. Most microsized
9 mm pistols on the market retail for around the US$400
- US$500 price point, before shooters commonly spend another
$500 on average to enhance their gun. Common upgrades
include smoothing out the trigger, add better sights, adding
an ambidextrous trigger (if applicable), purchasing a third
magazine, adding a mag well and changing out the typical
factory black finish only to end up adding an additional US$400
- US$500 to their factory gun.
After spending time with the Legion 938 pistol, customers
may initially spend a couple hundred dollars more than the
base model but end up with custom shop quality for far less
than custom prices. Right out of the box, the Legion pistol is
the complete package. Other than even more magazines, I
could not think how SIG could further improve the gun. I easily
consider the time invested this year well spent in really getting
to learn the Legion 938.
As it has been my experience, pistols specifically designed
for CCW are typically built to be carried often but shot irregularly
due to heavy recoil, I didn’t find this to be the case for the P938.
It is a true shooter and proven performer based on a historic
design. For this shooter, the SIG Legion P938 is a highly capable
and recommended handgun for everyday personal defense
carry. To find out more about the Legion P938 and other great
products from SIG SAUER, visit their website at https://www.
sigsauer.com/ and discover the one that best fits your needs.
To find out more about Panther Concealment check out http://
www.pantherconcealment.com/
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
FIREARMS: SIG SAUER LEGION P938
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