[1][2] Grip panels are fluted polymer making this an all-metal frame firearm in competition with plastic-framed pistols in the same class as the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P-3AT.

Since then, SIG Sauer has produced a number of variants including some short run commemorative editions.

The SIG Sauer P938, chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and introduced at the 2011 SHOT Show,[5] is a slightly larger version of the P238.

In July 2009, SIG Sauer issued a recall of all P238s sold within a certain serial number range, which they referred to as a "Mandatory Safety Upgrade".

[6] The reason stated for the recall was that a small number of P238s were built with defective manual safety levers, leading to "the remote possibility that the gun could fire unintentionally, thus creating a risk of injury or death", although SIG Sauer emphasized that no such injuries had actually occurred.