SIG Sauer P230
semi-automatic pistol
The SIG Sauer P230 is a small, semi-automatic handgun chambered in .32 ACP or .380 Auto. It was designed by SIG Sauer branch in Eckernförde, Germany. It was imported into the United States by SIGARMS in 1985. In 1996 it was replaced by the model P232.
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 "Kurz" or Short), respectively.
History
SIG P230 was designed in 1977 as a concealable law enforcement sidearm. After World War II, the West German state police mainly carried Walther PP and Walther PPK models chambered in .32 ACP, as at the time, no 9×19mm pistol was compact nor portable enough for concealed carry. However, various terrorist incidents in West Germany circa the early 1970s, such as 1972 Munich Massacre and the Red Army Faction's activities, pushed the West German law enforcement outfits to seek new, more powerful handguns to counter to these new threats.
The P230 was submitted for the search, but was not selected. The West German police decided to use 9mm Parabellum ammunition, with SIG Sauer P225 (P6), Walther P5, and H&K P7 being selected, and which would be issued at the discretion of each state.
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This entry incorporates text from “SIG Sauer P230” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.