Sig Sauer P320 Review and Range Report (Warning: LOTS of Images!)

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  • cbhausen

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    I finally picked up my Sig P320 (9mm Full-Size) from a local FFL on Saturday 6/28/2014. I paid budsgunshop.com $545 plus $6 insurance for a total of $551 to my FFL with a $20 FFL fee bringing the total cost to $571. I've almost always carried Glocks (27, 34, 26, and 19) and wanted to change things up a bit. Being intrigued by the modular design of this pistol pushed me over the edge. Once obtained with a complete pistol, the serialized fire control group (guts) of this pistol can be dropped into subcompact, compact (what Sig calls "Carry") or full-size kits including grip module, slide, barrel, recoil spring, and one magazine in 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. Additionally, each grip module is available in small, medium (as supplied with my pistol) and large sizes. This refers to the circumference of the grip only and is analogous to different backstrap sizes on competitive pistols. One big advantage of this system is elimination of the fear of FUBARing your firearm by a bad whittling or stippling job. Just go order another grip module for about 40 bucks.. As with the rest of the conversion kits, no FFL transfer is needed since only the FCG is serialized.

    The pistol comes in a hard-shell plastic foam-lined case with cutouts for the various items (pistol, right-hand paddle holster, two magazines, some white grease and the obligatory lock and literature). The manual is well-written and illustrated although lubrication instructions are not very specific and are buried within cleaning and maintenance procedures rather than covered separately.

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    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Form follows function here and, like an old Jeep, this one might look better with a few dings and scrapes (note magazine release has been converted to left-hand, easily done with a paper clip or similar). Grip is nicely textured on all four sides and the elliptical cross-section is a welcome change (for me) from the Glocks I have carried in the past:

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    The next few images show details of the FCG in the grip module and other internal details. This slide has as much machine work as any I've seen, mostly to carve out unneeded mass. Lots of internal parts are metal injection molded stainless steel and appear to be of very high quality. The ejector is integral to the FCG (made from same formed sheet metal with secondary machining). This may concern some but brass ejected very cleanly and consistently around 4:00. Recoil spring is flat-wound and guide rod is all metal:

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    Other reviewers have noted the sights on this pistol are "standard" and interchangeable with other models in Sig's lineup (unlike the P250's rear sight). This should make for lots of options from the aftermarket. These Siglight night sights are extremely bright and add value to the pistol when comparing prices with the competition. The front face of the rear sight is steep enough to use for racking the slide one-handed with the use of a nearby object if necessary:

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    Large ejection port features "sculpted" corner at extractor to help clear spent brass. Note black slide finish has been buffed from breech face (as well as ramp-shaped cartridge stripper on underside of slide as shown in previous image):

    IMG_20140629_182733.jpg


    The next four images show the FCG from each side partially, then fully removed from the grip module. This is done by removing the take-down lever. Pull the lever out and lift up at the leading edge and out it comes. Reassembly is done in reverse order. A tang on the rear of the FCG fits into a recess in the beaver-tail of the grip module to hold things in place at the rear. Note ambidextrous slide release, a nice feature:

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    The next two images are presented separately to emphasize two warnings. Note the small pin just behind the trigger! It can easily fall out and become lost if the FCG is removed. Even fully inserted, this pin still protrudes from the left (as viewed from the rear) side of the FCG. The right-hand end of this pin rests in a shallow blind hole in the opposite side of the FCG. Keep the exposed end of this pin up when re-assembling the pistol after removing the FCG. Please note the pin is almost fully removed in the first image and fully inserted in the second. As for the second warning, I have heard of one instance where the removed FCG was dropped and disassembled itself upon impact and was very difficult to reassemble afterward. Some of the pins are staked into place, others are not. I'd rather not go any further with disassembling the FCG assembly although I'm sure some adventuresome folks will do just that:

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    Back to the grip module, as Sig calls it, here are detail views of the texturing on the grip, the mag well (complete with side notches to pull a stuck magazine out if necessary), and a lanyard loop. Sig did a very complete job here, IMO. Also shown in detail view is the 5-groove 1913 accessory rail. This rail features 4 grooves in the compact ("Carry") model and is not present in the subcompact grip modules:

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    So, how does it shoot? The next two images show 5-shot groups fired while resting the base of my strong hand on a tabletop. The rail was not on a rest. The first was about 7 yards out using Winchester white box 115 grain FMJ. The second was from 15 yards using Federal HST 124 grain. The pistol is much more accurate than I am. I had some difficulty seeing the sights against the black target face and the long sight radius seems to magnify the unsteadiness of my hold. The front sight could be wider or the notch in the rear sight could be narrower to me. There's lots of space there when taking a sight picture. "Equal height, equal light" seem elusive to me with these sights. I guess the first group looks like I might have some common fault making the shots group high and to the right; the second seems evenly dispersed indicating the pistol shoots point-of-aim with the same fault present (maybe not enough finger on trigger since I shoot left-handed?):

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    And now, some random thoughts... This pistol came out of the case with more minor imperfections than some Glocks I've run hundreds of rounds through and sold looking like new (especially the "frying pan" slide finished Glocks). The slide is a nice satiny flat black on the P320 but will not age as gracefully as those Glocks did. I know the newer, dull grey Glock slide finishes have been criticized for being scratch-prone; time will tell with this Sig. There were a few minor dings here and there out-of-the-box; these had to occur during assembly and handling at the factory. The black slide finish is showing noticeable wear (scuffing with bare stainless showing through) where it makes contact with the barrel during the operation cycle. This is "normal" for most firearms and won't bother most people but you might not like it if you're picky about such things (I was with my Glocks but this pistol has cured me). The same goes for the barrel. The contact points of the locking block are showing wear as well after the first 85 rounds. The fine matte finish of the grip module is also showing every little scuff (similar to the way a soft metal with bead blast finish does).

    So far the pistol has been 100% reliable. I saw a couple of WWB casings come out weakly but they did get out cleanly. The slide has locked open on every empty magazine and the trigger is excellent with a short and tactile reset. I see no need to monkey with it (or any other mechanical aspect of this firearm). The only thing to do here is shoot the hell out of it and carry it every day. I usually OC so the size does not bother me (it's only available in the 9mm full-size version for now, I think). In short, it's a keeper, especially because "it" isn't really anything but the FCG. Get bored and want another caliber, say, .45 ACP for bowling pins? Order it for about 250 bucks. How about I want to conceal instead of OC? Get the subcompact for another $250. The savings add up with the cost of a fresh caliber or size kit costing less than half of a complete pistol. What's not to love?
     
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    tbhausen

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    I was present during the shooting (photos and targets). Makes way too much sense to build a gun this way. Beretta came close with the Nano--this is really versatile. I'll probably jump on one when the 9mm "carry" starts showing up.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    This may be my 2015 handgun. I'm intrigued, and this review furthers that.

    The Sig factory night sights are like that on the P220 as well. I always had trouble shooting left because the "equal light" thing was tough to do and I had to REALLY concentrate to get the gaps even. I swapped the factory ones out for Trijicon HDs with the orange dot up front, and it's a huge improvement.
     

    T755

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    Palmetto has those on sale. Tested one also and was very likable for a sig. The carry version, like a commander, is soon to be in the pipeline also.
     

    cbhausen

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    One very important thing I forgot to mention: One does not need to pull the trigger on the P320 to field strip for cleaning. The pistol cannot be field stripped unless the slide is locked back AND the magazine removed (in either order). This may or may not reduce the frequency of NDs during cleaning for those used to Glocks (hickok45 pulled the trigger unnecessarily before field stripping the P320 in his video and he's a die-hard Glock fan) but hopefully new shooters or those who read and follow the manufacturer's instructions will reduce the occurrence.
     

    Indy_Guy_77

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    Those were taken with a Google Nexus 5 cell phone, LOL. With the parts lying on a cardboard target backer.

    I hope you're not super duper in love with that phone...

    It's not IF you'll have radio antenna trouble...but when...

    -J-
     

    NyleRN

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    Maybe I'm misunderstanding but hasn't sig already have a product with this concept of interchangeable frames and slides in the P250 2sum?
     

    Indy_Guy_77

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    Maybe I'm misunderstanding but hasn't sig already have a product with this concept of interchangeable frames and slides in the P250 2sum?

    Difference being: 250 = hammer fired. 320 = striker fired.

    But same concept of interchangeability, yes.

    Now if ever they'll produce the extra frames and magazines for the 230 like they promised they would for the 250...
     

    LEaSH

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    I'd like to know if p250 frames are actually usable with the p320 guts and slide assembly.
    Other reviews say it is so, but show no proof.
     

    cbhausen

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    I'd like to know if p250 frames are actually usable with the p320 guts and slide assembly.
    Other reviews say it is so, but show no proof.

    Here's a good comparison (although I think the Yankee Marshall is sensationalizing the Sig reps' "lie"):

    [video=youtube;hOKt96CpCbo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOKt96CpCbo[/video]
     
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    Indy_Guy_77

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    I'd like to know if p250 frames are actually usable with the p320 guts and slide assembly.
    Other reviews say it is so, but show no proof.

    I think according to a Sig release that they'll be interchangeable. IE - same exact frames AND mags. (At least unless you attempt it with the Gen 1 250 frames - those mags are specific to the Gen 1 frames) Not sure how many of those are out there.
     

    cbhausen

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    One small update: The aggressive texturing on the grip is DESTROYING my leather car seat. Good thing it's an old car. But I would definitely have to do something about this if I cared about the damage. The pistol would have to come off-body, the grip would have to be covered, or I'd need a seat cover. Any ideas so when I get my new Mercedes-Benz (someday...) I can avoid this?
     

    Bobby

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    One small update: The aggressive texturing on the grip is DESTROYING my leather car seat. Good thing it's an old car. But I would definitely have to do something about this if I cared about the damage. The pistol would have to come off-body, the grip would have to be covered, or I'd need a seat cover. Any ideas so when I get my new Mercedes-Benz (someday...) I can avoid this?

    What about using a paddle holster and taking it off and on when you get in and out of your car? I recently switched to this system and like it because I can carry a large handgun without worrying about it digging into my car seat. Plus, since I am not squishing my XDm against the seatbelt buckle, my weapon is readily available should I need to use it. Thanks for putting up the detailed review about the P320, btw.
     
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