New duty pistol – SIG P320 Carry 9mm

[Lyonsgrid]

These were supposed to arrive last October so I’ve had plenty of time to acquire some support gear. I reported to the range today to turn in my G23 and receive this new P320 Carry in 9mm. We had about 30 minutes to get our gear switched over and hit the range. Got to fire 150 rounds to get familiar with the pistol then we shot our 50 round qualification.

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My initial impressions are pretty good. The machining appears to be nicely done and the finish is nice and even. It was covered in a lot of oil as expected. I broke it down and ran a patch down the barrel and wiped off the excess oil. The internals looked as they should and I could not see any blemishes.

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It has Siglite sights with a #6 on the front and a #8 rear. All of the 17 round magazines explode nice and smooth from the grip. The trigger is the best part. It’s a lot better than the stock Glock triggers I’ve been accustomed to over the years. I actually prefer a TDA or LEM trigger but this one is awesome for a striker pistol.

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I have a textured medium compact grip frame and a factory compact 15 round mag to try out for a little better concealment. The JM Custom Kydex AIWB wing claw holster appears to be top quality. I have a couple of Safariland ALS holsters to try out and they were solid also.

I’ve not followed the changes to the P320 since they hit the scene but this one has a build date of 02-14-2017 so it’s very new. I noted the plug where safety would be on the DOD models. Not sure if this is new. The slide release works for me and I had lock back on each empty mag. My only gripes are the take down lever is way too big and the sights hit behind the dot for me.

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The accuracy was very good. I was able to ace the qualification with plenty room to spare from the 25 yd line. It’s very shootable. We were shooting Winchester 147 FMJ as our training round. I did not experience any stoppages. I did notice the Officer shooting to my right had one failure to extract causing a double feed while firing one handed. There were about two more stoppages to the course of fire due to malfunctions which occurred too far down the firing line for me to see. I did hear a few grumblings of “I wish I had my Glock forty back.” Not me, I was happy to turn in my 1997 dated G23 and opted out of the buy it back price of $275.

The biggest goof of the day occurred when it was time to pass out the duty rounds. We’re supposed to get issued the Winchester Ranger T-Series 147 (RA9T). Imagine my surprise when they started passing out the ol’ Federal Classic Hi-Shok 115 (9BP). This old workhorse round will have to do until I can get it swapped out next week.

Overall, the P320 is solid. It’s hard to get excited about it. It seems to have less soul than even a Glock. It’s like shooting a lego blaster, albeit a good shooting one. I can live with it. I still prefer a TDA Sig, Beretta or H&K but I’m quickly turning into a nostalgic old timer.

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[Trukinjp13]

I have a compact and have ran multiple types of ammo. I had one fte with wolf steel cased. A friend has also had a couple fte with lighter loaded 9mm. Other then that it has ran great. Good luck on the ammo upgrade. Mine seemed to like 124grn +p more the. The 147 grn +p but ymmv. I agree 100% on tda guns. I am thinking about giving the px4 compact ago.

[Nephrology]

You take great photos. Thanks for sharing.

[azerious]

New frame has alot of "casting" or molding marks...other than that it appears to indeed have less soul....

[walker2713]

Thanks for the excellent photography and write up.....let us know how the transition progresses.

[Doc_Glock]

I like the feel of the carry configuration best.

Great photos and thanks for the report.

[Rex G]

Yes, I agree; excellent images. Thanks for the images and report.

The .40 version of the P320 is popular with our new PPOs, who have several .40 SIG/Glock/S&W choices, and the switch to 9mm is about to begin, with the P320 being the new standard primary duty pistol, for all cadets, from that point forward. (It remains to be seen, whether the 9mm and/or P320 standard will be applied to all officers, at a later date; in the past, duty pistol changes only applied going forward, with existing duty pistols grandfathered.)

[Shootingrn]

Found some old carry ammo 9bp and shot it this afternoon. Forgot how hot it was. I shot it out of a 92fs and it felt stouter than my Winchester 124 +p.

The ergos on the 320 are impressive.

[pblanc]

Thanks for the review. Despite the fact that the SIG optics sight recommends #8 sights front and rear for 9mm pistols, it seems that they have been predominantly shipping P320 compacts with a #6 front and #8 rear. If you really don't like the "drive the dots" sight picture, you might inquire as to whether it is possible to swap the front #6 sight for a #8, which will raise the POI relative to the POA.

Your pistol has the latest iteration of take down lever, slide latch lever, and grip module. I'm sure it also has the "adverse trigger" since that was a very early change. Yes, the safety cut-out on the grip module is very recent. The original P320 compact has some cycling issues and some lightening cuts in the slide were eliminated to increase slide mass. You have the newer slide.

[taadski]

Thanks for the review. Despite the fact that the SIG optics sight recommends #8 sights front and rear for 9mm pistols, it seems that they have been predominantly shipping P320 compacts with a #6 front and #8 rear. If you really don't like the "drive the dots" sight picture, you might inquire as to whether it is possible to swap the front #6 sight for a #8, which will raise the POI relative to the POA.

A bunch of the early 320s were reported to be shooting high. Not only NOT 'drive the dot', but above the tip of the front blade at 25 yards high. I suspect the 8/6 combinations we're seeing now out of the factory are to remedy that. But that's only me guessing. I've not been told that from anyone at Sig. FWIW.