I’m not sure I’ve ever weighed into the P320 debate on this board (as I have at SigTalk and GlockTalk), but my position is this.
1. The P320 is (and has been) getting an unusual number of uncommanded discharge reports compared to other gun manufacturers (and even other Sig models). If it’s not the gun, does that mean that those that buy and use Sig P320s are significantly more unsafe than those that buy and use other brands?
2. If this were simply a social medial phenomena, there should be guns of all manufacturers being reported in close to equal measure for uncommanded discharges, all across social media.
3. There are those that inevitably will go to “whataboutism” and the Glocks of the 1980s/90s, completely ignoring the fact that LEOs were moving from hammer fired revolvers to striker fired automatics that work very differently…10 lb heavier trigger in revolvers notwithstanding.
4. Personally, I saw enough of this debacle to follow the adage “where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire”. That, and Sig’s continual poor responses in belittling anyone who mentioned the issue resulted in my dumping a P320 X-Carry, 2 P320 Compacts, and 4 P365s of various styles. Never had an issue with any of them, carried the P365s a lot, it was a matter of principle “for me” based on Sigs response to the whole mess. Won’t own another until they (Sig) figure out how to be professional. Too many better guns out there for similar or less money.
5. I do agree that some of the alleged uncommanded discharges likely were safety problems. But again…why is it always Sig?
6. Don’t know who’s right in their assessment of what’s up with the P320, but there are legitimate theorems that speak to the “laws of averages” that indicate there should be an explanation for “why is it always a Sig P320?”
7. There are tons of examples where gun owners have had significant problems with “their” sample of a gun. Most of us admit it is possible for a gun to escape manufacturer QC and be less than operational. I personally had to send a Guardian back to Dan Wesson to have the ramp recut and for them to insert the proper link. It is very conceivable to me that Sig could be missing things at QC concerning some examples of P320s that do NOT affect every P320 ever released.
8. I also believe, at least in the LEO uncommanded discharges reports, that it possibly goes to said LEO carrying a duty P320 continually, never removing it from the holster, taking their belt off and on daily at home (here, I’m assuming LEO is allowed to take duty weapon home), yet never removing magazine, unloading gun, and never resetting “fully charged” striker as it slowly moves toward release from constant bumps over days/months. Eventually, a very minor bump releases striker, resulting in uncommanded discharge. I’m willing to bet that the majority of the civilian owners of P320s who continually say they’ve never had an issue frequently load and unload their p320s, constantly resetting the striker which would negate any movement over a period of time. I know I did, and unless my P320s were doing duty as home defense weapons, they weren’t stored loaded either.
www.latimes.com
