SIG Sauer P320 self discharges

[KrisZ]

I'm surprised it's not being discussed here.

There is apparently plenty of accidental discharges with this weapon that many police departments are dropping in as a duty weapon.
And there was a military soldier that was killed by it.

What do you think? Honestly, If I owned one, I would put it away, dismantled for good measure.

 

[Pew]

Just to add, it looks like the new Barrett mk22 is joining Sig too.

 

[Astro14]

Yeah, not exactly a new topic. We’ve been talking about it for 8 years.

Thread 'Sig Sauer P320 will fire if dropped'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/sig-sauer-p320-will-fire-if-dropped.274692/

Thread 'Sig Sauer P320 - Self Discharge Reports'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/sig-sauer-p320-self-discharge-reports.332826/

Thread 'used Sig P320 (recall done)...is it safe?'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/used-sig-p320-recall-done-is-it-safe.361471/

Thread 'Sig Sauer p320'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/sig-sauer-p320.373944/

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

For sure there is an issue with the FCU design that needs to be figured out, and I'm a bit confused why they haven't been able to do so yet definitively. There are a million of them out there and lots of people are dissecting and testing them. If there was a specific flaw that could be identified and testing in certain conditions caused uncommanded discharges nearly every time, that would go a long way. But for now it seems like the UDs are still too random to figure out a pattern and get any reliable, repeatable data.

I really like the modularity of the FCU but not its complex design. UDs could just be a matter of manufacturing tolerances or wear or whatever making some more 'loose' and prone to UDs while others are fine.

I own one and I like it quite a bit. I enjoy shooting it at the range and will continue to. It's never kept in a holster and it never has a round chambered unless it's in hand and pointed downrange so I'm not too worried about something bad happening.

That said, I think Sig Sauer has handled the situation VERY poorly.

 

[oldcodger]

Is it possible this is a carry/holster problem?

 

[ripcord]

Is it possible this is a carry/holster problem?

Often these things turn out to be an all of the above situation.

 

[KrisZ]

Does it matter what the issue is? The proper question is why isn’t it being addressed and why is it taking so long?
We now have an airman that died while allegedly handling this weapon.
I’ve seen surveillance videos posted of this gun discharging in police duty and it’s a miracle more people aren’t dead. Sig must have a super strong lobby.

 

[tblt44]

Go back to glock & S&W

 

[Astro14]

Does it matter what the issue is? The proper question is why isn’t it being addressed and why is it taking so long?
We now have an airman that died while allegedly handling this weapon.
I’ve seen surveillance videos posted of this gun discharging in police duty and it’s a miracle more people aren’t dead. Sig must have a super strong lobby.

It matters because the issue isn’t as concrete as you make it out to be.

Don’t like the gun? Don’t trust it?

Then don’t buy one.

I haven’t. It’s just another polymer 9 to me. I’ve got others that work just fine.

 

[CarLuver]

there is supposedly 3-4 million 320 out in the public. If Sig were to admit liability , they would open themselves to lawsuits like crazy. Better to just litigate case by case . Shoot yourself with a sig. Throw a mil at you and go away.

I think they can't fix this issue without replacing something costly like the slide . fixing them all would most likely bankrupt sig .

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Reality is never as salacious as the story they’re trying to sell you.

https://www.twz.com/land/army-makin...0-derived-pistols-after-concerning-fbi-report

After the initial report was submitted, Sig Sauer and its engineers worked in cooperation with the FBI and Michigan State Police to design a fixture that all agreed would create a more controlled testing protocol for striker/sear slippage,” St. John added. “Using that fixture, the FBI forced the sear off of the primary notch 565 times with 19EA different striker assemblies with zero indents on the primer (no fires).”

 

[Bailey28]

The SIG response to their P320 discharging reminds me of how Ford handled the Pinto saga of the 1970's.

 

[GRUMPYDUDE2]

The SIG response to their P320 discharging reminds me of how Ford handled the Pinto saga of the 1970's.

Sad but true.

 

[Astro14]

The SIG response to their P320 discharging reminds me of how Ford handled the Pinto saga of the 1970's.

Or how Audi handled the “unintended acceleration” saga of the 1980s. Huge public outrage that turned out to be - much ado about nothing - a case of operator error in which public perception damaged a company on the basis of fear and sensationalism.

Look at some of the ridiculous statements on the pages of this forum alone following the air India crash. People saying “well it’s a Boeing, it’s clearly flawed“, when the actual cause had nothing to do with the airplane.

One of the safest airplanes in service gets crashed by deliberate pilot action, and suddenly All of the fear, and uninformed public outrage piles onto a product that’s actually really safe.

Public perception and anecdotal evidence are not a solid basis for forming an opinion, but they sure are used as one here.

 

[Astro14]

there is supposedly 3-4 million 320 out in the public. If Sig were to admit liability , they would open themselves to lawsuits like crazy. Better to just litigate case by case . Shoot yourself with a sig. Throw a mil at you and go away.

I think they can't fix this issue without replacing something costly like the slide . fixing them all would most likely bankrupt sig .

They have already offered to replace the trigger and sear in the chassis.

The slide doesn’t really have much to do with it. If there’s a problem, it’s likely in the chassis.

 

[KrisZ]

Or how Audi handled the “unintended acceleration” saga of the 1980s. Huge public outrage that turned out to be - much ado about nothing - a case of operator error in which public perception damaged a company on the basis of fear and sensationalism.

I don't know about that. Both the ICE and Air Force Global Strike Command have officially halted the use of this handgun.

Just because some other, and totally unrelated issues turned out to be "much ado about nothing" doesn't mean this one isn't or that we should somehow not take the claims seriously.

 

[Astro14]

I don't know about that. Both the ICE and Air Force Global Strike Command have officially halted the use of this handgun.

Yes, and 60 minutes did their investigation report on the unintended acceleration and a mechanic proved that if he held a valve open in the transmission, he could get the car to accelerate.

He didn’t prove that the brakes simultaneously failed, however, but that was enough for the Public to pile on.

 

[Astro14]

There may be something here. There is not enough evidence to prove that there is.

Don’t like it? Don’t buy one.

 

[KrisZ]

Looks like a touchy subject to some, not sure why?
However, the courts have found Sig liable in these two cases.

A Georgia jury in June found Sig Sauer liable for a defect in its P320 pistol, awarding $2.35 million to the plaintiff whose gun fired while holstered. The bullet tore through the plantiff’s right upper thigh and ripped out just above his knee, according to court records.

The verdict marked the first time a jury has ruled that the handgun was defectively designed, The Trace reported in June.

In November, a Philadelphia jury awarded $11 million to an Army veteran who was injured when his P320 discharged while in his pocket. Jurors concluded that Sig Sauer was liable for the veteran’s injury because the firearm did not have an external safety, like those used on Glocks and other pistols.

https://stateline.org/2025/03/10/mo...nsider-use-of-popular-sig-sauer-p320-handgun/

 

[shortyb]

I currently have a 3.9 P320 Compact, and it's been extremely reliable for my use, which is primarily a range gun. Never had any issue with the weapon in the 8 years I've owned it and the over 7000 rounds it's put downrange. I trust it and Sig Sauer in general. That's not to say, like everything mass produced, it won't ever develop a problem, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. My opinion is the UD issue with P320s is very random and hard to pinpoint an exact cause. Still, now that it has become a wide reaching problem, especially with death/personal safety involved, Sig should issue a recall for the pistols to ascertain as much as possible, these guns are still safe to use. Again, as mentioned, whether you put your faith in Sig, or one of these weapons, is up to you.