The SIG Sauer P320 is a semi-automatic pistol made by SIG Sauer of Exeter, New Hampshire and SIG Sauer of Eckernförde, Germany. The SIG Sauer P320 can be chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The P320 chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum was introduced in the North American market on January 15, 2014 followed by the .45 ACP compact model at the SHOT Show in January 2015. The P320 is a further development of the SIG Sauer P250 utilizing a striker-fired mechanism in lieu of a double action only hammer system. On January 19, 2017, it was announced that the SIG Sauer P320 had won the United States Military XM17 Modular Handgun System competition, with a specialized version to become the new M17 pistol.
Video SIG Sauer P320
Design details
Operating mechanism
Like other SIG Sauer pistols, the P320 pistol is a short recoil operated, locked breech pistol. It uses the typical SIG Sauer cam-operated barrel, which locks into the ejection port on the slide.
Features
A key feature of the pistol is its modular design. The main module of the P320 is an internal stainless steel frame fire control unit, which consists of the integrated fire control group (trigger, and all necessary linkage and springs), ambidextrous slide release (one on each side of the pistol), ejector and four slide rails. This steel receiver unit is used in every P320 grip module, top end, and chambering combination and is inserted into the grip frame module and held in place by the axis pin of the disassembly lever. The firearm's serial number is on the fire control unit instead of the grip module. The fire control unit allows the operator to interchange differently-sized slide assembly or top end modules and polymer grip frame modules and trigger shoes and (limited) chambering conversions to adapt the gun to the individual user and address different needs.
The P320 was designed to be ambidextrous in handling, sporting an ambidextrous slide catch lever and user reversible magazine catch. All other operating controls are designed so they can be operated from either side. The firearm can be field stripped with no tools. Additionally, the firearm can also be field stripped without depressing the trigger, an additional safety feature to prevent negligent discharge of the weapon.
The full-size, carry and compact grip modules feature an integral Picatinny rail mounting-bracket at the lower forward edge of the module to allow the mounting of laser sights, tactical lights, and other accessories.
Modular options
The P320 pistol is offered in three Glass-filled polymer grip module sizes--small, medium, and large--in each of the full-sized, carry, compact, and subcompact P320 variants. The pistol top ends also come in full-sized, compact, and subcompact variants that will fit the correspondingly sized grip modules. Every chambering can be converted by the user with a caliber exchange kit. The 9×19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, and .357 SIG chamberings share their polymer grip frame modules and this offers the possibility to interchange these three chamberings by swapping the top end--consisting of the slide, recoil spring assembly, barrel and the box magazine. Due to the significantly larger external dimensions of the .45 ACP cartridge compared to the other P320 chambering options, the .45 ACP chambering uses slightly wider .45 ACP-specific polymer grip modules with an enlarged magazine well. The firearm's "fire control group", which contains the only serialized part of the firearm, is also slightly different to accommodate the enlarged magazine well.
The manufacturer offers caliber exchange kits or Caliber X-Change kits consisting of a slide, recoil assembly, barrel, box magazine and grip module in the varying frame sizes, grip module sizes and chambering variants in which the P320 pistol is offered. These kits enable a user to switch between the various P320 configurations without the use of tools.
Safety
The standard P320 has no manual safeties, promoting instant readiness. Instead of manual safeties, an automated firing pin safety ensures safe carrying of the weapon, while preventing accidental discharges if the gun is dropped or roughly handled. The Modular Handgun System (MHS) or M17 version of the P320 has an ambidextrous thumb safety.
Trigger system
The trigger is a pretensioned striker DAO trigger system. The trigger system has a pull weight of about 28.95 N, 5.5 lbf
The P320 trigger is available in standard (solid) and tabbed (with trigger safety).
Barrel
The P320 is available with a 120 mm (4.7 in), 98 mm (3.9 in), or 91 mm (3.6 in) barrel depending on the size (full-sized, carry/compact or sub-compact respectively).
Ammunition feeding
The pistol feeds from metal detachable box magazines with a six- to twenty-one-round magazine capacity, depending on chambering and pistol size.
Sights
The P320 comes with three-dot combat-type iron sights of which the front sight element can be drifted to the left or right in its dovetail to adjust for windage. There are three rear sight heights and six front sight heights available to adjust for elevation. Self-luminous tritium-powered SIGLITE Night Sights in differing heights are optional. SIGLITE night sights are optional, but come standard in exchange kits.
The SIG Sauer Romeo1 sight is supplied on the RX Full and RX Compact versions of the P320.
Accessories
The factory accessories consist of spare magazines, caliber exchange kits, a short, reduced-reach trigger shoe, handgun holsters, and the STL-900L Tactical Light/Laser unit.
Maps SIG Sauer P320
Variants
Modular Handgun System
Designed to meet the requirements for the XM17 Modular Handgun System competition.
Modifications include:
- Slide cut out to facilitate the addition of a reflex sight
- Ambidextrous thumb safety
- Loaded chamber indicator
- Improved slide sub-assembly to capture small components when disassembled
- Improved trigger "mud flap" to prevent foreign debris from entering the pistol action
- 4.7" 120 mm barrel length in full size XM17
- 3.9" 98 mm barrel length in compact XM18
- chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum (can be adapted to fire larger calibers like .357 SIG and .40 S&W)
- Pistols chambered in 9mm can feature a 17-round magazine in standard with optional 21-round extended magazines available.
On January 19, 2017, it was announced that the SIG Sauer P320 MHS variant had won the United States Military's Modular Handgun System trials. The P320 will be known as the M17 (full size) and M18 (compact) in U.S. Military service. Though the pistol will remain chambered in 9×19mm rather than a larger caliber, the contract allows the Army and other services to procure Sig Sauer's proposed XM1152 Full Metal Jacket and XM1153 Special Purpose ammunition. The ammunition chosen to go with the pistol is a "Winchester jacketed hollow point" round. In May 2017, the Army announced that the first unit that will receive the M17 would be the 101st Airborne Division by the end of the year. At the same time, the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces revealed they also intend to acquire the handgun, making it the standard sidearm for the entire U.S. military. The services plan to procure up to 421,000 weapons in total; 195,000 for the Army, 130,000 for the Air Force, 61,000 for the Navy (XM18 compact version only), and 35,000 for the Marines.
On 17 November 2017, soldiers of the 101st Airborne received the first XM17 and XM18 pistols, with over 2,000 handguns delivered. The XM17 has better accuracy and ergonomics and tighter dispersion than the M9. It will also be fielded more widely, being issued down to squad and fireteam leaders; while special forces would dual-arm all of its members with a pistol and rifle, previously junior leaders in regular infantry units were excluded from carrying sidearms but policy was changed to give them better control over their teams in close quarters battle situations. All Army units are planned to have the M9 replaced with the M17 within a decade.
Reviews
Rob Curtis at GearScout praised the P320's smooth operation and good balance, calling it "immensely controllable", but noted a problem with the slide lock in both test units he tried.
Potential drop firings
In late July 2017, the Dallas Police Department instructed all personnel to stop carrying the P320 pending an investigation. There are concerns that the firearm may discharge when it is dropped and the back of the slide hits the ground at about a 30-degree angle. The problem may be related to the trigger weight; some triggers are heavy enough that they essentially continue to move due to inertia after the gun hits the ground. Internet publications, such as TheTruthAboutGuns.com, conducted independent tests that appear to confirm potential drop firings (at a 40% rate). Another test has shown that the P320 may discharge when the magazine hits the ground first after the gun is dropped. On 8 August 2017, Sig Sauer issued a notice that they would upgrade all P320s to address the issue.
Patent Infringement Lawsuit
In May 2017, Steyr Mannlicher filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sig Sauer. Steyr references their patent US6260301 (filed in 1999 and approved in 2001), which is for a handgun with a removable chassis. Steyr Arms is demanding a preliminary and permanent injunction against Sig Sauer selling any of these firearms.
Users
- Thailand: Royal Thai Police; Purchase of 152,468 SIG Sauer P320 pistols is approved. The pistols were delivered in December 2017.
- United States:
- United States Army: On January 19th, 2017, the P320 was chosen to replace the Beretta M9 as its main service pistol in response to the request for a Modular Handgun System (MHS) also known as XM17.
- Hawaii Department of Public Safety
- Oklahoma Highway Patrol
- Pasco County Sheriff's Office (Florida)
References
External links
- Official website P320 page
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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