On Monday, SIG SAUER is scheduled to release the details of its P320 voluntary upgrade program. Owners concerned with the drop safety vulnerability identified here can choose to send their gun(s) in to receive new fire control group components. But do those components truly resolve the issue?

To find out, SIG brought us to their headquarters in New Hampshire. They informed us that they installed the trigger components from the M17 (the Army’s version of the P320) into the commercial P320, did 2,200 drop tests over the course of the weekend, and that the new parts resolve the drop safety vulnerability.

Then they showed us. Into the Test Lab we went, where three commercial P320s with the reduced-mass trigger, sear, and striker plus the new sear cage and trigger disconnect had been installed. A primed, but otherwise empty case was inserted and each gun was discharged the old fashioned way to verify function.

A new, primer-only case was chambered and dummy rounds were used in the magazine for weight. Then each gun was suspended on a test rig four feet over solid concrete at the problematic -30° orientation, and dropped. Three times each. After each drop, the chambered “round” was fired and a new one was inserted.

Nine drops right on the money, zero discharges. Additionally, zero striker releases. In TTAG’s testing and, from the data SIG showed us, in their testing, there were incidents where the striker slipped off the sear but the striker block safety was still in place and, therefore, the gun did not fire. With the upgrade parts, the incidents of striker release were significantly reduced.

While further, independent testing will certainly be done — including by TTAG once our P320 comes back with the official upgrade parts installed — it certainly looks promising. There’s no way TTAG’s P320 would have made it through nine drops, let alone three or likely even one, without discharging in the testing we witnessed.

SIG states that they’ve dropped the new configuration from four feet and up, right at this problem angle, more than 2,200 times plus more in other orientations, and have been doing extensive finite element analysis modeling. They’re confident that the M17 trigger components eliminate the drop safety vulnerability.

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72 COMMENTS

  1. So are they recalling the pistol.or.acting like it’s not really a problem?
    Caracal pulled.theirs off.the market and reengineered it before selling a gun again.

    • There is no way that Sig developed this in one week. That means they sat on the solution and let this internet sh$$tstoorm blow up in their face. Stupid. Burn Sig burn.

      • Wow, not everything is a conspiracy to hide something. There is no credible evidence of Sig trying to hide the problem and the timing is completely explainable.

        Ongoing improvements in the XM-17/18 pistols resulted in the fix being available before Sig even knew it was needed. Once usable reports on the P320 came in (amidst a lot of noise) they obviously did an internal “whoa” and began testing to reproduce the issue. As such trying/testing what they already had in the Q1 XM17/18 FCU would be a obvious part of this process if nothing more than to verify if the XM-17/18 was vulnerable or not.

        Helpful to remember that while the XM-17/18 is based upon the P320 they are not 100% the same. The XM-17/18 has evolved past the P320 and will likely continue to evolve more in the coming years. Relatively easy incremental improvements is one perk of a modular firearm and we are seeing that on display here. Some of this will get rolled into the P320, some will likely stay in the M17/18 only. This evolution means both the military and the LE/Civilian market benefits from the MHS program.

        The media briefing shows Sig took this problem very seriously once they had usable info to work with versus rumor mill noise. Once they figured things out they invited several from the firearms media world up to New Hampshire and bared their freaking soul on the problem. They also demonstrated a freshly tested fix and announced they would setup a P320 upgrade program within a few days. I see transparency, ownership, and a “we’re going to take care of our customers” on display here.

        Again one of the perks of a modular system is how fast improvements can be implemented. It’s still called the XM17 versus the M17 for a reason. The program has this weapon evolving and we may well see a few more revisions after the 101st in Kentucky gets done taking the weapon for a spin this Fall.

        Many ill informed commenters would be well served by learning how this MHS program actually works. Hint the Army didn’t just call Sig and tell them “You won, now send us x number of what you submitted.” They picked the platform that had the best chance of evolving into what they wanted. The program is about a lot more than just two static design handguns.

        For those screaming cancel the contract? I hate to break some bad news to you, but that’s not going to happen unless the 101st finds some big show stopper problem that Sig can’t fix quickly. I wouldn’t get my hopes up much since word from the Aberdeen PG testing is they loved the new handgun. The APG testers were delighted with the current XM-17/18 design and the improvements Sig has rolled into it at their request. As such I’d bet that within a few years the XM-17/18 is being issued across all military branches.

        Before anyone tosses the Sig fanboy label at me, nice try. I own HK, Glock, Sig, and S&W handguns. If I have a favorite it would be the first handgun I bought decades ago, a HK USP 40 that is configured for my dedicated “house gun.” On Tuesday, out of an abundance of caution, I took my P320c out of service and a Glock 23 left with me that day. The other half did the same with her P320 subcompact and took her Glock 26 with her. Not anti-Glock here at all. If Glock comes up with something I like better than the P320 I’ll be in line to buy one…or two LOL.

        There is nothing wrong with my Glocks (or the others) and I don’t feel underequipped with the G23. Brand loyalty has nil to do with it here. Both Glock and Sig are excellent brands and competition is a good thing. We both concluded the P320 is very reliable, has a bit safer takedown (accident stats are what they are), better ergonomics, flexibility that she likes a lot, and a nicer OOTB trigger. They are just tools and we carry what works best for our needs YMMV. I’m glad we have Plan B handguns available as this is a great example of why you should own more than one handgun LOL.

        If Sig returns our two P320s fixed and safer by installing new fire control components and the other improvements from the current XM-17/18 revision all for free then I may well become a Sig fanboy LOL. Could Sig leadership have worded certain things better early on? Yes, but I can get past that considering all that was going on and the lawyers getting involved. Now if credible evidence surfaces that they knew of and tried to hide this flaw for months then Sig will loose this customer.

        I feel for the injured police officer and hopefully he will recover fully. I realize Sig’s lawyers have a responsibility to ensure the facts are as presented, but I would tip my hat to them if they would quickly make this good with that officer.

        My biggest disappointment here is not so much with Sig’s QA, but the embarrassingly childish behavior of too many in the firearms community. Ah folks we are a time in history that the firearms community needs to come across as cool headed reasonable adults versus a pack of 5 year olds. Click-bait headline writers milking this for all the clicks they can are not helping either, but that seems to be par for the course anymore.

      • Or… maybe… just maybe… they worked through the weekend and found a solution using existing parts like the article plainly said!!

        You people are reaching some Alex Jones level stupid. I don’t even own a Sig and the ignorant behavior of some of the adults here pisses me off.

    • Do you know how many people are shot each year (or decade) from a dropped gun? I don’t either. That’s because it’s sooooooooooo rare that the number of incidents rounds to zero. Now, if a specific issue comes to light like with the P320, it makes sense to talk about it, test it, for SIG to fix it, etc. Testing all sorts of guns and attempting to find the circumstance under which they might discharge is another thing entirely. And I would not feel good if “the antis” latched on to any safety problems discovered from that and it became a national issue in the media, a talking point of politicians, impetus for legislation, etc. On the other hand, yes, I understand that it’s a noble cause if looked at purely from a safety perspective but again I remind that accidents from dropped firearms are SO exceedingly rare as to not happen and the blowback from the anti-gun side politically and socially wouldn’t be worth it. In my personal opinion (which does not always represent that of TTAG as a whole, just to be clear! Obviously).

      • Do you know how many comments I write where the response to my comment and question is a question itself? I don’t either.

        Jeremy, I do like your articles on this blog and I do appreciate you going through the thought processes involved in your final conclusion. I did however note from your statement that you are hinting that you are not going to drop test any other pistols with your newfangled drop test credentials. I say again, my perception of your statement is that you will not be holding other pistols to the same standard you are holding this one just because other organizations have not found a fault first. In other words; no, no you will not be testing.

        • Dan, the odds are trending toward the “now you’re just being a dick” end of the spectrum. If drop tests are so important to you, then you’re welcome to do them yourself — and I bet TTAG would publish them if you got any significant results.

        • I didn’t say it’s a final conclusion. I’m truly open to being convinced otherwise. Again, I’m hesitant to intentionally show something that will be used against the Second Amendment. Which it would.

          And the P320’s issue here would need to be fixed even if it was the only firearm in the world. It’s a true problem, whether or not other guns are safer or less safe.

        • Dear ING, yes I’m being an ass about this. News flash over, next subject.

          I have a job, my job is fixing things, putting together solutions, and solving other people’s problems for the Army. My job is not blogging about firearms, but if it were I sure as hell would do what I’m suggesting. I sure as hell would be objective and balanced. I’m not going to buy a bunch of pistols and test them because it’s not my job, I’m not getting paid for it. Jeremy, JWT, RF, DZ, and even Firearm Concierge all get paid for this stuff.

          I don’t own this pistol, and I’m not in the Sig business. I don’t hate Glocks and I really don’t care either way if someone likes or dislikes a particular product. I hate the appearance of unfairness and witch- hunting this blog has invested itself in. So Ing, I will keep calm and continue to speak my mind.

        • Dan, I want to talk to you. Can you e-mail thetruthaboutguns [ at ) gmail and say that you’re e-mailing in response to this post and my request to chat with you and include your phone # and a good time to call? I’m free basically all day tomorrow (Sunday)…on the range until about noon central time but can call from there if that’s best for you, etc.

          Cheers,

          Jeremy

        • Do you realize the costs involved with the kind of tests you’re asking about?
          Sometimes I get the feeling that some people simply talk without thinking very much.

      • I gotta agree with Dan here. “Finding the right height and angle” to discharge a gun, is what exactly was done to Sig. It aught to be done with Glock, Xd, s&w, and the rest. Hell, everyone hates Springfield now anyway so why not start there? I will continue to call shenanigans on TTAG (and your competitors in all fairness). I like TTAG, and I think at one point in time, y’all might’ve tested the Sigs competition in an instance like this. But apparently that’s not the case here.

        • Do you think by examining the internals they could actually make a good guess at what angle would work? I’m not an engineer but it would save them money if they could, lol

        • “Testing the competition” and presenting it as a meaningful comparison is awfully difficult. Keep in mind that the P320 passed dozens of drop test certifications from all sorts of governments and states and law enforcement agencies and independent agencies (like SAAMI and others). The problem drop angle and such simply wasn’t found. There’s a gazillion possible ways to drop a gun, so we could very well test all of the P320’s competitors and find none that discharge because we missed the dozen ways in which they would have discharged. There’s simply no way we could guarantee fair results. SIG was unlucky in that the P320’s “vulnerability” was found.

          All that said, this is NOT to say that every gun has a vulnerability. I believe, based on design, that there are plenty that are inherently and fully “drop safe” no matter what.

          I do also believe that an engineer should be able to look at a gun’s design and suggest potential drop safety (and other) vulnerabilities. Pay a third party consultant, if needed, to eliminate internal bias. Companies should not simply do their testing by following the procedures used in the state/gov/mil/LE/etc tests. They should work with their engineers and create custom tests for each individual firearm to test against whatever they think is the highest likely vulnerability. IMHO.

        • Jeremy S.,

          I agree with Dan’s “Which-hunting sentiment”. It’s over the top.

          It sounds as if you’re saying “Sig was just unlucky so we piled on the unlucky one. We say it’s for safety, but we really aren’t interested in safety, because we haven’t abused other guns this way.”

          You admit that you don’t own any Sigs and never have, so why not test some of the guns (or types of guns) that you DO OWN? I imagine you want to be safe… I imagine you want others and their families to be safe…

          All that is being asked is that you objectively apply a similar standard.

        • You guys realize this is a positive story for SIG, right? At this point I’m pretty convinced that y’all didn’t actually read any of it or watch the video. Are you actually under the impression that this article is piling on and yet another article and video showing how the gun fires when dropped?!?!? Posting their completely positive developments has to make this the weirdest witch hunt in history LOL

          “All that is being asked is that you objectively apply a similar standard.”

          But the standard doesn’t apply. This entire thing is non-standard. The P320 passed all of the standardized testing. Dozens of drop tests by law enforcement, military, state agencies, independent labs, etc. Someone found this specific vulnerability on this specific gun. Just because I test other guns in the same way doesn’t mean they’re vulnerable in the same way. The implication, if a different gun passed this particular test, would be that it’s drop safe but that might not be the case. The other gun might be more vulnerable to firing when dropped but we simply didn’t find the ways in which that bears out. After the comments made here I’d now be worried about personal liability! Let’s say a P320 owner buys a different gun, deciding it’s drop safe because he watched some video of me going all redneck and dropping it in the garage and hitting it with a hammer and declaring, “nope, all good!” and then he drops it and it shoots him in the ass. Look…since there’s soooooo much Glock this and Glock that, maybe I’ll abuse a G19. Are you going to donate to a GoFundMe account or whatever so I can buy it? I ain’t gonna ruin my own gun and I don’t have $550 laying around to slam into the garage floor either.

      • In another article run on this site (by a different author) the question was begged: how many other popular guns might have the same issue but have not been tested in that particular way? After all, it is not part of the ‘standard’ testing. It stands to reason, then, to check that assumption. Take a couple of very popular striker-fired guns (glock 17, anyone?) and drop em. See what happens. If they’re engineered well, nothing will happen. If this is a problem not specific to the Sig, either the knowledge might save a life or everyone (including TTAG) has been making much ado about nothing.

        • To all the folks out there with their panties in a twist because TTAG isn’t dropping every gun ever made at every possible combination of height and angle, I say…

          “Hop to it Skippy! Go out and buy yourself every model of every gun ever made and start dropping them!”

          Sheesh.

        • Dear Timmy exclamation point, like I stated to an earlier comment by ING above, not my job not my problem. While I see the attempt at logic in your feeble statement, you have fallen short. Allow me to explain.

          I don’t run a gun blog, nor do I pretend to in movies. Let’s leave the financial benefit and expenses to the very people who are making the investments… while reaping the paychecks. Why would I bankrupt myself for TTAG to get paid?

          I could suggest someone pound sand, but they’re probably not going to do it. You aren’t, are you?

        • TIMMY!,

          I can’t help but notice that it has been TTAG running stories about Sig’s failure to produce a drop-safe gun. By your rather unimpressive logic they should be out there designing and producing their own guns instead of just criticizing and suggesting improvements to others.

          So tell you what, Timmy!, when TTAG builds and manufactures a line of firearms for the general public I will happily receive a demo copy, test it, and write an article on it.

          Until then, let the adults talk.

        • Dan in CO:”Let’s leave the financial benefit and expenses to the very people who are making the investments… while reaping the paychecks. Why would I bankrupt myself for TTAG to get paid?”
          So you admit to the huge costs involved in such testing?
          Do you also realize who pays for this?
          Hint: It’s the consumer. The consumer pays for everything. Economics 101.

      • Because it’s so rare, TTAG has had ,what, a dozen articles in 2 weeks about this so rare issue.

        How long did it take to travel Sig for their testing show (and good on them) vs how long would it take to grab a hammer and whack the back of a dozen black pistols?

        One of your readers reported the same failure with a Canik. Why no investigative coverage?

  3. Finite element modeling is great. But … Does their model show the problem with the original parts, or do those FE runs show it being safe? If the latter, all it shows is that the model doesn’t match reality.

    • And, I just thought about something. –

      Would other striker-fired guns with a modified very light trigger pull be more susceptible to that mode of failure?

      Because some folks *love* a hair-trigger…

      • A light trigger pull can be achieved by a handful of different methods and guns prevent impact-induced discharges in multiple ways as well. There’s really no way to answer your question in general terms. Some guns will be more likely to see this happen if the trigger pull is lightened up in a particular way and some won’t, and some will if you lighten the trigger pull via one method but not via another…

        BTW to avoid confusion in this whole SIG P320 deal, we’ve tried to be careful about stating that the upgrade trigger has less mass (“reduced-mass trigger”) rather than calling it lighter since lighter/heavier when speaking of triggers usually refers to the pull weight, and this would all get awfully confusing haha. Pull weight isn’t changed here, but trigger mass is.

        • Yeah we get all that. The question is probably better worded as “does the incorporation of the striker block mess up the trigger”. If it’s actuated by the trigger (like on a Series 80 1911) one would expect an effect.

          Obviously the mass of the trigger shoe isn’t going to affect the trigger pull.

          • The gun already has a striker block. It’s the first “pivot” of the trigger that clears it, prior to the trigger bar actually starting to pull back on the striker at all. See my comment right below this one for the upgrade’s affect on the trigger pull quality and the “identified here” link in the article’s 2nd sentence for details on exactly what they’re changing. SIG asserts, btw, that improving the trigger pull was the primary impetus for these upgrade parts. It just so happens that, because the trigger itself is reduced in mass, it fixes the drop safe issue.

    • No, the trigger pull weight isn’t heavier at all whatsoever. The components have less mass. The trigger pull itself isn’t lighter or heavier. In fact, the trigger pull is better. SIG states that the primary reason behind the new components was to improve the trigger pull based on negative feedback they received about the “dual click” feeling and such. If you read the following article you’ll have a clearer picture of the what and the why: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/08/jeremy-s/mechanics-behind-sig-p320-drop-safety-failures/

  5. “With the upgrade parts, the incidents of striker release were significantly reduced.”
    Not eliminated, REDUCED. God damn double talk is what we expect from politicians not an American firearm company.
    Next they’ll tell us the framistan was misaligned with the tagaboo flapper and was putting too much stress on the kiniflin pin.

    • Please read the text again to note the difference between a striker release and a discharge. Strikers releasing isn’t a safety issue if the striker block safety is in place doing its job. Heck, most firearms that have a built-in decocker simply fire the hammer or striker into the block safety.

      • It shouldn’t happen AT ALL! Especially with any non-decocker equiped firearms. Sig fan-boys gonna fan-boy. I too am starting to wonder what sig is paying for the kid gloves staying on.

        • Ideally it wouldn’t happen, yeah. But we’re talking about safety here and I don’t see the rare striker release as a safety issue when the plunger is still there.

          Please don’t degrade this into name calling. 80% of the comments on YouTube and here have been “Glock fanboy” this and “SIG fanboy” that and it’s shit. SIG’s problem here has f**k all to do with GLOCK and people incessantly bringing them into this is crap. The P320’s problem exists outside of comparing it to other firearms. Keep the emotion out of it. Fact is fact, and I’m telling you how it is as I see it without any concern for brand name. In case you find it pertinent, I’ll tell you that I don’t own any SIG firearms and, actually, never have. I’ve shot ’em plenty, but haven’t ever owned one. If you want to argue that a handful of striker releases in 2,200 drops is a safety problem then do it with an actual argument, not by deflecting and taking personal shots at people.

          If you think TTAG is getting paid to “keep the kid gloves on” I’ll remind you that we were the first to verify this P320 problem (the initial video was questioned due to the torture testing the guns had previously gone through) and make it public after purchasing a new gun to test with, we broke all of the information about Springfield (who advertised on the site at the time!) and Rock River, were the first to tell the truth about the Remington R51 which totally burned bridges with them for years, etc etc etc. Again, I’m reporting what we saw without an agenda. You get all the details and info we get. Make up your own mind on what it means.

  6. “No live am mo was allowed in this building. TSA-like security checkpoints ensure this.”
    In other words, it quite possible there is live am mo in the building.

    Always check your own gu n. Period.

  7. I wish someone (preferably SIG) would do a COMPLETE video, no cuts, start to finish.

    Drop test 3x the unmodified p320, watch it go bang. Then do “upgrade” on same pistol, drop test again and this time no bang. It will show without a shadow of doubt that the “upgrade” works.

    After the drop test, they should also do a hammer test, because a hammer was also shown to make it go bang.

    And finally, they should do all these tests to an unmodified glock for comparison.

    When they do all of the above, then that is a COMPLETE video which should at least put the safety issue (but not the conspiracy issue) to rest.

    And by the way, this is the scientific method they use to test if a certain medicine works. A new drug, for example a new pain killer, is tested on a large group of patients. First you record the baseline of pain for each patient. Then you administer the new drug, but not everyone gets it, 1/3 are given placebo, 1/3 given a proven & safe pain killer like Tylenol. The pills all look & taste same, the patients don’t know what they are taking, even the doctors don’t know, only a 3rd party knows. Then the resulting pain relief of the 3 groups are compared, and side effects if any are noted.

    • SIG has fully admitted to the drop vulnerability and stated that they were able to reproduce it just like TTAG was. I’m not sure I’d see the point in doing that again. The company themselves is saying that it’s real. The guns you saw in the video literally are normal, commercial P320s with the ugprade components installed. They’re exactly what you’re requesting. As mentioned, when TTAG’s P320 comes back — the very one that discharged 2 out of 3 times when we dropped it — with the upgrade parts installed we’ll drop it again. We’ll hit it with a mallet, too. Hard. 😛

      • “…we’ll drop it again. We’ll hit it with a mallet, too. Hard.”

        Thanks. Please do what you said, and do it with a glock too, just to shut everyone up.

  9. Anyone else wondering what would have happened had the gun discharged when dropped? There were a lot on people in that room for a random round to be flying around.

  10. Looks to me like they were dropping it more towards the top of the gun than the butt – the angle most likely to accelerate the trigger rearwards. Let’s get some photos of the angle and better slow mo of the impact.
    Sig is still gaming it looks like to me.

    • The rear top edge of the slide must impact first. They were doing it right. If the polymer frame hits it absorbs the impact and it’s highly unlikely to discharge. Has to be tilted back enough that the slide hits directly…

      • Actually… it does fire if dropped on the beavertail. which of course puts the trigger in a position where it is more easily accelerated.
        Watch:
        https://youtu.be/ch7si_VQsGA

        Sig needs to replicate this with the new trigger and the same quality video. What they did was smoke and mirrors.

        • As long as the slide impacts solidly. Beavertail contact reduces the likelihood of a discharge. This is the entire reason they couldn’t replicate this with the X-5 in the video that you just linked. The large beavertail on that gun prevents the slide from hitting solidly and they couldn’t get it to fire. Obviously there’s a range of orientation within which the gun is likely to fire, with the highest likelihood occurring at the 30* angle ensuring the rear end of the slide impacts first and gets the full force. The guys in the video got it to happen with the muzzle slightly more vertical but would have had even more “success” in getting the gun to discharge more regularly if they tilted it back a touch more and got the slide to impact before any other part. That’s because it ISN’T just a matter of getting the trigger to move. You also must get the striker to pop off the sear, and that’s a completely independent thing in this case that has nothing to do with the trigger moving. The trigger motion is not firing the striker. Please click the “identified here” link in the 2nd sentence of the article to find out more.

          BTW the video in this post is mine just taken with a video camera and the slow-mo is from my cell phone (I think it shows the impact angle pretty darn clearly, though). SIG showed us professional high-speed footage they had taken during their 2,200+ drops over the weekend and it showed exactly what happens when the standard P320 impacts and exactly what happens when the upgraded one impacts. The difference in trigger movement is night-and-day. It goes from moving like a centimeter to the rear to barely wiggling. They showed us enough that I trust the data, the video, and what we saw with our own eyes.

  11. Sig don’t give a fuck about you. They want the government contract and government money.
    That’s why they denied the claims by Dallas PD, but had already fixed the guns supplies to the military.
    If Sig cared they would have done a mandatory recall.

  12. As a 50/50 Glock/Sig fanboy, I still can’t help but laugh at the persistence of Glock haters and their dumb@$$ “but what about drop testing other pistols” whines posted when TTAG or any of the other Major gun blogs report the latest on the Sig P320 drop fire debacle.

    There’s no telling how many of them borrowed their brother-in-laws Glock or otherwise scrounged up a test pistol and have been frantically dropping and beating the $#it out of Gaston Glock’s simple, reliable, and durable design in a desperately lame attempt to replicate P320-like failures.

    Amazing there are still many Glock haters who so desperately want to make a Glock drop fire but just aren’t smart enough to snap on the fact that they’re just the latest in a long line of Glock haters over the last 30 years trying and failing to document a major flaw or failure in a firearm that’s been the preferred duty pistol of 70 to 75% of all U.S. LEO’s for over 20 years. Too funny!

  13. In all honestly from that vid I couldn’t ever see it land/hit on the back of the slide (the angle of concern) or hear or see detonating of the primers in the pit/catch. ???

  14. So….is Sig going to be selling these drop tested slightly dinged/banged up P320s at a steep discount? I don’t want one, I’m just curious.

  15. Rugers answer was to include a trigger blade safety like Glock’s have.

    http://www.ruger.com/SR9Recall/

    The Ruger SR9 (and Sig 320) fired even though they had a firing pin block. This means the trigger was actually “pulled” by dropping and the mass of the trigger carried through the pull.

    Surprised sig didnt just add a blade safety Guess they really dont want to look like a Glock

    • I wondered how Sig was getting away with no trigger interlock on the 320 and still be drop safe. That’s why everyone else has a dingus, a hinged trigger, or some equivalent mechanism. If you design it correctly, the trigger mass becomes irrelevant.

      This sounds like fixing 1911 to be drop safe by putting in a titanium firing pin or heavier firing pin spring. That *should* fix the issue, but without a firing pin block it isn’t certain that it will completely fix the issue. The low mass trigger sounds like the same approach – it should fix it almost all the time, we promise.

      • Amen. There is usually a reason things are the way they are.

        Kicking against the goads gets attention ……. of some sort.

  16. seems like alot of trouble for a malfunction that happens only at -30° only concrete at a height of 4+ feet.

    I mean i know when you average out the entire series of guns that it will happens, but thats a mighty big test group. I know in the last 8 years I’ve dropped exactly 2 of my guns and neither landed that way, one landed barrel first and the other on its side.

    Was this necessary or just the PR department said fix this cause people are saying “its a problem…in theory.”

    • FYI Vandikar, the negative 30 degree orientation during a drop is likely because the P320’s center of gravity, (or for that matter the center of gravity of any pistol with a loaded magazine), is how a pistol suspended from the trigger guard will orientate. Only a fool would discount the glaringly dangerous engineering flaw of the P320 and be content to play a Russian roulette like game of “I don’t think my P320 will land that way if I drop it”.

  17. LOL now you guys think Sig sabotaged itself to save itself with free upgrades???? wow, you guys need to get out more.

  18. I feel confident that Sig will provide a solution to this issue, however I would like to see drop tests done with guns loaded with full magazine loaded with dummy rounds that would equal the weight of the 115, 124, 135 and 147 grain loadings. I feel this would be a more realistic approach to the issue. I have several P320s that I will need to have upgrade in the future, I assume that a P320 with a safety that is activated wouldn’t have this issue, but I have seen nothing published!
    I have several different models of Glock that I carry on occasion, but I like the P320 better ergos! I did purchase a used Glock 19 a few years ago with a after market trigger, while on a trip it rolled of a bed in a pistol case and hit the carpet on concrete in almost the same position in the case as the Sig failed and had a discharge with a 147 grain! It missed me by about 1″. Needless to say it got my attention. I ordered a new G19 factory trigger and replaced the aftermarket! I then got a friend to load some primer only cases and used a nylon mallet to strike the pistol from several angles, wasn’t going to drop it on concrete! It didn’t have a discharge after multiple strikes! I still have the pistol and the trigger in a bag somewhere. I will still have my Sigs in the future as well!

    • “… however I would like to see drop tests don with guns loaded with full magazine loaded with dummy rounds…”

      Yeah so that’s exactly how they did this testing. From the text of this very article: “A new, primer-only case was chambered and dummy rounds were used in the magazine for weight.”

      • Jeremy S. Sorry about the amount of work you’ve had to do on this article due to some readers nonexistent reading comprehension. Most of us get it 🙂

        • I admit I may have missed that in the initial reading, but in all the effort not one mention of what weight the rounds were to form a base line. So whatever weight they may have been, it doesn’t cover all the potential loads for a typical self defense loading. Glad you got the basics down as you seem to get it!

        • It really doesn’t matter. The gun is likely to discharge when dropped in this manner regardless of whether there’s no magazine in it at all or a magazine full of the heaviest rounds available. It happens to balance more naturally in the problem orientation with rounds in the magazine so it’s easier to replicate the problem with that weight. But the problem exists no matter what.

          • “It really doesn’t matter. The gun is likely to discharge when dropped in this manner regardless of whether there’s no magazine in it at all or a magazine full of the heaviest rounds available. It happens to balance more naturally in the problem orientation with rounds in the magazine so it’s easier to replicate the problem with that weight. But the problem exists no matter what.”

            Loaded or unloaded has absolutely no impact (see what I did there?) on how the gun hits the floor.
            What matters is what orientation it’s in when it starts the fall, and what (if any) rotation is imparted during or after the fall.
            While the magazine (loaded, empty, or partially loaded, and the type of ammo) will make a difference during the initial release, and any subsequent induced rotation, is purely chance, because then initial orientation and subsequent applied rotational forces, are also purely by chance, if we are talking about a non-intentional drop.
            In a controlled drop, which is entirely different from an accidental drop, the test protocol will determine all of those factors.
            Of course, no rest protocol can possibly take into account all factors that might possibly go into an accidental drop, so such tests are only partially representational, at best, of what might possibly occur during an accidental drop.

  19. I read that in order to do the upgrade to the P320, Sig will need to make a cut in the slide. I would like to see the quality of the cut they end up making and whether the cut area will be Nitron finished again.

    • The P320 that TTAG purchased is at SIG (we brought it with us when we visited last week). As soon as the production upgrade parts are ready they’ll be installing them and sending the gun back. We’ll certainly take photos of all of the work done. They did show us the CNC mills they’re going to be dedicating to upgrading slides and frames, but we neglected to ask about finish. We’ll ping them today and ask, if it isn’t stated in their press release that’s supposed to come out today.

      It’s hard to mill through a nitrided surface, too!

  20. What a juvenile discussion from Sig lovers and Sig haters. Sounds very much like the Ford vs. Chevy nonsense on Pickuptrucks.com. I expect better of the commenters here.

    TTAG has been following a breaking story. They have done a thorough job of reporting the new developments. As a potential Sig P320 buyer, I am very happy to have as much information as possible.

    TTAG can’t even keep up with doing reviews of new firearms as they are released, so to expect them to conduct drop tests on every firearm makes about as much sense as expecting a man with a shovel to keep the freeway clean in a snowstorm.

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