In the last few weeks a serious issue emerged questioning the safety of the P320 pistol, a variant of which was selected by the U.S. government as the US Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS). In some cases, it was found that the weapon would go off when dropped with a certain angle of impact. Now, as anticipated, SIG Sauer is offering a voluntary program for P320 pistols. This will include an alternate design that reduces the physical weight of the trigger, sear, and striker while additionally adding a mechanical disconnector.
Safety update SIG Sauer P320
To upgrade your P320s, you should visit this page:
https://www.sigsauer.com/support/p320-voluntary-upgrade-program/ and sign up - one serial number per form submission. SIG Sauer will contact you regarding the best method for you to get your P320 pistol to them. Once SIG Sauer receives your P320 pistol, they will apply the upgrades, test it, and then return it to you free of charge.
If you own multiple P320s, you will need to enter each P320 serial number separately.
The P320 serial number can be found by looking on the right side of the pistol grip. The serial number will be stamped into the receiver. This number should be entered into the first entry field of the form. The form will automatically populate if your P320 is on a qualified list of U.S. Domestic consumer serial numbers. The online form is for U.S. Domestic Commercial consumers only. If you are an international customer (including Puerto Rico), you should contact your Global Defense Sales representative or local distributor.
The upgrade is being offered at no cost, and SIG Sauer will cover the shipping both ways, too.
SIG Sauer P320: the price of safety
SIG Sauer claims that their guns are safe even in their current configuration: “The P320 meets and exceeds all US safety standards. However, mechanical safeties are designed to augment, not replace safe handling practices. Careless and improper handling of any firearm can result in an unintentional discharge,” they state on their website.
So, why is this upgrade happening? “Through additional testing above and beyond standard American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Sporting Arms & Ammunition Institute (SAAMI), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Department of Justice (DOJ), Massachusetts (MGL, Chapter 140, Section 123) and other global military and law enforcement protocols, we have confirmed that usually after multiple drops, at certain angles and conditions, a potential discharge of the firearm may result when dropped. Although it is a rare occurrence, with very specific conditions, SIG Sauer is offering an upgrade to all of its current P320 owners.”
This voluntary program won't be cheap for SIG Sauer: besides replacing every P320 trigger, sear, and striker assembly, every slide and frame must be machined to fit the new parts. All calibers and pistol sizes, regardless of serial numbers, are affected, which means more than 500,000 P320s.
About the turnaround time to receive the upgraded P320, for the US commercial market once you contact SIG Sauer and register for the process, you will receive an email from SIG at a later date with a shipping label and instructions as to when you may return your P320. This may take several weeks. Once your P320 is received at SIG Sauer, turnaround time will be approximately 4-6 weeks.
For more information please visit https://www.sigsauer.com/support/p320-voluntary-
08/16/2017
