Possible problem, Sig P320

Sorry to hear about your experience with the P320.

I've not been through the armorer class for the P320 (or P250), so I can't speak with any particular familiarity with the design.

I can offer that a couple of our people have opted to buy them, and have thus far experienced no problems. That's so small of a sampling as to be of little meaning, though. If I could see a few hundred of them having been wrung out, I'd have a little better feeling for them.

As a firearms owner, as well as a LE instructor and an armorer for some different makes/models of firearms, I used to feel that I'd prefer to wait out the first year of actual hands-on ownership and use by regular shooters before I'd risk my money on a new design.

Now, in recent years, I've come to wonder if I might not want to wait for 2-3 years after a new design has been introduced, so they have even more time to identify and glitches and solutions.

Sure, I like to see the firearms companies supported, and somebody's got to buy the new guns made for the first couple or so years after their release, but personally, I really dislike being a Beta tester.

Archangel, I have a question because this happened to me with a different make of pistol and I was using reloads. I wasn't seating the bullet quite deep enough. So...
I assume this is factory ammunition and not reloads? Just curious about that.
Never mind. I see you state that in your original post. Sorry.

Yes these are not reloads on my part as well.


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Winchester White Box and Blazer (either brass or aluminum cases) are known to be weak rounds. Buy a box of Fiocchi or S&B and try them out. They're closer to full power.

From the description of the erratic ejection of the cases (hitting the shooter, etc), the issue appears to be the extractor.

This link is about 1911s, but the concept applies: http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/general-firearm-discussion/183279-request-some-1911-help-2.html

Check your pistol out using the same technique, and see how it does.

With respect to the slide locking back, it's either an out-of-spec follower (unlikely, in my experience) or you may be hitting the slide stop lever with your thumb. As a Glock shooter for a couple of decades, I do this all the time with my P320. I actually hold the slide stop down, inadvertently, with my thumb, preventing lock back. But it would be equally likely if you were holding your thumb down properly that a malfunction in the pistol would cause you to shift your grip and cause lock back.

I wish you were closer, Archangel. I have a ton of respect for your contributions to this forum, and I'd love to meet up with my P320 and diagnose the issue. Unfortunately, you're about 2000 miles away.

ArchAngelCD said:

OK, just an update. I spoke to a Sig rep on Thursday and sent the pistol back to the mothership today, Friday. I was told there is up to a seven week turn around so now I wait. I will post the results when they send back my P320 hopefully in working order.



Maybe I will get lucky and they will replace the slide and it will have night sights instead of the ones I now have. Naaaaa, I'm not that lucky lol...

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I've got a set of #8 / #8 factory night sights that are just collecting dust I could be persuaded to let go of.


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My wife bought one of these pistols yesterday despite my objections to it. Her gun, her choice.

This pistol is a compact frame with a full size slide and barrel.

We took it to the range the same day using 115gr Federal Champion 9X19mm the pistol stove piped like crazy for her, and after some coaching on not shooting with a limp wrist it barely dribbled brass out and only stove piped occasionally. I tried it and got the same results of brass barely dribbling out and only 1 stove pipe. Switching to GECO 124gr FMJ loaded to NATO specs resulted in flawless function. Same for Blazer Brass 124gr FMJ. The light loaded 115gr ammo and a full size service pistol with full power springs for duty use with up to +P+ 9mm ammo is a combination for failure. Maybe after a few hundred rounds the plinking grade 115gr stuff might consistently dribble out of the gun instead of stove piping. I don't trust this pistol right now with light loaded ammo. If powder puff loads have to be run, a lighter spring needs to be sourced.

My other observations:

1.) The pistol is blocky, and overly thick for a 9mm that can be configured for CCW.

2.) The bore axis is way way way too high for a striker fired pistol, resulting in more muzzle flip than a Glock 19 or HK VP9 both of which I have recently shot.

3.) The stock sights are wretched and poorly finished, with the white dots being unevenly painted. Most stock sights on $500 handguns leave much to be desired, these are no exception.

4.) The barrel has obvious tool marks in the bore, but still shoots well as I was able to obtain a 2 handed standing group at 25 yards of 3.1" for 5 shots with cheap Blazer Brass 124gr FMJ.

5.) The trigger is rubbish. Has to be every bit of 8 maybe 9 pounds. The break is fairly clean, and the reset is very positive though.

6.) The grip module for my hands is not particularly comfortable and doesn't allow for a high grip on the pistol.

7.) I have to make a conscious effort to not ride the slide release lever with my shooting hand thumb, an issue I have with all SIG pistols and their idiotic slide release placement.

Overall I am not impressed with this pistol, and feel that it is a half assed attempt by SIG to make a striker fired pistol by simply designing a striker fired mechanism for the equally mediocre and stupid P250. My wife knows nothing about firearms, and selected this because to her uneducated opinion it felt the best in her hands. I will no longer try to help her select firearms since she will not listen, and this is her first time actually picking one for herself. She made her choice, but now expects me to help her make it work. I am seriously unamused with a pistol that needs another $400 in modifications to make it tolerably functional. New night sights are going to run at least $100 and it needs trigger work badly, the only option being Bruce Gray for about $295 if we go that route. Probably not since she claims to like the trigger, even though her results on target indicate she is not qualified to evaluate a trigger.

At the moment I literally wouldn't buy one of these piles of crap to use as a boat anchor. Maybe it will grow on me, but I doubt it.

ArchAngelCD said:

According to the work order my P320 went to the repair dept on 7/11 and was inspected 7/12. Today, 7/18 the Sig was delivered back to me. The work order states they replaced the extractor pin and test fired the pistol with American Eagle 115gr FMJ ammo with no failures. As soon as I can get to the range I will report on my results and I have a feeling it will be fine.

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That was the exact same thing they did to mine when it went in. Unfortunately the problem persisted.


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An extractor that is loose to the touch is too loose.

I would also switch ammo, and if it happens again, take a photo like the ones above. In a double feed situation the slide might be stuck pretty far back, but not actually locked open with the slide stop engaged. If it is actually locking open with rounds still in the mag, either the bullet nose is hitting the slide stop on the way up (happened to me with a 3rd gen S&W... take slide off; put a loaded mag into the frame to see if this is even a physical possibility) or you are knocking it up with your thumb/grip.

If it is just dribbling cases out, you could swap to a lighter recoil spring... most factory guns will run just fine at 4-5# lighter than stock with no other changes.

bandw1dth said:

That was the exact same thing they did to mine when it went in. Unfortunately the problem persisted.


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I've experienced the same thing with warranty repair. I wish gun manufacturers would realize what the end result is when the hire "Know Nothings" in their repair department to save money. Customers get rid of the gun & avoid that brand.

There is a possibility you will need to invest in more powerful ammo then... if the extractor is not tensioned correctly for whatever reason, of course they will fix that (and there is a strong possibility that is the only problem), but if under powered ammo is also a contributing factor, I would be very surprised if Sig or any other OEM would install an aftermarket lighter recoil spring on a gun that is leaving the factory in a configuration that is meant to be 100% representative of stock.

Stock plastic duty type guns today are all pretty much over sprung from the factory; most of them work well enough with light target ammo anyway, but in the manual they all state that they are "intended" to be run with full power duty ammo... I seriously doubt the 320 is any different.

If the extractor was actually that loose though, that is/was likely the only issue...

I'll note that my experience has been that WWB 9x19mm is notoriously underloaded.

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That is funny, considering that a gun company once told me to quit shooting that foreign stuff and use WWB like they did in test firing. And it was an importer of a popular foreign gun that told me so. But it was a while back, maybe they have cheapened the econoball even more.

I have found that some of my polymer striker fired 9mm guns can be very picky about what inexpensive 115 grain ammo they will be 100% with. The problem they exhibit is similar to the OPs, jamming due to poor extraction. Ammo with heavier bullets and/or more power eliminates the problem. Also some have had problems in only the first few mags when they were new.

We will never know, but I bet that his 320 would have functioned 100% with different ammo of heavier bullet weight.

QUOTE: "...More powerful than what? I can load anything that is needed but I see no reason why Federal, Remington, Winchester and several other name brand ammo will not be perfectly fine."

I have to agree with ArchAngelCD. Call me too demanding but I expect any firearm to function correctly with the ammunition it is chambered for. Personally, I shoot a lot of WWB through more than a few of my pistols and I've never had the occasion to attribute a malfunction problem with "weak" ammunition. I'm not saying others haven't had problems with "budget-priced" fodder; I'm only reporting my own experiences with it.

ArchAngelCD, I'm looking forward to learning if SIG has fixed your problem and am hoping they did.

Call me too demanding but I expect any firearm to function correctly with the ammunition it is chambered for.

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SIG P220 and semi-wadcutter's http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/45_acp_sig_sauer_p220 and SWC ammunition.htm

How about a G21 with the same lead semi-wadcutters in a 1000 round two day course without cleaning the gun?

Every gun has limitations. Is the SIG P220 or G21 known to be unreliable? No, but they probably will have some troubles with those rounds. Just pick a different round, or if you have to shoot lightweight/underpowered ammo, just use a lighter recoil spring (as suggested above).

Or a Smith & Wesson Model 52 for that matter, while we're talking about particular cartridge configurations that aren't necessarily compatible with certain firearms. But your point is well taken, JTQ. Perhaps I should have been more specific in my basic "requirements": I expect any firearm to digest factory cartridges of like dimensions and "power" designations, regardless of brand or price points, with equal reliability. If a particular pistol shoots "premium".45 ACP with 230 grain hardball ammunition (without addressing the "plus Ps" differences) satisfactorily, it should function correctly with "entry-level" ammunition configured identically. My many semi-auto pistols do. But, as I said, maybe I am "too demanding".