P365 Series - Omitted Striker Spring Alters Manual Trigger Safety Operation

[Alllen Bundy]

In newer P365 series pistols, the striker return spring that pulls the firing pin back out of the breech after firing has been omitted. This alters the manual trigger safety for better or worse.



In the original P365 series design you could NOT engage the manual trigger safety until AFTER the striker was cocked.

With the striker return spring omitted, you can engage the manual trigger safety anytime that the firing pin is inside the breech, but NOT be able to engage the manual trigger safety if the firing pin has retracted from the breech but not cocked.

Example, if you have dry fired the P365 and the muzzle is pointed downward so that gravity is keeping the firing pin inside the breech, you can engage the manual trigger safety. However, if you dry fire and the pistol is tilted backwards so that gravity pulls the firing pin out of the breech, you cannot engage the manual trigger safety until AFTER the striker is cocked.

I have not determined whether or not this will cause any functional problems during actual use, but it is very disconcerting to have a variable operating condition of the manual trigger safety.

One issue that the omission of the striker return spring causes is when you have removed the slide and depress the striker safety downward to check it's operation to make sure that it moving freely, the striker can move forward and lock the striker safety downward. You then need to push the striker backward. It doesn't cause any operational problems that I am aware of, but it is annoying.

FYI, my P365 which I purchased in 2020 has the striker return spring installed in the striker assembly. It has never had an issue with light primer strikes, or any malfunction whatsoever.

 

[Riomouse911]

Hmmm. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am reading that a manufacturer omitted a spring that may or may not allow for a shooter to have a safety device function depending on a chance positioning of the firing parts?

If that is it, how did that get past SIG’s team of product liability lawyers? Wow.

Stay safe.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

Hmmm. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am reading that a manufacturer omitted a spring that may or may not allow for a shooter to have a safety device function depending on a chance positioning of the firing parts?

Not exactly. What happens is that you are able to engage the manual trigger safety under some circumstances where you were unable to before. Previously the striker had to be cocked before the manual trigger safety could be engaged. Without the extra spring, if the firing pin is protruding past the breechface you can engage the manual trigger safety. The original extra spring pulls the striker backward after firing so that the firing pin does NOT protrude past the breechface and you are unable to engage the manual trigger safety until the striker is again cocked.

I'm not seeing an actual unsafe condition. But it still makes me cringe wondering if this may cause some as of yet unknown problem.

I had another striker assembly that did have the extra spring so I installed that in my new P365XL.

I would really like to hear a good explanation for omitting this spring.

 

[Riomouse911]

Gotcha, for a minute I was having visions of an “occasional safety” where someone would think it was activated because it worked before, but because the gun wasn’t pointed the same way as last time it wasn’t set as expected.

Even though, I agree thats an odd change to make unless it is fixing something that isn’t being communicated by SIG.

Thanks for giving folks a heads up .

Stay safe..