Feedback Question P320 General Consensus on Issue?

[richdollas]

I’m still looking for a $300 p320

I'd open up my wallet immediately for that price. I can't even find one in the $400 - $500 range. Heck, prices have gone up since I bought mine in the middle of 2024.

 

[BriskyLeopard]

Thanks for the video. I watched it and did some further experiments with my m18. In the video:

- The person demonstrated how they typically assemble the gun at 11:35. This puts the gun into a dangerous state.
- The person demonstrated that a magazine can't be inserted when the gun is in a dangerous state at 7:44.
- The person then demonstrated how a magazine can then be inserted by just locking the slide back at 8:00.

He then sort of suggested at 8:20 that he might have a loaded gun in a bad state. I've not been able to reproduce that and suspect he hasn't either. Using the slide catch to lock the slide always finishes the process of putting the gun into a good state. You can really hear the click when the parts move into correct position. No matter what I've tried, I've never been able to have a magazine inserted if the gun is in a dangerous state. The only thing I've seen on the internet about this is that it is possible to do that if you've accidentally used the wrong slide catch (from a different caliber gun).

The actual mechanics of the parts are quite simple. This particular safety feature is not complex engineering that might be prone to failure. If the sear is being held down, then the part that's doing it is in a position that blocks the magazine from entering the gun. And if a magazine is already in the gun, the part cannot move into a position to hold the sear down.

He did mention one thing that could be an issue if you have a problem with the gun (poor maintenance or damaged parts). When the part that releases the sear does that, the sear might not move up into correct position. But he didn't say there is any evidence this has ever happened. This same failure could happen to a P365. In fact, any gun could suffer some failure with the sear not moving completely upwards to sufficiently retain the striker if there's some jostling.

With my Glock a trigger pull moves the sear down allowing me to remove the slide. With P320 and P365, the safety lever causes the sear to move down allowing me to remove the slide. It seems it's a trade-off. A little extra engineering to move the sear down using the safety lever versus requiring a trigger pull to move it down. I have a feeling my confidence in my P320 is bolstered by the fact that I've pulled the thing apart to such an extent that it doesn't seem to be such a complex mystery.

That video feels like a good explanation of what is going on with P320.

 

[bryanwm18]

People are always chiming in about SIG's reputation being at the bottom of the barrel now, but I cannot (even to save my life) find a reasonable deal on used or new P320s locally. If any of you anons have leads on P320 fire sales, specifically in SoCal/Central Valley, it would be much appreciated. The used market seems terrible, people are slapping on mediocre red dots on their P320 and suddenly that makes it worth $1,000? Please. I might spread fake news about the P320 cause I would love me a deal.

Last time I was at Poway Weapons and Gear in San Diego, one of the counter guys said they were looking to offload what they had in stock and if you asked you could get them to sell it for close to what they paid for it. Not sure what that number is since I'm not in the market for one, but maybe they'll give you a price over the phone

*edited due to fat finger autocorrect errors*

 

[bazooka]

That video feels like a good explanation of what is going on with P320.

Yeah. I credit that same guy for alerting me to the issue in one of his earlier videos. In that earlier video, he wasn't aware that he couldn't insert a magazine when the gun was in a bad state. This later video is after he learned that. He is still saying there's a concern but doesn't provide any evidence.

I've not been able to find the video which demonstrates the problem with the wrong slide catch installed, which allows you to insert a magazine. I've heard that such a video exists. Does anyone have a link to that?

I've not heard of or seen any evidence of being able to insert a magazine after assembling the gun incorrectly, with the correct parts, without locking back the slide again. If anyone on these forums can demonstrate that with their own P320 that would be the smoking gun.

This site could gain a pretty big boost if it funded a small investigation into that member's weapon. It would involve careful testing, review of all parts, and a demonstration with witnesses that included a certified P320 armorer. You would want a picture showing the lowered sear while a magazine is installed. A trimmed rear slide cap would be needed to inspect the sear. I would retire my P320 if I ever saw a careful demonstration like that.

 

[Petethebuilder]

https://www.sigsauer.com/p320-xfive-legion-california-compliant.html has me drooling.

I got that same one