REVIEW: SIG Sauer P320- Tomorrow's SIG Today

They have that SIG look to them—blocky slide sitting well above the receiver, gracefully shaped butt section, simplified controls. Unquestionably, a strong family resemblance that says the innovative designers up in New Hampshire have a new series of pistols ready for your consideration. However, there are several features that are quite different, and the most significant is the absence of a conventional hammer. The guns are called the P320 series, and I had access to the first two offerings—the full-size P320 and the P320 Compact model—for this article. Both sample guns were 9 mm Luger semi-automatics, but .40 S&Ws, .357 SIGs and even .45 ACPs are on the horizon.

The most obvious change in the P320s, as I alluded to, is that the pistols are striker-fired. Previous SIG Sauer pistols had a pivoting hammer designed to strike a firing pin, housed within the slide assembly, and, after the shot was fired, a firing pin spring would retract the pin. P320s are different in that the striker is driven forward by a spring. The striker is cocked when the slide moves all the way to the rear, either manually or during recoil. Though the mechanical processes are different, the end result is the same—both methods produce a satisfying “boom” when you press the trigger.

Click here to read the entire review at AmericanRifleman.org.