HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED…
Bob McMahon
August 2022
That all the uncommanded discharges alleged to have plagued the once popular Sig P320 only happen when either reholstering or while in the holster?
The P320 was an extremely popular firearm. With millions sold, in 2016 Sig Sauer entered 2 versions into the selection process to replace the military’s then current sidearm, the Baretta M9. After the military completed its testing, they selected the Sig Sauer M17 and M18 as the next sidearm. (full size and compact size). For quite some time, the adoption of the M17 and M18 boosted the sales for Sig Sauer P320. Until some uncomfortable events repeated, seemingly over and over, involving the P320.
For months, it seemed we couldn’t go a week without hearing about another un-commanded incident happening. So much so that many law enforcement agencies decided to abandon the P320 and adopt another sidearm.
Many of these alleged incidents have resulted in lawsuits against the firearm maker, Sig Sauer saying that the handgun design is unsafe and is responsible for the damages with the plaintiffs seeking a favorable judgement and financial compensation. In those cases, some of the plaintiff’s attorneys allege there are over one hundred such un-commanded discharges, while others say there are between one hundred and two hundred such cases, while others claim there are up to four hundred cases of the P320 discharging without pulling the trigger.
Now, I am not familiar with the details of even one hundred such cases. In fact, when it comes to details, how many of us have all the details of any specific case. Details such as:
1) How many rounds had been fired through that particular P320 before the questionable incident occurred?
2) Had the trigger or any other part of the fire control system been altered by the user (or previous owner, if purchased used) in any way?
3) What was the serial number of the firearm and how does that compare to other incidents?
4) Is there a pattern of these incidents within a certain serial number range?
5) Is there a pattern of a certain series of the P320? (X series, Legion). Or have these incidents involved all series?
And what holster(s) were involved?
1) Was the holster used made specifically for that specific model of the P320?
2) Was it a holster from a less expensive brand?
3) was it a holster made for a different handgun all together and forced or altered to give the appearance of fitting the P320?
4) Have there been any incidents involving an inside the waistband (IWB) holsters?
5) If only duty or competition holsters, what makes their safety so different than IWB holsters?
6) Were all involved holsters made to accommodate a weapon mounted light?
After many of these incidents, a very popular and respected holster manufacturer announced that they updated their original holster design for the P320.
Many of us have seen YouTube videos of people attempting to duplicate the un-commanded discharge. From squeezing the slide at just the right spot, to inserting a screw into the trigger guard. All this in an attempt to prove that the P320 was an unsafe design.
According to an article by Todd Bookman and published on the New Hampshire Public Radio website (NHPR.org) after a horrific tragedy at F.E. Warren Air Force base that resulted in an airman losing his life, the Air Force paused the use of the issued M18 handgun pending a safety review. Days after the incident, it was determined that one Airman pointed his M18 at another “in a joking manner” and pulled the trigger. As a precaution, the Global Strike Command unit of the Air Force which has over 33,000 personnel and approximately 8,000 pistols, paused the use of the issued M18 pistol until a review of all pistols could be concluded. That review found less than 200 pistols were found to have unexpected wear marks on internal components including the safety lever, striker assembly and sear. As a result, the Air Force said it would conduct inspections on a semi-annual basis. The Air Force inspected the pistol that involved this tragic loss of an airman’s life and found it to have no defects.
On July 31, 2024, a Michigan State Trooper motor officer was standing in a squad area with others. According to reports, his department issued Sig M18 fired uncommanded while secured in his department issued Alien Gear Rapid Force level three holster. Statements in the reports indicated that at no time was the trigger pressed intentionally or inadvertently. The officer had items in his hands, including keys. The M18 was equipped with a Surefire weapon mounted light. The firearm was kept secured in the holster and removed from the officer’s duty belt without any weapon or holster manipulation. They were packed up and sent to the F.B.I.’s Ballistic Research Facility (B.R.F.) to be thoroughly examined, tested and evaluated. According to the B.R.F., when M.S.P. took delivery of the weapons, they were experiencing “dead trigger” issues. Sig Sauer determined the triggers were out of spec and ground off 0.020. The upgraded triggers were largely installed by Sig Sauer. However, an M.S.P. armorer trained in the P320 platform installed the subject weapon’s modified trigger. The B.R.F. did not specify if Sig Sauer provided the upgraded trigger, or if the M.S.P. armorer made the modification. The review of the holster revealed that the only wear was from the takedown lever contacting a shelf inside the holster. A quick search of Alien Gear Rapid Force holsters revealed they were released for retail sales in early spring of 2023. And interesting to note is that they did not appear to be popular in the Law Enforcement community, often resulting in social media commenters recommending a Safariland holster as a replacement.
And about the Safariland holster for duty use. The once popular 6000 and 7000 series holsters were criticized for having too wide a gap on each side of the trigger guard on light bearing holsters. Some claim the under the right conditions, a user could put a finger on the trigger while still in the holster or allow a foreign object to pull the trigger.
Although many commentors online claim the issue is Sig Sauers problem and not Safariland’s, the holster maker changed their 6000 and 7000 series so the gap around the trigger guard is smaller.
A Google search for “Why hasn’t the P320 been fixed?” revealed a reddit post by the same name. That post includes information regarding the nominal Safariland 7TS holster flex and if the holsters locking fork cams the slide high, there could be a shift in the trigger bar. This, combined with possible tolerance stacking within the P320 itself, the flex could cause the handgun to fire. Safariland has quietly updated their holsters to address these issues. However, many commentors still place the blame on the design of the P320.
Additionally, one poster on pistol-forum.com (screen name HCM) P320 and Safariland interface issues, describes how his agency (not named in the post) transitioned to RDS, many if the made in Mexico Safariland 6000 series WML/RDS holsters were slightly warped and would hang up with a TLR-1 in place. He went on to say that a few of the holsters were so warped they were unusable. All holsters were brand new, out of the bag. The post included 4 photos.
While doing research for this article, I came across a video on YouTube from North Wind Aerial. The video is titled “I lost a testicle to an accidental discharge”. In the video, he describes his level of firearms handling as “at least 15 years of professional experience with firearms plus many, many years of training and safety with firearms beforehand. I was in the military for four years including a year as an armorer. He claims to be, and most likely so, to be meticulous about firearm safety. In the video, he describes that up until a week prior to making the video, he appendix carried his CCW and always carried his CCW with one in the chamber. He is specific to clearly state that this incident occurred during an official training event, not something that happened at home. As he prepared for the course of fire, he went to draw the weapon from the holster and it went off in the holster. He stated that he can’t say that he didn’t accidentally finger the trigger because he doesn’t know. He doubts that he will never know what caused it. The round went through his holster, through his penis, and through his left testicle. I waited anxiously for him to say it was a Sig P320. It took 5 minutes and 12 seconds to find out what gun it was, it felt like an eternity. It was a Glock 23 in .40 S&W. Although he does not mention the brand of the holster, the photo showed the lower portion, including the bullet hole. The photo showed it was not for a weapon mounted light.
Several months ago, the P320 X Compact was my favorite CCW. I carry in a Tier 1 IWB holster. However, after hearing the stories and viewing the videos, one after another, about the P320 firing while in the holster, I have had to reconsider. I have since put my favorite carry gun in the safe and replaced it with a P365 X Marco comp, again in a Tier 1 holster. Considering a Walther PDP Pro “F” 4 inch.
About the Author:
Bob McMahon is a friend and trusted expert on all things law enforcement; he is retired Law Enforcement Officer with 31 years of experience. He will be contributing to the blog going forward.
