SIG’s latest iteration:
Since the first of the year, I’ve received several phone calls from plaintiff’s attorneys representing clients claiming to have been harmed by “uncommanded discharges” involving SIG’s 320 Pistol.
Introduced to the American market in 2014, the 320 quickly became popular with American police, non-LEO consumers, and was subsequently selected by the Pentagon as America’s official military sidearm. Vast numbers of 320s have since been manufactured and promulgated into all three theaters. Until recently, the 320 has competed successfully with similar pistols from Glock, H&K, Walther, FN, Canik, Shadow Systems, et al.
I have a copy of the 320 and I confidently carried it daily in an IWB holster for over a year. My students and I fired hundreds of rounds through it during DTI training coursers around the country. There has never been any issue with my 320, and I still have it. There was a “voluntary recall” of the 320 in 2017. I dutifully sent my copy back to SIG. It was returned to me, “upgraded,” within two weeks. After it was returned, it ran fine. Of course, it also ran fine before I sent it in!
Beginning in 2021, reports of “uncommanded discharges” involving the 320 pistol began coming to light. All kinds of anecdotal evidence. As a result, some PDs have since withdrawn their 320s from service, and there have been a number of lawsuits against SIG claiming that the 320, as manufactured, is inherently defective. I’ve not been involved (as an expert consultant), by either side, in any of them, although I have been invited, as noted above.
I’ve told lawyers who have reached-out to me with regard to the 320’s alleged “uncommanded discharge issue” that I, of course, appreciated their call, but that I don’t think I would be very helpful, because I really don’t know what is going on with the 320, if anything actually is! Of course, guns have been accused of “going-off by themselves,” absent user input, for centuries, but all modern reputable pistols, including the 320, are competently designed in a way that makes that eventuality all but impossible.
As noted above some PDs, as a cautionary measure, have since replaced their 320s with other pistols, but many others (including mine) have not! Our 320s are popular with officers, have always rendered good service, and there has never been any kind of safety issue. And, the Pentagon has never pulled the 320 (M17/18) from service. This pistol continues to be issued to troops and will likely remain in US military service for the next thirty years!
However with all the 320’s negative publicity, deserved or not, SIG has since moved their (very similar) 365 into the position as their “flagship pistol,” displacing the 320. We’ve subsequently seen many 365s in DTI Courses, and no “safety issue” has ever been associated with this pistol.
In September of this year, just last month, SIG introduced their new flagship pistol, the 385. I’ll presumably have the opportunity to handle and shoot the 385 at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV in January of 2027. So far, I’ve only seen photos and videos.
One thing I noticed right away:
With the 385, SIG has finally joined virtually every other reputable pistol brand and added (their version of) a trigger-tab safety!
With modern autoloading pistols, the vast majority no longer have a two-position “manual” safety lever. In 1982, Glock considered a manual safety (which must be operated consciously and deliberately by the user) on an item of “emergency safety equipment,” like a carry-pistol, to be a silly, unnecessary, and counterproductive redundancy. And following Glock’s example, most pistol manufacturers have subsequently shunned manual safety levers/buttons, in favor of a trigger-tab, which is a “passive” safety.
Like a grip-safety, a trigger-tab is physically operated by the pistol’s user, but it is not operated consciously (as a manual safety must be), hence it is called a “passive” safety. Along with several other internal “safety measures,” a pistol with a trigger-tab is deemed appropriate for routine carry (with a round chambered). It is thus instantly ready to fire, but otherwise completely inert, absent pressure on the trigger. Some manufacturers have instead opted for an “articulated trigger,” or “jointed trigger.” Not quite as satisfactory as a trigger-tab, but designed to accomplish the same thing.
SIG was the only manufacturer who declined both! The 320’s and 365’s triggers are not articulated, jointed, nor do they feature a trigger-tab. I my opinion, the 320/365 is still reasonably safe to carry, but many consumers are now insisting on some kind of passive safety mechanism involving the trigger itself.
Enter the 385! As noted, SIG has now added their clever version of a trigger-tab (which will not be “optional”), and I thus predict, because of SIG’s reputation, the 385 Pistol will immediately gain significant market-share, much as the 320 did thirteen years ago!
/John
