If you have not been living off grid this month, it won’t surprise you to hear the entire internet has piled on to the Sig P320 and it’s once buried social media reputation for being able to fire without someone or something pressing the trigger. Sig went through major recall/replacement of all P320s years ago to ensure the drop safety was upgraded. Why all the heat now?
Sig Sauer maintains that the P320 “cannot, under any circumstances, discharge without a trigger pull,” and claims the allegations are either misinformed or financially motivated. Despite this, lawsuits and investigations continue to pile up.
Tragically, a 21year old Air Force airman died on July 20, 2025, at a base in Wyoming after being shot by a single 9mm round via his issued and holstered Sig Sauer M18 pistol. Reports suggest the pistol was placed on a table inside a Safariland holster when it discharged. The matter is of course under investigation and the story made big news when the airman’s command paused the use of all M18 pistols to security personnel and issued M4 rifles pending the results.
The internet has been aflame since this death was announced about the Sig Sauer P320 variants being inherently dangerous… again. The internet says exact production numbers are not available, but it is believed over one million P320s have been built and sold.
A bit of history here: In 2014, Sig Sauer introduced the P320—a modular, 9mm, striker-fired pistol (similar to Glock striker/trigger system) designed to get a better entry into the Glock vs Sig market. Sig used a novel fire control unit which could be moved from grip module to grip module, customizable grip modules, and sleek polymer frame, it was quite an advancement over their popular metal framed P226’s, P228’s and P229’s and was a huge seller.
The U.S. Army adopted a variant of the P230, the M17/M18, in 2017, ordering over 420,000 units, cementing the P320’s place in military history and guaranteed the public would want a lot of these pistols.
The original big P320 problem emerged in Texas where everything, including firearm problems, are big. On or about July 31, 2017, the Dallas Police Department conducted a lot of drop testing on a Sig Sauer P320 and finally was able to get one to go off. The department had not had any problems with the pistol or negligent discharges prior to the drop testing and said they did the testing after being notified by Sig of a potential problem. The Dallas PD suspended carry of the P320 and the story and video went viral.
Sig instituted their famous recall- and paid for owners to ship in their P320s for inspection/upgrade and return and theoretically things settled down. But it turns out additional claims kept piling up of the pistol going off for no reason, in holsters, or while it was not being handled.
Sig Sauer has faced dozens of lawsuits over the P320 pistol, with the number continuing to grow. Internet sources say as of mid-2025:
Over 100 individuals have filed claims alleging unintentional discharges, many involving law enforcement and military personnel. A recent mass action included 22 plaintiffs from 16 states, marking the fourth major group lawsuit against the company. Sig Sauer has won some cases, settled others, and lost at least two multimillion-dollar jury verdicts—one in Georgia and another in Pennsylvania.
In response to mounting litigation, New Hampshire (coincidentally the home of Sig Sauer USA) passed a law in May 2025 which makes it harder to sue gun manufacturers like Sig Sauer for product liability claims. While exact totals vary depending on how cases are grouped and counted, legal experts estimate more than 70 lawsuits have been filed in New Hampshire alone, with additional cases spread across federal courts nationwide.
Social media is awash in anti Sig and anti P320 stories and memes this week. This morning, I saw a “new” discharge video posting from someone who held a pistol aloft and wiggled the slide side to side of the P320 and it discharged. Seems shocking. But looking at the info and comments around the story, the “tester” had also jammed a screw into the trigger mechanism holding the trigger back scant millimeters but certainly altering the perception the gun was in pristine or unaltered condition. As always, you can’t take Facebook “reporters” at face value. But what are you to believe?
With over a million guns sold, what percentage have had an unintended discharge? Sig maintains the gun is safe unless the trigger is pulled. One great internet meme rocketing around the net this week says to finally find out “the truth” put the Sig Sauer CEO in a vault with a hole in the roof and drop loaded P320s into the room until he confesses.
One excellent bit of P320 defense was aired today by Bruce Gray of Gray Guns. Bruce is well known in the industry for gunsmithing Sig Sauers and marketing upgrade parts for their many guns for 39 years. He is a nationally known expert when it comes to working on Sig Sauers.
He acknowledged the gravity of recent incidents and expressed empathy for those affected, while reaffirming his confidence in the platform based on years of hands-on experience.
He admits he has a vested interest but has extensively tested the P320 line in controlled environments trying to mirror or reproduce reported accidental discharges- without success. Additionally, in the video he holds aloft a P320 he and his staff have done drop testing on over 240 times, with no discharge. Gray seems to be open and balanced about his presentation, is willing to accept outside submissions for review and even invites people to come to his shop and demonstrate a discharge if they can. He will be releasing videos this coming week showing their shop efforts and what has gone on with these pistols- hopefully to add to the evidence that over a million of these pistols are safe to carry and handle.
Gray explained in his video release there was a single incident with a discharge his staff created by assembling a 9mm P320 with parts from a Sig Sauer 10mm/.45ACP in the fire control system, but this was of course quite a custom-made accident, and there are no known instances of any 9mm P320 being factory assembled with 10mm/.45 parts. (Bruce sez: You can double check your own 9mm P320 for this exact mess by locking back the slide of an empty pistol, rotate the take down lever and then insert a magazine. If it locks in, you have problems like 10mm parts in a 9mm.)
Bruce Gray’s video presentation reiterates he could not replicate an uncommanded discharge—meaning, in his extensive testing, the pistol did not fire without the trigger being actuated even pushing beyond normal conditions they were just unable to induce a discharge without trigger input.
He emphasized this doesn’t mean concerns are invalid or what people believe happened did not happen-just that his own testing hasn’t revealed a mechanical flaw and he seems to know what has been going on with the discharges.
Gray made quite a dramatic statement concluding the suspected/reported discharges in 21 different possible scenarios, are due to gun handling, environment and holsters. Quite a bold but welcome statement in defense of the Sig Sauer P320.
In the meantime, FFLs are reporting it is impossible to sell P320s this month, they won’t take them in on trade, and a lot of local ranges and some trainers have banned the P320 from their facility. Several internet gun writers have put out pieces this week how they have shelved their P320 carry guns and even some P365s (They have a smaller moveable Fire Control Unit like the bigger P320- but don’t have the discharge history associated with P320s) and gone back to Glocks or Springfield Armory guns.
It could be an unprecedented time to buy P320s at bargain prices- depending on what or who you believe.
