Sig P320 Quandary ... *Sigh*

[Columbo]

Though the 320 is the Carry variant, it wasn’t purchased with that in mind ... rather, it was yet another .357 Sig to add to the fold. My mistrust combined with Exeter’s ambivalence - i.e., a voluntary, not mandatory 320 (upgrade) recall - gives me pause. And then I take an otherwise fantastic 320 out for photos &/or to the range & the ambivalence re the pistol is compounded. Truthfully speaking, Exeter’s handling of the situation is what sticks in my craw ... more so than the 320’s discharge woes. Hence, its’ replacement will likely be a German/W. German Sig (Walther PP Super?) should I decide to part ways with the 320 — that said, a German decision would be based entirely on (Exeter) sentiment.


In regards to keeping the 320, it’s definitely the other attraction you speak of. Sig Exeter/discharges notwithstanding, the P320 is an excellent pistol that’s inherently accurate, has great ergonomics & an outstanding trigger.

You’ll get no NH-vs-Germany arguments out of me. My NH Classic P-Series pistols run every bit as well & are as highly regarded as their German-made safemates. And those 220s are my favorites ... in the wonderful world of Sigs, P220s are in world unto themselves.

A 220 with a Hogue grip is about as good as it gets (for me).

Just got back from range today. As wonderful as the 226 Mk-25 was, my old 220 was just in another league.

If only it weren't so big and heavy, I'd still carry it. Some days, I sure do think about it. Its DeSantis sits in the closet, reminding me.

But a 365 weighs about as much as a loaded 220 magazine. Compromises.

If you didn't purchase the 320 for carry, then what's the problem? Some specimens are great safe queens, tons of fun at the range or in other non-critical events.

 

[shoelessjoe]

A 220 with a Hogue grip is about as good as it gets (for me).

I run Hogue grips on my magnum revolvers & HandAlls on a Glock 20 & HK USP .45 Tactical ... enhanced control, comfortable, great products!

Just got back from range today. As wonderful as the 226 Mk-25 was, my old 220 was just in another league.

I might get banned for having repeated this so many times, but at the range, it’s the P220s, along with the P7s & a VP9 that are my most (inherently) accurate pistols.

If only it weren't so big and heavy, I'd still carry it. Some days, I sure do think about it. Its DeSantis sits in the closet, reminding me.

But a 365 weighs about as much as a loaded 220 magazine. Compromises.

I regularly scour various websites, classifieds, etc. in hopes of one day finding a Del Fatti or Lou Alessi-made P220 rig for sale. Speaking of weight, initially I was surprised by the 320’s heft, which I actually do like. Having primarily carried steel-framed pistols, & excluding a 4” N-frame 500, weight is a non-issue to me.

If you didn't purchase the 320 for carry, then what's the problem? Some specimens are great safe queens, tons of fun at the range or in other non-critical events.

As mentioned in a post or two above, it was & remains Sig’s capricious handling of the 320’s discharge issues that sticks in my craw. A number a folks were injured & some crippled by early 320’s & Sig, in an attempt to save both face & $s, threw the masses a bone in the form of a voluntary recall. It will be interesting to see just how those 320 discharge-related lawsuits play out.

 

[jar_]

"I regularly scour various websites, classifieds, etc. in hopes of one day finding a Del Fatti or Lou Alessi-made P220 rig for sale. "

I miss Lou.

 

[flight567]

I didn't know that those law suits are still on going; I haven't heard anything about them recently.
If I may ask: why is the voluntary upgrade a problem? Have you had it upgraded?

If you don't intend to carry it, why keep it? I would find a good home for it with someone who will carry it.

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[shoelessjoe]

I didn't know that those law suits are still on going; I haven't heard anything about them recently.
If I may ask: why is the voluntary upgrade a problem? Have you had it upgraded?

Most Recent Lawsuit 06/20:
“...That was followed by the voluntary upgrade program, which Guay alleges, was used by 20% of P320 owners, ” leaving hundreds of thousands of dangerous P320s still in circulation in the United States.”
Link: Lawsuit: Sig Sauer pistol fired without trigger pull - https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200706/lawsuit-sig-sauer-pistol-fired-without-trigger-pull

My unissued CPO 320 had been factory-upgraded before I purchased it.


If you don't intend to carry it, why keep it? I would find a good home for it with someone who will carry it.

I purchased the 320 because of its’ chambering (.357SIG/.40 S&W) & price ($349), not because it was a Carry model ... as I never intended to carry it, except in rug, to the range.

Why keep it? Because I have a fascination for/with the .357SIG round & as mentioned earlier in the thread, it is a fine pistol. I have no small number of other pistols in the safes that I never intend to carry ... perhaps I should be finding good homes for them, too?

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[Acmemfg]

+1 on the SIG P220 w/Hogue Pau Fero grips. This one is set up with night sights and a SRT trigger (an acquired taste for sure).
Using a Sam Andrews Monarch shoulder rig for EDC carry during the colder months, it's a very legit way to go.

@jar_
Best of luck finding an Alessi out Del Fatti holster. Actually quality of last generation of Alessi gear was not all that great. I would humbly suggest contacting Ritchie Leather in Buffalo, NY. Skip Ritchie worked with Lou for many years and he and his brother Bob currently make an excellent line of goods patterned from Alessi designs and have maintained the same excellent quality that was Lou's trademark. Shown below with a SIG P229 is their CQ QR holster (an Alessi design) of which I have quite a few. Simply great stuff.

 

[shoelessjoe]

View attachment 1160321
...Best of luck finding an Alessi out Del Fatti holster. Actually quality of last generation of Alessi gear was not all that great.

Don’t want to disparage any makers ... that’s why I always type, Lou Alessi-made.

And Del Fatti & Lou rigs are out there, sir ... comes down to the faithful perusal of auctions, classifieds, etc... that & good timing. That is how I located/obtained a Del Fatti LP-HTL (P2000); an ISP-4 (P7M8); an SLP (1911 Gov) & a Lou Alessi-made Hideout (P7) ... and a couple weeks back, I missed another Lou-made 1911 Gov. rig by a mere hour or so

I spoke with Matt last weekend to validate an ebay-listed Del Fatti Star rig & during our converstation he said that though his website’s ‘build date’ hasn’t changed in years, new orders will be taken as soon as he has worked theough the 2016 order list.

While the Richie Brothers appear to make fine rigs, my $s go to John Ralston, who learned the craft under under Lou Alessi’s watchful eye & Josh Bulman.

Ralston - 5 Shot Leather, LLC - Home 5shotleather - https://www.5shotleather.com/

Bulman - Bulman Gunleather-Concealed Carry Holsters IWB, OWB, Belts, and ammo carriers - https://www.bulman-gunleather.com/

 

[novitiate]

or better yet, a Walther PP Super.

That is a neat & scarce piece like the P5 & P88.

For me it's a Beretta 8000, primarily because I just want to shoot one.

 

[shoelessjoe]

That is a neat & scarce piece like the P5 & P88.

For me it's a Beretta 8000, primarily because I just want to shoot one.

And there is no better reason than that to have an 8000 ... Beretta offerings certainly have that cool factor going on.

There always are a couple/few Walther PP Supers to be found on Gun Broker. As with the Walther pistol, I’m intrigued by the 9x18 Police’s bloodline, which flows directly back to Hermann Göring, his pre-war Luftwaffe, Carl Walther, Geco Munitions & their then new round called, the 9x18 Ultra.

 

[jar_]

View attachment 1160321
+1 on the SIG P220 w/Hogue Pau Fero grips. This one is set up with night sights and a SRT trigger (an acquired taste for sure).
Using a Sam Andrews Monarch shoulder rig for EDC carry during the colder months, it's a very legit way to go.

View attachment 1160324
@jar_
Best of luck finding an Alessi out Del Fatti holster. Actually quality of last generation of Alessi gear was not all that great. I would humbly suggest contacting Ritchie Leather in Buffalo, NY. Skip Ritchie worked with Lou for many years and he and his brother Bob currently make an excellent line of goods patterned from Alessi designs and have maintained the same excellent quality that was Lou's trademark. Shown below with a SIG P229 is their CQ QR holster (an Alessi design) of which I have quite a few. Simply great stuff.
View attachment 1160327View attachment 1160327

I'm pretty much holster poor (but many a box of shame candidate) but I do have quite a few of Lou's creations. Ritchie is nice but has never really been a maker that attracted me so I have none of his. I think my first holster from Lou was for my Detective Special.

 

[Acmemfg]

Beretta 8000.... perhaps the most under rated pistol Beretta ever made.

 

[jar_]

Beretta 8000.... perhaps the most under rated pistol Beretta ever made.

The Beretta 8000 and its recent incarnations always interested me since the only pistol I have that uses the delayed rotating barrel system was made back in 1913.

 

[Champion of Capua]

Stay or leave, this P320 will never get anywhere close to my carry rotation.

Why would you keep a firearm you don’t trust? Seems like wasted money to me. If a buddy is offering a fair price, why not use it to buy a firearm you do trust.

 

[flight567]

Why would you keep a firearm you don’t trust? Seems like wasted money to me. If a buddy is offering a fair price, why not use it to buy a firearm you do trust.

He appears to be a collector of firearms. It's something that I don't personally understand but it makes him happy.

I know several people who do the same thing. One person I know has 13 Glock 19s. Some of them aren't even different; he just wanted another one. He also has something like 35 ARs, 9 m1 garands, several are rack grade, he has 4 or 5 issued 1911 and a few repros as well, some 1917s, well... You get the point. His edc is a Ruger lcp. Collecting, and owning firearms is something that makes some people very happy. Whether it's history, larping, they just happen to like the feel, recoil impulse, sight radius, thumb rest/checkering, whatever it is. And more power to them.

I don't own a firearm that doesn't have an explicit purpose. the same way that I don't own a hammer that I bought without a job in mind. Different mindset all together; neither are wrong, though it can definitely be difficult to understand the other side.

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[shoelessjoe]

Why would you keep a firearm you don’t trust? Seems like wasted money to me.

Seems like wasted money to me.

Funny how it is ... that’s exactly what a friend told me back in ‘04 when he discovered that I had wasted* $1275 on the purchase of a new, limited edition 25th Anniversary, Jubilee Presentation P7M8 ... whose value, BTW, not only more than doubled in less than a year, but continues to appreciate...

Perhaps I should have used bolder, black letters ... as stated earlier, in Carolina-blue:
I purchased the 320 because of its’ chambering (.357SIG/.40 S&W) & price ($349)* not because it was a Carry model ... as I never intended to carry it, except in a rug, to the range.

He appears to be a collector of firearms. It's something that I don't personally understand ... it can definitely be difficult to understand the other side.

& again,
He appears to be a collector of firearms ... as opposed to what, pal??

What is there to understand?? People like what they like ... that’s how it is & that’s how it should be ... I mean, it is their money, no?

 

[flight567]

Seems like wasted money to me.

[emoji38] Funny how it is ... that’s exactly what a friend told me back in ‘04 when he discovered that I had wasted* $1275 on the purchase of a new, limited edition 25th Anniversary, Jubilee Presentation P7M8 ... whose value, BTW, not only more than doubled in less than a year, but continues to appreciate...

Perhaps I should have used bolder, black letters ... as stated earlier, in Carolina-blue:
I purchased the 320 because of its’ chambering (.357SIG/.40 S&W) & price ($349)* not because it was a Carry model ... as I never intended to carry it, except in a rug, to the range.



[emoji848] & again, [emoji38]
He appears to be a collector of firearms ... as opposed to what, pal??

What is there to understand?? People like what they like ... that’s how it is & that’s how it should be ... I mean, it is their money, no?

I suppose as opposed to someone who doesn't collect firearms? If you enjoy it go for it. I never said it was bad. I just don't understand it.
Certainly it is your money. I don't think it's a waist of money If it's something that you enjoy, and firearms can he investments.
I just see a firearm as a tool. I don't care if something is valuable, has historical significance, is unique in it's operation or... Well anything. I want the tool to be good at it's designed purpose.so I have a tool that does that well and that's all.
Nothing wrong with either mindset. Just different.

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[Champion of Capua]

Seems like wasted money to me.

Funny how it is ... that’s exactly what a friend told me back in ‘04 when he discovered that I had wasted* $1275 on the purchase of a new, limited edition 25th Anniversary, Jubilee Presentation P7M8 ... whose value, BTW, not only more than doubled in less than a year, but continues to appreciate...

Perhaps I should have used bolder, black letters ... as stated earlier, in Carolina-blue:
I purchased the 320 because of its’ chambering (.357SIG/.40 S&W) & price ($349)* not because it was a Carry model ... as I never intended to carry it, except in a rug, to the range.

If you never purchased it to carry, except in a rug to the range, what is the dilemma? Sounds like it’s perfect for that use. Your P320 is not a 25th Anniversary Presentation collector piece. We’ve all purchased guns for different reasons: investments, range, home defense, CC......... If you bought it for the range, congrats it’s a great gun for that.

 

[FarmerTan]

I'm a "collector" more than a "shooter" in this sense: I'm ALWAYS carrying, (okay, not in my pajamas, but I have two revolvers under my mattress with their butts sticking out every night!) but I'm only shootin' when I'm shootin'.

And my entire collection is less than a dozen guns. But......if my lovely War Department wasn't so um.... "stringent" in balancing our budget I'd make everyone on this forum look like pikers!

I THINK like a collector, but in PRACTICE I'm a "not often enough shooter!" And as someone else on here said: there ain't nothing wrong with that. Lol, or I just don't care cuz I'm old and my arteries are getting harder!

I think of guns as tools, MOSTLY, but my oh my, I like "pretty" tools! Ha, I'm vain like that, and lustful.

 

[Champion of Capua]

Lol, or I just don't care cuz I'm old and my arteries are getting harder!

Thank you sir, that was awesome!

 

[FarmerTan]

Thank you sir, that was awesome!

The only good thing I can think of, as far as my mortality is concerned, about getting old and having an "eventual" expiration date based on my heart and lung and brain health is this: I just don't care about that which I don't have to care about. I've long since settled my Calvinistic Accounts with the One that it matters with, and I am free to do as my Dad used to say: "Son, every once in a while you gotta tell the world to kiss your...blank!"

Life is as good as it has ever been, lol!