SIG Sauer P320 pistol: Voluntary Upgrade Program starts
Following records of accidental discharges, SIG Sauer is offering a voluntary upgrade program for all P320 pistol variants, and all P320 pistol owners are eligible
SIG Sauer launched a dedicated webpage for the voluntary upgrade program on the P320
A multitude of independent testers in the U.S. have shown that the P320 can discharge if dropped at a certain aingle
The world of gun enthusiasts, law enforcement and military agencies, gun-related media and the shooters' community at large has been rocked last week by allegations – substantiated by independent tests carried on by shooters in the U.S. and published on YouTube – regarding the tendency of the SIG Sauer P320 to discharge accidentally if hit on the rear portion of the slide or dropped at a "-30 degrees angle". Said revelations sparked a massive global controversy on the design and the manufacturing company, and generated what could be considered nothing short of a scandal within the American gun owners' community.
Following those revelations – and as announced last week – SIG Sauer, Inc. launched an official web page for their Voluntary Upgrade Program for all the 500.000 SIG Sauer P320 pistols that have been sold on the international commercial and MIL/LE/Govt. markets from 2014 onwards. Until the issue is addressed, SIG Sauer halted the manufacture and distribution of the P320 pistol system – exception made for the M17 MHS, which seems to be unaffected by the issue.
Given the modular design, all variants of the SIG Sauer P320 are eligible for the Voluntary Upgrade Program
The dedicated webpage stresses SIG Sauer's position concerning the P320 pistol – refered to as a substantially safe handgun that passed all industrial and military safety tests with flying colors, now being submitted to a "Voluntary Upgrade Program", not a safety recall, to address a "vulnerability" that may cause a discharge only in a very specific set of highly unlikely circumstances.
All handguns submitted to the Voluntary Upgrade Program will be sent back to SIG Sauer for retrofitting: the work can not be performed by local dealers or gunsmiths outside of the company. The Voluntary Upgrade Program also includes the P320 X-Five competition variants – which, according to independent testers, did not tend to discharge if dropped or bumped – as well as the CAL-X Kits and caliber conversion systems.
SIG Sauer P320 owners from the U.S. can register on the website to adhere to the Voluntary Upgrade Program
All P320s submitted to the Voluntary Upgrade Program will be sent to factory for retrofitting
The company wishes to stress that all the P320 variants are eligible for the Voluntary Upgrade Program because all the versions of the P320 share the same modular design, using a serialized trigger pack, which makes basically every P320 model out there potentially affected by the vulnerability.
As of today, only U.S. Domestic Commercial consumers can register on the Voluntary Upgrade Program website; U.S. and Canadian Law Enforcement agencies, Canadian consumers and individuals who purchased on the Armed Professional Program (APP) or Individual Officer Program (IOP) will receive additional information in the coming due to the unique circumstances involving these customers requiring additional logistical planning.
The P320 X-Five variants are also eligible for the Voluntary Upgrade Program
The modifications planned for the SIG Sauer P320 pistol will include an alternate design that reduces the physical weight of the trigger, sear, and striker while additionally adding a mechanical disconnector. P320 owners will thus need to turn in their entire pistol, with all factory components, but stripped of any aftermarket part of accessory.
The upgrade is being offered to SIG Sauer consumers at no cost.
As stressed on the Voluntary Upgrade Program webpage, commercial/civilian users and military, Law Enforcement and government customers outside of the United States must contact their respective authorized SIG Sauer distributors or the Global Defense Sales representative.
SIG Sauer launched the anticipated Voluntary Upgrade Program for the P320 pistol: click the image to know more!