SAR 18#6
P320 Above: SIG Sauer P320 Full size model. (SIG Sauer) Left: No external hammer is present with the P320 since it is striker fired – a big change for SIG Sauer. coming in bits and pieces influenced by a multitude of factors such as manufacturing techniques, metallurgy, cartridge improvements, technology, market forces and countless other factors as experienced in individual countries and cultures. From the turn of the late 19th century semiautomatic handguns were typified by hammer fired steel frames and most likely single action in that the exposed hammer was cocked rearward when ready to fire. The Mauser 1896 “Broomhandle” and Browning 1911 serve as good examples of this. In the 1930s, double action hammer fired handguns arrived in force typified by the German P38 up to the Beretta M92 now serving U.S. military forces. In the 1930s, the double-action/ single-action (DA/SA) hammer fired handgun genre arrived in the form of the German P38. Its arrival was just as revolutionary as the striker fired Glock’s arrival 50 years later. The Walther P38 was spawned by the German military desiring a replacement for the classic Luger. The Luger’s tight tolerances, intricate interplay of many parts and unreliability when exposed to trench conditions were causes of this; not to mention the Luger’s high cost and low production capability due to the need for extensive hand fitting. German military planners requested the new handgun design be simple, with as few parts as possible. In addition, component interchangeability, ease of disassembly/assembly and reliability was also required. The P38 design concepts held sway until the 1980s until the advent of polymer framed striker fired handguns displaced those types. The function of the DA/SA trigger SAR Vol. 18, No. 6 24 Nov., Dec. 2014
mechanism is similar to a DA revolver. The DA/SA trigger will cock and release the hammer when the hammer is in the down position, but, on each subsequent shot, the trigger will function as a single-action. On most DA/SA pistols there is the option to cock the hammer before the first shot is fired if time or situation permits. This removes the heavy pull of the double-action. The DA/SA hammer down carry on a live chamber with either safety engaged or not combined with longer heavier DA trigger pull reminds one of the revolver’s trigger, which was a much more familiar and considered inherently safer and less prone to accidental discharges. The DA/SA handgun design is still going strong today with numerous models being produced by multiple manufacturers. Excellent examples are the SIG Sauer variants being used by many police departments, federal agencies, and military units. While other early examples of DA/SA handguns are possible to find, the Walther P38 is considered by most the first widespread successful rendition. While examples of striker fired handguns predate 1982, this date is critical in that this is when the Glock striker fired handgun entered service. Though this is an article on the SIG Sauer P320, there can be little debate that semiautomatic handguns were redefined by the 9mm Glock 17 in terms of capacity and polymer construction. Polymer framed striker fired handguns are inherently lighter, thinner, and simpler due to the limited number of parts needed to make the gun. There are less large steel parts needed, such as a hammer in more traditional designs, thus there are less parts to break. This makes the gun easier to maintain, and more reliable. The relative quick adoption of striker fired weapons for LE use bears out this truth. The striker-fired weapon works without a standard hammer or firing pin that we can visible see in the first modern semiautomatic pistols. Instead, the firing pin, or “striker”, sits captive under some spring tension inside the slide while the gun is not being put through the firing process. The P320 shares many of the design features of an earlier SIG offering the P250. Many felt the SIG P250 was a benchmark in handgun development when it appeared. Quite a bold statement that time will have to validate when viewed backward in future years. The SIG P250’s across the board modularity in terms of grip sizes, frame interchangeability combined with various slide lengths, multiple trigger positions, and caliber swapping heralded the next www.smallarmsreview.com 25 SAR Vol. 18, No. 6
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- Page 7 and 8: 50 8 NEW REVIEW By Chris A. Choat 1
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- Page 27 and 28: P320 www.smallarmsreview.com 27 SAR
- Page 29 and 30: The P320’s fire control chassis h
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- Page 60 and 61: THE ASAI ONE PRO HANDGUN BY BOB CAM
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P320<br />
Above: SIG Sauer P320 Full size model.<br />
(SIG Sauer)<br />
Left: No external hammer is present with<br />
the P320 since it is striker fired – a big<br />
change for SIG Sauer.<br />
coming in bits and pieces influenced<br />
by a multitude of factors such as manufacturing<br />
techniques, metallurgy, cartridge<br />
improvements, technology, market<br />
forces and countless other factors<br />
as experienced in individual countries<br />
and cultures. From the turn of the late<br />
19th century semiautomatic handguns<br />
were typified by hammer fired steel<br />
frames and most likely single action in<br />
that the exposed hammer was cocked<br />
rearward when ready to fire. The Mauser<br />
1896 “Broomhandle” and Browning<br />
1911 serve as good examples of this. In<br />
the 1930s, double action hammer fired<br />
handguns arrived in force typified by the<br />
German P38 up to the Beretta M92 now<br />
serving U.S. military forces.<br />
In the 1930s, the double-action/<br />
single-action (DA/SA) hammer fired<br />
handgun genre arrived in the form of<br />
the German P38. Its arrival was just as<br />
revolutionary as the striker fired Glock’s<br />
arrival 50 years later. The Walther P38<br />
was spawned by the German military<br />
desiring a replacement for the classic<br />
Luger. The Luger’s tight tolerances, intricate<br />
interplay of many parts and unreliability<br />
when exposed to trench conditions<br />
were causes of this; not to mention<br />
the Luger’s high cost and low production<br />
capability due to the need for extensive<br />
hand fitting. German military planners<br />
requested the new handgun design be<br />
simple, with as few parts as possible. In<br />
addition, component interchangeability,<br />
ease of disassembly/assembly and reliability<br />
was also required. The P38 design<br />
concepts held sway until the 1980s<br />
until the advent of polymer framed<br />
striker fired handguns displaced those<br />
types. The function of the DA/SA trigger<br />
<strong>SAR</strong> Vol. 18, No. 6 24 Nov., Dec. 2014
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