Sig Sauer has been riding a bit of a rollercoaster lately. First, they get the lucrative contract with the Department of Defense for their Modular Handgun System (MHS), then word breaks that the P320—the very pistol that formed the basis for the MHS—has a design flaw that may permit the weapon to fire if dropped.

Apparently trying to stay out in front of the problem, Sig Sauer announced today that it would offer voluntary upgrades for the P320. The company notes that the pistol passed all relevant U.S. testing, but described the drops as “beyond U.S. standards for safety.”

They also note that the M17, the official designation for the MHS, will not be affected by this offer. Whether that means the military weapons already have the new upgrades in place or something else entirely was not mentioned in the company’s statement.

The press release in its entirety:

SIG SAUER Issues Voluntary Upgrade of P320 Pistol

Published Date: 08/08/2017

P320 pistol meets requirements for industry and government safety standards; performance enhancements optimize function, safety, and reliability.

Newington, NH (August 8, 2017) – The P320 meets U.S. standards for safety, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) / Sporting Arms Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI®), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), as well as rigorous testing protocols for global military and law enforcement agencies.

The design of the SIG SAUER P320 overcomes the most significant safety concern in striker-fired pistols today: the practice of pressing the trigger for disassembly. This can be performed with a round in the chamber which has resulted in numerous incidents of property damage, physical injury, and death. The disassembly process of the P320, however, uses a take-down lever rather than pressing the trigger, eliminating the possibility of discharge during the disassembly process.

Recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond U.S. standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge.

As a result of input from law enforcement, government and military customers, SIG has developed a number of enhancements in function, reliability, and overall safety including drop performance. SIG SAUER is offering these enhancements to its customers. Details of this program will be available at sigsauer.com on Monday, August 14, 2017.

The M17 variant of the P320, selected by the U.S. government as the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), is not affected by the Voluntary Upgrade.

“SIG SAUER is committed to our approach on innovation, optimization, and performance, ensuring we produce the finest possible products,” said Ron Cohen, President and CEO of SIG SAUER. “Durability, reliability and safety, as well as end-user confidence in the SIG SAUER brand are the priorities for our team.”

For more information on SIG SAUER, please visit us at sigsauer.com

PR Contact:
Jordan Hunter
SIG SAUER, Inc.
603-610-3293

Follow SIG SAUER on social media, including Facebook at facebook.com/sigsauerinc, Instagram at instagram.com/sigsauerinc, and YouTube at youtube.com/user/sigsauerinc.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t constitute an official recall of the firearm, but is instead intended to appear to be an upgrade designed to mitigate a potential problem that may occur in statistically unlikely, but not impossible, circumstances.