Woah, thanks @John Stewart, I wish I knew how to pin a comment because that’s probably the greatest compliment one can get. Thanks for watching the video. I’ve been wanting to do the armorer course for a while now, if anything just to get my hands on that armorers handbook that they give you. Can’t find a upgraded copy online anywhere.

So John do you get one specific task at the armory or multiple things you work on? Also do you see the new “upgrade” really making the p320 safe?

@@Fittednocap Most of what I do as an armorer is simply maintenance: inspections, cleaning beyond what nonspecialist users are permitted or qualified to do, scheduled parts replacements. If there is a problem with a part I will replace it with new. Factory armorer training and certification usually qualifies us to do nothing more than that, and it’s true of the courses I’ve attended. Although certified armorers may make modifications to parts on occasion, that’s usually done without sanction by the manufacturer. If a shooter has a functioning problem that’s not due to an obviously defective part, then an armorer might diagnose the cause as inadequate cleaning and/or lubrication. If, however, it’s due to shooter error then it becomes a matter of training, and although it may be the same person(s), it’s a different function and responsibility. For example, as the agency firearms instructor I often get complaints that a gun’s sights are not regulated properly. The first thing I do in that situation is fire the gun myself. When I fire a small group at the point of aim, I’ll say, “Okay, the gun is fine. Let’s figure out what might be causing the problem,” and go from there. Law enforcement agency armorers usually work on more than one type of firearm, but not necessarily always. I currently work on SIG P320 pistols, AR-15 type rifles, and Remington 870 shotguns for the agency. I also train on those weapons, so my cross-familiarity is a benefit. Based on what I know about the “upgraded” P320, I believe it is drop safe. Not only were the mechanical changes theoretical improvements, but there are countless people who would love to demonstrate that something was still wrong with the gun. That has not happened to my knowledge. Am I as certain the P320 is as drop safe as a DAK P229? No, but I’m confident enough for me to rely on the gun for serious purposes in serious situations. As Judge Learned Hand observed, “[L]ife is made up of a series of judgements on insufficient data, and if we waited to run down all our doubts, it would flow past us.”

@@johnstewart2011 thank you so much for the reply and making me feel better about my recent purchase. 🙏🏽

That’s encouraging

@FuzzyTube, that’s very kind of you to say! It takes quite a bit of work to make one of these videos, but they seem to be helping a lot of folks, so I’m happy to do it. From what I hear, some sig reps actually have watched this channel and like it! So, hopefully it keeps growing like it has been.

Hey @arod2104, thank you for taking the time to watch, and thank you for the kind compliment, hope to catch you here again soon!

You’re very welcome. It’s daunting at first but once you do it a few times it very fast and you’ll find yourself taking it down to bare parts even for a quick cleaning. Glad the video helped! Thanks for watching.

Thank you @Ricky Spanish. I hope the videos help and I’m glad you liked them!

@Al Caruso, oh wow, thanks! That’s very kind of you to say. Thanks for watching!

@Baba Yaga, thank you! Yes, there is surprisingly little out there on what the P320 offers past the obvious. I'm glad you stopped by and found the video helpful!

Thanks for watching and for your insight. I do have another video I think you will like that is close to your point about carrying. Check out the video on P320 Striker Safety Parameters. I completely agree with your thoughts.

There is a former Seal who carries without a holster, but I still think that you at minimum need a kydex trigger guard that is attatched to your belt so that it gets removed during the draw stroke.

Thank you! I’ll be trying to drop new stuff at least every month as I attempt to get all the P320 stuff completed before moving on to another firearm and giving it the same in depth treatment. Speaking of which I’m just finishing up one for this next week. Thanks for watching!

Thank you!

Thank you! And thanks for watching!

@Bang Bang. You are very welcome, and thank you for watching!

@Clint Levine. Thanks!

It takes quite a while for some of them but I’m happy to do it! Thanks for watching!!

No doubt that some of the AD's are actually due to people being dumb, but I've seen video of a pistol going off in the holster without being handled and this is concerning. But in the video the fellow was getting out of the rear seat of a car and I think this is important and part of what's going on with these pistols. There is considerable play between the slide and frame rails....and ANY play here that allows slide movement relative to the grip is going to be moving the striker up on the sear. Rock the slide back and forth like hitting the grip while the slide is firmly being held by the holster and I think it's possible for the sear to creep up the striker surface enough to release it. Yes....the striker safety lever 'should' prevent it from going home, but this same slide to rail play also reduces the distance the safety lever is being lifted with every shot to release the striker and I'll bet the guns that are discharging have wear on the interface surfaces on the striker from previous shots where the lever was just barely being lifted enough so it actually is being impacted by the striker with every shot which causes wear. The whole problem with the guns...IMHO....is the play in the slide to rails which of course some clearance is needed but the guns I've seen do seem to have excessive slop. Combine this with wear then hold the slide in a holster and work the grip back and forth and you can get a discharge. Tighter fitting rail to slide would make the striker safety lift farther when the trigger is activated and release the striker cleanly and also keep the striker down with full sear engagement. I wish the armorers supposedly keeping an eye on these guns had a better idea of what was happening...but good mechanics are hard to find and this is very likely what is going wrong with these pistols.

I actually showcased this a bit in my video about P320 striker safety parameters (about 6 minutes in), take a look and let me know your thoughts.

@@SIGMECHANICS OK...I just rewatched (and thanks for your prompt reply!) and you might be on to another part of the problem with how the slide release interfaces with the sear. Stuck in a tight fitting holster the slide release might be slightly depressed which then allows the sear to move downward out of engagement. If this is part of the problem then it would be difficult to diagnose when just examining the pistol as it could be functioning just fine out of the holster but be put into a precarious situation while up in the holster where this cannot be seen. Somebody is dropping the ball here when trying to diagnose what 's happening and for sure with the tens of thousands of 320's out in service that the 'problem' isn't more widespread if there was actually a defect in the gun itself. The PD chose that particular holster and I've been wondering how many other departments are using the same ones?

Any idea what exact holster model that was. Maybe I can buy one for testing.

@@SIGMECHANICS No...sorry, I just spent some time searching for the holster and can't find it. Everyone seems to be blaming the pistol for 'going off in the holster' but nobody is talking about WHICH holster this happens in. Are all the AD"s using the same one? Wondering now if the positive retention device they have to be using is part of what's going on? A buddy of mine makes holsters and they don't do PD versions because of all the hoops they'd have to jump through with retention specs. If the slide is being tightly held, then the retention strap pushes down on the grip....it would be trying to constantly separate them thus lifting the striker up off of the sear. Wiggle it around and throw in a bit of extra play in the slide release lever to grip clearance and I can see how they could be going off. Everyone is focusing on the pistol...but with the holster they form a system and that second part of the system might be where some of the problem lies. Did they issue new holsters when switching to the 320's from the S&W's they'd been using before? This line of questioning might offer some insight as to what's going on.

Thank you, that’s exactly why I thought these videos should be out here for. Always glad to hear someone found this useful.

@Dave Adams, that is very kind of you to say. I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos, I’m looking forward to all the new stuff coming up!

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to watch!!

Thank you!

Hi @Christopher Oliver. It is my pleasure. Thanks for watching!

Thanks. To be honest I’m kind of surprised it’s gotten to the point it already has. A few months back it was just me talking about a trigger job I did, now three months later we’re about to hit 1000 subscribers. I’m glad you liked the video, hope you stick around for more!

@Pat Brown, Thank you! I’m always happy when I hear someone enjoys what I’m going here!

Thank you!

Glad it was helpful! I also wish I did this years ago, I never realized how much people wanted this type of information until now. Glad you enjoyed the video and glad to have you here!

@@SIGMECHANICS I know this video is not about your opinion. But I'll be picking up my P320 XCARRY SPECTRE soon. I'm a glock guy. Would you say the p320 is safe to carry?

Thank you for your insight! I agree with you for the most part as I cannot find a way to make this gun fail without damaging the parts (and I have tried whole heartedly to do so). Realistically if I did find a way, I would be the first to share it along with all the variables, parameters and methods of doing so in order to assure Sig did their part to either take the gun out of circulation or fix it. That being said, I feel most anyone trying to sue is doing the same and I would expect this information to be made public, but so far, no one has done so and I feel like it will not likely ever happen. In any case, I’m glad that you enjoyed the videos and I’m happy to have you as part of this community! Also thank you for the kind words. I hope that you will continue to enjoy the new stuff I’m putting working on now.

​@SIG MECHANICS I did see someone mention that one of the reasons for the guns discharging was a part that once worn down, it places the gun at risk for self discharge. This made some sense since the pistols that had problems were high round competition guns, or pistols issued at police stations. Unfortunately I can't be 100% certain, and I feel that the best solution is to buy a model with a manual safety.

Any idea as to which part wearing down they are referring to? Two of my 320’s are high round count guns. Since every part is very easily replaceable I would like to keep an eye on things. When I clean my guns I always inspect my sear, striker and other critical parts for abnormalities. Even with the high round counts, everything looks like and functions like new. Thanks for the comment.

Just strip your FCU and polish it. That simple. Strip it with youtube videos, get some Mothers mag polish and a microfiber rag and start rubbing. I have mine more polished than his. Whole thing is like a mirror. FCU, trigger bar, sear and safety. All butter smooth. Also, Thats an Armory Craft Sport Takedown lever.

You’re welcome, thanks for watching!

@Doc Bailey! I'm glad I could help. Let me know if there is anything you may be interested in for in future videos. Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks for the info. My understanding from this, is that it is near impossible for the gun to fire WITHOUT pulling the trigger. Right?

@Robert Silveus, up until now I’ve not found any evidence that the gun can discharge without a trigger pull. In fact, from what I saw and tested, so long as the trigger is not engaged, the firearm will actively prevent discharge. I’ve got a video on this topic coming within the week so I hope you get a chance to check it out. If you’re subscribed then you’ll be notified though. Thanks for watching!

Thank you. I am very glad you found the video useful.

Thank you @Rick Renkiewicz! I’m always glad to hear these videos are helping others in our community. Thanks for watching!

Thank you.

@Thomas White. Yeah, sometimes it’s easier after you get the full scope of what’s there. That way you can break down the information and allow yourself to logically make theories and confirm them because you then understand all the fine details behind it. Anyway, thanks for watching!

You are absolutely correct. I went a bit more in detail about that in the last video I posted comparing pre vs. Post upgrade models. (For anyone reading this and might be interested, scrub to about 6:54 on that video) Thanks for pointing that out, and for watching!

Hey @Ben Beverly, thank you!

@@SIGMECHANICS Hey Edmond! My pleasure! :)

Yeah, I have to agree. The safety lever on the striker is not there as a manual safety. (Nor was it ever marketed as such), It’s there as a method to prevent a specific thing from happening. Basically, if the sear or striker ever malfunction, the gun won’t fire. If you touch the trigger it will. For some reason there is a debate on why it won’t prevent the gun from firing IF you pull the trigger. Which wasn’t the point. Good on you for trying and testing things for yourself! I’m working on a video for this right now and I think I’ll incorporate this into that.

Thank you!

@Steve Jacobs, Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

I’m glad these videos could provide some reassurance. Thanks for watching!

Agreed, there is some interesting engineering that went into it. While working on creating a 3D model, I also came to appreciate how everything you see on the FCU has a functional purpose, down to the curves, though cuts, bends etc. Anyway, thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

@@SIGMECHANICS Can you do a video on the model? Like the video "How a Glock Works". It got 84M views. Just Title it "How a Sig Works". Boom 50M views.

Great idea! When I get some time to render everything I think I’ll do that. Thanks!

@Stephen Scott, thank you very much!

@Boz, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I don’t have any particular books I can recommend, however, the best way to understand firearms is really by demystifying them by means of opening them up and exploring them. Really once you grasp the basics all guns are relatively simple. Anyway, I’m so happy you found the channel and I hope to see you around! Thanks for watching.

Thank you for watching. Yes, it’s getting a little tiring that every video talks about the same thing without any evidence of un-commanded discharge, or a drop safety problem from 2017 that has since been resolved. But fear gets the views on KZfaq so I guess we have to get used to it.

@@SIGMECHANICS yeah true. More clicks to say a gun many people probably carry can go off at any time. When those “uncommanded discharges” were results of improper handling and poorly trained officers . And lawsuits designed to bankrupt gun manufacturers. Not the stuff people should be latching onto imo. It really is unfortunate though. Thank you for making this, it’s really cool seeing the internals of how a gun works in general!

@mytquin. Glad to hear that!

You're welcome. I didn't want to leave any of my personal opinions on the video, but I can say here that the sear either has to move down (so the striker can fire) or, the striker would have to jump up 1mm distance to clear the sear ledge. (This is also assuming the striker's safety is somehow compromised). Therefore, if you look at the design of the striker housing, you can see there is such a tight tolerance between it and the actual slide that any upward pressure i put on the striker leg would basically just transfer to the slide. I didn't see any way for the striker body/leg to lift up a full 1mm to actually clear the sear ledge so, I couldn't see a way for it to fail without some sort of critical malfunction on either a lot of other parts or specifically, the sear being moved. Hopefully someone else may have some insight to that science though. Thanks for watching!

@@SIGMECHANICS another question, what does the manual safety mechanically do, should you have a model with a manual thumb safety? I don't but have always toyed with the idea of getting a m18 also

@@dukeofcai it locks in to the rear of the trigger bar making it impossible for the trigger bar to move at all. This prevents the safety lever from moving at all, thus the striker safety is never disengaged without catastrophic failure.

@@gh0st-6 got it, thanks. So the manual safety doesnt interact with the sear directly, only indirectly via trigger bar.

@@reachblowsdick7222 thats the case for any fully tensioned striker pistol, no?

There’s a lot of videos out there that I believe discuss the P320 as “unsafe” because the fear draws viewership, it’s perpetuated by other videos like the one that lawyer posted a few years ago, showing inaccurate tolerances between parts. I’ve played around and broke the P320 numerous times in order to see it’s limits and I have to say, I feel this pistol is perfectly safe, although not for everyone because we all have a style and way of managing our guns. Anyway, im glad to have you here and that you enjoyed the video!

In my opinion, don't fuck with any gun that doesn't have an external safety. I think at the most I'd maybe trust p226 series, but the rest are Darwin awards waiting to happen.

@SIG MECHANICS I think it's interesting to note that you're stating your feelings, thus no guarantees obviously implied. I believe between the p320 series and glocks, functioning on a "as long as outside of trigger gaurd" concept is plain asking for it. I think this has been tried much longer before these pistols, didn't work then either. One ND, is one too many.

​@@Standforwhatsright33external safeties can and will fail too.

Thanks! I’ve only started a year ago, but it’s growing steadily!

I’m glad I could help in your armorers journey! I’ll be working on various sig firearms over time, hoping to also include 3d models for each one.

The "trigger mass" issue and other issues, were all corrected in the late 2017 "voluntary upgrade" and also implemented on all P320s manufactured after that time.

Originally they didn't have the other safety features. If you take off your slide and look by the striker safety release you'll see an unfinished milled out spot where the safety from the FCU rises up into and allows the trigger bar to travel. Also, the sear and point on the striker where it engages the sear is an all new design. People who are blaming the P320 for firing by itself are just "mostly, mainly" covering for their own lack of trigger discipline.

@@reachblowsdick7222 I’ve heard, now I don’t have proof, but I’ve heard that that case, that they’ve got video of it just going off getting out of the vehicle that they were using the wrong holster for the gun. Like I said, wasn’t there, no proof, but from what I’ve heard. And then there’s the female officer who was shot, she had it in her purse with no holster, from what I heard… everything isn’t always black and white, lots of grey. I don’t know, what I do know is that the P320 is a good pistol and I wouldn’t think twice about carrying it, but… it’s too big for that, at least mine is; M17. But I do have a P365XL I carry. I’m not afraid of carrying that. And, both of mine have manual safeties. I have no idea how this became a problem to flick off a safety before you shoot your gun. I believe it’s stupid. Should I leave the safety off on my shotgun while walking through the old field in case a double woodcock goes out and I may miss one??? Fuck no!!! Just becomes second nature to flick it off as you’re shouldering the damn gun. Or going up through the creek bottom and you bounce a couple whitetail, should I have my safety off for that????

@@reachblowsdick7222 I’m not going back and forth with you here about this, and no, I don’t know who Ash Hess is except that he’s some guy involved in a lot of things military, guns and ammo and probably a whole bunch more stuff… but I’m expressing my opinion and I didn’t buy my M17 because some other person gave an opinion for or against it. I was actually going to buy a Glock and then I saw the M17 there and asked to see it and I liked it and bought it. I had actually completely forgotten about the P320. My first choice was actually the P365XL and I couldn’t activate the mag release good. So, then I was thinking about a Taurus G3, Glock 19 or the Beretta. If I had thought of getting an aftermarket mag release for the P365XL, I’d probably have bought it and been done with it. The Taurus and Beretta were the first to get knocked off the list and I had actually been in the store to buy it that day, and again, if I had thought of aftermarket mag release for the Glock, I’d probably have walked out the door with it… but standing there holding it and not being able to manipulate the mag release well I was disappointed but was still just thinking I’d have to get used to it. But that’s when I saw the M17. It just felt right in my hand… and with two spare 21 round mags, I was sold. I have since went back and bought the P365XL and an aftermarket mag release. But I’m not going to stop carrying my M17 until I feel it’s unsafe. Why not the P365XL??? It’s basically the same sear and striker interface, isn’t it.

@@reachblowsdick7222 wrong... but I'm done. Have a good day.

Thanks @James Domenico!

@@SIGMECHANICS You essentially explain the operation of the FCU as you described the safety features. This could be very useful to understand mechanical issues down the road.

Thank you @Jeremy Weaver. I'm just working through the P320 catalogue, but due to popular demand the P365 is most likely the next model to get the "Sig Mechanics" treatment. Thanks again for watching!

Ha! Showing up in the court exhibits would be an honor. I’m glad you enjoyed the video and I’m glad to have you aboard!

@Rob S. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for watching! What you described is normal operation for the safety to kick in that help make sure a magazine cannot be inserted. When you turn the lever two things happen, the takedown lever (black bar) moves back, which 1. Prevents the mag insertion, 2. Applies the retention pin (from the slide catch to hold it in place), and 3. Lower the sear so there is no spring tension at the striker. There’s no additional stress as the components are all simple springs (ie: sear springs/slide catch spring/TSL spring), nothing over the tensions usually had when operation is normal. Of course, I only know this because I disassemble and reassemble this thing thousands of times, it’s not really something people think about, or actively engage with on a regular basis as most people don’t break down the system as much as I do to the degree I do. In any case, thanks for reaching out. Let me know if you have any questions. You can always email me at Sigmechanics@gmail.com

@@SIGMECHANICS Thank you, sir. My alarm was probably from caution over forcing the mechanism. Be well!

The 365 is a plunger safety

No I don’t think so. If the lug on the striker was to break off, the gun will fire

@ Konrad Van der merwe, I'm not sure I never tested that! Now I'm curious too.

@drumbyte, interesting thought, I’ll test that next time. I believe it won’t make a difference due to the amount of tolerance between the housing and the slide, there’s just not any play between the two… definitely will try it though. Thanks for watching!

The recall spring on the P320 that comes stock is rather heavy and is usually the main restrictor when trying to rotate they take down lever. Perhaps try using the 1911 style recoil spring set up…depending on the ammunition you’re using it will greatly improve the feel as well as ease up the spring pressure on the TSL. I have the 1911 style on my P320s and I absolutely recommend them. (I shoot 124gr usually)

Thank you! Just your luck, I’m working on a video all about the manual safety and how it works! Including details on mishandling of the trigger. I’m actually shooting it now so I hope to be done in a few more days. If you haven’t already set up notifications (I’m fairly sure that’s the bell icon) and it should let you know when the video drops.

@@SIGMECHANICS Awesome! I look forward to it! Thank you.

@tommy ellison jr. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it!

I go pick up my first Sig P320 on Wednesday so it was great to have some insight as to what all the fuss was about...and you cleared it all up...keep doing these and you will be a star...im subscribing now...

Thanks! I’m working on getting there! Just want to finish up all the P320 stuff as quickly as I can first. Thanks for watching!

Sig admitted that the testing did not specifically attempt to drop the gun at -30 degrees, they also made a statement saying that when they finally did test it, that the sole cause of the problem was the trigger weight. The secondary ledge was not an issue here, though I would like to test if the second ledge has sufficient force to ignite the primer!

The safety in the P365 is fundamentally different. It's a plunger safety akin to what you have in a Glock.

​@@Osprey1994I wonder what made Sig change to that style?