ICE is the latest agency to drop the P320 amid uncommanded discharge concerns while Sig says it participated with the FBI in follow-up tests.
The U.S. Army is not taking any actions regarding its Sig Sauer M17 and M18 pistols based on the findings of a recently disclosed FBI report that has raised new concerns about the design’s ability to fire without the trigger being pulled. Sig has also refuted the results of the FBI’s initial evaluation, which it says the bureau was subsequently unable to reproduce using a mutually agreed-upon testing protocol. The new details from the FBI’s report have already sent a shockwave through the civilian firearms community in the United States, where confidence in P320-series pistols, a family that includes the M17 and M18, is already severely strained.
In August 2024, the Michigan State Police (MSP) requested that the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) evaluate a commercially-sourced version of the M18 pistol that had been involved in an apparent “uncommanded discharge” the month before. The BRF conducted a technical evaluation and produced a report, dated Aug. 30, 2024. The MSP released the report with minor redactions last week in response to a public records request, and a full copy can be found here. The BRF is currently collocated with the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and is responsible for research, development, testing, and evaluation of small arms, ammunition, and body armor for the bureau, as well as domestic and international partners.
For years now, the P320 pistol series has been dogged by safety concerns. This includes drop safety issues that Sig says it has mitigated through changes to the design, which were made available to pre-existing customers through a Voluntary Upgrade Program starting in 2017. There have also been multiple reports of incidents in line with the one that MSP experienced last year, where guns in holsters are said to have fired without any engagement of the trigger. Claimed uncommanded discharges have resulted in serious injuries and at least one fatality. There have been dozens of lawsuits, including many that are still ongoing, and multiple law enforcement agencies have banned the use of the pistols over safety concerns. Last week, just days after the FBI’s report was made public, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) joined that group.
Meanwhile, the M17 and M18 continue to serve not just as the U.S. Army’s primary sidearm, but across the services. They can be found on the belts of everyone from military police to the chest rigs of pilots flying into combat.
www.twz.com
The U.S. Army is not taking any actions regarding its Sig Sauer M17 and M18 pistols based on the findings of a recently disclosed FBI report that has raised new concerns about the design’s ability to fire without the trigger being pulled. Sig has also refuted the results of the FBI’s initial evaluation, which it says the bureau was subsequently unable to reproduce using a mutually agreed-upon testing protocol. The new details from the FBI’s report have already sent a shockwave through the civilian firearms community in the United States, where confidence in P320-series pistols, a family that includes the M17 and M18, is already severely strained.
In August 2024, the Michigan State Police (MSP) requested that the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility (BRF) evaluate a commercially-sourced version of the M18 pistol that had been involved in an apparent “uncommanded discharge” the month before. The BRF conducted a technical evaluation and produced a report, dated Aug. 30, 2024. The MSP released the report with minor redactions last week in response to a public records request, and a full copy can be found here. The BRF is currently collocated with the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and is responsible for research, development, testing, and evaluation of small arms, ammunition, and body armor for the bureau, as well as domestic and international partners.
For years now, the P320 pistol series has been dogged by safety concerns. This includes drop safety issues that Sig says it has mitigated through changes to the design, which were made available to pre-existing customers through a Voluntary Upgrade Program starting in 2017. There have also been multiple reports of incidents in line with the one that MSP experienced last year, where guns in holsters are said to have fired without any engagement of the trigger. Claimed uncommanded discharges have resulted in serious injuries and at least one fatality. There have been dozens of lawsuits, including many that are still ongoing, and multiple law enforcement agencies have banned the use of the pistols over safety concerns. Last week, just days after the FBI’s report was made public, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) joined that group.
Meanwhile, the M17 and M18 continue to serve not just as the U.S. Army’s primary sidearm, but across the services. They can be found on the belts of everyone from military police to the chest rigs of pilots flying into combat.
Army's Sig P320 Derived Pistols Will Remain Unchanged After Concerning FBI Report
ICE is the latest agency to drop the P320 amid uncommanded discharge concerns while Sig says it participated with the FBI in follow-up tests.
www.twz.com
