SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry

The SIG Sauer P320 series of pistol has been very well received by both the civilian and military market. There are good reasons for that, the P320 has a lot to offer in great ergonomics, a great trigger and great accuracy potential. But what has caught shooters' attention is the pistol's chassis system.

The company's decision to use a removable chassis system means the user can swap out different frames and slides since the chassis insert contains the firing mechanism that is also the serialized part of the pistol. This has led to a rapidly growing aftermarket segment. Recognizing this, SIG Sauer decided to cut out the middleman and start providing shooters with enhanced performance right out of the box with its new X-series of pistols.

One model in the series that has caught my eye is also the smallest of the litter, the X-Carry 9mm. It features several enhancements to the frame, including an extended beavertail and undercut triggerguard, but several other minute changes make this gun stand out among a crowded segment. One of these is the recontouring of the grip profile making it slightly more squared off and vertical. It's very subtle, but it does a great job of not only allowing the shooters hand to get up nice and high on the gun, but also allows the shooter to get more surface area on the stocks, equating to more positive control of the pistol in recoil. The texture of the grip area is also nicely appropriate, providing plenty of aggressive purchase without rubbing the hands raw.

The top of the slide has been modified to include a large lightening cut spanning the distance in front of the ejection port almost to the front sight. In theory, this cut serves to lighten the slide's mass so that there is less perceived muzzle rise at the rearward terminus of the slide during recoil.

The X-Carry comes with the SIG Sauer's X-Ray night sights, which are a great choice for a factory-installed set of sights. The slide is also milled to accept the company's Romeo1 red dot sight. Simply loosen two screws securing the rear sight plate to the frame, remove the plate, insert the red dot sight and tighten it down. Since I have a Romeo1, it was installed for test-firing the pistol and much of its evaluation.

The combination of the pistol's 3.9-inch barrel and slide mated with a full-sized grip has been very misunderstood by a many in the firearms industry. The reason this combination exists is not for the concealed market (even though it can be carried easily), but rather because it provides several advantages for the modern shooter.

As an example, this pistol was intended to be shot with a dot sight, making the slightly reduced sight radius irrelevant. Also, a shorter barrel means that there is less slide mass, making the pistol very sweet to shoot with a full-sized grip. The last consideration is the fact that there is a growing segment of the shooting public that is adding carry comps and magazine wells to their everyday-carry (EDC) pistols. The very generous magazine well of the X-Carry grip makes adding a mag well unnecessary, and the shorter barrel means adding a carry comp will allow the overall size of the pistol to be roughly equivalent to an P320 X-Five.

The X-Carry is an absolute sweetheart to shoot. There was a slight adjustment period for me to acclimate to the flat trigger and Romeo1 red dot sight. My first three magazines of Hornady's 115-grain American Shooter weren't exactly what I was hoping for, but once I got used to pistols handling characteristics, and got the red dot sighted in, the gun started chewing one-hole groups out to 12 yards. Occasionally, I'd throw a flyer, but the gun's flat trigger provided such good feedback that I'd know immediately whether or not it was a good or a bad trigger press, but bad ones were a rarity.

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From an accuracy standpoint, this is the most accurate striker pistol that I've shot in a long time. From the bench at 25 yards, I only had one group larger than 3 inches. This was not an average, it was just one group of many fired over the course of my evaluation.

The strength of the X-Carry as a "system" becomes evident when picking up speed and starting to race the gun through steel targets. The combination of the reduced slide mass and the full-sized grip made for a very fast and very accurate shooting pistol.

With all of these upgrades available out of the box, the SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry represents an incredible value. Suggested retail price for the pistol is $862.

For more on SIG Sauer's X-series and other products, visit their website sigsauer.com.

SPECIFICATIONS:

TYPE: Striker fired, Semi-automatic,

CALIBER: 9mm

CAPACITY: 17+1

BARREL: 3.9 inches

OVERALL LENGTH: 7.4 Inches

WEIGHT: 27 Ounces

FINISH: Black Nitron

FRAME: Polymer

TRIGGER: 5.0 Pounds (tested)

SIGHTS: X-Ray Night Sights, drift adjustable front.

MSRP: $862.00

MANUFACTURER: Sig Sauer, 603-610-3000, sigsauer.com

Performance:

Load: Prime Ammo Performance +

Weight (Grains): 124 Grain

Velocity (FPS): 1,017

Standard Deviation: 12FPS

Extreme Spread: 26

Average Group (Inches): 2.8 inches

Best Group (Inches): 2.3 inches

Load: Speer G2 Gold Dot

Weight (Grains): 147 Grain

Velocity (FPS): 912 FPS

Standard Deviation: 14 FPS

Extreme Spread: 31

Average Group (Inches): 2.7 inches

Best Group (Inches): 2.5 inches

Load: Winchester Ranger T

Weight (Grains): 147 Grain

Velocity (FPS): 902 FPS

Standard Deviation: 27 FPS

Extreme Spread: 59

Average Group (Inches): 2.9 inches

Best Group (Inches): 2.2 inches

Load: Hornady American Shooter

Weight (Grains): 115 Grain

Velocity (FPS): 1,129 FPS

Standard Deviation: 17 FPS

Extreme Spread: 37

Average Group (Inches): 2.3 inches

Best Group (Inches): 1.9 inches