April 30, 2020
By James Tarr
When the SIG P320 was introduced in 2014, a lot of people weren’t quite sure how to react to it. It was, after all, just a striker-fired reworking of the arguably failed double-action/single-action P250. My, how things can change in five years.
The P320 became one of the most successful handgun introductions in the modern era, securing a huge military contract and being adopted by police agencies around the country. The P320 is available in two main flavors: the standard P320 and the XSeries. The latest model in the XSeries is the P320 XCompact, and you should expect it to exceed your expectations.
This is a striker-fired handgun, currently chambered only in 9mm. Sporting a 3.6-inch barrel, the XCompact comes with two flush 15-round magazines where legal. The slide is Nitron-finished stainless steel, and the serialized “frame” is a removable stainless-steel chassis inside the polymer grip module.
The magazine release is reversible, and the slide release is ambidextrous. The slide boasts aggressive flat-bottomed serrations both front and back.
Advertisement
The XCompact sports SIG’s solid X-Ray3 day/night sights that have tritium inserts front and rear. There is a large bright green ring around the front sight’s tritium insert to make it highly visible during the day as well as night.
The most visible difference between the original P320 and the XSeries is the XSeries grip module, which offers more of an angle than the original. This grip module also sports a slight mag-well bevel, a significantly undercut trigger guard, and a beavertail at the rear of the frame.
The XCompact features include a nicely undercut trigger guard and a flat trigger, and it also sports a beavertail for better control. That is not the only difference. If you look closely at that rear sight, you’ll see it is set on a removable plate, allowing you to install a red dot. The only downside to this is that adding a red dot requires full disassembly of the slide, so it’s a more complicated operation than you might think.
Advertisement
From the factory this pistol is set up to take the SIG Romeo1 Pro optic, which has the same footprint as the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. Aftermarket companies make adapter plates for other red dots like the Aimpoint Acro. If for some reason your iron-sighted pistol doesn’t quite hit point of aim with the ammo you want to carry, SIG offers different-height rear sights, which, being mounted on a removable plate, are a cinch to swap out.
The XCompact boasts the excellent X-Ray3 day/night front sight. It has a tritium lamp for low-light conditions and a bright green ring for day use. SIG also sells a P320 XCarry, which I’ve reviewed in these pages. The XCarry is basically an X-Five with a shorter top end but the same length grip, which, to me, is the exact opposite of what you want in a carry gun because the grip is what prints against your covering garment. The XCompact is not just an XCarry with the grip shortened. If you look closely, you’ll see that not only is the grip length shortened on this pistol, but SIG reduced the circumference of the grip, so it’s a shorter reach to the trigger.
The trigger itself is flat and breaks at a 90-degree angle, which helps keep your muzzle from wandering off target during trigger pulls. Trigger pull on my sample was 5.5 pounds, which is pretty average for the XSeries guns I’ve shot.
The texturing on the grip is nicely aggressive, but it is set down into the surface while the flat areas sit up higher. The end result is a grip that feels slicker in my hand than I would like. If you’re of the same mind, you can hand stipple it, and if you screw it up, you’re just out a grip module and not a frame. Replacement grip modules are only $60 at SIG’s website, and they’re available in black and, if you want to give your gun a two-tone look, coyote tan.
The grip on the XCompact is slimmer than on other P320s, although Tarr wishes the grip stippling was more aggressive. We used the XCompact quite a bit on the set of “Handguns & Defensive Weapons” last season because it’s one of those guns everyone seems to be able to pick up and shoot well. During one weeklong filming session, I carried the XCompact when not on camera, which should tell you how much I like and trust this pistol. Reliability with this pistol has been 100 percent, and accuracy is more than acceptable.
The XCarry has the same general footprint as the P320 Compact, so any holster that fits one should fit the other—and just about every holster maker offers a model that fits the SIG P320. However, SIG sells a number of holsters—including SIG-branded models made by Black Point Tactical—and its dedicated polymer outside-the-waistband rig for this pistol has a relief cut for a mini red dot if your pistol is so equipped.
The XCompact is the smallest pistol in the XSeries designed to meet the “Goldilocks” carry-gun criteria: small enough to conceal with the right holster/belt/covering garment, and yet still hold a lot of ammo and be big enough to shoot fast and accurately. In other words, it does everything just right.
Notes: Accuracy results are the averages of four five-shot groups at 25 yards from a sandbag rest. Velocities are averages of 10 shots measured with an Oehler Model 35P 12 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: JHP, jacketed hollowpoint. SIG Sauer P320 XCompact Specs: Type : striker-fired semiautoCaliber : 9mm LugerCapacity : 15+1 (where legal)Barrel : 3.6 in.OAL/Height/Width : 7.0/5.3/1.3 in.Weight : 25.3 oz.Construction : black Nitron-finished stainless steel slide, polymer frame moduleSights : X-Ray3 front sight, night sight rear; rear sight has slide cut for SIG Romeo1 red dotTrigger : 5.5 lb. pull (measured)Safety : striker dropPrice : $680Manufacturer : SIG Sauer, SIGsauer.com
