It’s shaping up to be a rough quarter for Sig Sauer. First, there was the controversy over the P320 firing if dropped in a certain manner, and now it seems the venerable firearm manufacturer is having some issues with some of their rifles.
From a company press release:
Newington, NH (September 15th, 2017) – SIG SAUER, Inc. has determined that a limited number of rifles in the SIG716 DMR®, SIG516® Carbon Fiber and SIGM400® Predator models were built with a two-stage SIG SAUER trigger that may have an improperly heat-treated hammer. Over time this could result in a trigger malfunction creating a significant safety hazard. SIG SAUER is issuing a mandatory recall to replace the hammer and trigger assembly in these specific rifles. This recall does not affect any military or law enforcement rifles or any SIG MCX®/SIG MPX® products.
SIG SAUER will correct any of the affected firearms at no cost to the customer.
To determine if a specific firearm is affected by the recall, go to https://www.sigsauer.com/support/safety-center/rifle-safety-warning/ and utilize the serial number identifier and visual inspection instructions.
If you are a customer who is affected by the recall, stop using the firearm immediately and follow the instructions on the website or call SIG SAUER Customer Service by dialing 603-610-3000, option #1. Have the rifle’s serial number available.
I encourage anyone with any of the Sig Sauer rifles to utilize the above link and make sure their rifles are good to go.
In the meantime, it’s my hope that whatever issues Sig is having, they can get in check quick, fast, and in a hurry. While they won the lucrative military contract for the MHS model of the P320, that means squat for the civilian market if safety hazard becomes synonymous with the brand.
To be sure, this seems to be a bit of a rough patch for the company which has long been known to be a manufacturer of quality firearms, but all it takes is a few too many recalls and “voluntary upgrades” for a pistol that has been shown to have an unusual defect before suddenly the company is no longer considered quality.
That said, if any company can, I suspect it’s Sig Sauer. Like I already said, they have a reputation for quality and have for years. That reputation comes from the fact that the company normally doesn’t let things like this get by, and I have no reason to believe that the corporate culture that has created so many quality weapons has changed that fundamentally.
For what it’s worth, despite the aches and pains the company has been experiencing, I’m still considering the P320 Compact for my next carry pistol. Why? Because I have every confidence they’ll get the ship back on course. I won’t say the Omaha Outdoors drop test won’t be playing in the back of my mind, but even that isn’t enough to make me rule out such a good pistol outright.