IMPORTANT: This is not a factory recall issued by SIG, this is a DEPARTMENTAL recall issued by the Dallas Police Department.

The Sig Sauer P320 recall issued by Dallas Police Department caught all of us by surprise. Officers were instructed to stop carrying the P320 until the issue was resolved. With all the testing that the P320 has undergone with the Modular Handgun System program, the FBI trials that were narrowly lost to Glock, Immigration & Customs Enforcement adopting the firearm and several other huge contracts It is hard to think that something as easy to test as drop safety would have gone unnoticed.

Strangely there is a note in the owners manual that states that the pistol may fire when dropped. I always chalked it up as something a lawyer somewhere insisted that Sig include in the manual.

That is exactly what it appears has happened though. Last week rumors surfaced on the internet that an unnamed police department was recalling all P320 pistols due to an officer safety concern. The leaked interdepartmental memo is below as it appeared on Pistol Forum.

Sig Sauer has identified that there is a defect in the P320 handgun that could cause the weapon system to go off when dropped. The Sig Sauer P320 was approved for primary duty, secondary primary duty, and back-up use. The Firearms Training Center is currently working with Sig Sauer to obtain a solution for the safety issue. Until Sig Sauer is able to find a solution to the safety issue, the Sig Sauer P320 is no longer approved by the ****** Police Department for any use. Those officers that currently have a Sig Sauer P320 as a primary duty weapon will have the following two options: Option 1 – Go to the Firearms Training Center on Monday, July 31st , during business hours, to be issued a city Sig Sauer P226 and qualify with that weapon. Option 2 – Purchase another city approved weapon and respond to the Range on Monday, July 31st , during business hours, to qualify with that weapon. Until getting another weapon and qualifying, officers need to practice increased safety with these weapon systems. The Firearms Training Center staff is working diligently with Sig Sauer to obtain a solution and will keep officers informed of the status.

Before we jumped the gun and published something about a recall we spent some time fact checking and getting official statements. Since The Firearm Blog wants to ensure that recall notifications like this one are factual we don’t rely on internet rumor and speculation but rather hard information from the manufacturer and the department.

The Firearm Blog reached out to Sig Sauer for comment after learning about the recall and spoke with Phil Strader, the Pistol Product Manager who would have issued such a recall. Strader states that Sig Sauer does not have a formal statement at this time and are working on gathering all the needed information to make a statement. Strader went on to say that even though he is the person that would have issued such a recall but had not done so and was unaware of any recall being issued at the time we spoke with him.

IMPORTANT: THIS IS NOT A FACTORY RECALL ISSUED BY SIG, THIS IS A DEPARTMENTAL RECALL ISSUED BY THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Dallas Police Department was asked for comment as well and shared what information they had at the time. Public Information Officer Melinda Gutierrez of the Dallas Police Department issued the statement below.

The Dallas Police Department still issues the Sig Sauer P226 handgun, but did authorize officers to purchase the Sig Sauer P320 handgun for duty use. We have not currently had any issues with the Sig Sauer P320 handgun. The use of the Sig Sauer P320 handgun has been temporarily suspended due to safety precautions. The departmental Firearms Training Center staff is currently working with Sig Sauer to ensure the safety precautions are addressed.

We then asked for any information about if a P320 failed and under what conditions, Debra Webb with the Dallas Police Department responded with the following reply to our email.

The department was notified that Sig Sauer identified a defect in the P320 handgun that could cause the weapon system to go off when dropped. Please check with Sig Sauer for more information about the defect.

There has been at least one other publication that has posted a story about the P320 recall with an incorrect tip stating that sources at Dallas PD reported a discharge occurred when a P320 was dropped. We took the opportunity to ask Webb if there has been an instance of an officer dropping the firearm resulting in a discharge. and received the following statement from the Dallas Police Department.

There have been no reported incidents of an accidental discharge involving this weapon because of the defect.

At this time we have no further information about what the potential failure point that might exist inside the P320, if this problem is widespread or limited to a small batch of handguns or where the report that an officer experienced a discharge originated from.

As we learn more we will keep you updated.