I love the idea of the civilian PDW. The Personal Defense Weapon concept dates back to the 1980s, but arguably, guns like the M1 Carbine, stock C96s, and more predate the idea. The civilian PDW is nothing official but is typically a quasi-concealable platform with a brace, optic, and larger-than-average capacity magazine. Flux Defense is the best one, and it’s known as the Raider. Sig Sauer has recently dipped its toe into the game with the MP320.
Of course, the company has produced micro-sized subguns like the Copperhead that would fall into this same category, but the MP320 is different. With the MP320, they’ve developed a quasi-P320 chassis-like system that allows you to drop your FCU into the gun and create your P320-style PDW. It’s an interesting kit and a fascinating idea. As a P320 owner and PDW enthusiast, I couldn’t help but snag one.
Getting Your Hands On an MP320
This isn’t the first PDW-style P320 grip module. Flux has the aforementioned Raider, and Strike Industries has a chassis system. I love the Flux Raider and have no experience with Strike Industries’ design. I expected a high degree of quality from Sig, so I was fairly psyched to receive my MP320. Sadly, getting one isn’t as easy as you think.
First, it’s not online anywhere. It’s not listed on Sig Sauer’s website, and no retailers are carrying it. I only know it exists from one video the company put out on the SIG Academy YouTube page. I discovered it on the SIG Academy YouTube channel. The MP320 isn’t sold online and is only available at the SIG Experience Center. It’s also a limited-production item, and Sig Sauer claims they only have 800 available.
I’m not going to New Hampshire to buy one, but I can make a phone call. Before the MP320, the only thing I’ve ever ordered over the phone was pizza. However, I called the SIG Experience Center, and they were happy to take my order and ship the MP320 out. Great customer service over there. The price was about $620 for the complete package shipped.
Breaking Down the MP320
Sig Sauer sells the MP320 as a package. 600 sounds like a lot, but the kit has some nice features and accessories. First, it ships in a big, nice polymer case. Second, the MP320 includes the brace, a Sig Sauer Romeo5 Gen 2, and a 30-round magazine.
A cursory Google search shows that the brace costs about $170, the Romeo5 Gen 2 is $150, and the P320 30-round mags are $50. The accessories account for more than half of the kit’s cost.
The core of the MP320 is the grip module, equipped with a 1913 rail for the brace. The grip module works with full-sized and larger magazines. According to the cool dude at the SIG Experience Center, the MP320 can work with slides as short as 3.9 inches.
I used the X5 legion conversion kit slide with a five-inch barrel and slide. The company also produced a limited run of six-inch barrels for suppressor use, but 5.5-inch threaded barrels will work with most suppressors.
The MP320 grip module has a slide-over shroud that encompasses the slide and provides optics and accessory rails. The design also has a removable polymer handguard that reveals a rail sitting beneath. A set of M-LOK slots allows for accessory attachment along the front of the gun.
Installation is quick and easy, with barely any time needed to get the thing set up and ready to roll.
Ergonomics of the MP320
The MP320 is mostly true to the Sig P320 in terms of ergonomics. The magazine release and slide lock/release are all the same and easily accessible. The gun can only function with non-safety FCUs, and that’s due to the safety implemented. Sig Sauer uses a dual sweep-up or sweep-down safety.
Sig Sauer went with an AR-type charging handle, which uses a new backplate with an integrated tab to interact with the rear-mounted charging handle. The grip still allows for a high grip on the gun and good integration with the PCB brace, which rotates 360 degrees, making it easy to strap the thing to your arm at any angle.
The MP320 is mostly ambidextrous, and the only non-ambidextrous control is the magazine release. It can be reversed, but it’s not truly ambidextrous. The kit is a little hefty but still easily concealed in a medium-sized backpack or sling bag.
At the Range
I’m always hesitant about chassis systems. The shroud with your optic connects to the frame but isn’t part of the frame or the slide, which creates a point of failure. There are two potential issues. First, the frame and shroud can flex. Second, when you remove the gun from the design, it can experience zero shift.
One of the first things I did was zero the gun and optic and launch a test group at 25 yards into the head of the FBI Q Target. I then removed the shroud and reattached it to the frame. I shot a 3-shot group and didn’t notice any excessive zero shift compared to my test group.
A third and fourth group gave similar results, and to me, the gun seems to keep the zero pretty well. The groups weren’t stacking on top of each other by any means, but each group consistently landed well within an inch of each other. This isn’t a precision weapon by any means. It’s still just a 9mm pistol.
Up Close and Far Away
With a 25-yard zero, I stepped back to 50 yards and aimed at a 10-inch gong. I dropped ten rounds into the gong without a single miss. Even with the gong swinging, I was able to keep hitting it. With a smile plastered across my face, I was having a blast. Could I go further?
I went back to 75 yards and swapped to a bigger steel torso target. At 75 yards, I put the doot right on the upper chest/head area and let the lead fly. I landed eight out of 10 shots at 75 yards! PDWs must be more accurate than pistols; the MP320 checks that box.
When you get close to your target you have to deal with offset. The red dot sits quite high above the barrel, so when you get close, offset becomes an issue. It’s something you have to be aware of if you want to hit a 2-inch-sized circle at five yards. Aim a little above the dot to get the 9mm hole in the dot.
Going Fast
I did some running and shooting around cover to mix things up and found the gun very easy to operate. It has some recoil, but it recoils much less than a straight blowback subgun. It’s not a violent impulse, and the muzzle rise hardly exists. I was drilling multiple targets from behind cover with rapid-fire strings without control issues.
That 10-inch gong kept swinging, and I was landing double tap after double tap. I sprinted from one point to another and engaged two targets between the points. I did transition drills, failure to stop, and reloads.
At seven yards, I shot a Bill drill in 1.89 seconds from the low ready. That’s pretty fast, and it shows how easy the gun is to control. The MP320 is very easy to handle. Even if you fold the brace, it’s easy to shoot. The rotating brace gets it out of the way and lets you get your hand on the gun for easy use. At that point, it’s just a massive and heavy gun, which I would only use in a pinch.
Another reliability issue with chassis systems is ejection. The port is enclosed, but the MP320 keeps that area open and wide. It works quite well, and I had no reliability issues with it.
A Valid PDW
Sig Sauer has made an excellent chassis system with the MP320. Oddly, they are limiting it to such small numbers. They did a fantastic job, and the package is very well made. The MP320 handles well, offers enhanced accuracy, and is reliable. I might swap the dot for something more compact, add a light, and likely use the QD cup for a sling. Then I’ll be cooking with gas.
I think the system has some excellent potential, and Sig Sauer can get their own PDW-style chassis on the market.
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