There is no question that the SIG Sauer P320 modular handgun has become extremely popular. Not just in competitive shooting circles, but with law enforcement and military units all over the world. The SIG X5 Legion, the heavy weight competition model has made its way into lots of competitors’ holsters in USPSA Production and Carry Optics divisions. At the recent USPSA Factory Gun Nationals, 25 percent of the guns shot in those two divisions were a SIG P320, and 66 percent of those were the Legion based on the equipment survey results.
Right before we hit the ground in Florida for the SIG Back to Back Nationals, the company released a new variant of the P320 platform, the P320 AXG Scorpion 9 mm (MSRP: $999). As SIG Sauer continues to expand the product line of the P320, the reality is that anything is possible. The ability to have a fire control unit (the heart of the P320) able to be placed into any style of grip module leaves the possibilities endless.
We arranged to have a model of the new SIG Custom Works pistol on hand for demo during the 2020 Nationals. When it showed up and I opened the box, a Negrini Custom Works case which was quite opulent, I was very impressed with what was in front of me. The Scorpion line of firearms from SIG are a Flat Dark Earth color, which I am not a fan of. However, this handgun with the new G10 Hogue grips was striking.
Before the gun arrived, I had been shooting the X5 Legion, so when first picking up the new AXG I could instantly tell this was different than previous P320 grip modules. The AXG metal grip module is machined with deep undercuts and a unique beavertail that is extended. The G10 Hogue Piranha grips have a different feel than the standard polymer grip modules that you are used to on a P320. What I felt like I was holding was a SIG 226, or a better comparison would be to a P229. The AXG Scorpion has a 3.9-inch barrel like a P229. You could say that this is a striker-fired P229, but that really isn’t what we have here. Similar in size yes, but that is where the comparison ends.
The SIG Custom Works team have taken the P320 fire control unit, the new AXG (Alloy XSeries Grip) metal grip module and selected premium options and performance upgrades to create this Limited Edition P320. The trigger is from the Legion which is a lightened, skeletonized, flat-blade trigger that has been very popular in competition.
The Cerakote Elite FDE finished slide has the Pro Series removable optics plate with the ability to direct mount the SIG Romeo1 Pro, which shares a footprint with the Leupold DeltaPoint, and new for SIG the ability to also direct mount the popular Trijicon RMR and SRO red-dot optics. SIG XRAY3 front and rear night sights are another upgrade on this model, as well as the new P320 magazines with high visibility follower and witness holes for each loaded round.
So enough with the sales pitch on features, how did it shoot? Over the course of 10 days at Nationals the gun was shot by lots of folks that were all impressed with how the gun felt and how easy it was to shoot for a compact gun. The AXG weighs 31.3 ounces, so it is not a heavyweight gun. The grip module is designated as the Carry AXG. The gun was easy to shoot as people ran magazine after magazine through it on Legion Target’s steel at the Federal demo bay. All ammunition that was fired was the Federal’s Syntech Action Pistol 150-grain 9 mm competition load.
The Legion Targets steel had their hostage kit out to shoot on and it was fun to ring that round steel with the AXG. Does the designation Carry AXG mean that we can see a full-size metal grip module in the future? Anything is possible with the P320 Fire Control Unit.
Learn more at sigsauer.com.
Article from the November/December 2020 issue of USPSA’s FrontSight magazine.
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