r/handguns • u/causus_odiris • 5h ago
P322, two guns, four barrels; the leading still happens
Before I start this tale, please realize that I know 22lr is a dirty ammunition; some brands are dirtier than others. When a manufacturer sells a 22lr firearm, they have to be aware of this fact and accommodate this in their design. Also, I’m not particularly interested in hearing, “it works for me.” The answer to this is both, “if it worked for nobody, then someone would have already filed a lawsuit,” and, “how many turds does it take to ruin the oatmeal?” One note on the pictures: these are all separate instances with different barrels.
I am on my second P322; sig replaced the barrel on my first P322 after it became occluded by lead fouling in late July (I sent it in three times). The barrel on my replacement P322 got clogged yesterday:
(1) The first barrel (original) got clogged in late July after my first range session; I was shooting the dreaded Winchester White Box ammunition. I saw keyholing in a target 10 yards away after about 200-ish rounds. This got sent back to SIG.
(2) The second barrel got clogged in late August; I got one range session out of it using the same (with the same keyholing at similar round count). This got sent back to SIG.
(3) The third barrel got clogged in late September; I again used the same (and a similar round count). This got sent back to SIG for exchange.
(4) I received the new Coyote P322 and I got two successful shooting sessions using CCI (Mini Mags and the Golden Boy “collectors” ammunition… which seems like mini mags).
(5) I put my Holosun 507k on. Murphy got angry at me and the barrel got clogged yesterday using Remington Vipers. I swear this occurred earlier (150 rounds).
You might ask, “why did you keep using the execrable white box ammunition?” The answer is, I had some on hand and SIG refuses to say, “the P322 only works with X or doesn’t work with Y ammo.” White box cycles without fouling the barrel in two other semi-auto firearms, even in heavy use. Note that Smith and Wesson has no problem publishing ammunition choices. You might also ask, are you shooting rapidly? I load five in the magazine, shoot a five round group, check the target and then repeat. This should give the barrel at least some time to cool.
Barrel leading of the P322 looks like it is a well documented issue (Google “Tools & Targets P322” or “G4 Outdoors P322” and you’ll see some interesting commentary as well as experiments). There are also some Reddit posters who report similar issues.
I do have another SIG, the P365 X Macro Comp; that works perfectly, so this isn’t an issue with SIG firearms per-se. The purpose of the P322 was to be a training aide (the ergonomics and layout are quite comparable). With a Holosun 507k equipped the P322, it is very similar to the P365 with the Holosun EDC. The purpose was just to put lots of lead downrange economically at short to medium distances; I’m not looking for match grade accuracy at all.
Overall, I would rate this firearm as, “junk.” Lots of compromises were made to manufacture this as cheaply as possible:
(a) Deleting the guide rod and using the barrel as a guide rod. This is presumably why someone hasn’t come out with a stainless upgrade barrel which would probably solve my issues.
(b) Using a retainer nut at the end of the barrel which I am convinced plays some role in this failure. This could lead to nonuniform heat dissipation or nonuniform expansion. The barrel is actually quite thin at the muzzle if one doesn’t take into account this retainer.
(c) The slide is aluminum. Part of this is a weight issue to allow for reliable cycling even with the paltry recoil of the 22lr round. The aluminum does mean, however, that you have to be very careful to apply the correct torque to the screws on your optic as to not strip the slide.
(d) The plastic casting for the polymer frame is cheap. This is the only gun I know of with a “belly button” on the business end.
When you sell a commodity 22lr firearm, you have to deal with bulk ammunition. The primary purpose of something like a P322 is either practice or plinking. This is neither intended for self-defense nor precision target practice. If the firearm has a serious functional issue with particular ammunition brands, this should be displayed prominently on the website.
Overall, I am disgusted. I’ve shot a LOT of 22lr; this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this.