320F or 320C
OK all, I need opinions from people that have been around Sigs a lot longer than me. I'm looking to buy my first firearm. I will most likely be using it for protection at home, and at the range. I'm not sure yet if I want to carry, but can definitely see that as a possibility in the (very near) future, especially if I have occasion to be in less than safe parts of town.
All that being said, I've got two top contenders....the P320F and the P320C. I've got what I think are VERY good price quotes on both of them ($434). I'm leaning toward the C, but would appreciate any feedback on anything I'm not thinking of. Thanks!!
All that being said, I've got two top contenders....the P320F and the P320C. I've got what I think are VERY good price quotes on both of them ($434). I'm leaning toward the C, but would appreciate any feedback on anything I'm not thinking of. Thanks!!
1 - 20 of 53 Posts
As others have said, the P320 compact is a bit more versatile. It carries better but lacks the sight radius of the full making it slightly less accurate. Both are great shooting guns but I'd go with the compact initially. You could always get a full size caliber exchange kit in the future and have the best of both worlds.
Joined
·
737 Posts
Exactly what I was going to say. The CA & C have a 1̶/̶2̶" 3/4" shorter barrel than the F. The CA has the same magazine capacity as the F and the grip is only about 1/4" longer than the C.
Joined
·
5,101 Posts
It actually seemed a little longer than that to me, but according to the specs you're right. That said, 1/4" can be all the difference in the world in some scenarios, which is probably why Sig lists the "Carry" as a home defense/range gun, and conceal carry in "some scenarios". I would opt for the compact. The fact is it is made with concealment in mind, but it is large enough for duty use. If you want to conceal it better you can use the 15 round mags and 17 rounders for backup. That's what I do with my G19. If you want to run it with nothing but 17 round mags for HD you can, but I don't think you can do that with the Carry version. It's either 17 or 10 round mags for the 9mm, but the 10 round magazine isn't any shorter than the 17 round magazine, if I'm not mistaken. The FS version doesn't do anything you want or need the compact gun to do any better, except perhaps if you were going to use it for competition shooting. The FS seems to be entirely too long. It shoots fine, but the darn thing looks like it is unusually long to me. For me the compact is the perfect size gun to fit duty/home defense/conceal carry needs the best. YMMV
I originally bought the carry model, then held a compact and it just fit my hand better. I ended up buying a compact frame, and two compact 15rnd magazines on sale on Midway USA, and two X grip adapters on Top Gun Supply. All in all I spent about $135 extra and have two 15rnd magazines and two 17rnd magazines for my now compact P320, with a carry frame in reserve.
If I had to do it again though, I would just buy the compact.
If I had to do it again though, I would just buy the compact.
Joined
·
1,023 Posts
I have a full and a compact. They both are great shooters. You will not be sorry for the purchase of either. My full is the RX model and the compact has iron sights. I found the full size RX a bit much to carry.. but hey that's me. The compact with the shorter barrel and two round shorter grip makes for a perfect carry. Both guns will get er done with ease. For home protection and possible carry.. the compact is my choice. For the range I absolutely love the RX system. The last two times to the range, I just shot the compact.
It's my carry so I want as much time behind that gun as possible.
It's my carry so I want as much time behind that gun as possible.
Funny, I progressed in the reverse order. Started with a compact and ended up getting 17 rounders and carry grips.
OP, it seems like the consensus is Compact and not Full Size - with a few voices saying Carry instead.
I think the points made about concealment are true. The the grip length of the Compact will be easier to conceal than the grip length of the Carry (which is the same as the Full Size). Therefore, I think part of this will come down to your personal preference and tolerance. For example, I find that I get more control with the Carry (along with the additional mag capacity already mentioned), while not being bothered much by the additional grip length when I carry on a daily basis. Others will have different opinions.
First, I think you will need to feel out both options and see which one feels better in your hand in terms of balance, and grip leverage. Part of this will be based on hand size, and part of this will be based on your particular grip style.
Second, thinking ahead to you potentially carrying the 320, you might want to consider asking your local shop to let you test of a couple of their IWB holsters with both the Carry and Compact. This will give you a good feel for what you are willing to tolerate on your body.
If you are actually going to carry the piece, I would go with either the compact or carry model. Keep in mind you can easily convert the compact to the carry, or the carry to the compact, for the cost of an additional grip module and magazine(s).
I have a full-size P320 in .45 ACP and a P320 compact in 9 mm. I keep the full-size P320 for home defense (and of course, range use). The full-size P320 is a pretty good sized pistol. In .45 ACP the full-size offers what I regard to be a decent magazine capacity of 10 rounds, and cushions the recoil of the stouter cartridge well. But I would regard it as pretty big to carry routinely.
The compact P320 is slightly less sleek than a Glock 19 but pretty comparable in overall dimensions, and would be more pleasant to carry. I do not notice a great deal of loss of accuracy due to the shorter sight radius of the compact slide over the full-size slide, although with over 3/4" difference, I am sure there is some.
I do have a P250 subcompact and I do seem to notice the difference in sight radius between it and the compact slide more, even though the difference is considerably less. But then, the different trigger action may be confounding my impression.
I have a full-size P320 in .45 ACP and a P320 compact in 9 mm. I keep the full-size P320 for home defense (and of course, range use). The full-size P320 is a pretty good sized pistol. In .45 ACP the full-size offers what I regard to be a decent magazine capacity of 10 rounds, and cushions the recoil of the stouter cartridge well. But I would regard it as pretty big to carry routinely.
The compact P320 is slightly less sleek than a Glock 19 but pretty comparable in overall dimensions, and would be more pleasant to carry. I do not notice a great deal of loss of accuracy due to the shorter sight radius of the compact slide over the full-size slide, although with over 3/4" difference, I am sure there is some.
I do have a P250 subcompact and I do seem to notice the difference in sight radius between it and the compact slide more, even though the difference is considerably less. But then, the different trigger action may be confounding my impression.
Joined
·
1,051 Posts
Compact is the choice.....
Joined
·
766 Posts
This. Get a P320c RX now, you can add the Romeo1 to the full sized X-5 if you want (or X-Carry if you prefer that).
1 - 20 of 53 Posts
