[Stratusgunner]

I purchased a P320 Compact 45 ACP when they first hit the market. I shot it off and on to maintain proficiency. The other day I removed the FCU for the first time for cleaning. Out dropped a spring.

It took me a while to identify what it was, a safety lever spring. Couldn't figure out what the spring did. Sig stopped installing them in their newer models. I called Sig to see if I needed to put it back. They said: "if it came with it you must install it."

Disassembling the FCU is something I have never wanted to do and in my case haven't had the need. However, the spring is now installed and I didn't break anything.

 

[olemil]

Here are some great reference videos if you ever need them, he does an awesome job explaining everything he does.

 

[Buds]

I just built up a M17 Manual Safety Stripped FCU by transferring the FCU parts from my Compact RX FCU & Adding the needed Manual Safety Parts.

I did not transfer over the Safety Lever Spring.
I had read here and seen youtube videos in that many had kept it out without issues.

I have not been able to get to the Range yet..maybe tomorrow or next week..
I need to put a lot of rounds downrange and see if my FCU Build has any issues.
I will not EDC it until I have a Successful trip to the Range!

 

[thunderglock]

Uh. Regardless of what other people say, install it. Do you really want to take that chance?

 

[Buds]

The only chance that I will take is if it fires or not.

This from MGW Site:

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/1302387-r

Sig Sauer P320 Safety Lever, Captive.
This captive safety lever is manufactured for the P320 (Civillian version of the Military M17 ver.) pistols chambered in the 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and .357 SIG.
This updated version of the safety lever does not use the safety lever spring as part of the design change for the M17 and mounts into conjunction with the sear in the sear housing to prevent the firearm from discharging before the trigger is pulled.
Made from steel, this piece features a nickel plated finish and is perfect as a spare on the workbench or as an immediate replacement for a lost or damaged component.

Rather than Sig saying "If it was there before then put it back in"
I wish that Sig would be forthcoming as to exactly why it has been removed at all.
However I am sure that would be asking way to much of Sig.

Will the new FCU Sales Program have the Springs missing?
My M17 FCU Build that I have has the exact same internal parts as a FCU without the Spring.

The only difference in my Sear housing assy. is the Sear itself that has 2 different dual Spring attachments.


Sig Sauer P320 Sear w/ Secondary Striker Notch, New Style
Part # 1302192-R

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/1302192-r
With this Sear the 2 Springs attach to 2 nipples on the Sear.

The older style (which I have) has 2 cups that the springs sit into..you can see this it at 4:25 minutes into this video.
He also mentions that Sig no longer uses the Safety Lever Spring in their FCU Builds....WHY?

SO
Other than this difference in the Sear literally every other part in my FCU is the same as the parts assembled by Sig Sauer Guy of this FCU "Without" the Safety Lever Spring.
If I purchased the Sear with the Dual Spring Nipples then my FCU build would be "Exactly" the same as the FCU in Sig Sauer Guy's non "Safety Lever Spring" build.
SO
Why would I need it in my FCU yet he does not need it in his FCU?
I could order the Sear at $18.00 if that would make anyone feel better and then both our FCU Builds would be identical.
That is where I would like Sig to explainl why his "Non Safety Lever Spring" Build is OK but mine is not..
Show me the difference between the 2 FCU's.

POST Update: I just ordered the latest and Greatest Sear that has the Nipple's for the Springs to attach to.
I will install that into my Sear Housing and then my FCU will be identical to the Non Safety Lever Spring FCU Assembly per Sig Sauer Guy above.
To tell the truth I wanted that version Sear anyway when I assembled my FCU but I did not want to put my build on hold while I ordered it and waited for it to arrive.
Now I have an Excuse..Oh Goody! Love new Parts...LOL!

 

[GoneBallisticInAlabama]

Stratusgunner,

You said you bought your 45 P320 right after they were released.

Does your 45 P320 have the drop safety updates done on it?

 

[Stratusgunner]

Love the Sig Guy videos. However, they didn't show the spring in question. This one did:

 

[Stratusgunner]

The only chance that I will take is if it fires or not.


Rather than Sig saying "If it was there before then put it back in"
I wish that Sig would be forthcoming as to exactly why it has been removed at all.
However I am sure that would be asking way to much of Sig.

Will the new FCU Sales Program have the Springs missing?
My M17 FCU Build that I have has the exact same internal parts as a FCU without the Spring.

The only difference in my Sear housing assy. is the Sear itself that has 2 different dual Spring attachments.


Sig Sauer P320 Sear w/ Secondary Striker Notch, New Style
Part # 1302192-R

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/1302192-r
With this Sear the 2 Springs attach to 2 nipples on the Sear.

The older style (which I have) has 2 cups that the springs sit into..you can see this it at 4:25 minutes into this video.
He also mentions that Sig no longer uses the Safety Lever Spring in their FCU Builds....WHY?

SO
Other than this difference in the Sear literally every other part in my FCU is the same as the parts assembled by Sig Sauer Guy of this FCU "Without" the Safety Lever Spring.
If I purchased the Sear with the Dual Spring Nipples then my FCU build would be "Exactly" the same as the FCU in Sig Sauer Guy's non "Safety Lever Spring" build.
SO
Why would I need it in my FCU yet he does not need it in his FCU?
I could order the Sear at $18.00 if that would make anyone feel better and then both our FCU Builds would be identical.
That is where I would like Sig to explainl why his "Non Safety Lever Spring" Build is OK but mine is not..
Show me the difference between the 2 FCU's.

POST Update: I just ordered the latest and Greatest Sear that has the Nipple's for the Springs to attach to.
I will install that into my Sear Housing and then my FCU will be identical to the Non Safety Lever Spring FCU Assembly per Sig Sauer Guy above.
To tell the truth I wanted that version Sear anyway when I assembled my FCU but I did not want to put my build on hold while I ordered it and waited for it to arrive.
Now I have an Excuse..Oh Goody! Love new Parts...LOL!

My compact 45 doesn't always reset the trigger when racking it after a dry fire. The trigger always resets after a live fire so I haven't been overly concerned about it. Could that be because of the older sear spring assembly without the nibs?

 

[Stratusgunner]

Stratusgunner,

You said you bought your 45 P320 right after they were released.

Does your 45 P320 have the drop safety updates done on it?

According to the volunteery upgrade program on the SIG website, my Ser# does not require the upgrade.

 

[cremaley]

Very helpful videos.

 

[Buds]

My compact 45 doesn't always reset the trigger when racking it after a dry fire.
The trigger always resets after a live fire so I haven't been overly concerned about it.
Could that be because of the older sear spring assembly without the nibs?

My Trigger always resets when I rack the Slide.
In fact I don't even need to do a full rack of the slide and the Trigger / Striker is ready to fire.

So..You are saying that you can fully rack the slide and the Trigger is still dead...the Striker is not cocked at the Sear?
Has this always been the case or just a phenomenon since your FCU Safety Lever Spring?
If it has been only since the Safety Lever Spring / No Spring / Spring
I would re-check what you did installing the Spring..Something is not right.

 

[ddc]

I just built up a M17 Manual Safety Stripped FCU by transferring the FCU parts from my Compact RX FCU & Adding the needed Manual Safety Parts.

I did not transfer over the Safety Lever Spring.
I had read here and seen youtube videos in that many had kept it out without issues.

I have not been able to get to the Range yet..maybe tomorrow or next week..
I need to put a lot of rounds downrange and see if my FCU Build has any issues.
I will not EDC it until I have a Successful trip to the Range!

I have two pre-Legion X5's.

They both came with that spring.

Following a complete detail strip I realized that I had left that spring on the bench. This was after I had taken it to the range and it worked fine.

When I detail stripped the other FCU I left it out also.

Tens of thousands of rounds later there have been no ill effects on either gun.

 

[Buds]

^^^^^

Tens of thousands of rounds later there have been no ill effects on either gun.

I definitely like the sound of that!!

Before I order any parts I think I'm going to hit the range and see if I have an issue.
I have a feeling that like you ddc, my P320 will shoot issue free!
Prior to my M17 Manual Safety FCU build I had over 4000 error free rounds through my P320 Compact RX

 

[ddc]

^^^^^


I definitely like the sound of that!!

Before I order any parts I think I'm going to hit the range and see if I have an issue.
I have a feeling that like you ddc, my P320 will shoot issue free!
Prior to my M17 Manual Safety FCU build I had over 4000 error free rounds through my P320 Compact RX

I could also add that at that time I did a bit of googling on the subject and although I don't recall there was 100% agreement on the subject my recollection is that the consensus was "not a problem".

There is also the chance that I'm just lucky but I think you're going to be ok.

I'll be curious to find out how things go.

 

[Stratusgunner]

My Trigger always resets when I rack the Slide.
In fact I don't even need to do a full rack of the slide and the Trigger / Striker is ready to fire.

So..You are saying that you can fully rack the slide and the Trigger is still dead...the Striker is not cocked at the Sear?
Has this always been the case or just a phenomenon since your FCU Safety Lever Spring?
If it has been only since the Safety Lever Spring / No Spring / Spring
I would re-check what you did installing the Spring..Something is not right.

The trigger not resetting after racking the slide has always been the case, but it only happens after a dry fire. The trigger always reset after a live fire.

The safety lever spring was never installed properly. That is why it fell out when I removed the FCU. Installing it as intended did not change the trigger reset problem. That is why I asked if the newer sear springs with the nipples could resolve the problem.

 

[Spkrdctr]

I always found that when I reassemble a gun and there are parts left over, I see if it still dry fires. They never do with me. This allows me to really get to know my local gunsmith. I'm always surprised that the gunsmith takes stuff apart and seems to get all the small parts back in with nothing left over! I think he is a genius!

 

[ddc]

The trigger not resetting after racking the slide has always been the case, but it only happens after a dry fire. The trigger always reset after a live fire.

The safety lever spring was never installed properly. That is why it fell out when I removed the FCU. Installing it as intended did not change the trigger reset problem. That is why I asked if the newer sear springs with the nipples could resolve the problem.

I would doubt that the change in the sear design would affect your problem simply because the new one has nipples and the old one has cups.

However if your gun is on the verge of resetting but not quite there then changing sears may in fact help. Could be some tolerance stacking going on and you're right on the edge. A different sear may be on the right side of the edge where your old one was not.

Also installing fresh sear springs might do the trick all by itself.

You could try swapping strikers also.

Having said all that if this gun is more than a range toy then I'd consider talking to Sig CS about the problem. They need to provide you with a gun that you can rely upon.

 

[Stratusgunner]

I would doubt that the change in the sear design would affect your problem simply because the new one has nipples and the old one has cups.

However if your gun is on the verge of resetting but not quite there then changing sears may in fact help. Could be some tolerance stacking going on and you're right on the edge. A different sear may be on the right side of the edge where your old one was not.

Also installing fresh sear springs might do the trick all by itself.

You could try swapping strikers also.

Having said all that if this gun is more than a range toy then I'd consider talking to Sig CS about the problem. They need to provide you with a gun that you can rely upon.

I have sent Sig CS an email and will follow up with a phone call when they open. My experience with Sig customer service is not all of their technicians are knowledgable on the less common issues. My guess is they will just tell me to send the gun back for examination.

 

[Buds]

My P320 is a 9mm but I would expect that the 45 ACP should act the same way when Racking the Slide.

A quick question to Sig should be that (unless shooting) when the Slide is Racked the Trigger does not cock..meaning that the Striker is not cocking back and the Trigger is dead..
Is this normal?
Also the "Safety Lever" spring fell out of the FCU when you removed it for cleaning.

The hole in the center of the spring is for the Safety Lever pin to go through it and it holds it into the FCU.
If the spring just fell out of the FCU then that means that the Safety Lever Pin never went through the Spring and it was not installed correctly.

 

[Stratusgunner]

Regarding the failure of the trigger to reset after dry firing: Sig's Customer Service says this is a normal occurance on guns that had the "safety disconnect" installed when upgraded or on all P320s post modification. The trigger will always reset after a live fire.

However, my P320 V-TAC never fails to reset the trigger after a dry fire. So what's the difference?

This means that after a dry fire I will always have to check the trigger has reset before loading a live round into the chamber.