Sig's Carry Cure: The Striker-Fired, Reflex-Ready P320 RX Compact

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol — Sig Sauer’s new P320 RX Compact balances concealability with plenty of firepower—and it comes with a quick-targeting reflx sight to boot.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol test — Sig’s ROMEO1 sight features two springs in its assembly that work to prevent the sight from shifting or walking during recoil.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol muzzle — Users can co-witness the pistol’s suppressor-height sights through the ROMEO1’s aspherical glass window.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol grip — All four sides of the grip are nicely textured to enhance the user’s grasp on the pistol without being too aggressive.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol rear sight — The ROMEO1 reflex sight is powered by a CR1632 battery that is loaded from the top. This means you don’t have to remove the sight—potentially losing its zero—to exchange the battery.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol trigger — The serialized chassis containing the trigger group is the actual “firearm.” This component can then be switched between various P320 series slides and frames.

The P320 RX Compact utilizes 15-round mags, and the magazine release is reversible to accomodate right- and left-handed shooters.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol test fire — While it’s uncommon to see reflex sights on compact pistols, the ROMEO1 offers a definite advantage in terms of speed, and concealment holsters are available.

Sig Sauer P320 RX Compact pistol gun fire

Newton’s first law of motion basically states that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. This might be the best way of describing Sig Sauer’s success over the past couple of years.

After releasing an incredibly successful new lineup of handguns and semi-automatic rifles recently, things have just kept getting better and better for the company. Sig Sauer has branched off into other ventures, making its own ammunition, various types of optics and even sound suppressors. It seems that Sig Sauer wants to be a one-stop shopping destination for all of your shooting needs, and so far, the company’s new endeavors have been getting rave reviews.

The crowning jewel of Sig’s growing success came in the form of a $580 million contract with the U.S. Army to replace the Beretta M9 with a slightly enhanced version of the P320.

Though the P320 line has already been out for about three years, Sig recently introduced a couple of new variants that come from the factory with slide-mounted reflex sights, and I recently got my hands on the P320 RX Compact for testing. This pistol is particularly appealing because it works extremely well for concealed carry.

P320 RX Compact Striker

While most are generally familiar with the Sig P320 line, it doesn’t hurt to touch on a few points that have helped this model enjoy such great success. First, the P320 is Sig Sauer’s interpretation of what a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol should be, and then some. The most distinctive feature of the P320, in contrast to other striker-fired pistols, is the fire control unit.

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The trigger group is built into a serialized chassis that can be swapped into frames of different sizes. In essence, the trigger group is what’s classified as the firearm. So rather than having to buy entire pistols to get a different grip or barrel length, that modular chassis can be swapped out of multiple frames.

Because of this modularity, the P320 can be fashioned into whatever style pistol the user prefers. In 9mm, the user can go from the 17-round Full-Size frame down to the company’s 12-round Subcompact frame with a 3.6-inch barrel, still using the same trigger group.

The P320 RX Compact utilizes 15-round mags, and the magazine release is reversible to accomodate right- and left-handed shooters.

The pistol I received is the Compact version, which sports a 3.9-inch barrel and holds 15+1 rounds. For serious work, this is just about the ideal size for concealed carry. It’s a big enough frame to get a secure purchase on the pistol while still remaining small enough to hide away under a shirt or jacket.

Like other polymer-framed pistols, the P320 RX Compact gets the weight savings of the lighter frame and weighs just 25.8 ounces unloaded with a width of 1.3 inches, an overall length of 5.7 inches and a height of 5.3 inches. Of course, this model weighs just a bit more because it comes with Sig’s ROMEO1 reflex sight, which adds a scant 0.8 ounces more to the entire package.

Sighting In

While reflex or red-dot sights have enjoyed great popularity over the years, it’s usually been with rifles, carbines and competition or hunting pistols. The concept of carrying a red-dot sight on a mainstream concealed-carry pistol is a relatively new concept thanks to the innovation of different firearms companies.

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It used to be the case that if a user wanted to mount a red-dot optic on their pistol, they had to send it to a competent gunsmith to mill out the top of the slide in order to mount the optic. Now, several manufacturers, including Sig Sauer, are making pistols with slides that are already pre-cut for optics, saving consumers a decent amount of money in the process. The P320 RX Compact is just an evolution of that process, bringing those same attributes to a pistol more amenable to concealed carry.

Sig Sauer goes the extra distance by offering not only a pre-cut slide, but also models with its ROMEO1 red-dot sight already installed. The ROMEO1 sight features a two-piece housing made of magnesium, and it offers a 3-MOA red dot for acquiring the target. It is powered by a CR1632 battery that can be loaded from the top, negating the need to remove the sight from the slide to install the battery.