For many people, their earliest recollection of shooting goes back to a well-worn .22 pistol or rifle. These guns have been the first trigger for millions of people over the years, and that trend continues today. Specifically in models like the P322 from Sig Sauer.

Benefits of Rimfire Pistols like the Sig Sauer P322

They are easy to run, provide very little recoil, and are still relatively inexpensive to shoot. Beyond that, they provide an excellent tool to teach the fundamentals of shooting and firearm responsibility.

While there are countless versions of these great guns, there is always room for more. Sig Sauer believes the same thing and offers its Sig P322 .22 LR pistol.

An Early Sneak Peek

I was fortunate to get a behind-the-scenes look at the new pistol during a media event with Sig in Florida. This event would be at the Volusia County Gun and Hunt Range near Smyrna Beach, Florida. It is one of Sig’s new “Outpost” locations, and they are holding a number of their classes there.

The P322 is a new endeavor for Sig, and it is everything you would expect from their experienced team. Phil Strader, director of Firearms Product Management at Sig, shared with us that they had very specific performance standards they wanted to meet.

They designed the gun to be reliable even with “less than stellar” ammunition. That translates to Sig demanding that the P322 run all brands of ammo, including the junk you found online somewhere for a dollar.

To my amazement, the guns had run an average of 1,000 rounds between stoppages. Additionally, they have a designated testing gun that is at 24,000 rounds and still running. The key to all this is the barrel’s fluted chamber that allows the P322 to eat anything you feed it.

Proving Out the P322

The team at Sig said that they would prove it, and we all hit the range. This was not just the average range day, though. Our first taste would be on a static shooting line. We ran the guns in several configurations, including suppressed and with optics.

It was a good orientation period. After that, though, things got interesting. Sig went out of its way to set up a multistage steel challenge. In small groups, we rotated bay to bay, shooting a variety of steel stages.

It was during this competition that I got a feel for just how fast the gun was. It is, of course, a .22, so recoil was nothing, but there was more. The P322 is essentially a full-size gun. Not quite a 320, but close in size. This allowed the gun to fit my hands very well.

Throw in the weight that comes with a larger gun, and it had a great feel. The trigger on the gun was good as well. Obviously not a competition trigger, but it had a good clean break and a short reset.

A Mix of Speed and Reliability

Everyone seemed to be seeing the same thing as times at each stage got faster and faster. While we would all revel in our performance on a stage, we were quickly reminded of what real speed looked like when Team Sig captain Max Michel would shoot. I simply started referring to him as “belt-fed” because he shot so fast.

It is important to know that Sig had us share guns as well in order to get a high round count on the sample pistols. We also shot the guns with just the standard iron sights as opposed to using an optic.

In all that, I only had one failure to fire, and that was an ammunition failure. We shot thousands of rounds over several hours without cleaning or oiling the guns.

To serious .22 shooters, this is jaw-dropping because .22s are notoriously dirty guns. They foul quickly because of the ammo and actual bullets used in many rounds. Even some of my higher-end guns in this caliber can not keep up with how the P322 performed that day.

Details of the Sig P322

There are multiple points on the gun that make it interesting and obviously desirable. One of the first things on the list is that it has a 21-round capacity. The gun comes with two easy-to-load 20-round mags, and Sig also included a magazine loader. Sig will also be offering a higher capacity mag as well.

While a 20-round magazine is nice, a 25-round version is even better. These mags will have the same design as the original 20-round magazine but will also have an extension to get us those last five rounds. The extra real estate will also be a welcome addition to anyone with larger hands.

These guns as also optic ready. Almost all serious pistols coming out today are cut and ready to accept optics. Sig saw fit to include this feature on the P322 as well. The footprint will fit all the most common micro red dots, which makes the gun even more enjoyable to shoot.

Ready for Accessories

A feature that got a standing ovation from me was the inclusion of a threaded barrel adapter. One of the hottest items in the firearms world over the last several years has been suppressors. Sig knows that one thing people would immediately ask for is a suppressor ready threaded barrel for their new P322.

The gun comes with an included threaded barrel adapter that attaches to the existing barrel of the gun. The switch out is simple as the low-profile thread protector on the barrel is unscrewed, and the threaded adapter is put in its place. It is a very simple and reliable design that will allow you to run your new .22 suppressed.

Adding a suppressor does not affect performance at all. When Sig did their testing on the gun, they ran a wide variety of suppressors to ensure this.

Some of the other features include a 1913 rail, manual safety, ambidextrous controls, and well-designed cocking serrations.

One of the most interesting things about the gun is its ability to use either a flat-face trigger or a traditional rounded version. Sig includes both trigger shoes with the gun, and they are very easy to switch out. They are essentially a face that sits on a metal trigger frame.

I thought this was brilliant as the gun now will appeal to both sides of the trigger world.

Fast & Furious

One of the characteristics I discovered about this gun was that it is fast. Because of that, Sig has decided to use quick-to-acquire, fiber-optic front and rear sights.

A unique design feature of this is that you do not need to cut or burn the fiber optic piece out to replace it. Simply remove the fiber optic front sight, and you will have easy access to the rod. In all the thousands of rounds of shooting, we did not have any sights break or melt.

The P322 has a fixed barrel, which helps it achieve great accuracy. With that, Sig has included an adjustable fiber optic rear sight to help you fine-tune your gun. The adjustments are a bit different, with elevation being on the side and windage on the top. While not what we are used to with most guns, the system works well.

Operation-wise, the P322 is an enclosed SAO hammer fired action. The question “Why not make a striker-fired gun” came up, as you can imagine.

Phil Strader of Sig explained it as simply as possible, “For the gun to meet the size and high-performance standards, the single-action-only design was best.”

He went on to explain that challenges with the amount of energy strikers are required to run, as well as historic .22 pistol performance, drove the decision.

There are few things as deeply important to Americans right now as buying items made here in the USA. The P322 was designed, engineered, and produced in New Hampshire. Even the magazines are American-made.

Another benefit of this is that they can closely manage quality control. As with all Sig guns, the build process for the P322 has numerous quality checks and tests. Everything about this gun is steeped in the Sig performance culture.

Giving the P322 a “Serious” Feel

The P322 has a very ergonomic design and is easy to disassemble. With an eye on lifespan as well as recoil reduction, Sig has made the frame from stainless steel. Contrary to what instinct may say, this does not make the gun heavy. A less-than-scientific observation from me was that the gun felt “serious.”

There are other guns in this category that feel almost like toys. The P322 is far from that. With a stainless-steel frame, the obvious balance for weight was to make the slide out of aluminum. This does help keep the gun light yet durable.

In fact, it is an aluminum alloy that helps increase the long-term life of the slide. Simply put, you will not wear out the alloy slide with forward and rear cocking serrations. The gun also has a well-designed and fast integrated magwell.

Lastly, the gun is inexpensive to run. As I write this, the great ammo famine has started to subside but still lingers. Prices are still high for the likes of 9mm, and we can only hope it drops. The cost of ammo makes training expensive and short. Using .22 LR, however, gives us a much less expensive alternative for training.

Final Notes

The Sig Sauer P322 is loaded with premium features and is a welcomed addition to the pistol world. As the folks at Sig shared, this can be a “gateway gun” to new shooters. It has a variety of applications but, ultimately, is enjoyable to shoot.

Whether you are a hard-core pistol shooter or brand new to guns, the P322 is certainly a gun you are going to want to have.

For more information, please visit SigSauer.com.

Sig Sauer P322 Specs

Caliber: .22 LR
Barrel: 4 inches
Overall Length: 7 inches
Weight: 17.1 ounces (empty)
Grips: Polymer
Sights: Fiber Optic, adjustable rear
Action: Single action-only
Finish: Black
Capacity: 20+1
MAP: $399

This article originally appeared in the June/July Gun Annual 2022 issue of Tactical Life magazine. Get your copy today at OutdoorGroupStore.com.