One of the few firearms that’s been conspicuous by its absence in the extensive SIG SAUER lineup is a .22LR pistol (SIG would probably prefer that you purge the GSG-made Mosquito from your memory bank). So when the decision was made to add a new rimfire semi-auto handgun, SIG made the entirely reasonable decision to built it from the ground up using the P320 general blueprint.
Unlike the dearly departed Mosquito, this new compact-size pistol isn’t an outsourced product. The P322 has a stainless steel frame, aluminum slide, and is designed and manufactured by SIG here in the US. Even the magazines are US-made.
Unlike the P320 (to be clear, the P322 looks like a P320, but is an entirely new design), the enclosed-hammer SAO P322 is not a modular design. The fire control group isn’t user-removable like the P320’s, able to be used in different grip frames. But it’s apparent from perusing the gun’s specs that SIG’s engineers went to great lengths to give the compact-sized P322 just about every feature today’s gun buyer wants in a modern .22 semi-automatic.
That starts with the pistol’s impressive capacity — you can pack 20 rounds in the P322’s standard magazines and 25 in an extended mag which is due to hit stores in the third quarter.
Optics-ready? Yep. Ambidextrous controls? Check. A threaded barrel adapter to mount suppressors? Uh huh. Adjustable fiber optic rear sight? You betcha. Both flat and curved trigger shoes? Yes.
Maybe the most impressive feature of the full-featured P322, though, is its price. SIG says the new rimfire pistol will retail for somewhere between $399 and $449.
I had an opportunity for some quality shoot-and-see time with the P322 a couple of weeks ago. I shot it with irons, with a red dot, both suppressed and un-suppressed. I probably put more than a thousand rounds through it.
The only thing I didn’t get to do was try it with a variety of ammo (we pumped cases of CCI Mini Mags through the P322s we had). The SIG folks tell us they’ve shot it with everything from Thunderbolts to Tenex and the P322 cycles it all.
Our test pistol just arrived over the weekend, so we’re going to verify that claim before publishing our review. In the mean time, suffice it to say that, so far, the P322 is a very versatile, extremely attractive rimfire pistol that’s going to get a lot of attention from gun buyers.
In the mean time, here’s SIG’s press release announcing the new rimfire P322 . . .
SIG SAUER is pleased to officially announce the P322, the all-new, U.S. designed and manufactured 22 rimfire pistol. The P322 offers an unprecedented 21 round capacity, is optics ready and suppressor ready right out of the box, all at an affordable price
point.
“When SIG SAUER enters a new product category, we do it because we have exciting innovation to offer the consumer – the P322 combines ingenuity, quality, and value for a fun, low-cost plinking experience,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc.
“The 20+1 round capacity is an industry leader among compact 22 pistols, which means less time loading and more fun shooting on the range. The P322 stainless-steel frame and polymer grip was ergonomically designed for comfort to fit all hand sizes and is completely ambidextrous. Another shooter-focused feature is a modular trigger that allows the P322 to be configured with a flat or curved trigger shoe. This only scratches the surfaces of innovation that we have packed into the P322 and is just a few of the 21 reasons to love the P322.”
The SIG SAUER P322 is a .22 rimfire pistol with class-leading 21 round capacity that offers a low-cost shooting experience in an ergonomic design with incredibly easy takedown for disassembly. It features a stainless-steel frame and a polymer grip with a 1913 rail and integrated magwell.
The SAO hammer-fired action on the P322 is completely enclosed and the pistol features an alloy slide that is optic ready and compatible with the new ROMEOZero Elite. The high visibility fiber-optic front sight and the fully adjustable fiber-optic rear presents a crisp, easy to see sight picture, while the front and rear cocking serrations ensure effortless slide manipulation.
The P322 is suppressor ready and includes a threaded barrel adapter, as well as a flat and curved interchangeable trigger shoe. The P322 features fully ambidextrous controls including manual safety and reversible magazine catch that make it ideal for both right and left-handed shooters.
The pistol ships with (2) 20-round magazines and a custom designed magazine loader (extended 25-round magazines available as accessory purchase). The P322 pistol is optimized for use with the SIG SAUER SRD22X Suppressor, FOXTROT1X light, and ROMEOZero Elite Micro Red-Dot sight.
P322 Specs:
Caliber: .22LR
Capacity: 20+1 (25-round magazines available as accessory purchase)
Overall length: 7 inches
Overall height: 5.5 Inches
Overall width: 1.4 inches
Barrel length: 4 inches
Sight Radius: 6 inches
Weight (w/magazine): 17.1 oz.
21 Reason to Love the P322: 21-round capacity, 25 round capacity with extended magazine, optic ready, threaded barrel, 1913 rail, made in U.S.A., manual safety, SAO enclosed hammer, ambi controls, adjustable rear sight, fiber optic front sight, flat/curved triggers, two magazines included, low-cost training, easy takedown, ergonomic design, stainless steel frame, aluminum slide, cocking serrations, integrated mag well, and included magazine loader.
