There are many correlations between the success of a given platform and Magpul’s involvement in making accessories for it. I have noticed these trends over the years and have watched Magpul’s support foster massive public acceptance.
Today I will elaborate on why it is that Magpul needs to make a frame system for SIG SAUER’s P320 and M17 pistol lines and why they need to accept GLOCK magazines.
The first thing I want to get out of the way here is the issue related to GLOCK mags. As we all know by now, GLOCK mags aren’t really just for GLOCK brand GLOCKs anymore. I would go so far as to say that the GLOCK mag should no longer even bear the GLOCK name.
Why is that? The magazine is so common that it’s almost an eponym in the same way Kleenex and Coke are synonymous with tissues and pop (soda for you Southern heathen). Just like the AR mag, they’re all over and everyone seems to be making them.
That widespread acceptance and common use that are the reasons it makes the utmost sense to make a modular chassis for the P320 to accept what is arguably the most common pistol magazine out there.
The Kriss Vector, countless AR lowers, the Ruger PCC, and many, many more systems use this common feeding device. While the GLOCK mag isn’t perfect, there is a certain quality to quantity.
Is this secretly a low-key jab at GLOCK in favor of SIG? Well, think that if you like, but the facts are out there to support what it is that I am proposing. Magpul makes, hands-down, some of the best firearm accessories on the market. Not only are they wonderfully functional, but they’re aesthetically pleasing. But there is nothing that Magpul makes that can truly benefit a GLOCK… except (ironically) the magazine itself, which they already make in several variations.
The aesthetic and ergonomics of a gun matter a great deal because modern guns tend to be hideous and visually insulting. I like the AR, but the stock M4 type rifle won’t win any beauty contests. Simply adding a Magpul stock, handguard, and grip makes the gun feel completely at home in the hand while at the same time making the rifle appear cohesive to the observer.
SIG makes some of the most visually appealing and ergonomic handguns on the market, but I’d still like to see what Magpul could come up with just out of curiosity. Should you feel bad if you have ugly guns? Yes, you should. “But I only care about function. I’m a Grey Man Sheepdog.” The mall called. It’s missing its ninja.
The second and most important part of this proposal is that SIG actually makes a modular handgun in P320 and M17. Try as you might to convince me, the GLOCK system is not and never will be modular like the P320 is.
The whole ‘modular’ aspect was sort of the point of the Modular Handgun System. It would be like ordering two pepperoni and sausage pizzas from two pizza shops and having one show up with no pepperoni, only to have that pizza guy file a protest for you to reconsider what counts as pepperoni. GLOCK makes very good, reliable pistols, but they are not in any way modular in the strict sense of the word.
The modularity of the P320 lends itself to a massive aftermarket. I keep getting asked why nobody makes good aftermarket frames, 80% kits, and other accessories for the P320 and M17. The P320 system is still a relatively young system. I (still) anticipate an explosion in popularity the second the market wakes up to the fact that the P320 will be making headlines on the world stage for the next several decades. The P320 is a safe bet for accessory makers and I hope to see Magpul leading the way.
Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t believe something needs to be changed about the P320 and M17. I think SIG executed this gun perfectly and it’s truly the only fully modular handguns in production, which is saying something.
Rather, I am advocating this because I think that modularity needs to be taken full advantage of the way it is with the AR-15. While I like the AK and enjoy that there are many accessories for them, they aren’t at all modular in the same way as the AR. The 1911 and GLOCK variants are the same in this regard in that they are still essentially legacy designs that can be modified, but are not actually modular.
There’s a reason that the AR is so popular and it’s not because it’s the most powerful or most accurate or most reliable design ever made. The AR is so popular because it is so modular and easily adapts to so many uses. If Magpul made a frame for the P320 that took common, cheap GLOCK-style magazines, it would catapult the P320 into the consciousness of every shooter out there. Both SIG and Magpul would both win here.
Imagine a handgun where you could swap out frames, magazines, slides, and calibers in seconds without an issue. You do it with your AR rifle, why is it so crazy to do it with your handgun?
Who knows, perhaps SIG would start selling the stripped P320 chassis so you could build your own just like you would an AR. They already have a fully-stocked online store selling grips, barrels, parts, and magazines.
The future is modular. I love the idea of guns like the P320 and the AR dominating the scene because they offer so much to so many. While I’m an advanced gun builder and am pretty good at restoring old guns, I always take special pleasure in seeing a novice complete their first rifle build.
The pride of ownership that comes with saying “I built that” can’t be overstated. I think that the P320 system will be the handgun system that our kids and their kids will grow up on and it all starts right here. Magpul has the opportunity to make the world’s most modular pistol that much more modular. I hope they do.