P320 X5 Thread

[ddc]

I think the GG kit helps a whole heck of a lot.

But in the end it is still a striker fired gun.

If you weren't a fan of striker fired guns before I'm not sure you're going to change your mind.

 

I used the Alma Cole video as a guide and did the silicon carbide grip mod.

I did it twice. The second time with a little more aggressive grit and a little more coverage than the first time.

The second time I also applied a much heavier layer of epoxy as I wanted to experiment with a slightly more hand-filling grip.

 

I have 1911's but all my competition experience is in Prod (and a little CO) with striker fired guns.

First a stock PPQ, then an Apex'ed M&P, and now the X5.

Of the three the X5 is my favorite and the one that I am going to stick with.

But note that is after installing the GG kit, the Springer tungsten guide rod, and doing the gritty grip modification.

 

I do think the trigger shoots a lot better at competition speed than in does when pulling it slowly and looking for trouble.

 

 

 

[Doublehelix]

Thanks to all who responded to my post.

 

I have been dry-firing the gun a lot, and the trigger seems to be smoothing out just from dry-firing which is a good sign. My left hand is all bandaged up, so it is hard to tell much about the grip yet, but it does feel a bit slippery.

 

I shoot a 2011 in LTD that is completely customized and fine-tuned, so I do realize that this is not a fair comparison vs. a brand-new stock "production" pistol, and especially since I have not even live-fired the dang thing yet! Stitches come out on Monday (tomorrow), and the GG trigger kit and guide rod arrive on Tuesday. I am going to try to get out and shoot it a bit before any modifications so I can get a bit of a before-and-after comparison. I haven't even taken her down for a clean and lube yet since I really don't have a lot of use with my left hand, but I am sure I will polish her up a bit as well while I have it apart.

 

I waited to schedule my surgery for November 1st (after the Indiana State USPSA match) thinking that would be a good time, but I should have waited another month or so as we are having some really great weather this month, and I have already gone 10+ days without shooting. I know the good weather is waning, so I am hoping to get some range time with the X5 before I get stuck at the indoor ranges for the winter (I am a wuss when it comes to the cold). I want to work on target transitions and moving to really check out sight acquisition with the RDS. Indoor shooting around here means standing still and shooting at a bullseye. Woo-hoo. Exciting. 

 

I am really glad to hear the positive comments on the Romeo1 6 MOA, there seems to be a lot of hate out there on this RDS, so I have been pretty worried about that. The only other RDS I have is a 3 MOA Vortex Venom on my S&W .22 pistol that I have taken to a couple of steel matches. It seems to work fine, but I think my eyes would prefer the 6 MOA. My wife loves it that way however, so I am going to keep it as-is for now.

 

Thanks again to all who have taken the time to respond.

 

[jaep1911]

22 hours ago, titandriver said:

Hey jaep1911 - what is the difference in weight between the GG fat guide rod and the SP tungsten one?

 

 

GG Guide Rod = 1.6 oz

SP Tungsten Guide Rod = 3.4 oz 

[titandriver]

31 minutes ago, jaep1911 said:

 

 

GG Guide Rod = 1.6 oz

SP Tungsten Guide Rod = 3.4 oz 

Thank you!!

[Babayaga]

23 hours ago, titandriver said:

Hey jaep1911 - what is the difference in weight between the GG fat guide rod and the SP tungsten one?

$68 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Babayaga

[jaep1911]

22 minutes ago, Babayaga said:

$68 

 

Yeah your wallet will be $68 lighter, lol

[Slide4949]

got a GG trigger kit, installed my self with one phone call to GG, like night day difference. I did get the curved trigger and like it a lot.Got 2.4 # average trigger pull with nice reset. 

[Doublehelix]

X-Five Review from a 2011 Limited Shooter - First Range Trip, Initial Impressions:

 

I really liked the gun. Didn't totally love it, but liked it a lot.

 

It cycled 100% with my handmade loads (RMR JHP 124 gr. under 4.1 gr TG at 1.06"). Chrony says 133 PF, so that is right where I want to be. Zero failures out of the first 200 rounds(189, or 9 mags), which is really outstanding.

 

Accuracy was "OK". From the reports I have been hearing from others, I really expected half-inch groups at 35 yards off-hand, while blindfolded!  It took a while to get her sighted in (the sights were pretty far off for my sight picture), but once I did, I was getting 3-4" groups at 10 yards. Not very good. I didn't even try to go longer after getting groups that size at 10 yds. Now in the gun's defense, this is my first time shooting since having hand surgery 2 weeks ago, and my weak hand is pretty tender still. I bandaged it up pretty good to help buffer the recoil, but it should not have mattered that much. 

 

For comparison, I brought my HK VP9, which is my only other striker-fired pistol. The HK easily outshot the X-Five. Now, before anyone comments on familiarity, I never really shoot the HK, and in fact I am sure I have not even shot it in well over a year. The HK was shooting 2" groups at 10 yds without breaking a sweat.

 

Also, I was indoors, which always sucks. Loud and percussive. I only shoot indoors nowadays when I am in a hurry or the weather is really bad. I never shoot as well indoors because I hate it so much, plus it is boring as heck!!!

 

To be fair, it is a new gun, and needs to be broken in some, I realize that, and I am not panicking yet, but I guess I just expected better performance. I am sure it has a lot to do with the shooter and non-familiarity with gun. Next range trip, I will bring my rest and see how she shoots from the rest.

 

I left it totally stock, although I do have quite a collection of upgrades (GG competition trigger kit, Fat guide rod, etc.). Before I start messing with anything, I want to make sure the gun is reliable as-is.

 

I have to say that after shooting 2011's for so long, I am used to a wider grip. I either need to get used to the narrower grip on the X-5, or modify the existing grip. I do like the grip angle just fine however, so that is a real plus.

 

I did try a mag's worth of 124 gr. RN handloads as well, but those did not shot as well as the JHPs. Once she gets broken in well enough, I will need to try a few different types of ammo and see what she likes to eat.

 

The sights are great, although there is a lot of real estate on both sides of the front sight, either from a skinnier front site or a larger rear site opening than I am used to. I do plan on adding a Romeo1 eventually (already ordered and received), so I am not really going to worry about this.

 

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the functioning, but the narrow grip and the "OK" accuracy were definite downsides at this point. They are very possibly related to be honest...

 

I am going to get close to 1,000 rounds down the pipe before I start messing with anything, but honestly, I think the grip is going to drive me crazy. I don't have huge hands, but I am just used to the wider 2011 grips, and this gun feels a bit odd in my hands.

 

So that is my initial impression after the first 200 rounds. Not sure that it means much of anything at this point, and a better evaluation can be made after a thousand rounds or so, but I wanted to capture these initial thoughts while they were still fresh, so I can hopefully revisit this post in a couple of weeks and laugh at my folly!

[jejb]

Yeah, I wish Sig had the X-series grip module in Large. Pretty sad when the hype the heck out of the modularity of the 320's and then offer so few choices in the X series of them. Small is supposedly due around year end, hopefully large will follow quickly.

 

I have the Romeo 1 on mine, and find it easy to shoot 2" groups out to 15 yards. Completely stock other than the red dot. Hopefully you will see that type of accuracy out of yours too, as you get more rounds through it. But not every gun fits everybody well.

[Archer]

9 hours ago, Doublehelix said:

 

For comparison, I brought my HK VP9, which is my only other striker-fired pistol. The HK easily outshot the X-Five. Now, before anyone comments on familiarity, I never really shoot the HK, and in fact I am sure I have not even shot it in well over a year. The HK was shooting 2" groups at 10 yds without breaking a sweat.

 

No surprise there, the VP9 trigger, out of the box, is far superior in my experience.  But the X5 is easily capable of one ragged hole at 10 yards.  Work it some more.

[HickLife]

Has anyone tried the 32 round promags? I'm seeing mixed reviews on them, mostly that you need to switch the follower for a stock p320 one. I plan on buying a B&T usw p320 stock and sbr one of my pistols. I would also like to put a +10 base pad on the bottom of it (if it'll fit) for 42rds of fun but I have no idea where I would get a spring long enough for it. Any ideas?

 

Edit: after some digging and a little experiment on my own magazines, I may be able to use a glock spring in it from the 31+10 magazines. Tarran sells some and so does Taylor  Freelance

Edited November 21, 2018 by HickLife

[Doublehelix]

On 11/20/2018 at 3:21 PM, Doublehelix said:

I really liked the gun. Didn't totally love it, but liked it a lot.

 

Just as a follow up to my last post...

 

I took her out again today and shot much better. I am still not a fan of the grip, but I can fix that. I think my hand is healing a bit each day, so that is a plus.

 

I spent a couple of mags with my pistol rest to fine-tune the sights, and then got to shooting...

 

I got some pretty tight groups offhand at 10 yards, with almost all of the variation being in elevation, which makes sense as I get used to these sights. Windage-wise, it was pretty amazing. The patterns were vertical and narrow. I was definitely shooting out the red, so that made me happy.

 

I had two light primer strikes today, first misfires I have had in a long, long time with *any* gun. Both were in the same mag (next to last of the day), which was a little concerning. Got a small indentation in the primers, but no ignition. Not sure if it is the gun or the ammo, but it was weird.

 

I also shot some 115 gr. factory ammo that I had laying around, and it did surprisingly well too. The 124 gr. loads were superior, but the factory loads did much better than I expected.

 

Other than the worry over the light primer strikes, I am happy. Now to work on that grip...

[jaep1911]

I have had a few light strikes with my X-Five out of 2000-ish rounds. Strangely/ luckily only during practice outings, I have never had one with other pistols. I have decided to keep the striker and the channel clean.

[AmarokTactical]

Light strikes typically occur when the X5 doesn't fully return to battery. Mine locks up tight with an excellent barrel to slide fit but it was a little too tight from the factory. After shooting ~1000 rounds through the gun it was much easier to return to battery. Now I can run a 13lb spring on a 1911 style guide rod and it goes back into battery every time, even if I ease the slide forward. When it was new, keeping it clean and lubed helped make sure there were no malfunctions.

[Doublehelix]

39 minutes ago, AmarokTactical said:

Light strikes typically occur when the X5 doesn't fully return to battery. Mine locks up tight with an excellent barrel to slide fit but it was a little too tight from the factory. After shooting ~1000 rounds through the gun it was much easier to return to battery. Now I can run a 13lb spring on a 1911 style guide rod and it goes back into battery every time, even if I ease the slide forward. When it was new, keeping it clean and lubed helped make sure there were no malfunctions.

 

Thanks for that info, very helpful. I have not cleaned it yet other than the initial cleaning of the factory goop before shooting. I am up to about 400 rounds now, so it is definitely time for a cleaning. With a new gun, I like to clean every 100-200 rounds or so until reaching about 1,000, but today I took her out on a whim before having a chance to clean her up. Will clean her for sure tomorrow.

[gearguywb]

After searching through a bunch of pages....I am still looking for an answer

 

For the factory 21 round magazines, to be used in CO, what else is available besides the Springer base pads that will fit the gauge?

[Babayaga]

Taran Tacticals should fit 

[aalbert]

Any benefit of the Taran vs.  Springer vs others out there ?

[jcc7x7]

Taran Pads seem to go on and off a little easier.

I prefer that when one goes into the dirt, mud , sand whatever it hits that make you think you should clean it.

 

[aalbert]

24 minutes ago, jcc7x7 said:

Taran Pads seem to go on and off a little easier.

I prefer that when one goes into the dirt, mud , sand whatever it hits that make you think you should clean it.

 

 

Cool..  Serviceability would then seem to make it worth the extra $10 (along with color choices).

[rocket99]

I am using the Springers now, but I will be switching to the Tarans over the winter. Way easier to clean and maintain the mags


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[Babayaga]

9 hours ago, aalbert said:

Any benefit of the Taran vs.  Springer vs others out there ?

The Tarans hold one more round than Springers unless you get the grams follower for the Springers. Tarans are also easier to take on and off. Also I think you have to modify the mags to accept the Springers (I cant remember if it’s the 17 or 21 round mags).  

[OPENB]

Taylor Freelance has a +5 basepad also. + 6 when used with Grams guts. I have Springer pads, no mods needed. 

[gearguywb]

I think they will frown on a +5 based on a stock X5 21 round magazine in CO  

[Tokarev]

SIG is now selling a full size version of the standard X. It is basically the X5 without the mag well. Just FYI.

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