Recently folks have been talking about changes to the SIG P320’s user manual that include bold text about not carrying with a round in the chamber. As expected, this has been met with scorn, as well as amusement. Curious, I decided to dive into the manuals of the P320’s competitors to see what other “duty grade” options have to say. What follows are screenshots I’ve taken personally, not grabbed from another post.
SIG Sauer P320 User Manual and More
Let’s take a look at some screenshots I have taken of some user manuals. These were pulled directly from the manufacturer’s websites during the week of 21APR2025. I searched the term “chamber” in the text, which is shown via the highlights in said text. The screenshots are unedited, including time stamps, battery percentage, push notifications, and more. You should be able to search these on your own for verification.
SIG User Manuals
This is what started it all. According to the internet, SIG Sauer recently updated the user manual for the P320. Not having looked at the user manual for a P320 in years, this I doubt most of us were keeping tabs on changes. However, some meme pages say this is a recent change, so we’re talking about it. Does this stand out compared to other SIG products, or guidance from other manufacturers?
SIG P365 User Manual
Now we take a look at another incredibly popular pistol from SIG Sauer, the P365. There are two screenshots here, as the subject is brought up twice in the manual. The verbiage here is far less aggressive than in the P320 manual, and is not BOLD here, which is an interesting discrepancy. What about SIG’s hammer fired guns?
SIG P22x/239 User Manual
I wanted to see if SIG had any significant differences between their hammer fired and striker fired manuals. Many people forget, but SIG used to be known for their metal frame, DA/SA pistols such as the P226. The foray into the striker fired world is relatively recent, only about a decade long.
I didn’t notice any significant mentions of whether or not a round should be carried in the chamber with these pistols. However this was the first time I noticed a significant disclaimer about guns firing when dropped. Amusingly, the graphic is of a P320, despite this not being for that gun.
Glock User Manual
Now we move onto Glock, the most obvious competitor for SIG. This manual broadly covers a variety of Glock pistols due to their similarities. Glock is pretty heavy on general safety rules and gun handling, which is a nice touch. What stands out to me is their commentary about suitable holsters, which many people don’t abide by.
Beretta APX and PX4 User Manual
Next we take a look at some Beretta offerings, starting with the APX. Pretty clear cut, with similar, but toned down language compared to SIG’s manual. Not a whole lot to say here. What about their hammer fired guns?
Looking at Beretta’s newer hammer fired offering, we see the exact same verbiage as the APX. I appreciate the consistency across their products versus some of the differing language found in the SIG manuals.
FN 509 and Reflex User Manuals
Next we move onto some of FN’s offerings, starting with the FN 509. Much like other manufacturers here, FN recommends keeping the chamber empty. Some may scoff at their comments about the manual safety, but I think they are right on the money there.
The FN Reflex is one of FN’s newer pistols, competing with the P365, though this one is actually hammer fired. Unsurprisingly, we have the exact same block of text in this manual. The consistency is appreciated.
Now we look at the FNX, a slightly older, DA/SA pistol from FN. The language here is slightly different due to the DA/SA nature of the pistol and its control setup. However, the general thought is the same, keeping the chamber empty until you’re ready to fire.
CZ P10 and P09 Nocturne Manual
The CZ P09 Nocturne is CZ’s latest hammer-fired offering, so I thought I’d see what they had to say. As it turns out, CZ is totally down with you carrying with one in the chamber. Not only that, but they let us know that this is a safe way to carry in double-action. Kudos to CZ.
I mention the CZ P10 series in this subheading, but you may notice that there are no screenshots here for it. In looking through the P10 family user manual, I came up empty handed. Searching “chamber”, “fire”, and a handful of other terms, I saw no mention of whether or not CZ suggests carrying with an empty or loaded chamber. I may have missed something, but it seems like their striker gun gets no specific guidance.
Ruger RXM Manual
While I don’t typically consider Ruger semiautos to be “duty” guns today, I thought I’d check them anyway. The RXM is a collaboration between Ruger and Magpul to make what is effectively a 3rd generation Glock. As we can see, Ruger repeatedly recommends keeping the chamber empty, including in the holster. I guess not all Glocks are created equal.
Springfield Armory Echelon User Manual
With this in mind, I may have missed something. That said, Springfield seems pretty clear that the Echelon should have an empty chamber until you’re ready to fire. We’re seeing a trend here.
Taurus G3 User Manual
Since I included Ruger here, I wanted to check on another budget brand pistol. Both of these companies do sometimes get picked up by law enforcement agencies and military units domestically and abroad. Initially I wanted to see what Taurus had to say about the TS9, which they specifically marketed as a pistol for the law enforcement market. Unfortunately, when clicking the link for the TS9 user manual, I was redirected to the PT92 manual.
This led me to the Taurus G3, which I quite like as a pistol. We’ve got two screenshots here since the manual is wider than my phone can display on one screen. Overall, I think Taurus has a pretty well measured position here. In general, Taurus recommends carry with an empty chamber for safety purposes. However, they also recognize that in certain circumstances, such as those of increased threat, carry with a loaded chamber is appropriate.
What I really appreciate is the following quote from the G3 manual, “Safe carry condition is the most ready-to-fire condition that the user feels is reasonable under the circumstances.” Or in other words “You know what’s best for you, but here’s what we recommend and why”, which is a stellar position. Of course there’s a bit more than that here, but I think this is one of the better entries in this list.
Heckler & Koch VP9 User Manual
You may be wondering, “where is the picture of the VP9 manual?”. Great question! There isn’t one. Much like with the CZ P10, I saw no comments about chamber status in the HK VP series manual (remember the VP40?). That means there isn’t anything to show. Good job HK, you may hate us, but apparently you don’t hate loaded chambers.
Walther PDP User Manual
H&K wasn’t the only one I had trouble finding any references to chamber status with. I also came up short searching through the Walther PDP manual! The PDP is pretty popular in certain circles, so I had to include it here. From what I can tell, Walther doesn’t seem to care what you do, so you do you boo boo!
Being Pedantic
I want to address a comment I’ve seen elsewhere, that I’m sure will find its way here. These manuals and other materials get picked over with a fine-tooth comb by the legal department of these manufacturers. It is almost certain that lawyers had a strong hand in recommending empty-chamber carry for many of these pistols. It is difficult, after all, to be shot with an unloaded pistol. These pencil pushers aren’t worried about people defending themselves, they’re worried about lawsuits.
I am sure that many people on the design and marketing teams want you to carry with a fully loaded pistol. Unfortunately we’re not comparing R&D or marketing, we’re comparing text in a booklet. Lawyers be damned, there are differences here, and we’re talking about them.
Comparing our Findings
Now that we’ve taken a quick look at a wide variety of user manuals, let’s talk about our findings. Glock, S&W’s M&P, CZ’s P10 and P09 Nocturne, Walther’s PDP, and HK’s VP series stand out as not explicitly encouraging empty chamber carry. In some cases, they even encourage carry on a loader chamber. SIG’s other options, Beretta, FN, Ruger, and Springfield all more or less say that carry with an empty chamber is recommended. Taurus occupies a unique position with their recommendations, but real-world understanding finding room for both methods.
As it turns out, SIG is not the outlier here. I’m sure some people will be shocked to see this, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, their text in the P320 manual certainly stands out even against other options in their catalog. I’m not sure SIG corporate realizes how much they’re being scrutinized by the public right now. It seems like each move they make in an attempt to absolve themselves of accusation just digs them into a deeper hole. SIG, you need to reevaluate your PR moving forward.
Closing Thoughts on the SIG Sauer P320 Manual Drama
While I don’t think this alleged change to the P320 manual is a huge deal, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for SIG. It seems like the P320 is plagued with problems, some legitimate, and others less so. Either way, the P320 may be facing a Death of One Thousand Cuts. I don’t want SIG to fail, but it may be time to move past the P320 towards something new. Prop the P365 and its variants up as your flagship, especially now that we have full-sized models of it.
For me, the user manual drama doesn’t really impact my opinions of the gun or the company. I’ve owned multiple P320’s, but I wouldn’t trust one today. I have suggested people avoid them for quite some time. However, several people whom I respect still put their trust into the pistol. Use this information to help you make a decision one way or the other.
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Nice work compiling all this info. It seems that gun manufacturers that recommend carrying without one in the chamber are trying to avoid possible legal (liability) consequences. I think it was stupid for Sig to change their manual on the P320 in view of the cases against them. It is almost an admission of liability, likely to be used by lawyers in cases against SIG. I own a P320, but it is used as a (under) bedside gun, so it has a round in the chamber. I really like the P320, but these cases have made me a bit less confident. I do carry a SIG, P938, locked and loaded, one in the chamber, hammer cocked.
Lawyer oversight is not a laid reason for having bullshit statements in manual.
The company statements stand regardless of who dictated the “don’t load the chamber” verbiage.
I am surprised the manual is not cited more often by trial lawyers in attacking firearm users.
Kind of amusing that Glock’s language supports the use of their firearm ina ready position,
Since Gaston was not much of a supporter of armed civilians.
This language is similar to S&Ws use of the internal trigger lock. We don’t trust gun owners – is the main statement.
How about an article where you interview company CEOs and ask them how their weapons should be carried and used?
Thanks for your work putting all this together.
“Good job HK, you may hate us, but apparently you don’t hate loaded chambers.” LOL!
I appreciate it! This started as a Facebook post, but enough people seemed interested I decided it was worthwhile to compile my thoughts here with a little more detail. Hopefully it helps some people!