Sig Sauer P322 Review: 21 Reasons To Love the New .22 Pistol

Introduction

Leave it to a team of creative marketing folks to announce the launch of their newest handgun on March 22, 2022…see what they did there? P322. But what a great gun they introduced to the world!

Although the new Sig Sauer P322 looks suspiciously like the P365 series, it is a completely new and different platform designed from the start as a .22 Long Rifle handgun with a list of features often found only on much more expensive custom offerings. In short, we’re going to look at why you’ll also fall in love with the P322.

If you’re like me, the ammo shortages and ridiculous prices over the last couple of years likely had you thinking twice about burning up your precious centerfire ammo for fun at the range. Personally, I found myself spending a lot more time with my .22 rimfires so I could still get some good practice and range time without the cost.

As a result, we saw some new handguns hit the market that caters specifically to the .22 Long Rifle crowd. The Glock 44 showed up as a worthy understudy to the ever-popular Glock 19. Taurus wowed us with the TX22 in a wide variety of models.

And now we have the Sig P322. I’ve had a chance to shoot and review the above-mentioned guns and the new Sig. If I were going to buy a new .22 semi-auto handgun today, I’d very likely tell the friendly folks at the gun store to wrap up a P322 for me to take home.

To get a better feel for the new P322, I rounded up a few boxes of ammo, a few targets, and a bench rest and spent a few hours at the range. The gun was shot mostly from standing off-hand positions, but also from the bench to get a feel for the accuracy potential.

In short, I really liked the newest Sig. Easy to shoot. Easy to load. Accurate. A great trigger for a .22 in this price range.

Let’s jump in and see what makes this gun worth a look if you’re shopping for a new .22.

Sig Sauer P322 Review

Sig Sauer P322 For Sale

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Overall Feel

The first thing I noticed was how comfortable and familiar the grip feels. For those who have some time with the P365 or P365XL, you will find the P322 is very similar and would be a great training gun if you regularly carry one of the 365s.

The grip is nicely textured to provide a non-slip grip without being too aggressive.

The gun is built from the ground up to be fully ambidextrous. The safety and slide lock can be run right- or left-handed, and the magazine release can be switched over to full left-hand use if needed.

Reliability

I ran about 200 rounds of CCI and Federal ammo through the gun. I had only two malfunctions, both failure to fire from the Federal ammo. I loaded both rounds and fired them a second time with no problem. In my time with the gun, it seemed to prefer the CCI ammo slightly over the Federal offering.

Accuracy

The green fiber optic sights were really easy to see and align. For my eyes, the front sight is a little large, and shooting really precise groups was difficult for me. I’ve had my eyes surgically corrected for distance, so some front sights can be a little hard for me to see really well. That said, I was more than happy with most of my shooting, but I did throw a few flyers here and there.

The Sig P322 ships with a flat and curved trigger shoe. The gun I tested had a flat trigger, and it was fast!  The reset was really short and light, and a couple of times, I sent the next round before I was fully back on the sights. Nothing unsafe, just a little surprising. Of all the .22 pistols I have fired this year, this one has the best trigger by far.

I would like to try the gun with the curved trigger to see how it handles, but unfortunately, that was not an option during my range time.

Features

Optic Ready Slide

As red dot sights become more reliable, more user friendly, and more affordable, those guns that are ready to mount a sight on will continue to grow in demand. The Sig P322 has a slide cut that is ready to accept Sig’s own ROMEOZero without an adapter plate. The newest ROMEOZero Elite can also be mounted as is.

The Shield RMSc or other sights utilizing the RMSc pattern can also be mounted without using an adapter plate.

When the plate is removed, the rear sight is also removed from the gun to accommodate the red dot.

Fully Adjustable Fiber Optic Sights

The sights on the P322 are highly visible and sturdy. Unlike many guns in this price range, the P322 features a fully adjustable rear sight. The rear sight is also serrated to eliminate glare and help sharpen the sight picture.

For my eyes, the front sight was a little large for really precise shooting. However, as a training gun for your chosen carry firearm or for Steel Challenge or USPSA-style shooting, the sights are more than adequate and easy to pick up.

20 Round Magazines

Here’s a feature that everyone will love! Two 20 round magazines in the box with your new gun! That gives you 21 rounds of .22 rimfire goodness every time you load the gun! Unless you live in a left-leaning do-gooder state like Washington (sadly where I live), then you’ll only get 10-rounders.

Regardless, for guns in this niche, the P322 has the highest standard capacity magazines available. The polymer magazines are easily loaded using the thumb stud to push the follower down as you load the magazine. I had no issues loading or unloading the magazines.

For quick reloads the magazines dropped free whether partially loaded or empty.

Additionally, the gun locked open on an empty magazine every time.

Fully Ambidextrous

The Sig P322 offers shooters who are left-handed a full suite of controls on both sides of the gun. The manual safety and the slide lock lever are easy to reach and manipulate with either hand.

For those using the gun as a trainer for self-defense purposes, being able to shoot and manipulate the gun with either hand is a big plus.

Finally, the magazine release can easily be moved from the left side to the right side of the gun.

Two Trigger Shoes Included

Flat triggers are all the rage these days. The flat face makes it easier to pull the trigger straight back and, in most cases, shortens the total distance the trigger must move to fire the gun. The Sig P322 comes complete with a flat trigger shoe and the more traditional curved trigger shoe. The shoes simply slip on the trigger without the use of tools.

Familiar Grip and Frame

As mentioned earlier, for those with some time on the Sig 365 family of firearms, the P322 will feel pretty familiar. The grip and frame are not identical, but I feel they are close enough that the P322 would be a great training gun for those choosing the P365 for their EDC.

The grip provides a non-slip surface without being overly aggressive.

The grip is actually a bit longer than the P365XL and provides enough real estate for a full grip with a standard length magazine.

The rear of the trigger guard is undercut and relieved to allow a very high grip on the gun for excellent recoil control and fast follow-up shots.

Up front, there is a standard section of Picatinny rail to mount your favorite accessories.

Threaded Barrel

A fun feature of the P322 is the threaded barrel. With the thread protector installed, the barrel does not protrude from the front of the slide and looks like a standard barrel.

However, once the thread protector is removed and the thread adapter is installed, simply screw on your suppressor for loads of suppressed fun.

The thread adapter has a standard ½ x 28 thread pitch making it easy to use your favorite suppressor on the gun. Likewise, you can install a compensator if you choose to use the P322 for Steel Challenge or similar competitive endeavors.

How We Tested

As mentioned above, I spent an enjoyable afternoon getting to know the P322.

After about 25 rounds each with the CCI and Federal ammo, I began shooting 10-round groups from 5 yards out to 20 yards off-hand.

As distance increased, so did my group sizes. However, with all but one group, all rounds landed easily inside the A-Zone of an IPSC target.

At 20 yards, the Federal ammo shot about 4” high from an offhand position.

I also set up the bench and fired groups from a supported position at 25 yards. The gun showed a definite preference for the CCI ammo turning in groups that averaged about 3 ½”.

Accessories

Image	Product	Price
	Sig ROMEOZero Red Dot Sight	Check Price
	Sig Sauer SRDS22 Black .22LR Supressor	Check Price
	Comp-Tac OWB Holster	Check Price

Sig ROMEOZero Red Dot Sight

The ROMEOZero is the perfect companion for the P322. Sig’s fastest and most accurate red dot sight is specifically designed for slides with a narrow profile and ready for EDC, competition, or recreational shooting chores.

The sight is motion activated, so it’s on when you need it. Additionally, the battery life is rated at 20,000 hours.

With eight different settings for daylight conditions, you can be sure the dot will be visible when your target presents itself.

Sig SRD22X Suppressor 

Since the P322 comes with a threaded barrel and adapter, why not screw on a suppressor? The SRD22x has an outer tube of titanium, and stainless steel baffles and can be disassembled and cleaned by the user. Rated for .22 LR, .17 HMR & .17 Mach II, as well as .22 Magnum, you can use this suppressor on all your favorite rimfire handguns and rifles with a ½ x 28 thread pitch.

Comp-Tac OWB Holster

The Comp-Tac International holster is a winner! I have several for other guns, including a CZ75 that I use for USPSA Limited. The Comp-Tac comes with mounting options for belt wear, a paddle, and a drop offset attachment.

The holster can be adjusted for cant, so the user can customize their carry preference. It’s sometimes hard to find quality holsters for a .22 rimfire pistol, but the Comp-Tac offering is the best in class.

Alternatives

Glock 44

The Glock 44 is a great gun for the .22 shooter. It offers Glock 19 familiarity, 2 10- round magazines, interchangeable backstraps to provide a custom fit for your hand, and the famous Glock reliability. The rear sight is fully adjustable, and the Glock Marksman barrel provides fine accuracy on the range and in the field.

Taurus TX22

Taurus offers a vast number of options in the TR22 lineup. These guns ship with 10 or 16-round magazines (depending on your location).

The TXs are accurate, have really nice triggers, and are available in models ready for competition, training, or as small-game getter.

FAQs

Conclusion

I really liked the P322.

The gun ran flawlessly, shot accurately, and was easy to manipulate during reloads and shooting fast.

The only malfunction was an ammo issue, not a gun issue, and was quickly fixed with a quick Tap-Rack-Bang.

For a gun that is optics-ready, suppressor-ready, light-ready, and comes standard with two 20-round mags, what’s not to like?

If I was in the market for another .22 pistol right now, the Sig Sauer P322 would be right at the top of my list. For me, it would likely ride around in a Hill People Gear Kit Bag for filling the camp larder with grouse and rabbits.

You owe it to yourself to check out the 21 rounds of .22 rimfire goodness that the P322 offers.