A Year Before the Army’s Sig Sauer P320 Drop Test Failures, Bruce Gray Was Already Designing the Fix
Summary: In early 2016—more than a year before Sig Sauer publicly acknowledged drop-safety problems with its P320 pistol—renowned gunsmith Bruce Gray of Grayguns was already designing a fix in collaboration with Sig Sauer. Patent filings show he developed the very components later included in Sig Sauer’s Voluntary Upgrade Program. The timeline raises critical questions: When did Sig Sauer know about the defect? Why were pistols that could fail drop testing still shipped to the U.S. Army for testing? And how did Gray’s work quietly become Sig Sauer’s property just months after the problem became public?
While researching patents related to the Sig P320, I discovered a January 2017 application filed by Bruce Gray of Grayguns, Inc., which was granted in January 2019. Titled “Fire Control Mechanism for Striker-Fired Pistols with Enhanced Safety Features,” the filing details several components—such as a reduced-weight trigger, disconnector, and sear—that were incorporated into Sig Sauer’s Voluntary Upgrade Program for the P320 to address reported drop-safety issues. In December 2017—just months after the upgrade program’s August 2017 debut—the patent was assigned to Sig Sauer.
Inside of the patent application are details of what Bruce Gray’s “safety enhancements” accomplish (emphasis added):
This invention comprises a set of fire control components which may be configured to reduce trigger pull weight, enhance the subjective feel of the trigger pull, and improve the shooting qualities of the applicable pistol, while providing simple mechanisms to improve the system’s mechanical reliability and safety values related to resistance to unintentional discharge from being dropped, jarred or otherwise mishandled.
I also located Gray’s earlier provisional patent application, filed before the 2017 submission. This suggests Gray was working on drop-safety solutions for the P320 as early as January 2016, if not earlier.
As I reported in The Document Sig Sauer Doesn’t Want You to See About the P320, Sig Sauer’s FMECA documentation shows the U.S. Army notified the company on Feb. 1, 2017, that the P320 had failed testing.
New Questions Raised
The Bruce Gray patent raises several key questions:
- Did Sig Sauer ship pistols for the Army’s MHS trials knowing of a potential drop-safety defect?
- When did Bruce Gray first become aware of the issue and begin designing the “enhanced safety features”?
- When did Sig Sauer first recognize the problem?
- When and how did Gray and Sig Sauer begin collaborating, and what were the circumstances of the patent assignment?
- Has Sig Sauer disclosed any records of its work with Gray in ongoing P320 product-liability litigation?
Timeline of Key Events
- Jan. 16, 2016 — Bruce Gray files a provisional patent application for a Fire Control Mechanism for Striker-Fired Pistols with Enhanced Safety Features, including drawings of redesigned P320 components: sear, safety cam, cam block, trigger, and disconnector. These resemble the Voluntary Upgrade Program parts later released in 2017.
- Jan. 14, 2017 — Gray files a non-provisional patent application under the same title, assigned to Grayguns, Inc., with updated drawings.
- Feb. 1, 2017 — Sig Sauer’s FMECA report shows the Army notified the company the P320 failed testing. See the full unredacted document here.
- Aug. 4, 2017 — Sheperis v. Sig Sauer, Inc. is filed, alleging a police officer’s P320 discharged after being dropped.
- Aug. 8, 2017 — Sig Sauer announces the Voluntary Upgrade Program, adding redesigned components: a new sear, lighter trigger, disconnector, and striker safety lock.
- Dec. 7, 2017 — Patent ownership is transferred to Sig Sauer.
- Jan. 22, 2019 — Patent is granted to Sig Sauer as assignee.
The January 2017 hand-drawn patent figures are notable for depicting a redesigned striker safety lock months before the upgrade program’s public announcement:
Striker safety lock (highlighted in red) mirrors the Voluntary Upgrade Program design—filed before the August 2017 announcement.
For comparison, here’s the pre- and post-upgrade striker safety lock (credit: SIG MECHANICS, full video):
Left: Voluntary Upgrade Program; Right: Pre-upgrade version
If Gray and Sig Sauer weren’t collaborating prior to early 2017 on drop safety issues with the P320, how did Gray have detailed knowledge of the redesigned striker safety lock? Was he prescient — or already working with Sig Sauer on a remedy before the defect became public and was reported by the Army in the MHS testing program?
Bruce Gray’s Collaboration with Sig Sauer
Bruce Gray, founder of Grayguns, has long been embedded in SIG Sauer’s design efforts. Early in the P320’s development, SIG retained Gray to refine trigger geometry, ergonomics, and competitive performance—laying the foundation for the X-Series and other high-performance variants. SIG also adopted his P-SAIT trigger for its Legion-series pistols and continues to sell Grayguns-branded adjustable triggers. These partnerships point to an OEM-level relationship.
Parting Thoughts
Given the scope of ongoing litigation—including claims of uncommanded discharges and a Missouri class action—Gray’s design logs, drawings, and test records will likely come under scrutiny. I’ll continue monitoring PACER filings. Follow me on X, Instagram, and Facebook for updates.
Patent documents referenced:
2016 Provisional Patent Application
2017 Patent Application