Which do y'all prefer?  They are both about the same size I guess the biggest difference is hammer vs striker.  Is one better quality, more reliable than the other?

I never thought it would happen to me. But now  I actually own a full size,  polymer, striker-fired pistol. My Sig M18, with the small grip module and a streamlight TLR7 light fits the bill.

I'd take the HK P30. Of course it'll need a trigger job ASAP!! But the high quality and sweet grip is awesome. The older HK USP 9 has a much better trigger though... Especially with the match trigger kit. Just grab a HK USP Expert The LEM trigger is where it's at for HK though. Grey Guns has a short reset trigger kit also. If I was going P30 it would be an LEM trigger with Grey Guns magic.

Dang, that's actually a really good question. I've always wanted a P30, and I have a gaggle of M17's and an M18 compact.

I would give the edge to the P30 on quality and potential reliability, and, depending on their trigger version, the ability to carry C&L'd with thumb safety engaged. The ergos have always kinda been like Goldilocks whenever I've handled one.

*and this is coming from someone that owns more than 10 320's currently and have sold 3 others*

P30 for the reliability, Sig has been lacking pretty significantly in that area as of late it would seem.

I've got a P30SK and a VP9, both are solid guns. I trust them not to fail on me when it counts most.

If you go with the P30, get one without the physical safety, it just gets in the way.

HK P30.  I have a P30L.  It's pretty much bombproof.

P30.  

Not even close. Sig’s M18 or whatever all that shit is is junk.

lol. Tell me what your personal experience is with the M18 or any other sig P320.

P30 trigger is terrible, grip is wonderful.

320 grip is average, but trigger is worlds better.

Shit gun company fleecing people with cheap overseas made mim and plastic junk.

Lol

So tell me what your personal experience is and what problems you've had.

My P30SK was an amazing shooter, maybe I lucked out on a great factory trigger but that thing was a laser once I replaced the front sight with a factory taller one.

Granted the P30 is a solid gun but if looking at striker guns wouldn't a more apples to apples comparison be a VP9 vs. the P320?

I own both a VP9 and P320 and the VP9 wins hands down. Maybe not as many after market parts but the VP9 is a solid gun right out of the box.

I have never shot or even dry fired a 320.  

I learn from other’s mistakes and experiences.  

Being two completely different gun types-striker vs. hammer da/sa,each has it's pros and cons. I think HK knocked it out of the park with their frame/grip system. It was really designed for all shooters as the side and rear panels can fit all hands comfortably. It is a great/smooth shooter and da/sa is not bad. The only think I didn't care for about it was the placement of the mag. release, as I would have to adjust my finger on the trigger as to not rub on it. Not because of dropping a mag. but just having my finger rubbed raw. The 320 series are not for me. Nothing wrong with the design, I am just not comfortable with the short trigger pull,also the reason I never really cared for the 1911 pistol line. I liked the trigger feel/"click" but could not get used to the shortness. The small grip module  Sig 320 grip frame does feel amazing in the hand and is more like a Glock grip/diameter unlike the standard "medium" module that comes with the gun from the factory. I don't mean to knock the gun,just that it isn't for me.

Like the Sig M18, the H&K P30 also has a polymer frame. Why is one model "plastic junk" and the other model not?

Own both.

The Sig has actually been far more reliable than the P30. Have had the P30 for almost 10 years and I get occasional failures. I have had half the round count through the P320 as I have the P30 but have yet to have a failure. I'm not particularly rough on either gun.

The P320 ergos are decent but the P30 ergos are amazing.

P30 is a solid gun. I would bet my life on a P30.  

I like the 320 X carry more than the M18.  

Dig around on the internet and look at the drama the 320 and the 365 have had with broken parts, recalls/upgrades, and revisions.

Then go back and start at the USP, and look at how much trouble and problems people have with HKs.

Comparatively, Sig is junk.  

So in other words, you have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about. Plenty of P320 owners are very happy with their firearms. When you have personal experience, then you should be able to join in on the conversation. Instead, you spew the bullshit you read on some forum, or go off of what you hear.

I have Sigs, Glocks and Smiths. Never had an issue with any.

P30. 90k+ rounds tested




12k rounds problem free. Except for that time when I used FrogLube and it gunked up the internals around the 5k rd mark. No problems after that.

I used Sigs for ten years with the P226 and P239.  When they started phasing that out I held off on the 320 and watched the whole shitshow from the sidelines.

Kinda harsh, but spot on.  Usually those people who paint with a broad brush with labels such as "garbage" or "shit" are not anyone whose opinion your should value.  Slandering is easy and not an admirable trait.

OP, my experience with both HK and Sig has been fully excellent, including the single P320 I have owned as well as the three (3) Sig P365s which I own and I use one or the other as my carry most days. Been shooting the first 365 I bought for almost three years now and in 2K+ rounds it has not had a bobble of any kind. Like my VP9s, they just work right every time.

OP, I have looked at the P30 a number of times, but haven't yet bought one and the trigger is the main reason. The ergonomics are most excellent, but the triggers are not., at least not for me. If I do buy one, and I likely will at some point, it will go off to a quality gunsmith to have the trigger improved. My Beretta 92s have the P30 beat hands down on trigger action in both DA and SA.

Look at the VP9 if you like the HK brand. It is more of a direct comparison to the Sig 320 since it is a striker fired handgun like the 320. The VP trigger is most excellent. And if you buy a VP9 and then later acquire a P30 you have it made since they use the same magazines.

Good luck with your choice.

Thanks, I am the OP.  I own two hammer fired guns, a SIG 938 and a Springfield XDE that is really why I included the P30.  I prefer a manual safety ( I know I am probably in the minority but that is my preference) and that is why I am asking about the M18.  I have never even held an HK but only hear really good things about them.  My local gun shop carries the HK line so I may be heading in that direction.  I too have gotten to the point of dismissing those "blanket" statements about certain brands being junk.  I hear it a lot about Springfield but I really like my XDE and it serves its purpose very well, namely a gun easy for my wife to rack.  Thanks again to all.

The P30 is a better built and probably more reliable pistol but the ergos aren’t as good IMO.  I sold mine long ago after I couldn’t find a grip panel configuration that would keep my finger off the bottom of the trigger guard.

Both are great IMO. Quality wise, I think the P30 is probably better than the Sig, but then I’ve never personally had any issues with the Sigs either. The ergonomics on the HK are great right out of the box. I did have to get a small grip module for the Sig to make it work for me and I’m not a huge fan of the safety that’s on the M17/M18, but it doesn’t get in the way that much and can be removed if you want.

That all being said, for whatever reason, I have to really try hard to get even a halfway decent group with the P30 which is not the case with the Sigs or other HKs. So I actually sold my P30 last week and I’m going to replace it with another USP which I shoot very well with.

I have found that really ergonomic grips make a handgun difficult to shoot.  

Flat sides makes ‘em track right and index a lot better.

+1

"insert whatever" is shit because the internets told me so! Pathetic

Yes, both the P320 and P365 had some early teething pains. That's why I never jump on a new platform when they first come out. I'm perfectly happy to let others be the beta testers. That said, Sig jumped in and resolved the issues fairly quickly IMO and both platforms have been solid since. I have a couple of P320's and P365s and so far, I've been very happy with them and they have been 100% reliable. I found that overall, I tend to shoot them better then my Glocks and I like the modularity of both systems.

The only thing I can say about the HK is their European style mag release has always been a show stopper for me (at least for anything I'd want to use for SD).

I had a Walther with that type of release and hated it. I'm sure someone will come along and tell you how great they are and how they prefer them but I'm just telling you that I personally don't care for them. Sure I could train with it enough to become proficient with it and maybe even come to love it but I have dozen+ other guns that all have standard US style mag releases so I see no good reason to waste time learning a control that is different from all of my other pistols, just to use a gun that doesn't offer me anything that my other guns don't already do just as well.

If you are just starting out and/or this will be your first or only gun then the mag release is a moot point

P30 with the Grey Guns SRS and HK match sear spring is pretty hard to beat. Should come from the factory that way but can be done for ~$100. Though, the USP does have an arguably better trigger and a USP 9 w/ a jet funnel is pretty sweet.

P30 all day

I've got a few of both, IMHO the P30 wins the "better pistol" part of the contest all day, every day.  The paddle magazine release is the best thing to happen to handguns ever.

Where the HK falls on it's face is the aftermarket.  Depending on what you need, holsters can be a PITA to find, or non-existent (ALS and red dot, Safariland I'm looking right at you).  RMR mounting is much more complicated and several times more expensive.

The modularity aspect of the P320 is actually pretty neat.

I had been carrying a P320C with an RMR, but until they figure whats going on with all the ND's/AD's whatever they are I'm not going to carry it.

I like both guns and companies, sort of...

I love HK's, namely the USP's and USPc's and shoot them well. I've owned a few P30's (P30SK, P30, P30L all in 9mm and P30 in 40) and have never shot them well. I know other people who do though so I know that it's me and not the gun but I don't get along with them. It fixes a couple of my complaint's with the HK like the huge trigger guard that makes it hard or impossible to manipulate light toggles, lack of picatinny rail, and lack of holster selection. It still has the giant slide release paddle though like the USP, I find myself riding it on the USP and occasionally a slide won't lock back on an empty mag but on the P30's it's almost every mag. I EDC'd a USP9c for the last 3ish years up until about 6 months ago when I started carrying P365's. One thing I really don't like about HK is their market support. It's hard to get spare parts for them from HK or dealers, some stuff will be available but a lot of stuff gets bought out as soon as it hits the shelves and may be a year or longer until another run. There's also very little aftermarket parts support for the HK's if that's your thing. I've even had trouble finding a second gun in stock somewhere with HK because of how they make them in batches and it may be a while in between them. I wanted a second USP9C and couldn't find one for a year and a half, they were sold out everywhere and I finally walked into a local shop one day that happened to have one sitting there. I think it was another 6 months or so until they did a second run. I ran into the same thing finding a second USP9T.

Regarding the M18, I bought my first two P320's almost a year ago (an M17 and an M18) and it pretty much instantly became my favorite full sized platform. I've got several and they're all M17/M18's because I prefer the thumb safety. I like the safety aspect when reholstering, and I like riding the safety with my thumb and find I shoot better that way and shoot considerably better one handed with my thumb on the safety. The thumb safety along with the Wilson grip module make it damn near like shooting a 1911. I actually prefer my full size P320's (M17 FCU's with Wilson carry grip modules and X5 uppers) over the M18 however for the purposes a full size gun like this provides for me. I love the way the P320's run though, the modularity, and the factory and aftermarket support for parts. There's also a ton of holsters for them with all different light combos and optic ready, damn near as many holster options as there is for Glocks.

Even if I shot the P30's straight, I would pick the P320 over the P30 every day. I would even pick it every day over the USP's.

Owned both, multiples of both.   HKp series hands down.  My 30LS is in fact, made of unbreakable german goodness.  

Seriously though, the sig modulatory is cool but there always seemed to be a problem.  Took too much time to slot into a new grip, there was slop, the trigger was crap, the slide set to high.  I far prefer the P30.  It works.

Older Sigs are significantly more reliable than anything they've released the last decade.  Almost every new system they've released has had major problems.

Yeah but if you only know of these problems, and dumped Sig back when they screwed the pooch on their classic P Series guns, and only watched as literally every fucking rifle they build has recalls, and have seen every last one their sub-compact pistols break, not run, or have recalls, and only looked through their shit tier Chinese optics, then you don’t have a fuckin’ clue what you’re talking about.

The GreyGuns SRS is such an improvement it’s in the must have upgrade column. It eliminates the one gripe I had with the P30, the long trigger reset. The SRS brings it down into the “good” range.

I’d grab a P30 over most pistols to be honest, although I am biased by having many years experience with them. I wish HK would come out with an Expert or Match version like they did with the USP line.

Go VP 9. German quality and reasonable price.

Although I love the P320 line and have never had an issue. I would like to get into a couple of HK’s. They feel solid and fit my hands very comfortably.

I’d like to pick up an X -Compact, G48/G43X MOS (I have the standard G48 and G43X, I’d like to get into CZ’s and HK’s next. After I find a Dan Wesson or Colt a combat Commander.

I've had numerous P30s models, great guns, tough as nails.  Basically a USP9 w/great ergonomics.  However I have large mitts and it never fit me/my shooting style right.  Between the bump in the trigger guard(yes I know it can be fixed) and the slide release it beat up my hand.  The VP9 is a much better fit for me.  It still rubs my trigger finger but is easier to work around.  The 320 is great for my hands, accurate and easy to shoot.  

Honestly you'll get opinions from users that have had good & bad results with both.

I find I need to go buy a gun and try it for myself.  I've never shot the 320, but will pick one up to try out eventually.  Everyone is different & and will have a different experience with the same gun.  Than you take into consideration your particular gun.  Maybe yours works 100%?  Or you have one with issues?

I'm a big fan of try and buy to see how I like a particular gun.  My latest was the Beretta APX.  It didn't work for me at all.  Probably my favorite due to feel and fastest from the holster & on target is the VP9.

I've also found you can spend a lot of time training behind a certain gun and make it work for you.  But that may not always be the best choice.  My buddy has been shooting Glocks for 25 years.  On his first outing with a Sig 365, he was already shooting it better than he ever did a Glock

As far as a carry gun I prefer Sig365. I carried a g27 then a p30sk then a365. The p30 is a great pistol but the365 is so much thinner. I do love the lem trigger but it takes some getting used to.

I only have experience with the P320/P365 line and none of them have given me issues. I will admit that there is always something in the back of my mind that if something goes wrong with them. Of course, that can happen with any gun. But I’ve been very happy with my Sigs. I did come across a little harsh on @samuse and I apologize for that.

It does bother me when I order parts from Sig and on the packaging it says “made in India”. I think sig nailed it out of the park with the P365 line but my G43X and now my new G48 are close by, just in case something does go wrong. I like the modularity of the Sigs where you can essentially “make your own gun”. Just wish they’d get rid of the made in India shit.

I was pretty interested in the 320 when it came out as I was retiring my P226 and 239 as they quit supporting the 239 and the transition to Gen 4 Glocks was infuriatingly problematic to put it mildly.  

There were so many different changes and revisions the first few years, and then the ‘voluntary upgrade’ to make ‘em drop safe, and the whole maddening array of SKUs and the best quality internals only available for LE purchase, and then the P365 comes out with striker issues , and at that point I was so done with Sig that I will never look at them again.

During all of this Glock came out with the 43 and with one mag revision, they’ve been near flawless for 5 years.  

It took them 3 years to get the Gen 5 running like a real gun in 9mm, verdict still out on the 40.

The 320 is probably pretty ironed out at this point, but too little too late for me and I’ll never trust their small parts as I don’t think quality is any part of their business model past it works good enough for the 99% who shoot half a box when they buy it and then leave it in the sock drawer for eternity.

I have both (well 320s not an M18), and I carry the P30...the 320s I have, I sent in for the recall. One of them I shouldn't have; it was a super early one with all the good parts in it, but in for a penny, in for a pound...it currently wears a full size 357 Sig upper. It shoots great and I trust it, but I'd love it a lot more if the grip angle were closer to a Glock...it's near vertical grip angle is really easy to want to tilt it down and flinch with. The other one I have is a 45ACP full size (I sold my 9mm compact, never used it), and it's ok for a 45, but nothing special. I'd probably like it a lot more if it carried as much ammo and shot as softly as my G21...but it doesn't.

I haven't had any reliability issues with either the P30 or 320s, but the P30 fits me a lot better, I can configure the trigger in ways that suit me as I need it (either DA/SA with decocker or LEM; currently LEM)...it's just overall a better engineered and better built gun IMO.

I wouldn't feel like I was getting screwed if I had to carry the 320, but the 30 works better for me.

Seems like a better comparison might be the P30 vs. the SP2022. In that case I would take the SIG with it's much better trigger

The problem with the 2022 is that it's designed for...not large hands, and good luck getting any grip modules for it

I know, cause I had one, and shooting it for me was like trying to press a button in the palm of my hand with my trigger finger. They don't import any of the large grip modules anymore and don't sell the longer trigger (not that I could find anyway)...so if you have XL sized hands like I do, you really can't shoot it very well

The P30 lets you at least tailor the grip, really fine tune it, on each side and the rear for whatever style you want..

All that said, the 2022 is a great gun, and I wish it had more support. If they started bringing in more parts/options and grip modules, I'd look at buying another one..

I agree. I think SIG had their mind made up to burry the SP2022 in favor of the striker fired P320 some time ago. First the tan colored model was dropped from the catalog, then the replacement triggers and grip modules dried up. It was a highly customizable pistol until SIG tossed it in their trash bin.

I've had both.  Sold the P30 and now have multiple configurations of the P320/M18.  I just shoot the SIG better.

I would put my Sig XCarry up against a P30 any day...to top it off, I believe a Walther P99 is > HK P30...just saying.