SIG P320 Selected by Hawaii DPS
The SIG SAUER P320 in 9mm was selected as the next duty weapon of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety. Both full size and carry versions are being purchased. The contract calls for more than 700 pistols to be delivered.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol announced the agency would move to the P320. Interestingly, occasional TFB writer Aaron suggested the P320 may be the next duty weapon of the FBI based on the way the request for proposal was written. If that proves out, that will be seen as a huge vote of confidence in the platform. Additional contracts will be easier to land with the FBI as a customer.
Hawaii DPS also selected the SIG V-Crown ammunition as the new duty load. The selection of the P320 was likely made on the merits of the platform, but I am less confident that the ammunition was selected for anything other than budgetary reasons.
Related: SIG P320 Selected as new US Army Handgun.
With proven performers like the Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST, I am unsure what merit-based attributes could have been considered to make the largely unproved V-Crown the best choice. Regardless, this will be an agency to watch in the coming years to see if the ammo performs as it should. I sure hope it does.
An advocate of gun proliferation zones, Richard is a long time shooter, former cop and internet entrepreneur. Among the many places he calls home is http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/.
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I've seen bid specs written to criteria specific to only one product and one specific dealer before,such as engine must be 357 cu.in. and winning bidder must be located within x miles of crookedtown. That narrowed the eligible bidders down to one.
It seems to me that S-S came up with the modular concept years ago to allow one platform, one chassis, one serial number to allow agencies (and maybe the US Mil) the ability to get maximum bang for the taxpayer's buck.
This started with the P250, a somewhat unlamented DAO forerunner of the 320. Conceptually they are the same in terms of flexibility.
Probably all the companies in the world looking for low bid, though long term lucrative contracts are scrambling to build their own version of this clever idea. Heck, I even though it would be cool to come up with a Model "2011" with a modular fire control group that took different calibers and single/double stack magazines along the same lines.