Over the last few years, the SIG Sauer P320 has been growing in popularity in the market thanks to the ability to switch out frames and slides to create a handgun truly customized to you. A few years ago, I even wrote about the one handgun I would choose if I could only have one. It ended up being the P320 and that hasn’t changed even after all this time. A new company called Empire has come onto the market offering a high-end customized version of the P320 called the Pointman. I’ve had my Pointman for roughly three months and put it through its paces. Let’s take a closer look at the Empire Pointman P320.

SIG P320 @ TFB:

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• SIG Custom Works Introduces The NEW P320 AXG Equinox

Specs

I ordered my Empire Pointman directly from Empire’s website and chose the color and configuration I wanted. Empire makes it really easy to pick out the exact color and configuration you’d like with their option menu. The Pointman series comes with an upgraded optics cut slide that Empire does in-house as well as their Stiletto trigger, Kote machined grips, and Katana magwell. All of these are available on their website if you wish to modify an AXG grip you already have. Having a complete gun built by Empire does have its benefits. When I received my Pointman P320, it arrived in a high quality Vault Case by Pelican that had custom laser cut foam for my firearm as well as an extra magazine.

Empire offers a number of different grip finishes with a number of different colors and finish options. I decided to go with the brass option for my factory grips. I also picked up a couple of their other coloring options to switch out the grips and magwell to have a different look occasionally as well. Sights on the Pointman are suppressor height with a fiber optic front dot as well as a blacked-out rear sight. Empire also offers either a Trijicon RMR cut or a Holosun 509T cut. I settled on the 509T optic and it was a good fit for what I used the Pointman for the last couple of months. MSRP on the Pointman is 1,595.99 with additional grip and magwell options available.

RangeTime

Over the last couple of months, I have taken this P320 on a number of trips to the range as well as training sessions. This was probably the most abuse I’ve ever put on a firearm for testing while working at The Firearm Blog. The first few range sessions I had with the gun really showed how controllable it was with the bigger grips that really grab your hand and create a sturdy shooting platform. The Empire Kote Grips really do elevate the grip to make it feel like a custom-fit handgun for your hand. Not everyone will have this same reaction but personally, it felt great in my hands. Over the course of the last three months, I have roughly 2,300 rounds through the Pointman pistol which was mostly LAX remanufactured 115gr ammunition as well as Federal American Eagle 115gr.

During the first few range sessions, I zeroed the pistol and just casually put a few magazines through the gun to become acquainted. My first impressions of the gun were just how smooth the action and recoil were. The AXG grip module really does a fantastic job adding slightly more weight which really kills any snap from the recoil. Add in the heavier brass grips along with the magwell and you have an incredibly flat shooting pistol. The Holosun 509T was incredibly easy to pick up with my eye and the cowitnessing fiber optic front with the blacked our rear makes point shooting really fast to accurately shoot. I really like how tactile the front serrations are for press checks and racking the rounds into battery. I think empire did a really nice job with keeping it aggressive without being over the top.

Accuracy and Reliability

With the different types of ammo I had on hand, accuracy was really consistent from the Pointman handgun. At 25 yards, I was consistently getting .75-1″ groups with the Holosun on top. Red dots really do make longer shots much easier but as far as accuracy goes, this handgun will exceed most shooters’ ability which is a definite plus. The trigger has an extremely crisp takeup with a defined wall before breaking at 4lbs and a short positive reset. The trigger shoe addition really does add a bit of trigger pull length which feels really nice in my ape hands. I wasn’t really sure what the trigger shoe addition would offer, but after shooting with it attached, I can confidently say it makes a big difference in comfort and overall feel.

I will get into reliability more in-depth here in a bit but out of the 2,300 rounds fired, I didn’t have a single malfunction or oddity at all. Whether it was remanufactured ammunition or factory new, the Pointman P320 ate all of it without a single moment of drama. The overall fit and finish of the handgun are well done with a satin-like black finish giving it more depth than a matte finish while being very durable. The brass accents really pop against the black which I have completely become a fan of over the testing period.

Adverse Pistol Course

Back in early July, I had an adverse pistol course at the former Blackwater Facility in Moyock, NC. I wrote up my trip last time I went, but this time I decided to sign up for a two-day adverse pistol course talking about barricade training as well as positional shooting and one-hand manipulations. Everything was looking great on the drive down Friday, except for one thing. A tropical storm was supposed to roll through Saturday afternoon until Monday morning.

This ended up being one of the heaviest rains I have ever experienced in my life. The rain was constant and turned everything into a thick mud-like soup. The class ended up proceeding despite the weather which turned into one of the most demanding and miserable training sessions of my life. We started around 8:00 am and by 11, I was completely soaked through boots and all. Everything was drenched and covered in mud including my P320 Pointman. We were doing a lot of prone barricade shooting and some of the sand/mud entered my holster. After a full day of grinding the gun into the holster, I completely beat the absolute hell out of this gun. The weekend training in North Carolina was roughly 1,200 rounds and it performed flawlessly despite being caked in mud and dirty as hell.

Customization

One of my favorite parts of the P320 Pointman from Empire is just how customizable it is. With multiple grip and magwell colors to choose from, you can have a regular-looking upgraded firearm or the flashiest handgun at the gun range. I personally love the brass coloring on the grips, magwell and trigger but I know it’s not for everyone. I ended up purchasing a black set so it looks a bit toned down when I don’t want to be flashy at trainings.

You can truly make this gun look however you want and I really do appreciate the level of quality and customization Empire offers in their lineup. This extra touch with the high-quality grip panels and trigger makes the gun feel extremely special despite it being a P320 at its core. I like the compact size slide on this variation, but Empire just released a full-length slide for their P320 line which would make an incredible full-size range gun. I plan on purchasing the longer slide and making this my full-time secondary weapon at classes and at the range.

Overall Thoughts

In the beginning, I went into this review with an open mind but I thought the Pointman was a bit flashy from a relatively new company. It’s rare you find companies that are flying under the radar but offer high-quality products right out of the gate. The Empire Pointman P320 may not be the cheapest option out there, but that’s not the point. It is hands down one of the nicest P320s I’ve ever shot and the attention to detail exhibited on this gun is genuinely impressive.

So if I had to do it over, would I buy this P320 Pointman for $1,600 again? The short answer is absolutely. I plan on keeping this gun as my main range gun just based on how it performed in the tropical storm and it’s been a long time since I’ve been impressed with a handgun’s performance in unreasonable situations. I think Empire is a company that isn’t well known but is well on its way to being a serious contender in the aftermarket community.

Let me know what you guys think of these high-end P320s in the comments below. Is it a good addition to the market or do you think it’s too wild for you? If you have questions about this handgun or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there.