The internet has been abuzz regarding a 2023 patent application offering a safety enhancement to the SIG SAUER P320 pistol. The patent pending AST P320 Fire Control Upgrade Kit was, in fact, announced on The Outdoor Wire on September 15, 2023.
Most of the current buzz has focused on two things: the patent’s statement regarding the P320’s safety system which, their 2023 announcement stated “exposed an element of risk for its users due to documented unintended discharge” and the fact the inventor, Brian McDonald, was at one point an employee of SIG SAUER.
SNW’s sister site, the Outdoor Wire reached out to patent holder Angled Spade Technologies regarding the patent itself and P320 reliability questions raised by the patent. More on those conversations is to come, but the company has issued a “Clarifying Statement on P320 Fire Control Safety Patent,” below . . .
Angled Spade Technologies Issues Clarifying Statement on P320 Fire Control Safety Patent
Suffield, CT – Angled Spade Technologies, LLC (AST) today issued a public statement regarding U.S. Patent Application US20250164203A1, which details an innovative safety enhancement for the Sig Sauer P320 platform. The patent, assigned to Angled Spade Technologies, reflects a critical advancement in firearm safety engineering and further underscores AST’s commitment to responsible innovation within the firearms industry.
The concept originated during a collaborative project involving engineer Brian McDonald, who is listed as the inventor. While Mr. McDonald formerly held a position at Sig Sauer, he has not been employed by the company for several years and has recently operated independently as a consultant across multiple organizations. The project in question was not affiliated with, nor did it include input from, Sig Sauer or any of its affiliates.
“This patent application represents AST’s solution to further enhance the safety of the P320 platform,” said Joe Salvador, Partner and Engineer at Angled Spade Technologies. “Our solution physically blocks the sear’s movement when the manual safety is engaged. something that, to date, has not been a feature of the P320 and its variants.”
In 2023, shortly after filing the provisional patent, Angled Spade Technologies extended a professional courtesy to Sig Sauer by offering them the first right of refusal on the safety-enhancing design. Sig Sauer declined to engage at that time. AST then proceeded with the full patent process, and the applications publication is a milestone on that path.
AST’s design allows for additional safety measures to be incorporated into the pistol without compromising the platform’s visual profile, feel, or function. The mechanism is intended to add a redundant safety feature that ensures the firearm cannot discharge while the manual safety is engaged.
Angled Spade Technologies specializes in forward-thinking R&D for firearm platforms, emphasizing safety, performance, and user confidence. The P320 upgrade is just one of several projects in development that reflect AST’s passion for innovation without compromise.
For more information on this patent or AST’s other products, visit www.angledspade.com or contact info@angledspade.com.
The Outdoor Wire article linked above said the kits would be “available for purchase in early 2024” and that installation options “will be addressed at the time of product release.” Yet, no such product is listed anywhere on the Angled Spade website.
In the promised “more to come”, please let us know if this patented product will ever see the light of day. Consumer demand for it could be on the rise.
U.S. Patent Application 2025/0164203 A1, ‘Firearm safety with sear block’, would only be applicable to P.320 pistols with manual thumb safeties. The application is quite similar to the sear safety design in the 1925 U.S. Patent 1,523,831, ‘Automatic Pistol’, of Franz Karpinski, so it probably won’t be deemed patentable by USPTO.
Most P.320 pistols sold to civilians have not been equipped with manual thumb safeties, in any event.
is this fix going to be available for the x-ten compact?
So if your P320 does not have the manual safety, it would have to be added, in addition to other components, correct?
And does your company think if a P320 was updated with this kit (including adding the manual safety), it would take the stigma away from that updated P320, or would all P320’s still be banned almost everywhere?
Well this all sounds great, just like somebody said below in the comments they don’t have that product listed on their website. So for a lot of us p320 owners that would like to add an upgraded safety mechanism, the product is Non-Existent. The only thing for pistols that they have is a Glock slide that has a built-in compensator.