SIG Sauer’s P322 is a .22-caliber rimfire pistol styled like the very popular P365 XL. First introduced in Guns & Ammo’s June 2022 issue, the latest version is the P322-­COMP. Though the pistol would be suitable for rimfire competition it should have broader appeal.

Like the standard P322, the P322-COMP features a 4-­inch barrel and is supplied with either two 10-­round or a 20- and 25-­round magazine, depending on jurisdiction. The barrel appears longer than standard due to the recoil-­reducing compensator attached to the barrel — hence the name. Unlike the standard P322, the -COMP includes a RomeoZero Elite red dot optic, slide racker, extended magazine release, and an oversized takedown lever with a thumb rest.

The P322 looks like the striker-­fired P365 XL, but engineers had to make certain concessions to ensure reliability with the much weaker .22 LR cartridge. The slide of the P322 is machined from aluminum to reduce weight, and the P322 does not use a striker-­fired operating system. Rather, on the inside this is a hammer-­fired single-­action-­only (SAO) pistol. As tested — with compensator, optic, and 20-­round magazine inserted — it weighed just 191/2-­ounces according to a digital scale. It measured 8 inches long, 2.2 inches wide at the slide racker — 1.3 inches at the slide stop — and 6.2 inches tall with the 20-round magazine inserted.

Introduced for 2024, there is only one model of the P322-­COMP: A two-­tone gun with a silver slide over a black frame. The slide has been left “in the raw” with just a clear anodized finish over the aluminum. The serial number is etched on the stainless-­steel frame, which is visible in a cutout at the top right side of the grip. The steel frame sits inside the grip housing, but unlike the P365 it is not meant to be user-­removable.

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Aggressive, flat-­bottomed serrations are on the slide, and they’re not for show. The recoil spring, which fits around the barrel, is lighter than a spring in the P365 because of lower-­powered ammunition and the fact that the hammer spring adds resistance. The force required to cycle the slide when the hammer is forward is more than you’d expect for a rimfire, which is also why there is a slide racker at the rear.

The slide racker is made of the same polymer as the grip. It protrudes from the slide just more than half an inch. It’s enough for a finger to hook on either side, making the slide easier to cycle. If you want to remove the racker, you can; it is held in place by a single screw. Removing it, though, will leave a gap at the top-rear of the slide.

It would appear that the P322-COMP has a longer barrel to which the compensator is attached. In fact, it’s the same 4-­inch barrel as the standard P322. There is a “compensator adapter” screwed to the end of the ½x28-­threaded barrel, which extends roughly a third of an inch beyond the slide. The compensator is then attached to that using a set screw underneath. Provided with the pistol is a steel thread adapter that screws to the end of the barrel. When installed it provides a .4-inch long ½x28 thread extension to install a sound suppressor, if you prefer.

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Interestingly, the middle baffle in the compensator is a separate part held in place by another set screw. That insert can be removed when you want to clean the inside of the compensator. The real reason why that middle baffle is a separate piece is because it is made of steel; the rest of the compensator is aluminum. That center baffle will take the lion’s share of the blast, so designing it from of steel — and making it replaceable — meant that the compensator should last longer. 

You will need to remove the compensator before you can take the slide off the pistol for routine maintenance, because the barrel is fixed. SIG Sauer provides hex wrenches to fit the set screws on the compensator.

The front sight presents a green fiber-optic insert within a polymer body. The rear sight on this model is built into the body of the RomeoZero Elite optic, which has some interesting features also. First, below the notch of the rear sight, there is a vertical white stripe; it is photoluminescent, meaning that it glows after being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Second, the optic allows the shooter to choose between a 3-minute-of-angle (MOA) dot reticle or a 2-MOA dot within a 32-MOA circle — or just the 2-MOA dot, or just the 32-MOA circle. It’s powered by one CR1632 battery, which is supplied with the gun but not installed. You have to remove the optic from the slide to install the battery. Advertised battery life for this optic is up to 20,000 hours.

The standard RomeoZero has a polymer lens, but this RomeoZero Elite sports a glass lens within a tougher, thicker polymer housing. It uses the same Shield RMSc footprint as the standard RomeoZero, too. Every surface on the housing facing to the rear sports anti-reflective serrations; a nice detail. The optic has eight daylight brightness settings and is adjusted by a small rubber button just behind the lens that allows choosing between reticles. In part due to its polymer housing, the optic adds just a half an ounce of weight. Bought separately, the optic has an MSRP of $139.99.

At the front, the frame sports a three-­slot accessory rail for mounting lasers or lights. For the P322-COMP, the simple takedown lever has also been replaced by a larger, competition-type that offers a curved, checkered thumbrest for a right-handed shooter’s support hand; it’s useful for anyone not left-­handed. Competition shooters have been adding these to guns for years, nicknaming them “gas pedals.”

The P322 features a bilateral slide stop lever, but the right-­side does not function to release the slide. The left-­side lever is a tad small, but due to the reduced force of the weaker recoil spring it is not difficult to use it to release the slide.

The pistol also comes with a bilateral manual thumb safety lever; up for Safe, down for Fire. You can only engage it when the internal hammer is cocked. When engaged it physically blocks trigger movement.

On the P322-­COMP, you’ll find an extended magazine release, too. The button is polymer, with a triangular checkered face. It is reversible. The texturing on the grip is the same as what’s found on the P365. It’s fine and doesn’t look like much, but Guns & Ammo’s staff agreed that it is nicely aggressive and holds the hand in place.

The trigger is straight with a flat face, but the P322 trigger is modular. What’s externally visible isn’t the trigger but a polymer trigger shoe instead. The trigger shoe is replaceable, without tools. Included with the P322-­COMP is a curved trigger shoe, if you prefer. The straight version is installed at the factory. Changing the trigger profile is a simple procedure that requires no tools. SIG Sauer even created a few how-to videos on the subject and other products.

The triggerpull on G&A’s sample was nice, a product of the single-­action, hammer-fired operating system. There was some takeup, but then a crisp break. G&A’s test pistol produced an average 3¾-­pound triggerpull.

A subtle, integral magazine well is located at the base of the molded frame. Like the frame, the magazines are completely polymer in construction, sans the springs of course. There are tabs on either side of the follower to pull down to aid in loading, and SIG Sauer also provides a magazine loader that fits over the top of the magazine, which engages the tabs. If you’ve never loaded a .22 LR magazine with tabs, they assist your effort to pull down the follower, but don’t pull the follower down all the way and start dropping cartridges in; they’ll misalign and cause malfunctions. Instead, move the follower down just enough to insert one cartridge at a time. This ensures the cartridges are arranged properly. Spare magazines are available online, also. Twenty-rounders retail for $29.99 and 25-rounders cost $39.99.

Like many manufacturers, SIG Sauer is not providing an owner’s manual with the firearm. Instead, a small pamphlet with 20 pages of warnings and 1 page of warranty information is included, but if you want to examine the owner’s manual you’ll need to scan the QR code on the front of the pamphlet or go to the pistol product page on the website where there is a “download” tab.

The P322-­COMP is small and light enough to be a great choice when taking kids to the range, but that’s also can be a negative. At less than 20 ounces, it’s light for a true competition pistol. The compensator tends to reduce muzzle rise — almost eliminate it — but “lightweight” means the entire pistol can jump in your hand with each shot. At the range, the pistol was exceedingly fun to shoot, and proved reliable with every type of ammunition — even with subsonic ammunition.

The SIG Sauer P322-­COMP isn’t priced that much more than similar rimfire autos when viewed across the gun counter, especially when you consider the $139.99 price of a RomeoZero Elite. For example, the Taurus TX22 Competition SCR without optic has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $590.99. Unfortunately for those of us who like to compare prices against other brands, SIG Sauer no longer provides official retail prices. Instead, the “minimum advertised price” (MAP) for the P322-­COMP is $649.99. 

SIG Sauer P322-COMP

• Type: Hammer ­fired, blowback operated, semiautomatic
• Cartridge: .22 LR
• Capacity: 20+1 rds. or 25+1 rds.
• Barrel: 4 in.
• Overall Length: 8 in.
• Width: 2.2 in.
• Height: 6.2 in.
• Weight: 1 lb., 3.5 oz.
• Slide: 7075 aluminum; Anodized
• Frame: Stainless steel (chassis); textured grip module
• Sights: Fiber optic (front), integral notch in optic with photoluminescent paint (rear); SIG Sauer RomeoZero Elite (included)
• Trigger: 3 ­lbs., 12 oz. (tested)
• Safety: Drop safety, manual thumb safety lever
• MAP: $650
• Manufacturer: SIG Sauer, 603-610-3000, sigsauer.com