I saw this. Have to wonder if it has something to do with the P320 and Sigs handling of it. Wonder where they will end up?

 

I read her instagram post where she admits she doesn't have another job waiting. Max implied that. I understand that they both probably have already received more offers than I can count but leaving without another job is a sign of dissatisfaction.

 

If Daniel Horner and or Phil Strader follows, that would be quite the shake up. Daniel and Max served at the AMU together years ago. And Phil was a seasoned competitor in 3-gun as well back then. From what I understand Phil has been a driving force of the P320, and it seems like interesting timing. Looking forward to seeing how this all shakes out.

Two of the biggest names in competitive shooting leaving at the same time is a statement.

Picture of Max, me and Phil at Ft Benning

 

Two months ago I took one of Max’s classes at my range. Right before, as in the day before, he shows up our range makes a rule that 320s cannot be used at all. Not just for the class, but for the range in total. Max had to borrow a student’s backup pistol to teach the class.
I’m hearing more and more of this happening. When the pistol you use and the version you shoot literally has your name on it gets banned, that puts a crimp on your ability to teach and earn money.
The Sig rep for our state showed up (retired Michigan Trooper) and answered questions from the students. Max himself kept his distance from the discussion as much as possible. Which is understandable.
I let Max run my Altas and Alpha American and he was blown away by them. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see his name on a 1911 based manufacturer and he starts running double stacks. He did tell me that he was looking to go to the 211, but that the amount of work needed to get that platform to the standard of a 2011 was significant.

 

Two months ago I took one of Max’s classes at my range. Right before, as in the day before, he shows up our range makes a rule that 320s cannot be used at all. Not just for the class, but for the range in total. Max had to borrow a student’s backup pistol to teach the class.
I’m hearing more and more of this happening. When the pistol you use and the version you shoot literally has your name on it gets banned, that puts a crimp on your ability to teach and earn money.
The Sig rep for our state showed up (retired Michigan Trooper) and answered questions from the students. Max himself kept his distance from the discussion as much as possible. Which is understandable.
I let Max run my Altas and Alpha American and he was blown away by them. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see his name on a 1911 based manufacturer and he starts running double stacks. He did tell me that he was looking to go to the 211, but that the amount of work needed to get that platform to the standard of a 2011 was significant.

I got to shoot with Dan Horner a couple months ago for a course and same thing happened. No 320s put out the Friday before the course started. He showed up with an old school iron sights STI double stuck with 250k rounds through it (on its 5th barrel) and that thing was still lights out. Thought that was interesting his second choice was a 2011

 

Also, would like to add that Max is genuinely the nicest instructor I've ever taken a class from. Just a damn good human.

 

Wow, that is huge, two big names leave a company that is paying them to shoot. These are not newbies either, just wow.

An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | Max Michel and Lena Miculek Announce Departures from Team SIG Sauer

Neither announced where they're headed.

Gentlemen, start your speculations!!

 

When I saw that Lena left, I was imagining she was joining Jerry at S&W. Now with Max leaving too, I am wondering if there was internal strife going on Max, after all, was the featured shooter in all the promo footage of the P211.

 

When I saw that Lena left, I was imagining she was joining Jerry at S&W.

That would seem to make a lot of sense.

 

Wow.

Agree, timing on this is interesting, given all the shenanigans in re: the P320.

 

First thought that entered my mind, too. They probably are in reputation preservation mode.

 

https://www.sigsauer.com/blog/sig-sa...d-partnerships

"NEWINGTON, N.H., (October 6, 2025) – SIG SAUER thanks Max Michel and Lena Miculek and wishes them continued success and leadership within the firearms community as they move on from their respective partnerships with SIG SAUER.

Max Michel began his career with SIG SAUER in 2009 and has served as Team SIG’s captain, where he has set the standard for leadership and sportsmanship in the competitive shooting industry. “SIG SAUER has been more than just a company to me… It’s been family. To witness the company’s growth from where they were back in 2008 to the global leader SIG is today has been nothing short of incredible,” began Max Michel. “It has been an absolute honor to be part of this team, and I will always cherish the experiences, friendships, and memories made over the past 17 years.”

Lena Miculek joined Team SIG in 2016. During her tenure at SIG SAUER, she dominated the world of competitive shooting and has been a strong advocate for women in firearms. “From the moment I joined Team SIG in 2016, I grew not only as a competitor but also as a leader in helping new shooters, and especially women, find confidence with firearms,” said Lena Miculek. “We launched Rose by SIG SAUER—the most impactful women’s firearms brand the industry has ever seen. I am deeply thankful for the immense success we shared, the people who supported me, and the platform that allowed me to make an impact in the lives of so many.”

Rose by SIG SAUER will continue with a full schedule of events, including seminars, retreats, and new products coming soon. Stay tuned for exciting updates."

 

Based on my experience with a Sig P365 FUSE, I'll be parting ways with Sig as well

 

My P365 has been flawless so far

 

Lena has made several recent videos of her shooting her new Hayes Cobra. Not surprisingly though considering the family connection.

I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Max get enticed to join MPA by Travis Tomasie.

 

Here is a video with a whole lot of talking.

marketing got cut
Dude left to staccato
Lena wanted a pay raise from 1m to 1.4 m

 

🥱

 

As a pro you walk away on your own terms. I can only imagine how toxic it is inside Sig right now.

No need to say anything specific. Everyone can figure it out.

The fog of Copium must be overwhelming.

 

If Lena is an okay shooter then I am worse than total **** 😂

 

If Lena is an okay shooter then I am worse than total **** 😂

That Trench guy didn't do well the one match he shot.

That being said, the criticism isn't TOTALLY unfounded. Lena mostly shoots multi gun, even from the beginning, the events she WINS at are shotgun and PCC events. That is NOT to say she's a bad pistol shooter, God knows she's better than me and probably 99% of people on this forum, but she's not the pistol God people assume she is. Her Dad's a legendary revolver shooter, she has limited edition pistols from SIG, ergo to most people she must be the best pistol shooter. But she hasn't shot at a major handgun event in ages. Even some of the videos she's made, like shooting the Air Marshal qual, you look at a jaundiced eye.

Again, she's much, much better than 98 % of men and 99.9% of women. But she doesn't have any major pistol titles under her belt, when most people assume she does.

She could still beat that Trench Grenade guy any day though, probably left-handed and blind.

 

I am now going to make it my goal to be an "ok shooter".

Sheesh. This guy. Isn't he the same one that got his head handed to on a podcast recently about his supposed USPSA shenanigans? I'll have to go look that up.

EDIT: I think it's this one:

 

I could definitely see Lena at Smith, especially since they just lost Julie Golob as a female face. And that swanky new Academy would work out well for the type of events Lena holds. And since Smith doesn't really make a competitive PCC, she can shoot what she wants for competition and still fly company colors.

MM leaving was a bigger shock; they just had his face plastered all over the 211 stuff. And he was an institution, he's been at SIG for like what, 15 years or something? And he really turned them into competitive force.

I don't know about the rumors that they're shutting down the whole competitive side though- they still have Daniel Horner (Although 3 gun is dying), and Mason Lane just won Worlds with a 320. But now that I think about it, I can't find any SIG media praising Lane for his win, which is weird.

 

I think the timing is probably the only piece that really makes this questionable but it’s purely coincidence. A company as big as sig if they wanted to keep them onboard could and would if it made sense. I can only think that Max and Lena had offers from other companies or other interests involved and the relationship didn’t make sense to keep from either the company or shooters.

only thing I can think of is if someone offered you 150% pay for the exact same job you just had to change buildings wouldn’t you take it? And then if you try to leverage that offer your employer might say “best of luck” and see you down the road because they won’t be willing to pay. Obviously with the case of Lena she didn’t have something lined up but I can’t see SIG cutting her, or her leaving sig just because of issues with the 320.

 

She should have thanked God she lives in a world she could make $1M a year off her father's name. If those reports are true, it's just crazy greed, especially considering she had no risk or personal $ stake to deal with. Geebus, some people ...

 

I look at it differently. Back in the early 90s I worked at Subway while in college. They paid me minimum wage and it was glamorous work. I left when I graduated because surprisingly enough, the Army appealed to me more than Subway. However, if Subway were to approach me today and say they’d pay me the same salary I make now, I’d be wearing that hat and apron in .03 seconds flat.
In this case Lena is staring down the barrel of a company that is really having problems. She likely had another job lined up but thought, maybe a 40% pay raise would make it worthwhile to stay where she’s at. Maybe she values her name and time to the point of $1.4M to stay with a company that is getting absolutely prison-raped in the court of public opinion right now. Maybes

 

IMO, the Sig 320 info cuts into her rep and workplace safety. I’d bail too with her rep being as high as it is. She can set her own price. The slow hiring is because she is setting up her brand contract with someone as we speak.

BTW, she is a fine shot, but it’s not about the shooting!

Max, dunno.

 

How would he know what Lena is making/asking for?

 

He wouldn’t. Guy drops more bulls*** than 20 actual bulls.

 

Having been in the corporate world for the last 25 years, to me this just looks like a company trying to stay ahead of the curve on maintaining earnings in a challenging environment.. The gun industry as a whole is experiencing a moderate to severe slump, and Sig has a turd on its hands in the P320, which was supposed to remain its civilian mainstay for many years, that no amount of marketing or celebrity endorsement will ever make a dent in.
Why not release two of your highest paid employees? Is the return still there in this market? It always comes down to bean counters in big companies.
Not that I Wish unemployment on anyone that has not hurt me personally, but I think the marketing person in charge of the “it ends now!” campaign should probably be let go.

 

I would like to know where all these "reports" and "insider information" are coming from, before I lend any credence to any of them.

This reeks of competitor disinformation to further tarnish reputations without wading into libel and slander and defamation territory.

 

Lena don’t need Sig. sig need Lena. How do they sell a single overpriced Rose model once she starts pimping the next Rise dub-brand elsewhere? They’re screwed!

that 320 has moved from turd to I fear Sig may lose stature and possibly their ability to remain in the top gun company group.

 

Two things stand out that make me think this guy making the video is an asshat- 1. He said Lena is an ‘okay shooter’. Soooo, guess all those world titles she owns are ‘just okay’. And, 2. Bringing up drama but then saying he’s not going to talk about it. Then don’t bring it up in the first place.
In summary he said a lot of words with no results.

She's a very good competition shooter, but when it comes to the competitions she shoots in there's a need to balance speed and accuracy to have a winning score. If your only concern is shooting a double alphas you will be eclipsed by people who are willing to drop a couple C zone hits and the occasional miss favor of a faster finish time. That may be why he said she's 'okay.' She's not shooting in a league where accuracy is everything.

Lena don’t need Sig. sig need Lena. How do they sell a single overpriced Rose model once she starts pimping the next Rise dub-brand elsewhere? They’re screwed!

that 320 has moved from turd to I fear Sig may lose stature and possibly their ability to remain in the top gun company group.

I'm honestly not sure what Sig's business model is these days. Are they chasing government contracts, are they a lifestyle brand which is what Rose is, or are they making guns for the common man?

 

She's a very good competition shooter, but when it comes to the competitions she shoots in there's a need to balance speed and accuracy to have a winning score. If your only concern is shooting a double alphas you will be eclipsed by people who are willing to drop a couple C zone hits and the occasional miss favor of a faster finish time. That may be why he said she's 'okay.' She's not shooting in a league where accuracy is everything.



I'm honestly not sure what Sig's business model is these days. Are they chasing government contracts, are they a lifestyle brand which is what Rose is, or are they making guns for the common man?

I'd say all of the above. Look at Colt after they lost theirs. Diversifying to protect themselves from being clipped from having all their eggs in one basket. They seem poised to possibly break ALL their eggs with this P320 fiasco, though. Cohen is a unique kind of stupid.