Monday, November 4, 2019

Sig P365XL - First mag review

A little while back Sig released the P365, a tiny micro 9 that somehow squeezed 10 rounds in a nearly pocket sized polymer gun. They may have well have painted the mags blue with "police call box" markings. Then this year they went and stretched it out a little, gave it a little bit of a magwell flair, 12 round flush fit magazines, and put on a flat trigger so it could be part of their "X Series." Then to round it all out, they machined the slide to be factory ready for a micro red dot. 

I had been contemplating slimming down my off-duty setup by switching to a P365 anyway, but now the offer of a gun the same size as my M&P9c, with the same capacity, but almost 2/3 the width and optic ready made it even more tempting. Combine that with getting completely schooled at a LE shooting competition by half the field using optic equipped pistols, and the proverbial nail was driven into the M&P's coffin.

Sig on top, S&W on bottom

S&W again on the bottom

L: S&W, R: Sig


In the hand, the thin, high cut trigger guard and extended beavertail on the XL frame let me get all three fingers on the little Sig, unlike the M&P. The texture is also in the sweet spot of being comfortably grippy without being overly abrasive. Everything locks into battery nice and tight as well, and the sights are some of the best factory night sights I've had on a gun (big green ringed front, and blacked out rear with no outline around the tritium vials.)

Out of the box, the trigger had a decent take-up, but there was a bit of grit and the break wasn't anything I'd call "crisp." I've seen it described as "hollow," and I think that's a good description. On the plus side, it does break fairly consistently at 90 degrees, and the reset is miles above the M&P, even with the Apex trigger.

Today I rounded up about 250 rounds total of 9mm, including 115gr Wolf steel case, some Magtech 124gr FMJ, and half a brick of cheap Remington bulk 115gr brass cased. I also tossed in a few magazines worth of some old Remington Golden Saber 147gr JHP that has been rattling around my nightstand drawer for a decade. I had recently gotten a Yankee Thunder Hang N' Hook kit for a good price recently, so I set that up with a 2" gong and a 1/4 scale IPSC silhouette and just kinda played around to check function and get a feel for the gun.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much the little gun didn't flip. Not to say it isn't snappy, it is a micro gun shooting full 9x19mm rounds, especially with the heavy +P defense rounds, but it was more than manageable. The trigger seemed to smooth out somewhat throughout the session, and once I settled in I was having no problem spinning around the little 2" steel plate at 10 yards without any struggle. Everything I put in the mag fed and fired with no issue as well.


Overall I'm more than happy with the little gun. Just need to wait for my holster and mag pouch to arrive, and for Sig to actually release their new Romeo Zero to screw on the top.