Despite the fact that SIG Sauer is well-known for its broad range of concealed carry firearms, the company always seemed to struggle against the likes of Glock and Smith & Wesson in the CCW niche.
Yes, models like the SIG P230, P232, and P380 are considered a commercial success and enjoy a pretty solid fan base, but they seem to fall short when in the presence of the Glock 43 and the Smith & Wesson Shield. Everything changed when SIG Sauer announced the release of the P365, though!
The SIG P365 was introduced to the US gun market in 2018—about 3 years after the release of the G43. Then, the handgun took the world by storm with its unprecedented capacity relative to its form factor.
The P365 is almost as small as the G43, which has a 6+1 capacity, yet it flaunts a 10+1 flush fit magazine capacity! On top of that, it sports one of the most reliable striker designs in its class. The entire pistol is designed and built with reliability in mind so that you can forget all about jams and failures with the P365.
If you’re interested in buying the SIG P365, you ought to stick around as we’re about to go over everything you need to know about this tiny handgun in this in-depth SIG Sauer P365 review.
Table of Contents
SIG Sauer P365 Specifications
| Overall length | 5.8 inches | Capacity | 10+1, 12+1, or 15+1 |
| Width | 1.06 inches | Operation | self-loading |
| Height | 4.3 inches | Trigger | 6-pound striker drag |
| Weight | 17.8 ounces | Rifling | 6-groove rifling with a 1-10-inch twist |
| Barrel length | 3.1 inches (tilting barrel) | Sights | X-RAY3 day/night sights |
| Caliber/Ammo | 9mm Parabellum (9x19mm) | Frame | stainless steel with a Nitron finish |
SIG Sauer P365 Overview
The SIG P365 is one of those handguns that are too good to be true. In fact, when it was first announced, everyone was skeptical and had reliability concerns, including SIG fans.
How can a micro-compact pistol that’s pretty much identical in size to the G43 have a 10+1 capacity? That’s not all! This seemingly magical handgun can handle a 12+1 or 15+1 full-size capacity, thanks to its modified double-stack magazine. Unreal, huh?
Things didn’t start well for the P365, though. The first 600 units that were released in 2018 came with a lot of reliability issues. The upside is that SIG quickly addressed all of the problems that arose to the point that they ended up overbuilding the P365.
You shouldn’t experience any reliability problems with the P365 if you buy it brand new. At the gun store, make sure to inspect the serial number before you make the purchase. If it’s in the lower range, we wouldn’t recommend buying it. Instead, you should opt for a SIG P365 with a high-range serial number.
Currently, the P365 flaunts the second-highest round capacity in its size class, obliterating the Glock 43, which is arguably its toughest competitor. If you’re looking for a subcompact pistol with a high capacity, the P365 is your best bet.
SIG Sauer P365 Breakdown
There’s a lot to like about the fairly new SIG P365, from its capacity and pocket-carry-friendly form factor to its top-notch striker, but it’s not perfect. The following breakdown highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the SIG P365.
Key Features
The P365 is a feature-rich pistol. For starters, this thing is striker-fired, which makes it very easy to shoot without the need for too much trigger finger pressure.
One of the reasons why SIG Sauer had a hard time competing with Glock was because none of their CCW products were striker-fired. Luckily, the P365 has changed the tides of war.
Another key feature is the 10-round flush fit magazine capacity. And like we stated earlier, this pistol can handle a 12-round and 15-round extended mag, thanks to its patented design.
The 12-round magazine features a neat sleeve at the bottom. This sleeve grants you more grip on the gun for better control. The 15-round magazine also comes with an ergonomic sleeve at the bottom. Both options don’t really affect how easily carried and easily concealed the gun is.
If you have large-sized or medium-sized hands, you should opt for the 12- or the 15-round mag, as you might not be able to fit all three of your fingers on the grip with its 10-round flush fit. The high-capacity mags help serve as a pinky extension, so to speak.
Another strong selling point of the P365 is its super-crisp factory trigger. If you’re not fond of springy triggers, like the ones found on most Glocks, the P365 is right up your alley. In our opinion, it has one of the smoothest triggers in the CCW class.
Grip and Ergonomics
The P365’s grip is pretty basic and doesn’t feature anything special. The module can be replaced, but the company doesn’t offer many module options to choose from. You have the standard grip module and an XL version that can handle 12-round flush mags.
The grip is notably short, which is to be expected from a gun of this size. The P365 doesn’t feature a beavertail, but that’s fine because it has an ergonomic tang that allows for a high grip.
If you have small-size to medium-size hands, you’re going to love the fit and feel of this handgun. If you have larger hands, though, your grip will most likely be compromised a bit.
What we like the most about the P365’s grip is the texturing. It’s wrapped 360 degrees, and it’s aggressive enough to ensure a firm grip on the gun and to make you feel comfortable. Don’t worry; it’s not too aggressive that it can cause skin chafing when carrying the gun close to your body.
All in all, considering the size, we don’t really have many gripes with this handgun as far as grip and ergonomics. Yes, the grip could use some bells and whistles like removable back straps and a beavertail, but nonetheless, the P365 manages to offer a decent fit and feel.
Sights
We’re quite fond of the sights that the P365 comes with. They’re not the best in their class, but they work very well with this handgun. The P365 comes with tritium day/night sights.
The sight at the rear consists of two black dots and a square notch in the middle with no painted ring. The sight at the front has a green ring that helps you maintain your focus on the front. We would have liked the green ring to be a bit brighter, but for a factory sight, we can’t complain.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any factory red dot options that you can opt for at the moment.
If you’re looking for different sights than the ones on the base P365 and you don’t want to spend a couple of hundred-dollar bills on sights, you should check out the P365 SAS, which comes with a Meprolight Bullseye sight.
Trigger Pull
In our experience, the P365 has one of the best triggers in the micro-compact pistol class. Of course, there are those who aren’t completely sold on it, but the general consensus is that it’s reliable and crisp.
The pull is pretty convenient for such a small gun in the sense that you feel a light take-up before you reach the wall, followed by a clean break. The trigger then resets to the wall once again before you can follow up with another shot. Overall, it’s very easy to shoot.
Safeties
Like most Micro 9 firearms, the P365 doesn’t feature external safety features. It doesn’t have trigger safety, but according to SIG, it’s drop-safe, which can be accredited to its lightweight trigger.
You get a slide stop feature with the P365 on the left-hand side of the gun, which makes it ideal for a right-handed shooter. Even though there isn’t an ambidextrous option, left-handed shooters shouldn’t fret too much. The gun is so compact that everything is easily within reach.
You’ll notice that the slide stop, which is basically a molded piece of metal, has a bit of a ledge to it. This ledge helps ensure a good grip on the gun when attempting to drop the slide.
The slide itself has an interesting design in terms of serrations. Both the front and rear serrations are deep enough to ensure a good grip, but they’re not so deep that they’re sharp. In other words, you don’t have to worry about cutting yourself. Its slide design strikes the perfect balance between depth and aggressiveness.
If you’re concerned about the position of the serrations with respect to the muzzle, don’t be! They’re perfectly positioned so that your hand never gets in front of the gun’s muzzle when you’re press-jacking.
As far as the mag release button, it isn’t ambidextrous, but it’s reversible! Generally speaking, with guns as small as the P365, having an ambidextrous design for the magazine release or even the slide stop isn’t a good idea because it adds to the gun’s profile.
The only component on the P365 that has an ambidextrous design is the thumb safety, which boasts a low profile that doesn’t make the gun any less concealable. That being said, some people may not like the thumb safety’s profile, especially if they’re used to firearms with the classic 1911-style safety.
Draw Speed
One of the things we’ve noticed about small guns like the P365 is that even though their form factor is favorable when it comes to concealability, it can sometimes affect draw speed.
The P365 and the G43 may share an almost similar form factor, but in our experience, the draw speed with the G43 was slightly better than with the P365. We’re guessing it’s because of the distance between the front and back straps on the P365.
Reliability and Accuracy
Assuming you’re not using one of the 600 units that were first released, you shouldn’t experience any reliability problems with the P365. We’re yet to experience any jams, magazine failures, or ejection failures.
As long as you’re using appropriate ammo (9mm Parabellum), you have nothing to worry about. You can use anything from defensive 115-grain JHP to training 115-grain FMJ. Can’t find these rounds? Your second-best bet is Federal’s HST Micro rounds.
In terms of accuracy, this is one of the smoothest and most accurate handguns in its class, thanks to the superb factory sights and trigger combo. It’s extremely accurate in the context of short-range defensive use. In our experience, landing accurate shots with the P365 was a lot easier than with a full-size pistol.
Maintenance
The P365 truly shines when it comes to maintenance. Thanks to the easy-to-operate takedown lever, disassembling this little gun is done in a matter of seconds.
You simply lock the slide all the way to the back, rotate the takedown lever about 90 degrees down, and remove the slide off of the firearm.
Compared to its main competitor, the Glock 43, the P365 was slightly easier to disassemble. What’s more, it offers easy access to its internal components, which comes in handy when trying to replace or switch something out.
With the P365, you’ll be able to shoot your way through countless magazines before having to clean the handgun or add any oil. This goes to show just how reliable and low-maintenance this tiny pistol is.
Upgrades and Accessories
When the SIG Sauer P365 was first released, there weren’t many upgrades or accessories that you could pair with it, apart from holsters.
Nowadays, there’s a wide range of accessories and upgrades that are compatible with the P365. you can get anything from an IWB trigger guard holster to an accessory rail.
Some of our favorite P365 upgrades and accessories include:
- True Precision Threaded Barrel – If you want to add some sort of muzzle device to the SIG P365, you’re going to need a threaded barrel. In our experience, this threaded barrel from True Precision is the best option for the P365. It enhances accuracy and reduces recoil. It can also accommodate low-quality ammo. The barrel length is 3-3/5 inches.
- Griffin Arms Micro Carry Compensator – This is a compact compensator that’s perfect for a small concealed carry pistol like the P365. It helps reduce muzzle rise and felt recoil, and it’s compatible with virtually all P365 holsters.
- TruGlo Fiber Optic Sights – Looking to upgrade the P365’s sights? This option from TruGlo is perfect. The front sight is bright red, whereas the rear sights are bright green. This contrast of colors makes it easy for users to pick up the front sight in no time. Thanks to their CNC-machined steel construction, these sights are insanely durable.
- SIG Sauer P365 Flat Trigger – If you’re looking to replace the P365’s default trigger with something flatter, SIG Sauer offers an excellent drop-in replacement. This flat trigger ensures an even smoother and more consistent pull than the default one. It’s also wallet-friendly compared to most other alternatives on the market.
Aesthetics
From its serrations and texturing to how well it’s proportioned, we can safely say that the SIG P365 is one of the best-looking Micro 9 pistols out there. It’s better looking than the G43, in our humble opinion.
SIG Sauer P365 Alternatives
If the SIG P365 doesn’t meet your CCW needs, you should consider these alternatives:
- Glock 43 – The G43 is the smallest Glock in production and the undisputed champion of polymer striker-fired guns. It has a single-stack design and a 6-round magazine capacity. It’s about the same size as the P365. If you’re a Glock guy, this is the gun for you.
- S&M Shield – Before the P365 and the Glock 43, the S&M Shield was the top dog in the CCW niche. It’s a single-stack 9mm pistol with a polymer frame, a 7-round flush fit mag, and an 8-round extended magazine. Even though it’s a larger gun than the P365, it’s still one of the best options for daily carry.
- FN 503 – While it’s not as popular as the above-listed alternatives, the FN 503 is still a serious contender, being one of the sturdiest, most reliable self-defense micro-compact pistols out there. It’s a bit heavier than its competitors, though.
- Springfield Hellcat – The Hellcat is the highest-capacity micro-compact 9mm gun in the world, boasting an 11-round flush fit capacity. It’s about the same size as the P365 and is just as reliable.
In Conclusion
After reading this full review of the SIG Sauer P365, do you think it’s the ultimate concealed carry gun? Would you buy one for yourself?
In our opinion, the P365 is the best high-capacity concealed carry gun out there. It’s about the same size as the G43, yet it boasts a 10+1 flush fit magazine capacity! What’s even more insane is that it can handle a 12+1 or a 15+1 capacity, thanks to its double-stack magazine design.
The gun shoots with great accuracy, has a crisp trigger and awesome factory sights, and it’s perfect for everyday carry. What’s more, it’s compatible with a lot of accessories, from optics and lights to threaded barrels and holsters.
Note, however, that this pistol might be a bit too small for some people, especially those with large hands. If you have small hands or medium-size hands, you’re probably going to love this small pistol!