Product Review: Sig Sauer P365 9mm Micro Compact

We were invited to the Sig Range Event 2018. Many writers and photographers had been patiently waiting to shoot the new Sig P365. Our patience paid off with seeing, touching and (most importantly) shooting the P365. The Sig P365 9MM debuts into an already crowded compact 9MM market where we have excellent options from Glock, S&W, Kahr, Walther, and Ruger already available to the “gunsumers.”

The Sig 365 micro compact pistol is a 10 round capacity pistol that includes factory Sig night sights, two 10-round magazines (one is a flat base magazine and the second has a finger rest), front serration cuts to the slide, and a proprietary designed rail to run Sig electro-optic lights and lasers. All of this is packaged into your typical Sig lockable hard case. Sig also sells a 12 round magazine for the P365, which I also managed to use at the testing.

After lining up for my turn at the Sig P365, I did not want to be disappointed with my shooting experience. I watched the Sig staff greet everyone with a smile and  product information on the new pistol. My lone disappointment would be to see the Sig staff load only four rounds per magazine to test fire the Sig P365.

So my shooting experience would be limited to eight rounds of Sig FMJ 9MM. So Sig, if you’re reading this review, maybe load the magazines to full capacity, so I can see if with a fully loaded magazine, there would be no issues inserting the magazine into the pistol and racking the slide to load a round into the chamber. That would had been my first test of this new pistol.

While the Sig staff talked about the Sig P365, I picked up the new pistol and got my first feel of it. Full disclosure here, I carry the Glock 26 and 43 for work. So my comparison would be based on that. I’ve also shot the S&W M&P Shield enough to know that pistol. From the start, the P365 felt good in the hand. This is subjective more than objective, each person is different.

The Sig P365 grip angle was comfortable and a high undercut to the trigger guard gets your gun hand placed higher into the frame. This helps in controlling the muzzle recoil. The dimensions are slightly smaller than the Glock 43, which holds six rounds in the factory magazine, whereas the Sig P365 holds ten rounds.

After the safety brief and product information, I eagerly loaded my first magazine of FOUR rounds into the pistol. I noted the feel and pointablity of the pistol as I aimed at the metal plate target 15 yards down range. I felt comfortable with the pistol in my hand, the slide and magazine release were easy to reach.

I had no problems picking up the Sig night sights and placing the front sight onto the target. As I pressed the trigger, I was rewarded with “PING”. The trigger was smooth and crisp to the feel. I was comfortable with the Glock and S&W striker fired pistols and felt at home with the Sig trigger. The trigger reset after firing the first round was quick in resetting. I did not feel any slack in the trigger. Like the Glock trigger, I could pick up the audible click of the trigger and feel the impulse of the trigger reset. The next three rounds went quick, as you might expect.

Loading up my second magazine of FOUR rounds into the twelve round magazine, I tried to take my time shooting. But the “fun pistol to shoot” feeling kicked in and my ammunition went quick. This pistol was a good shooter. I enjoyed my brief shooting experience with the new Sig P365 and wished it could had been longer.  I removed the magazine from the pistol and noted the top of the magazine was tapered to a single stack and the base was wider to accommodate more ammunition.

I felt more comfortable shooting with the larger twelve round magazine than with the flat base magazine. The finger rest magazine felt comfortable as well. My preference would be to carry the Sig pistol with the twelve round magazine, and given that many people carry Glock 43’s or Shields with extended magazines anyway, there is a high likelihood a lot of other people will do the same.

Specifications:

Length: 5.8″ (Glock 43 is 6.26”)
Height: 4.3″ (Glock 43 is 4.25”)
Barrel Length: 3.1″ (Glock 43 is 3.39”)
Width: 1″ (Glock 43 is essentially the same at 1.02”)
Weight: 17.8 oz. (Glock 43 is 17.95 oz., though the Sig is obviously going to weigh more loaded in light of capacity)
Trigger pull: Show Floor gun was roughly 6 lbs but felt smooth (Glock 43 stock is 5.5 lbs.)
Capacity: 10+1/12+1 with extended magazine
MSRP: $599 (actual cost will likely be much lower than this once the new wears off…)

If you are in the market of looking for a concealed carry pistol, consider the Sig P365. There’s a lot of features added onto the new pistol such as a rail for light/laser attachment. At a competitive price point and with aftermarket support, there could be a lot going for this new Sig P365. It looks like a game changer. HP

Kevin Mah; Photos courtesy of Point and Shoot Media Works and Tacticalphotographer. Check both out on social media at @pointandshootmediaworks and @tacticalphotographer!

Kevin Mah is a retired police officer. Kevin’s assignments at his agency included SWAT, firearms instructor, bicycle/foot patrol, patrol rifle, off-road motorcycle, uniformed patrol, and narcotics enforcement. Kevin’s interest in photography began at an early age. Over the years, Kevin has photographed tier-one trainers, police, fire training, as well as numerous trade shows and events. We are happy to have his help covering some new products this year for Handgun Planet.

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One Thought on “Product Review: Sig Sauer P365 9mm Micro Compact

  1. Justin Mendoza on February 18, 2018 at 2:52 pm said:

    Kevin,

    Im wondering how does it compare with the Glock 43 shooting-wise? Would you favor the Sig P365 over the Glock 43 notwithstanding the difference in ammo capacity? I would assume not as you would have stated more preference in the Sig P365 if you did but I could be wrong assuming such.

    Cheers!