Sig 365XL First Impression

[Sauer Koch]

I went to a new range today, and they had a P365XL, and I decided to give it a go. For the record, I have shot the regular 365, and wasn't really blown way, but it didn't suck either. Point is, I didn't feel like I NEEDED one.

The gun I bought was my primary carry, a P30 LEM (heavy LEM), and some Blazer 124 & AE 124. With the rental, they gave me some Prograde 115 gr PRN (reman, new brass, similar to Freedom?). I shot the 365 first, and was amazed at how flat/smooth it shot! Kept shooting just to confirm, and kept getting the same result. Honestly, in dry fire, the trigger characteristics felt rather shitty, (spongy) but in live fire, the results were impressive. In live fire, the trigger felt just fine, and actually much better than what I felt in dry fire?
I haven't shot my P30 much the last few months, due to the sham-demic of late, so needless to say, the 365XL shocked me! In my mind, based on what I was seeing, I was shooting BETTER with the 365, which didn't seem to add up, and was quite perplexing to say the least. The mag was the standard 12 rounder, which is just a tad bit shorter than my flush fit 15 rounder on my P30.

For this thing to be so thin, and hold 12 with the shortest mag, and shoot so smooth, I was quite amazed. It's a bit of a mind-fuck to grab a rental at the counter, at the last minute, considering you brought your primary gun, and suddenly feel you made the wrong choice!! WTH!?

After my not-so-pleasant experience with Wright Armory, (sending off a V1 LEM, and getting back a V2), I'm wondering if this had anything to do with my slightly better shooting with the 365. This range was 1.5 hrs away, was visiting my daughter), so I can't just run over there on a whim, I had a beverage or two since I left, so the dust hasn't settled yet. I'm just amazed at how minimal the felt recoil was, and how easy it was to shoot accurately! Has anyone else experienced this? I find myself wanting one, but having just spent some bucks on NP3+ for my P30, this was a bit traumatic.
I'm not sold on the V2, or whatever damn spring they slapped in my gun, I'm not sure THEY really know...it may end up going to Teufelshund Tactical for a spring change, back to V1, and go from there.

Sorry for rambling, i just wanted to share my experience with the 365XL. These damn range trips, with rentals, is getting to be a problem for my bank account!



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[Clay1]

sweet man, looks damn good. For me it's always about the alternatives. Does it conceal better than a G19? Can you sit at a desk all day long with it?

Will it pass the NPE application? If it doesn't do those three things, I'll carry my G19 and be happy.

[Bratch]

Conceal better yes. Comfortable yes. NPE that’s personal.

Here’s 30 pages of P365XL goodness.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?36663-SIG-P365-XL-SIGs-answer-to-the-G48

[RJ]

Yeah buddy. Currently at 575 on my P365XL since buying it in May. Just got done shooting my first match with it tonight.

I do shoot my wife's P365 better, also. I "think" it might be the 1 to 2mm shorter trigger reach afforded by the curved vs. flat trigger, "for me". I am guessing I get better leverage? I dunno. But shooting her P365 at the range is like a laser beam. It's pretty wierd.

[Sauer Koch]

sweet man, looks damn good. For me it's always about the alternatives. Does it conceal better than a G19? Can you sit at a desk all day long with it?

Will it pass the NPE application? If it doesn't do those three things, I'll carry my G19 and be happy.

On size alone, yes, it would conceal better. It's a bit shorter in length than the P30, and slimmer. For my build, especially for AIWB, it would conceal easier, also for IWB at 4:00. As far as I know, a G19 and P30 are pretty much identical, so I think it's safe to say yes, it would conceal easier (print less) but that may vary from person to person?

The only con that I can see, is no type of safety, not even a trigger safety. In that vein, I like my LEM trigger, so that may be the weakness, for me, with the 365, but damn what a shooter! For financial reasons, I'm trying to talk myself OUT of buying one, but it's tough :p

[Clay1]

On size alone, yes, it would conceal better. It's a bit shorter in length than the P30, and slimmer. For my build, especially for AIWB, it would conceal easier, also for IWB at 4:00. As far as I know, a G19 and P30 are pretty much identical, so I think it's safe to say yes, it would conceal easier (print less) but that may vary from person to person?

The only con that I can see, is no type of safety, not even a trigger safety. In that vein, I like my LEM trigger, so that may be the weakness, for me, with the 365, but damn what a shooter! For financial reasons, I'm trying to talk myself OUT of buying one, but it's tough :p

First comment Sauer is that my father ran shorthairs, my younger brother runs shorthairs, I use to run shorthairs, my best friend - after hunting over my shorthair no longer hunts over labs, but hunts over shorthairs.

Now, after we have laid that foundation. I have several Glocks - think more than you need. I have a specific application - think behind a desk environment and I need it to conceal very well indeed. For a guy who has carried a Glock since 1995, is this thing a better mouse trap for an every single day carry?

I always go back to the sentiment that says: I've never met a man, who was in an actual gun fight, that wanted a smaller gun with less ammo. Thant sentiment has deep roots with me.

With current affairs, I happen to be in the market for something that conceals better than most, but has some capacity if pressed into a situation that is more than a lone mugger in the parking lot.

I had to edit this post to talk about safeties. Jeff Cooper said many years ago that the safety lies between your ears, and it' not something you hold in your hands. The safety button doesn't make a gun safe. I tell many people that muzzle direction and finger on or off the trigger makes the gun safe. After 15 plus years of working with Glock's, finger disciple is key and I don't want another motion to make my tool of choice go bang. As the kids say: You do you, and I'll do me.

A long time ago, in force on force applications, a safety that one had to manipulate, was the definition of why you got shot, before the guy that didn't have to manipulate a safety. Today, I would personally never consider a firearm that I had to manipulate a safety before going "BANG".

Off soapbox, back to your regularly scheduled program.

[Sauer Koch]

First comment Sauer is that my father ran shorthairs, my younger brother runs shorthairs, I use to run shorthairs, my best friend - after hunting over my shorthair no longer hunts over labs, but hunts over shorthairs.

Now, after we have laid that foundation. I have several Glocks - think more than you need. I have a specific application - think behind a desk environment and I need it to conceal very well indeed. For a guy who has carried a Glock since 1995, is this thing a better mouse trap for an every single day carry?

I always go back to the sentiment that says: I've never met a man, who was in an actual gun fight that wanted a smaller gun with less ammo. Thant sentiment has deep roots with me.

With current affairs, I happen to be in the market for something that conceals better than most, but has some capacity if pressed into a situation that is more than a lone mugger in the parking lot.

I love my GSP, and have hunted Quail with them back in the early 80's in Western Oklahoma. It's a joy to see them work, they truly love it.

I'll sleep on the rest, as it's been a long day.

[Clay1]

I love my GSP, and have hunted Quail with them back in the early 80's in Western Oklahoma. It's a joy to see them work, they truly love it.

I'll sleep on the rest, as it's been a long day.

Tomorrow, after you have slept, I will read your response with great interest. While I have been playing this game for more than a minute (as the kids say) I'm smart enough to know that I don't know - what I don't know. Please enlighten me, and I will take your response seriously.

[HCM]

Since you experienced no squib loads and the gun did not blow up the reman they gave you is not similar to freedom munitions.

[flyrodr]

The only con that I can see, is no type of safety, not even a trigger safety.

SKU: 365XL-9-BXR3-MS

[HCM]

The only con that I can see, is no type of safety, not even a trigger safety. p

The tab safeties found on triggers from Glocks to modern bolt action rifles are a form of inertia drop safety not a “trigger safety” in the sense you are implying. Based on the way the P365/320 trigger works (direction of trigger bar movement) a tab inertia safety would not be effective on the P365.

On another note. Keep in mind that there is a novelty or honeymoon effect when shooting a new pistol platform. Essentially due to the unfamiliarity you unconsciously pay more attention to applying your fundamentals shooting producing better than normal results. However it’s the novelty vs the new platform actually being superior.

Did your shoot the P365XL under any sort of time pressure? This is where the advantages of of full sized guns vs smaller guns distinguish themselves.

[Ichiban]

SKU: 365XL-9-BXR3-MS

Or go after-market.
https://osagecountyguns.com/sig-sauer-kit-365-safety-conv-nogrip.html
https://osagecountyguns.com/sig-sauer-kit-365-safety-conv-grip.html

[Sauer Koch]

First comment Sauer is that my father ran shorthairs, my younger brother runs shorthairs, I use to run shorthairs, my best friend - after hunting over my shorthair no longer hunts over labs, but hunts over shorthairs.

Now, after we have laid that foundation. I have several Glocks - think more than you need. I have a specific application - think behind a desk environment and I need it to conceal very well indeed. For a guy who has carried a Glock since 1995, is this thing a better mouse trap for an every single day carry?

I always go back to the sentiment that says: I've never met a man, who was in an actual gun fight, that wanted a smaller gun with less ammo. Thant sentiment has deep roots with me.

With current affairs, I happen to be in the market for something that conceals better than most, but has some capacity if pressed into a situation that is more than a lone mugger in the parking lot.

I had to edit this post to talk about safeties. Jeff Cooper said many years ago that the safety lies between your ears, and it' not something you hold in your hands. The safety button doesn't make a gun safe. I tell many people that muzzle direction and finger on or off the trigger makes the gun safe. After 15 plus years of working with Glock's, finger disciple is key and I don't want another motion to make my tool of choice go bang. As the kids say: You do you, and I'll do me.

A long time ago, in force on force applications, a safety that one had to manipulate, was the definition of why you got shot, before the guy that didn't have to manipulate a safety. Today, I would personally never consider a firearm that I had to manipulate a safety before going "BANG".

Off soapbox, back to your regularly scheduled program.

Yes, I agree with the 'more ammo, the better' approach, but I was intrigued by the slimness of the 365, with 12 rounds.
I also agree with the issue of a thumb safety, and what all can go wrong there. Coming from a few years of shooting TDA Sigs, the LEM was an easy and similar platform. In an hectic moment of needing to draw quickly and shoot, working a safety could be a problem, and I don't think I want to go down that road. Like a TDA, the pre-travel of the LEM gives me a bit of chance to back out of the trigger if needed, so this seems to be a great compromise; no button/lever to disengage, just extra distance of the pull to be sure I want to fire. If it's an absolute 'I need to shoot' then it's simple, like a SFA.
That being said, I don't think those that shoot guns with manual safeties are crazy, it's just something you must train for, and like any platform. If HK made a gun the size and thickness of the 365, with an LEM trigger, I'd be ALL OVER IT! But I know better than to hold my breath on that happening.
I think you may enjoy shooting one, but whether or not you'd want to buy one, I don't know?



The tab safeties found on triggers from Glocks to modern bolt action rifles are a form of inertia drop safety not a “trigger safety” in the sense you are implying. Based on the way the P365/320 trigger works (direction of trigger bar movement) a tab inertia safety would not be effective on the P365.

On another note. Keep in mind that there is a novelty or honeymoon effect when shooting a new pistol platform. Essentially due to the unfamiliarity you unconsciously pay more attention to applying your fundamentals shooting producing better than normal results. However it’s the novelty vs the new platform actually being superior.

Did your shoot the P365XL under any sort of time pressure? This is where the advantages of of full sized guns vs smaller guns distinguish themselves.

Great points! I'll assume it was just the novelty effect at play, as you said. It was a very interesting experience, no doubt, and I would like to shoot one again, just to see what the result would be.
I simply shot it to see how it felt under recoil, and was going for accuracy; but I did shoot one 10-round mag at a moderate pace at the B8, and I seemed to keep everything within the hole I created, so that was a pleasant surprise. I agree that under pressure from a timer is the real test, but I wasn't set up for that.

thanks for all of the comments, it was fun, and there are several things to consider as to what's the right gun for 'you'.

[Clay1]

Yes, I agree with the 'more ammo, the better' approach, but I was intrigued by the slimness of the 365, with 12 rounds.
I also agree with the issue of a thumb safety, and what all can go wrong there. Coming from a few years of shooting TDA Sigs, the LEM was an easy and similar platform. In an hectic moment of needing to draw quickly and shoot, working a safety could be a problem, and I don't think I want to go down that road. Like a TDA, the pre-travel of the LEM gives me a bit of chance to back out of the trigger if needed, so this seems to be a great compromise; no button/lever to disengage, just extra distance of the pull to be sure I want to fire. If it's an absolute 'I need to shoot' then it's simple, like a SFA.
That being said, I don't think those that shoot guns with manual safeties are crazy, it's just something you must train for, and like any platform. If HK made a gun the size and thickness of the 365, with an LEM trigger, I'd be ALL OVER IT! But I know better than to hold my breath on that happening.
I think you may enjoy shooting one, but whether or not you'd want to buy one, I don't know?

Thanks for the comments. I just wanted to highlight this point about others that shoot firearms with safeties. My comments were based on my personal training and the comments were about MY experiences shooting Glocks for many years. I think if you are a person that shoots a firearms with safeties, shoot them all with safeties. If you train with a gun with no external safety sometimes and shoot other guns with safeties sometimes, the muscle memory or your go to autonomous reaction can get confused.

I've just been shooting firearms with no external safety for so long the transition to going to an external safety isn't for me. If you are willing to do the work with a different platform, that's another whole personal decision. Just this past year, I switched from many, many years with open sights to an optic. The transition was challenging at first, but I'm never going back to the other system. It was a commitment with many rounds down range to use that platform effectively.