I’ve had a SIG SAUER P365 on or about my person since they first dropped back in early 2018. Since then, they have become one of the hottest and most desirable pistols for concealed carry. I have put a lot of rounds through that P365, recently passing the 15,000 round mark.
Let’s dive into a P365 that’s accumulated a round count yours will probably never see.
I have to say that I really, really prefer the XL grip module. While I carry the gun with the standard short grip, I have shot the bulk of the rounds put through this pistol using the XL grip.
I have one of the early XL modules, so I had to cut out the notches for the manual safety by hand. That has never led to a problem, so I’m not going to elaborate on that any more here.
TL:DR version: I have never had an issue with the pistol. In fact, I have yet to have a single malfunction. That may come as a surprise to some of you considering the amount of negative press the pistol received early on, but those issues really only existed in a literal handful of guns and were immediately remedied. Yet somehow the myth seems to persist and I hope that upon reading this might change some minds about this handy little blaster.
Why would I bother to fire 15,000 through a carry gun? First, because I could and I had the ammo to burn over the years. Most people will only put a fraction of that total through their carry gun, and that’s fine. But to know know that the P365 will easily handle that kind of shooting volume is a confidence builder.
Now, you’ve probably read my earlier M17 review at 25K rounds. That gun is pretty much like-new except for some general wear and holster marks. The P365 has worn a bit more, likely due to it being actively carried close to my body with greater exposure to sweat and heat. I never carried the M17 IWB, but that is my primary way to carry the P365.
The finish is durable, but it has taken on a considerable amount of surface wear. Likewise, the grip modules have taken on a significant amount of smoothing and scuffs.
Internally the trigger has broken in as well. It is now a little lighter, but is at the same time slightly spongier. It has a distinct two-stage feel though the break is not as clean as it used to be. I have a flat trigger installed in it and it was put in before the pistol was even fired, so it is not something that has any influence as far as this review goes.
The recoil springs are still very strong and the slide shows no delays in lockup or slowed travel. The spring assembly is well designed and very stiff. I think that this is a contributing factor in why the gun has done so well as far as reliability is concerned.
The internals are laid out in a compact, efficient way that somehow leaves room for debris to be filtered out. The main issue with small handguns is that they are occasionally made too tight, and simple things like humid pocket lint can cause malfunctions.
This gun was not ever treated special in the course of my shooting with it, though it was not abused. It was regularly carried for weeks and then shot with the ammo in it. A big cloud of lint would erupt and then it would be business as usual. I did clean it every so often, usually every half year or so.
Accuracy has also not changed much, if at all. The P365 is a very accurate design that is really only handicapped by how small it is. It has routinely been able to print 2.5” groups at 25M, but I typically shoot it closer, probably 10M or in. On paper the groups from the bench are the same. I haven’t noticed a discernible change with the factory barrel and there isn’t even much of a change with an aftermarket barrel, either.
While I have several barrels, slides, and grip modules, my preferred method of carry is the standard slide, factory barrel, and XL grip module. I carry this in a BlackPoint IWB holster. Accuracy and speed of shots goes way up for me with the XL module, and while it is not as compact overall, it is still just as easy to conceal with normal clothing.
The gun in this configuration handles like a full-size pistol while being light and easy to have on my person. The ammo that I very much prefer to use with the P365 is the Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P. This is a bit of a snappier load in the short module, but it is awesome in the XL version.
So what would I consider a negative to my time with the P365? I have to say that I don’t have any significant complaints considering I can just swap out parts on the gun in seconds. It has proven to be reliable and accurate, which is just about all I can ask from a carry gun.
I will say that the P365 takes some time to master as opposed to a larger gun like the M17. I think that the learning curve has more to do with recoil management than accuracy, which is a big plus to the design, and the XL module solves most of those issues and cuts training time down.
Having shot more in my gun than most of you will shoot in yours in a lifetime, I can say that with normal maintenance it will last you a very long time. It will likely wear more in your holster than it will being fired, so keep that in mind when you think it is too worn out. Appearances can be deceiving.
JW
Sitting at just over 3,300 rounds through my P365 standard. Zero issues. Glad to read that the recoil spring assembly is still going strong (I have a spare – tested it for function and put it back in parts drawer).
Sorry to hear that you have so much ammo…I volunteer to help you send it downrange if you swing by my corner of Montana with a couple of cases…
Thank you for the high-count reviews…nice to see which guns hold together over the long run.
Similar, I’m at maybe 2K? through an original bone-stock one, including a lot of sweaty carry, with no issues. What surprised me most is that the finish might be even more durable and stain resistant than a Gen4 Glock’s.
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Since I no longer have access to large amounts of ammo with others footing the bill, I’ve probably shot a little over 1000 rds through my P365 since bought it in mid 2018. Not a single hiccup excluding 2 or 3 dead primers in some bulk practice ammo. Good to know that as I suspected, all the sky is falling panicked predictions and disavowing the P365 as a pistol you couldn’t trust, by MANY online influencers (MAC), turned out to be over reacting bull$#it.
So you didn’t send the gun in to SIG to change out the recoil spring every 5000 rounds? I always thought that was kind of unnecessary, so glad to hear it verified. Thanks for the good write-up, by the way.
I went to my first Sig Armorer School in 1992 and was programmed with the Sig advised regimen of completely tearing down our issue P220’s & P226’s annually to inspect and replace any parts with excessive wear from the well stocked supply of spare parts Sig Sauer advised was an absolute necessity for any competent Armorer to keep any pistol under their care in tip top shape. As the years went by I noticed and later my Department caught on that since the average issue pistol averaged a round count of 500 a year (give or take), there was rarely any sign of excessive wear and the parts needing replacement were something like a broken extractor or firing pin, which were extremely rare and were usually detected as the pistol was shot, not during a fine tooth comb tear down inspection. We figured out that the annual complete disassembly caused more problems than it prevented and Sig parts rarely break or exhibit excessive wear. Like the Sig mandate at that time that Armorers take a several hundred dollar biennial course to renew Armorer certification and keep their warranty valid, Sig pitches the critical need for parts replacement and it’s nothing more than an up sell marketing ploy to sell gullible Departments spare parts they rarely if ever will really need.
Regardless of interval, why would anyone send in a pistol for depot-level repairs just to replace a part that is easily removed in seconds during routine cleaning?
Even if it needs replaced, why would you mail the pistol back to Sig to replace a $30 part?
Is there some advantage to the XL grip rather than just using the standard grip with 12-rd magazines?
Depends on how big your hands are. It is a personal ergonomics thing, YMMV.
@S_V
I own both the Standard and XL P365 versions. The 12-rnd extension forces you to adjust your grip a tiny bit to allow the magazine to drop freely if you have medium or larger hands. The XL grip allows a slightly easier mag drop for most people. I replaced the factory release on my 365 standard with the Armory Craft extended release and it resolved the mag drop issue for me. The XL is relegated as a back-up.
Note: I, also, do not prefer the flat trigger on the XL…it does not “feel” as smooth as the original curved trigger…YMMV.
Thanks for the info!
Yes, absolutely. It doesn’t really even depend how big your hands are (no normal adult has hands smaller than the “XL” grip, which is still subcompact). Mine (largish, but not gigantic) cover the fifteen rounder and then some.
I use the original / small grip for compactness during the summer and just accept the issues, but they are real. Not only does your fourth (or even third) finger wrap around the extended mag and keep it from dropping free, but you have to be careful when re-inserting it to keep from pinching your finger between the baseplate and grip frame.
Good to hear, as I own both M17 and P365 Sigs. The P365 is so danged concealable and even with the 15 rd magazine. 15+1=16 and that’s quite a reassuring number for such a small 9mm pistol.
Do you carry it IWB or pocket? I know pocket carry is kinda frowned upon, but I like it. Were I to buy a P365 or similar gun, it would be intended for pocket carry. I regularly pocket carry a 642 or an LCP (and occasionally a P11). I find that the Shield, Security 9C, and XD9S sized guns are a bit big for pocket carry.
The P365 seems like it would work (not with the XL grip). 10+1 of 9mm is nice for a pocket gun.
Definitely pocketable with the flat plate 10-rd. magazine. But, it is blockier and requires more care to draw w/o snagging compared to a S&W 442 or 642.
I pocket carry mine daily in a vedder pocket locker. I like it.
I pocket carry mine year round. It is a slower draw than AIWB for sure, but it is much easier for me to assure that it is with me 100% of the time. If I’m wearing pants, I’m armed.
SS P938 for my pocket in a DeSantis.
THANKS FOR INPUT YA ALL . WOW 15000 ROUNDS . YESTERDAY DEM WHERE THE DAYS .
AMMO INSTOCK AND ON THE SHELVE .
Been preserving ammo but my XL has 750ish through it no hiccups. The red dot took some getting used to. It’s much smaller than the standard red dots and the rear sights are almost flush with it, which is odd. But I love it and now both my mother and step father have one.
Even though it’s more comfy to carry the p365xl, I still prefer my p320.
SIGs are the only “living” – as in non ghostly – guns I still have, but they can jump off a boat anytime. Who knows… Guns do crazy things by themselves…
Have you had any failures to go into battery with your xl? Mine arrived a couple days ago. After 150 rounds of cci blazer brass and hornady 115 gr. Critical defense i had 3 failures to go into battery. All three times it was out less than .125″
@Jake
Did you lube the rails and barrel prior to your 150 rounds? I’ve always used a thin coat of TW25 on my Sigs…no problems with cycling.
Fired my new XL the other day. Had 6 failures to go into battery. Once home I did some measuring of the ammo and found those 6 rounds have cases that were longer than spec. 9mm case spec length is 0.744 to 0.754″. Those 6 ran from 0.773 to 0.776″.
And I know someone is going to ask, Winchester 124gr FMJ. I had purchased 500 rounds for range work with the 365. I use 150 with 6 failures. Measured the rest and found 17 more that would not fit my micrometer set at 0.7535.
nice
“It has routinely been able to print 2.5” groups at 25M”
It seems weird mixing measurement systems like that, but I’m guessing your range is marked off in metric for some reason. Maybe they cater to active military? Thanks for the report. The P365 series looks like the benchmark for carry.
Do the 12 round mags work with XL module out of the box?
You need to either cut the base pad to fit, or buy new pads.
If you want to blow a few bucks Lakelinellc has some very nice ones, but pricey.
The 12 rounders and 15 rounders both ship with with two baseplates to work with the standard frame or the XL frame.
Thanks guys
I bought one as soon as they came out. Mine had a feeding issue and a rust issue (slide, trigger and maagzine) i sent it back to sig. They gave me a new mag changed the site and trigger and slide. Sig did an excellent job. Gun came back and still had nose dive issues and failure to eject. I sold the gun, bought a gen 2 and XL when they came out and never had an issue since. The idea that the gen 1 was great isn’t accurate in my opinion. It was a mixed bag and people who wanted to believe or also had a limited sample size decided to support it regardless of what others were saying. If you watch the original Mrgunsandgear video he mentions a rust issue in passing. I carry a XL, im not against the gun but I am against misinformation. Sig had plenty of teething issues and its evident from their rolling design changes. Based on all of the p320 slides I’ve seen they seem like they are fans of rolling design changes. That might be ok or it might not but its worth noting.
I’m finally buying into the P365. When the initial problems surfaced I decided I’d wait at least a year. It seems like with Sig you always want to wait for the Gen 2. This has been shown by the rollout of the MCX, MPX, P320, P365 and even the Cross.
What finally pushed me to order one was an article in the Lucky Gunner Lounge that compared the P365xl to the Walther PPS M2 I carry. With the 7 round mag in my gun, the XL is basically the same size, but holds 5 more rounds. The regular P365 that I ordered is even smaller than my gun with the 6 round mag inserted, which is the way I carry it IWB, but of course it holds 4 more rounds.
If I end up liking the P365 I’ll probably also order a P365xl and sell one of the PPS M2s that I have.
I’d love to help you unload that Walther! I love those guns.
They are a good shooting little gun. They are also a lot of gun for the money. I bought two of the LE models that came with the 6, 7 and 8 round mags for $300 each after the $100 rebates they were running, making them almost half the cost of the P365.
Well I picked up the 365 last week and I’ve put 250 rounds through it with zero problems. It’s amazing how accurate they are. The smooth, light trigger and excellent sights help. When the gun first came out and was breaking strikers some reviewers commented on the excessive striker drag on fired primers. I can say that this is very minimal on my gun.
I ended up getting the TacPac that comes with 3-12 round mags and a cheap holster. So, I still need to get a 10 round magazine for carry.
Why would I bother to fire 15,000 through a carry gun?
Because if you ever need a gun it should be the one you’re the most familiar and competent with in its use.
Thanks for this article. My P365 is now my go to EDC. I will be looking into the XL module. I’m hoping it will feel better than the J frame feeling I get from my standard set up. Still, I can shoot the 365 more accurately than a J frame. J’s always make me bleed because of the tiny trigger guard.
Peace, my fellow Sig fan bois.
well guys, while I am mostly a revolver guy, I carry a semi auto once in a while. and I do like putting a small revolver in my pocket. but , sometimes my Beretta M84 or Walther PPK/S goes in my pocket. while they can be blocky and my revolvers just seem to be made for pocket carry, those of you who wish to put the P365 in your pocket might want to try relax fit blue jeans by Lee or Wrangler. the relax fit has a different cut and the pockets are more generous. otherwise maybe a pair of cargo pants. my issue uniform pants are cargo type pants and I get my issue full size S&W M&P 40 in it ( as well as my S&W M19 2.5 inch barrel 357 mag by the way). a tee shirt untucked over it completely conceals it. and the P365 is alot smaller.
Quite coincidentally my good friend called me today(Sunday)and asked me if the Sig 365 was a good gun to get. I said yes partly from this writeup. I’m accompanying him tomorrow to Bass Pro to get one…also I still hold a grudge against Springfield & the Ruger Max 9 & “new” S&W shield unproven.
I have almost 15,000 rounds through my Beretta Nano and still running like a top. Had to stop the amount of shooting I was doing due to the shortage. My goal is 50K rds and believe the gun is built so rugged it will not be a issue. I like the 365 but no where as nice a shooter as the Nano which is much more mild shooting and no where as snappy.
Personally do not think 15,000 is that much ammo through a good quality firearm. Yes, I change out the recoil spring often, but that is about all. All parts and other springs appear to not have any issues. The Striker fired DAO trigger did become much smoother. I would love to see many more Micro 9mm’s put to a 50K test. In a normal time that would be easy and not that expensive to do. By the way, I was shooting a lot of steel case ammo through the Beretta. Never had a problem until he became filthy with that Particular ammo. But one quick field cleaning of the feed ramp and it would keep on trucking.
Intersting that the XL grip works with the 365. Every where you read , they all say the mags won’t fit and so on. I wanted to do the same but haven’t due to this. Will the 365 mags work in the XL grip? Will the XL mags work? Can you elaborate a bit? Love my 365, I can get by with the 10 rd mag if I had to but I carry the 12 rounder with the pinky. 15,000 rounds is a fantasy world right now, just think some of the scalpers are reeling right now turning green and ready to puke just thinking about the dollar signs. Glad you could enjoy yours and thanks for some of the info. Nice to know the springs just don’t stop working at a certain stroke.
Oh I forgot to ask about the mags, after that many rounds do they ever loosen up. The Sig springs are the stiffest I have ever ran across. I’ve never really been into Sig’s but the 365 has really turned me around.
I like taking a Micro 9mm to the limits. Before the ammo shortage I had planned on taking the well built Beretta Nano to the limits. I had put almost 15,000 rds through the gun. The only thing I have done is change out the Recoil springs on a regular basis. The trigger really smoothed out to a sweet wonderful DAO. My goal was to see if how well the gun did up to 50,000 rds. It is built like a take to the point of almost over built. The one difference I see in the Sig and the Nano is that the Nano is much more mild shooting and much less muzzle flip. No where as snappy. . I have a friend at my shooting club that now has 13,000 rounds through the Hellcat and still running strong. Hopefully the ammo shortage will calm down.But I doubt it. Thanks for the review.
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Buy the 6.5 prc ammo today has become like a race which the winner is not known due to scarcity in the industry.
Ok Guys I received a Call yesterday . My Niece told me her Husband accidentally dropped his 365 and it Discharged. Luckily it hit a book not any people . I would appreciate hearing what everyone thinks about this ! The P365 has a safety . I assume it was off . I have a P365 SAS . Thank you
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