|
Sig Sauer P365 9x19mm Pistol  Sig Sauer, most commonly simply referred to as Sig, is one of the fastest growing firearms companies in the United States, expanding from pistols and rifles into optics, ammunition and training. In January of 2017, Sig Sauer Inc. was awarded a $580,217,000 federal contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command for the SIG P320 modular handgun system, including handgun, accessories and ammunition to replace the Beretta M9 handgun. The P365 is the pistol that created the most buzz at the 2018 SHOT Show. Its full name is the "P365 Nitron Micro-Compact." Specifications
The operating controls are located on the left side of the pistol and are not ambidextrous. The magazine release is conventionally located behind the trigger guard and the magazine drops free of the grip when the release is depressed. The take-down lever is positioned above the trigger and the slide stop release lever is directly behind the take-down lever. There are wide grooves at the front and back of the slide for an improved grip and the slide is easy to rack. The polymer grip has a stippled texture for a no-slip hold. There is an accessory rail at the lower front of the polymer frame, but it is the proprietary Sig design, not the almost universal Picatinny type. According to Sig, in the case of this specific striker-fired semi-automatic pistol, the handgun was essentially built around the magazine. The big message of this handgun is greater cartridge capacity than anything else in this slim form. This is due to Sig's new ultra-thin, double stack, steel magazines that increase the standard magazine capacity to 10 rounds. It is very easy to load the supplied 10 round magazines; no magazine tool is included or required. This sub-compact pistol is +P ammo rated and comes with two 10 round magazines, a flush mount mag and an extended grip magazine. In addition, a "fully extended" 12 round accessory magazine is available from Sig for $55. When it comes to defensive gun use, however unlikely it may be, there is no telling what capacity you might need. It may be no shots are fired, as in some 75% of encounters, or your gun might be empty by the time an emergency is over. There may be one assailant, but it could just as easily be three assailants. Average statistics are not that relevant, for the only thing that matters is the one incident that might occur sometime in the future. In the case of self-defense, it is Boy Scout's Motto: Be Prepared. This pistol comes with Sig's excellent "XRAY3" sights. This is their Patridge type, 3-dot tritium array that boasts a half-life of 12 years. Both the front and back sights are mounted to the slide in dovetails. The P365 competes with such popular models as the Ruger LC9s and the six-round Glock 43 that was introduced in 2015. The Sig P365 is actually minimally thinner and lighter (unloaded weight) than the Glock, though not enough to matter. The extra capacity does matter, though. The P365 has fully twice the capacity when using the accessory Sig 12 round, fully extended magazine. I do not care for 9x19mm pistols that force me to hold on to them with only two fingers around the grip, so the supplied 10 round extended grip magazine is more pleasant for me to use than the completely flush-fitting magazine. I have a 12 round magazine on its way, as well. I suspect I will like it the best of all, although the extended magazines make the pistol more difficult to conceal. Like many 3.1 inch tilt-barrel pistols, the accuracy of roughly one inch at seven yards from a rest is generally sufficient for close range defensive purposes. In casual shooting, it is more accurate than minute of bad guy. The gritty and creepy trigger breaks at 6-1/4 pounds. (That is 5.6 times the dry weight of the pistol itself! -Editor) After firing about 700 rounds, the trigger smoothed out somewhat, but still has some grit, not a perfectly smooth pull going down to the shelf, then the break. Soon after the initial release of the P365, Sig made a few updates. These included the XRAY3 sights (replacing Siglite sights), a bit stiffer mainspring and relief cuts in the barrel. My understanding is that everything shipping now includes all of these updates. This type of carry pistol is extremely popular and likely will remain so. In the case of the Sig P365, it really is all about the magazine. 10 round factory magazines are what allow this pistol to shine when compared to the Glock 43, Ruger LC9s, Walther PPS M2 and so forth. Ejection was positive with all loads tested. I used a variety of ammunition, from 100 grain bullet weight up to 147 grains, and had zero malfunctions of any type. There was not so much as a suspicion of a stovepipe jam, failure to feed, or failure of the gun to go back into battery. The slide remains open after the last shot. As far as I can tell, the Sig P365 is non-fussy and scores perfect reliability. My only quibble with this handgun is the trigger pull. There are several false stops and stutters when pulling the trigger deliberately. This P365 has a gritty trigger that is anything but smooth. The rest of this handgun is outstandingly good, which makes the trigger stand out, and not in a good way. Takedown for cleaning after shooting is easy and typical SIG. The take-down lever is on the left side of the frame. The fundamental build quality of the Sig P365 is excellent. Its reliability is flawless, the factory night sights are excellent and the supplied 10 round magazines propel the sub-compact P365 into a class of its own. |