P365 Pistol: Does Sig Sauer Have the Best Semi-Automatic Gun?

Kyle Mizokami

Security, Americas

Let's find out.

Key point: The Sig P365 changes several things from similar guns but has few drawbacks.

The new Sig P365 pistol breaks the mold of current subcompact pistols, offering both concealability and features usually found in larger handguns. The result is a pistol with a greater magazine capacity and barrel length than any other handgun in its category and an excellent choice for shooters that carry handguns on a daily basis, with one authoritative magazine cautiously stating, “this pistol might just be the Holy Grail of concealed-carry pistols.”

Subcompact pistols, designed to be carried discreetly under clothing or in something like a handbag, are usually a compromise. In return for greater portability and concealability, a smaller pistol typically has a short barrel, seriously reducing its effective range, and a magazine capacity half that of full-sized pistols. The new Sig P365, through some clever engineering minimizes the need for compromise resulting in a pistol with greater firepower than other subcompacts.

The Sig P365 is less of a compromise than other guns in its class, carrying nearly twice as much ammunition at a time than similar competitors in the size/weight class. Stock magazines have a magazine capacity of ten rounds of 9mm ammo and can carry eleven with a round in the chamber. Each pistol comes with two ten-round magazines, one that sits flush to the grip and another extended length magazine. An extended magazine is available that can carry twelve rounds plus “one in the pipe” for a total of thirteen rounds. Further enhancing lethality, the the 365’s barrel is rated for higher pressure +P ammunition.

The Sig P365 is a striker fired pistol, meaning it does not have an external hammer that could catch on clothing. It is also a double-action pistol, meaning a single pull of the trigger both cocks the firing pin and releases it on a round in the chamber, firing the pistol. Trigger weight is somewhere in the five-pound range, entirely reasonable for a double-action pistol, with little travel. The result is a pistol that can go quickly into action from a concealed-carry position without worry of hangups or the need to chamber a round.