SIG P365: First Look at Sig Sauer's Micro Pistol With 11-Round Capacity

Micro-sized pistols present two inevitable design challenges: Reduced ammo capacity and poor handling during live fire. But for Sig Sauer, these hurdles proved surmountable — hence the P365.

The just-announced pistol offers the concealability of a micro. However — and this is the kicker — it’s a double stack. With 10+1 rounds of 9mm Luger, the P365 easily outguns many similar size pistols that top out at 7+1.

Besides its added payload, the pistol’s grip design is distinct from other micros in subtle ways that afford an added measure of comfort and control.

SIG P365 Details

Like many designs, the P365 is double action with the striker partially tensioned as the slide is cycled, then fully cocked and released by pressing the trigger. A firing pin block allows a round to be safely carried in the chamber and there is no manual safety lever. The original design had a thumb activated safety, so that variant may come later.

The pistol comes with two 10-round magazines. One mag sits flush with the grip and one with an extended floorplate provides just enough purchase for small-medium sized fingers to get a full hand hold. An extended 12-round mag is also available.

This pistol is small and slim with respective length, height and width of 5.8 inches, 4.3 inches and 1 inch. Its unloaded weight of 17.8 ounces makes it comparable to other polymer-framed micros from Glock, Ruger and others. Slight dimensional differences are irrelevant because of the P365’s three-round advantage, not to mention its very good handling during live fire. Those two factors matter far more.

Another distinction is the pistol’s use of a removable steel chassis frame held into a polymer grip. Like the SIG P250 and P320, this frame is the serialized component to which the trigger/sear mechanism is attached. The design has several advantages over integral grip frames that have molded-in serial numbers making them a legally regulated part.

One obvious advantage is that “frame insert” pistols can be used in a modular system by swapping them to larger or different shaped grips, which can be bought without the controls and costs associated with serialized frames. Though SIG doesn’t have modularity on the drawing board for the P365, a replacement grip frame with a laser similar to the P320 Lima will be offered in late spring.

Final Thoughts

The P365 conclusively sets itself apart from many of its peers with greater capacity and better engineering that make it more controllable and easier to shoot. An easier shooting pistols mean more practice and better proficiency for those who rely on them for protection. For even more info, please visit SigSauer.com.