Sig P365 Vs Glock 42 - A few months ago, Sig Sauer released a .380 ACP version of their best-selling P365. The P365-380 has all the same features as the original 9mm, plus an improved optical cut setup and, most importantly, a huge reduction in felt recoil. But does it perform as reliably as its 9mm counterparts?
Hey everyone, I'm Chris Baker and today we're looking at another Sig P365, but this one is chambered for .380 ACP.
Sig P365 Vs Glock 42
Sig introduced a .380 version earlier this year. It is the same size as the original 9mm P365, so it has a 3.1 inch barrel. For now, Sig offers three variations of the .380 model: a vanilla option with standard height iron sights, a manual safety variant, and this one, which does not have a manual safety, iron sights tops and comes with the red Sig RomeoZero Elite. Dot view pre-installed.
Glock 42, 43, 43x, 43xrail, 48, 48rail
Ammo capacity is the same as the 9mm version. You get 10 rounds in flush magazines, which also come with an optional extended finger rest. Or you can buy longer 12 round magazines. The .380 version is compatible with fire control groups and grip modules from 9mm P365. Then you can mix and match tops and bottoms like we did here. We put the .380 slide in the Wilson Combat Grip module for the 9mm XL. It works best with 12 round magazines.
You can only buy 0.380 barrels from the Sig website. But the product page warns that it is not compatible with the 9mm bolt. The .380 slide is a tenth of an inch shorter and slightly narrower. Unfortunately, Sig does not yet sell the standalone .380 slide. Until they do, it's not possible to convert your 9mm to .380 without buying a complete .380 pistol.
You might be tempted to compare this gun to the Ruger LCP Max. This is the .380 dual-stack version of the LCP. It also has a 10+1 capacity. But the LCP Max is basically the same shape as the original LCP except for the width. It's a pocket pistol and it has the kind of harsh recoil we've come to expect from pocket .380s - it's not the most fun pistol to shoot.
I've been saying for a long time that the .380 ACP shines the brightest, not in a pocket pistol, but in a pistol slightly larger than that. When you go from the LCP to the size of the Glock 42, the .380 can be a real pleasure to shoot.
Glock 42: A Critique & Micro 9mm/.380 Analysis
The P365 is about the same length and height as the Glock 42. The hilt is one tenth of an inch wide. In 9mm, the original P365 is a handful. It's not terrible to fire for 50 or 100 rounds, but it's objectively a cool weapon.
I prefer the XL version of the P365 in 9mm because it is easier to control. The longer slide and a few extra ounces from the barrel compensate for the recoil a bit. The long handle gives me a little more to hold on to. But even with the XL grip frame, the challenge that many shooters, myself included, face is that there isn't enough room for the support hand to reach there and apply the pressure that we really want. Due to the small frame dimensions, I have to train regularly with this particular gun and shoot it the way I want.
The .380 version completely changes the equation. This gun is smaller and lighter than the XL which I have fired thousands of shots with. It doesn't have any type of special grip frame or alternate texture. But the first time I took it to the lineup, I matched or bettered my best performance with the 9mm XL in half a dozen different drills. The gun is so soft that the grip of the mob doesn't really matter. You don't need to have a death grip on it to aim for this point.
Of course, this is an advantage for new shooters or anyone with grip strength or mobility issues. It is also a benefit for everyone else. No matter how well you can handle a P365 9mm, you'll shoot the .380 version just as well, or your performance will be the same, but with much less effort and practice.
Sig P365 Vs Glock 43: How They Compare
And look, I know 9mm is ballistically superior to .380 ACP. There is no way around it. We can debate how much or how often this really matters in the real world. I don't think we'll ever have a definitive answer.
What is not debatable is that I can shoot better with the .380 version of this gun. My performances are more regular. I will shoot fewer shots off target. He's more forgiving when he's not 100% tuned to all the right shooting mechanics.
But before I get too enthusiastic about this gun, I should consider some issues with other recoil .380s in this pocket size range. In the past, I've been quick to recommend the Glock 42 and the Smith & Wesson EZ 380. Like the P365-380, they're easy to shoot and, to me, they're very reliable.
However, after seeing other people shoot these guns and hearing other shooters, I realized that they weren't that reliable for everyone. Some shooters - usually inexperienced shooters - often have trouble getting these .380s to work reliably. And from some research online, it seems that the P365-380 is true.
Ultimate Suede Leather Iwb Holster
We can get clues as to why this is happening by looking at the brass ejection pattern. The balls form a kind of soft arc and land two feet away. Compare that to the 9mm XL where they fly with more authority. That tells me it won't take long to stop this .380 slide from fully spinning.
So I tried to fire the gun with a loose grip. I tried to keep it in the frame. And sure enough, I immediately started having stovepipes.
I tried the same with the 9mm XL and the gun didn't mess up. I can actually hold the handle with just about minimal pressure, and it still works normally.
With the .380, if you have a suboptimal grip or recoil anticipation issues that require you to move the gun when you pull the trigger, you can keep the gun from cycling. This is sometimes called wrist weakness, although that's not really an accurate description of what happens most of the time. This can happen with any recoil semi-auto, but .380s larger than pocket size seem to be more susceptible to it.
Subcompacts Side By Side: The P365 X Vs. The Hellcat
When I use a normal shooting handle, it's fine. Be sure to lift the strap with your hand as high as possible on the back strap and tighten it at least under the pressure of a firm handshake. I know some people have had trouble cycling the P365-380 despite getting a good grip on the gun. It seems like some of them have a break-in period where they can be a little temperamental for the first few hundred laps, and then they run fine.
Magazines may be part of the problem there. The P365 mag springs are extremely tight. This goes for the .380 version and the 9mm. I've seen new magazines come in and cause trouble. If you leave them fully charged for a few days or charge and discharge them multiple times, they slow down a bit.
Ammo can also be a factor. If you can't get it to work with one load, try a few other loads. We originally had two stovepipes with 95 grit Blazer brass, but switched to 90 grit PMC, and about 400 rounds was fine until I tried this with a weak grip.
One feature that I really like about this specific version of P365 is the way they set up sites. With the exception of the .380 and some newer 9mm variants, mounting a red dot on the P365 means you lose the rear iron sight. In this version, not only are the optics advanced so you can keep your rear sight, you also get extra high sights that are co-witness with the red dot.
The Slim Line (glock 42, 43, 43x & 48) (sig P365)
The standard .380 model comes with the same optical cut on the slide. Then you can add the optics of your choice and install the high sights, which are on Sig's online store for $100. Depending on the optics, it'll cost you less than $200 in total, and possibly a whole lot more.
MSRP for the .380 with Sig optics is $750 versus $600 for non-optical variants. Seems like a pretty good deal for the extra $150. But only if the Sig Romeo Zero Elite Optic is better.
Optical.
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