Post by James on Oct 13, 2022 23:09:02 GMT -5
What's my current carry gun?
I get to test almost every gun out there.
And this decision has been in the making for 18-months.
Drum roll...it's the Sig Sauer P365XL.
I'll go over what makes it my CCW of choice for protecting my family and myself.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should stop researching your own concealed carry weapon (CCW).
But I’ll cover all my personal reasons for carrying the XL as well as my personal everyday carry (EDC) gear for it.
And this is after I’m able to test and carry pretty much everything out there in the same category.
By the end, you should know if the XL works for your own wants and needs in a concealed carry gun.
Now let’s get down to the review!
Sig Sauer P365XL Specs
Capacity 12+1 9mm
Barrel Length 3.7″
Overall Width 1.1″
Overall Length 6.6″
Overall Height 4.8″
Sights Optic ready with iron night sights
Weight 20.7″
Sig Sauer released the original P365 in 2018 and made carry history with its 10+1 rounds of 9mm in a super small package.
Since then, Sig has been releasing variants of it with different frame/grip sizes, triggers, optic readiness, calibers, and compensators.
The P365XL, as its name gives away, is the big brother to the regular P365 with a longer grip and a longer slide.
That leads to a higher capacity of 12+1 vs the original 10+1 and also a longer sight radius.
And although I don’t really care one way or another…a flat trigger vs a curved one on the OG.
But don’t worry…I’ll go into deeper comparisons of the XL vs the other P365 variants a little down into the article.
Pros & Cons of the P365XL
Pros
Great 12+1 or 15+1 9mm capacity
Optics ready
Crisp flat-faced trigger
Nice feeling nearly full-sized grip
Thin for easy carrying
Tritium sights
Cons
Slide lock harder to hit
Reassembly sometimes tricky
Who Is It For?
Me…and maybe you if it has what you’re looking for!
I wanted something in the sort-of-new category of a micro compact 9mm but still large enough for me to get a full grip.
Because the main gripe I had with the original P365 was that I could barely get all my dominant hand fingers on its grip without a mag extension.
And the sight radius was also ever-so-slightly shorter than what would get me a perfect sight picture at speed.
The P365XL solved all these problems for me and gave me +2 capacity for a total of 13 rounds of 9mm. For me, hopefully enough to solve any problem that necessitates me drawing a gun.
Plus, it’s still small enough to disappear in an appendix carry holster and regular t-shirt.
Fit, Feel, & Features
I went over the main parts…but now let’s deep dive!
The P365 series is aimed squarely at the concealed carry market, and the grip texture perfectly toes the line between “grippiness” and “snagginess.”
It’s enough to keep the gun in your hands even if it were a little moist…but not enough to start catching onto your shirts or even wearing them down with constant abrasion.
And like I said before…I get a nice full-hand grip on the XL with some room to spare. Very helpful when drawing from a holster.
The mag release is also nicely contoured to prevent snag but is large and protruding enough so that most will be able to hit it without shifting grip.
The slide lock is also out of the way enough so that my full-hand grip doesn’t accidentally prevent it from locking on an empty magazine.
Although because it’s more out of the way, you’ll have to put more pressure to drop the slide on a fresh mag. Very doable with practice and nowhere near the frustration we felt with micro compact 9mms.
Looking at you…Ruger Max-9 Slide Release
Another reason to slingshot the slide with all guns instead of learning each gun’s slightly-different slide release.
The XL also comes with a front rail, but that makes it a little harder to carry and a little harder to find a holster.
Now let’s move on to the fun stuff…how it shoots.
How Does It Shoot?
Let’s start with the trigger…
It’s flat. Otherwise, I can’t tell a difference from the original P365 trigger.
Both are still striker-fired guns, so there’s some uptake before a relatively clean break between 5.5 to 6.5 lbs.
Reset is short and very strong, so you can get some fast shots downrange.
And compared to other micro 9s…it’s right there at the top for me.
Sights
Everyone on the team that has shot it has liked how well it naturally points. That is thanks to the sights, extended sight radius, and overall ergonomics.
Sights are metal with two Tritium (glow-in-the-dark) white sights at the rear.
And a bright green Tritium front sight.
I’m an irons kind of guy and really like the contrasting colors to make it easier to focus on the front sight (which is what you should be doing).
But I also know that pistol red dots are the new hotness. So yes…the XL is optics cut for the standard Shield RMSc “micro” red dot.
Recoil & Feel
Since it’s larger than a true micro 9…the extra mass and real estate for a full grip help tame the muzzle flip that you find in smaller guns.
Very easy to draw with the XL grip and easy to get all shots out quickly while letting the sights drop back down each time.
Ammo & Reliability
I tested some of my go-to range ammo of the 115-grain 9mm variety.
By this time, I’ve carried for close to 18 months, and I always rotate at least a mag or two each time I go to the range. Plus, I have a personal ~500-round test before I carry a gun for real.
Reliability is high at about 1000 rounds with zero malfunctions.
Accuracy
I’m on the side that almost all guns are more accurate than the shooter. So this time, I put it to a more real-world test. 10 yards, 10 seconds, 10 shots.
I’m an above-average shot and, given the time constraint, managed to get some flinches in there. But I’m still quite happy with 3-inch groups, given the further distance and time constraints.
No noticeable differences in the ammo, but I did feel the extra oomph of my 147gr defensive ammo. Remember to always practice with those as well!
I get to test almost every gun out there.
And this decision has been in the making for 18-months.
Drum roll...it's the Sig Sauer P365XL.
I'll go over what makes it my CCW of choice for protecting my family and myself.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should stop researching your own concealed carry weapon (CCW).
But I’ll cover all my personal reasons for carrying the XL as well as my personal everyday carry (EDC) gear for it.
And this is after I’m able to test and carry pretty much everything out there in the same category.
By the end, you should know if the XL works for your own wants and needs in a concealed carry gun.
Now let’s get down to the review!
Sig Sauer P365XL Specs
Capacity 12+1 9mm
Barrel Length 3.7″
Overall Width 1.1″
Overall Length 6.6″
Overall Height 4.8″
Sights Optic ready with iron night sights
Weight 20.7″
Sig Sauer released the original P365 in 2018 and made carry history with its 10+1 rounds of 9mm in a super small package.
Since then, Sig has been releasing variants of it with different frame/grip sizes, triggers, optic readiness, calibers, and compensators.
The P365XL, as its name gives away, is the big brother to the regular P365 with a longer grip and a longer slide.
That leads to a higher capacity of 12+1 vs the original 10+1 and also a longer sight radius.
And although I don’t really care one way or another…a flat trigger vs a curved one on the OG.
But don’t worry…I’ll go into deeper comparisons of the XL vs the other P365 variants a little down into the article.
Pros & Cons of the P365XL
Pros
Great 12+1 or 15+1 9mm capacity
Optics ready
Crisp flat-faced trigger
Nice feeling nearly full-sized grip
Thin for easy carrying
Tritium sights
Cons
Slide lock harder to hit
Reassembly sometimes tricky
Who Is It For?
Me…and maybe you if it has what you’re looking for!
I wanted something in the sort-of-new category of a micro compact 9mm but still large enough for me to get a full grip.
Because the main gripe I had with the original P365 was that I could barely get all my dominant hand fingers on its grip without a mag extension.
And the sight radius was also ever-so-slightly shorter than what would get me a perfect sight picture at speed.
The P365XL solved all these problems for me and gave me +2 capacity for a total of 13 rounds of 9mm. For me, hopefully enough to solve any problem that necessitates me drawing a gun.
Plus, it’s still small enough to disappear in an appendix carry holster and regular t-shirt.
Fit, Feel, & Features
I went over the main parts…but now let’s deep dive!
The P365 series is aimed squarely at the concealed carry market, and the grip texture perfectly toes the line between “grippiness” and “snagginess.”
It’s enough to keep the gun in your hands even if it were a little moist…but not enough to start catching onto your shirts or even wearing them down with constant abrasion.
And like I said before…I get a nice full-hand grip on the XL with some room to spare. Very helpful when drawing from a holster.
The mag release is also nicely contoured to prevent snag but is large and protruding enough so that most will be able to hit it without shifting grip.
The slide lock is also out of the way enough so that my full-hand grip doesn’t accidentally prevent it from locking on an empty magazine.
Although because it’s more out of the way, you’ll have to put more pressure to drop the slide on a fresh mag. Very doable with practice and nowhere near the frustration we felt with micro compact 9mms.
Looking at you…Ruger Max-9 Slide Release
Another reason to slingshot the slide with all guns instead of learning each gun’s slightly-different slide release.
The XL also comes with a front rail, but that makes it a little harder to carry and a little harder to find a holster.
Now let’s move on to the fun stuff…how it shoots.
How Does It Shoot?
Let’s start with the trigger…
It’s flat. Otherwise, I can’t tell a difference from the original P365 trigger.
Both are still striker-fired guns, so there’s some uptake before a relatively clean break between 5.5 to 6.5 lbs.
Reset is short and very strong, so you can get some fast shots downrange.
And compared to other micro 9s…it’s right there at the top for me.
Sights
Everyone on the team that has shot it has liked how well it naturally points. That is thanks to the sights, extended sight radius, and overall ergonomics.
Sights are metal with two Tritium (glow-in-the-dark) white sights at the rear.
And a bright green Tritium front sight.
I’m an irons kind of guy and really like the contrasting colors to make it easier to focus on the front sight (which is what you should be doing).
But I also know that pistol red dots are the new hotness. So yes…the XL is optics cut for the standard Shield RMSc “micro” red dot.
Recoil & Feel
Since it’s larger than a true micro 9…the extra mass and real estate for a full grip help tame the muzzle flip that you find in smaller guns.
Very easy to draw with the XL grip and easy to get all shots out quickly while letting the sights drop back down each time.
Ammo & Reliability
I tested some of my go-to range ammo of the 115-grain 9mm variety.
By this time, I’ve carried for close to 18 months, and I always rotate at least a mag or two each time I go to the range. Plus, I have a personal ~500-round test before I carry a gun for real.
Reliability is high at about 1000 rounds with zero malfunctions.
Accuracy
I’m on the side that almost all guns are more accurate than the shooter. So this time, I put it to a more real-world test. 10 yards, 10 seconds, 10 shots.
I’m an above-average shot and, given the time constraint, managed to get some flinches in there. But I’m still quite happy with 3-inch groups, given the further distance and time constraints.
No noticeable differences in the ammo, but I did feel the extra oomph of my 147gr defensive ammo. Remember to always practice with those as well!