The biggest little tiny gun is getting bigger.
The SIG P365 just keeps growing. It’s become one of the best-selling guns in recent years, and SIG is wisely capitalizing on the gun’s intertia. The P365-XMacro is the latest and largest of the P365s. The gun is a unique take on the compact handgun. SIG recently sent us a P365-XMacro to test and evaluate, and we’ve been taking it through its paces.
The Latest, Greatest Glock 19 Replacement
The SIG P365 came in and immediately turned the single stack 9mm world on its head. With one gun, they completely killed an entire genre of firearms. The p365 and the micro compact now reign supreme. The SIG P365 replaced guns like the Glock 43, and the P365-XMacro aims to take the Glock 19 down a peg. Don’t think of the XMacro as a single-stack killer. Think of it as the best compact gun on the market.
The P365-XMacro does wear a short 3.1-inch barrel, but the slide incorporates a two-port compensator. The barrel length might be shorter than the P365XL, but the overall length is still 6.6 inches. The height is also a bit different. It’s 5.2 inches tall and 1.1 inches wide. Within that longer, slightly wider grip sits a 17-round magazine. It might be bigger than any P365, but it’s smaller than any standard double-stack compact handgun.
It packs the same ammo capacity as a full-sized gun but conceals much easier and handles more like a Glock 19 than a micro-compact. Like most modern guns, it is optic-ready and does come with a Picatinny rail for weapon-mounted lights. The ergonomics remain standard to the P365 platform, as do the awesome sights. The XRAY3 sights are fantastic for both day and nighttime use.
The XMacro is slim, trim, and great for concealed carry. At the same time, it packs 17 rounds of 9mm and handles like a much bigger and easier-to-handle firearm.
At the Range
SIG created a grip I think most can appreciate. In fact, I know most can, from people with big hands like me to my petite wife. The SIG grip works for a wide variety of people, and the P365-XMacro is no different. It’s just a little longer. It’s a hair longer than the P365XL, and it fits my hands perfectly. My fingers don’t pin the mags in when I attempt to reload.
A sight overhand allows for a nice high grip without the slide slamming into your hand. The trigger guard has a nice undercut that helps you get a nice high grip on the gun. A good high grip helps increase control and makes the gun handle quite nicely.
Speaking of the recoil and muzzle rise are crazy soft. That two-port compensator does a wonderful job of keeping the gun locked low and makes it very easy to handle. Two ports do wonders to keep things controllable and make the little gun handle like a much bigger gun. Shooting fast shows a big difference. In drills like the El Presidente and failure drill, the control makes a big difference.
Even in more precision-oriented drills like the iHack, the port makes a huge difference. The less movement your sights have, the easier it is to transition from target to target while keeping your sights from moving much shot after shot.
It’s All About Control
On the accuracy front, the trigger is nice. It’s no 1911 smoothed-out SAO design, but it’s a smooth striker-fired trigger. There is a fair bit of takeup, then a slightly long wall before the break. The combination of excellent ergonomics, a good trigger, and good sights make it an accurate little gun. Align the sights just right, and you’ll have no problems creating small groups or ringing steel from various distances.
How far? Well, at 25 yards, I can ring a ten-inch gong like it’s noon, and I work in a bell tower. Even out to 50 yards, I can hit an IPSC-sized target…most of the time. I can drop 9mm rounds right where I want them and be happy doing so.
On top of that, reloading the gun on the fly is really easy. Since my hand doesn’t pin the mag in and the thing drops free and flies out. The magwell is slightly beveled, and this makes reloads easy and quick. The 17-round magazine is also longer and easier to grab for those faster reloads.
The gun runs like a clock, and by that, I mean a Swiss clock. It goes and goes with all types of ammo and doesn’t seem to have much regard for whatever I throw through it. From cheap steel-cased junk to high-end JHPs, the gun goes bang.
A Game Changer
The P365-XMacro is likely to change the market. It fits in that just right size for concealed carry and home defense. With a light and red dot, the P365-XMacro is perfectly suited for home defense. It fits that Glock 19 compact handgun role, but it’s smaller, more efficient, and more modern. It’s a game changer, and I don’t say that lightly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army.
He serves as an NRA-certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms-based hobbies.
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