Review Of The SIG Sauer P365 XL

Love it or hate it, there’s little doubt that the SIG Sauer P365 is easily the best selling gun of 2018, and remains one of SIG’s most popular offerings in 2019.  The combination of the small form factor, high-capacity, and easy to shoot attributes has certainly struck a chord with consumers.  I picked up my P365 not long after it came out, and have been happily using it for my pocket carry CCW every since – you can check out my review (with video) of the original P365 by clicking here.  My usual CCW rotation is usually very seasonal – I pocket carry in the warmer months, and holster carry in the cooler months.  So the P365 became my pocket carry weapon of choice.

When SIG announced the P365 XL, I have to admit that I was less than thrilled.  The XL wasn’t a gun that I was asking for, and I certainly didn’t know who was.  The larger dimensions meant that the XL would be more difficult to pocket carry – a definite disadvantage for me…with no perceivable advantage.  If I wanted to carry a larger gun, I’d carry my SIG P320 Compact.  The only advantage I saw in the P365 XL was the ability to mount an optic right out of the box.  Maybe…just maybe the XL would still fit in my pocket – even with the optic mounted.  If so, I would have a pocketable CCW optic mounted pistol.  This is highly desirable for me as I’ve been shooting pistols with red dots for over a decade.  I can shoot irons just fine, but prefer a red dot.  When the pre-release reviews came out, another key tidbit of information was revealed – you could actually swap the slides of the P365 and the P365XL – this meant you could use the shorter P365 grip module with the P365XL slide.  This made the possibility of an optic mounted pocket carry pistol even more feasible.  So I placed an order and managed to get one from the first batch that was released in the US.

When I received my P365, I did my unboxing and first impressions article and video…and then put it my gun safe, waiting on the yet-to-be-released SIG Romeo Zero. I was under the impression that the new optic which was designed specifically for the XL would be released soon after the XL. When a month went by and the new optic was still not released, I got the XL back out of the safe and started testing it. It was only then that I truly realized the niche in which the XL fit – this was the best option on the market for inside the waistband (IWB) appendix carry.

I’ve never actually been a fan of IWB appendix carry. The first and most obvious disadvantage to this method of carry is that an accidental discharge while drawing the weapon will have far more catastrophic results than with a firearm carried outside the waistband at the traditional 3 o’clock position.  As my mother used to say, “you’ll go from a rooster to a hen in one shot.” Tactically speaking, another big disadvantage is the difficulty drawing your weapon should you find yourself on your stomach and needing to draw your weapon during a skirmish. The reality of concealed carry is that each method brings with it certain pros and cons. It’s all about finding a method carry, or perhaps several different methods that suit your needs and maximize the possibility of your prevailing in a defensive engagement.  With this in mind, I decided I wanted to give IWB appendix carry a try with the P365XL.  So I ordered a kydex holster designed for IWB carry – the fantastic (and previously reviewed) IWB holster from Black Label Holsters.

The only other thing I ordered for the P365XL was a couple of the 15-round extended capacity magazines available for the P365XL  Unlike the Romeo Zero, these magazines were available right away and with enough supply to meet demand, which was great.  For the first couple of years when the P320 hit the market, it was not unusual for dealers and online vendors to be sold out of P320 mags.  Fun fact:  Most firearms manufacturers use one (or both) of two outsourced manufacturers to produce their magazines:  Mec-Gar or Check-Mate.  I wrote an article about these two manufactures, but Mec-Gar is an Italian manufacturer, and Check-Mate is US-based.  Historically speaking, SIG fans have far and away preferred SIG magazines manufactured by Mec-Gar (they’re stamped “Made in Italy” on the magazine) – they were considered the king of reliability.  The problem with Mec-Gar is that they’ve become a victim of their own success – they can’t always fulfill orders in a timely manner due to high demand.  So SIG has begun shifting more and more of its magazine orders to Check-Mate.  All the P365 and P365XL magazines I’ve seen are stamped “Made in the USA” indicating they were manufactured by Check-Mate.  Admittedly, this was a concern for me early on in the original P365 release.  I can remember back in the early days of the P320 ordering magazines not know if they would be “Made in Italy” examples that I trusted (Mec-Gar) or “Made in the USA” examples that I was less certain about due to Check-Mate’s reputations.  I’d always use the Check-Mate P320 mags I received for range and competition and saved the Mec-Gar mags for defensive purposes.  Fast forward to today and I can honestly say that I no longer really have a concern with Check-Mate magazines.  I actually have more rounds through SIG guns using Check-Mate mags (because I use them for training and recreation) than Mec-Gar and I’ve never had a failure.  I think the dings to their reputation came several years ago due to some poor quality 1911 mags they produced.  But again, I’ve never had a problem with their SIG mags.

Relative to the P365, the P365XL has a bit longer slide, and a longer grip – but the thickness remains the same.  This is why the P365XL is actually a better choice for IWB appendix carry – it’s slimness makes it very comfortable to carry IWB, and the extra handle length makes it easy to get a good purchase on the firearm during the draw.

Because the fire control unit is common between the P365 and the P365XL, I can confirm that it is possible to swap grips and slides on both firearms.  This is what initially interested me in the P365XL – the potential to add shorter grip length of the P365 grip to the optics ready slide of the P365XL to potentially have a pocketable firearm with a red dot optic.  I won’t know if it will work until I get the Romeo Zero and see if I can actually pocket the firearm, but it might just work.

In terms of shooting the P365XL, it’s surprisingly easy and dare I say fun to shoot.  Many micro guns really aren’t much fun to shoot, but one of the big reasons the original P365 is so popular is that, relative to its size, the recoil is extremely mild.  As you might imagine, the P365XL is an even more pleasant gun to shoot, primarily due to the longer grip.  I shoot a lot, given that I’m a competitive shooter – I’m usually at the range twice a week and it’s easy for me to shoot 50 rounds though my carry gun during one of those trips.  I’m super impressed at how well this little gun shoots – it’s definitely a different experience than shooting the original P365.  The XL is easier to grip, easier and quicker to aim, and simply shoots like duty sized weapon for me as opposed to a “micro compact.”

The P365XL has surprised me – perhaps more than another firearm I’ve owned.  I’ve gone from an inital impression of the P365XL being a gun no one asked for to it being a gun I’m carrying more than any other I own.  And that’s before I even have an optic to try out with the optics ready  p365XL – so we’ll just press “pause” at this Part I review of the P365XL – look for Part II once the Romeo Zero is released.

I’ve also recorded a couple of videos about the P365XL – here’s the unboxing video I did:

And here’s the video review: