Sig Sauer’s 365 X Macro vs Sig’s 365-.380
I don’t want to sound a bit irascible, but a 365-.380? How many numbers do we need to remember for a handgun’s name? Why not stop the confusion and call it instead “Sig’s .380 Masterpiece?”
And is it really a masterpiece?
Well, Joe has the 9mm X Macro version of the 365. I had a 365 myself once, and traded the basic 365 for the 365 XL. XL just means extra long. The grip was longer than the original 365 and big hands often liked it better. Then came the 365 SAS, where the levers and buttons were set inward so they wouldn’t snag on holsters, pockets, or purses. Made sense to me, so I traded the 365 XL for the 365 SAS.
Turns out, I found dismantling the SAS version very annoying. Since the takedown button was inset, Joe fashioned a flat head screwdriver with electrical tape over the tip to avoid scratching the gun’s finish when pulling out the button.
Who wants to have to devise tools to take down a gun? And it still wasn’t easy. So I got rid of that 365, too.
This Wednesday, I get to compare Joe’s 9mm 365 X Macro with the .380 rendition of the 365. That 9mm Sig Sauer 365 has sold really well. Will gun owners like the .380?
I’ve shot the Smith & Wesson Shield .380 EZ. It’s really easy. Really. Can Sig make a handgun even easier to shoot? We’re a little skeptical here…
That EZ has an amazingly easy trigger pull and trigger pull travel is nice and short. The slide is very easy to manipulate: you don’t have to be Popeye to pull that thing back. Competing the Sig .380 with the Smith & Wesson EZ is going to be insurmountably difficult. Insurmountably? Let’s see…
First, Joe and I shoot his 9mm 365 X Macro. Although the barrel of his Macro and the barrel of the .380 are the same at 3.1inches, Joe’s 9mm has a compensator over the barrel, making it 6.6 inches long. This way, the gun appears to be longer than its .380 counterpart, but the added length is in the compensator.
This 9mm 365 is 6.6” long, 1.1 inches wide and 5.2 inches high. Barrel length is 3.1 inches. The gun weighs 21.5 ounces. This Sig is a striker-fired handgun. It has a stainless slide and comes with 2 17-round magazines. It’s small and lightweight, portable and concealable.
We shoot.
Even though Joe has much larger hands and has been shooting for a much longer time, our scores for the 9mm 365 are about the same. We rate aspects of the gun on a 1-5 basis. If we like it, or if it’s easy, it gets a 1. If it’s difficult or if we hate it, it gets a 5.
We both agree that trigger pull rates a 2.5. It’s fairly easy. Trigger travel is easy too, and so travel rates a 2.5 as well.
Joe finds the recoil quite easy and rates it a 2. I perceive more kick and give it a 2.5.
Joe likes the grip and he finds it very easy to rack the slide. Both get a 1.
I feel the grip is made for a slightly larger hand than mine and give it a 2. The slide is fairly easy, but to me it is harder than a 1, so I give it a 2.
Altogether, Joe and I both agree that the 9mm Sig Sauer 365 X Macro handles easily. All our 6 shots hit the 8” target; and all are within the 9-ring except for one in the 7 ring. Had Mr. Bad been coming towards us with deadly intent, he would have gone down, down, down.
The Sig Sauer 365 .380 is a .380 caliber handgun as opposed to the 9mm 365 X Macro. It’s a fairly new gun to the market. Will it be significantly easier to handle?
According to John Boch in Shooting News Weekly: “None of us are getting any younger, and for those with hand strength issues, the .380 version of the P365 should be on anyone’s very short-list for consideration. Depending on your caliber preference, it remains the gun to beat when it comes to general concealed carry or as a backup gun for the truly hard core.
Although I’ll admit I’m pretty partial to my 9mm pistol, .380’s ease of slide manipulation and milder recoil makes this perhaps as good or maybe an even better pick for women or those with reduced grip strength who appreciate the milder handling piece.
I can’t sing this gun’s praises loudly enough.”
Really. Do we believe this?
Let’s look at the .380 version of the 365. Barrel length is the same at 3.1”. Width is the same at 1.1”.
Here’s some difference. The 9mm is 5.2” high, while the .380 is shorter at 4.2” high. The length of the 9mm is 6.6” while the .380 is 5.8”.
And weight? The 9mm is 21.5 ounces and the .380 weighs 15.7 ounces.
Clearly, if carrying is your main objective, the .380 is smaller and weighs less.
Again, both Joe and I shoot 3 times each at the target with the .380. 5 of the rounds hit within the 8-ring, and 1 is in the 7-ring. Again, all in the critical mass.
Graham Baates, writing Gun Review: SIG SAUER P365-380 .380 ACP Pistol says of this .380: “While it’s certainly not the most powerful option out there, I have yet to find anyone willing to be shot with it.”
Joe and I find the trigger pull and trigger travel of the 365-.380 easier than the 9mm 365. We feel the recoil to be lighter. The slide is about as easy as we’ve ever found. Joe has big hands and thinks the grip is a bit small. My small hands love the grip
The Sig Sauer 365-.380 is indeed easy to manipulate and fun to shoot. Certainly, it is easier to shoot than the 9mm 365. But how easy is it? Is it easier than Smith & Wesson’s .380 EZ Shield?
Truthfully, I couldn’t recall. I did remember that the .380 EZ was easy to shoot. But between these .380s, did the new Sig Sauer 365-.380 beat out the Smith & Wesson’s .380 EZ?
Fortunately, I had brought the S&W .380 EZ to the range.
The S&W has a grip safety, while the Sig does not. This makes the Sig’s grip feel smaller and comfortable and ergonomic to me.
If the Great Gun Fairy were to call down to me and say: “You get to own either the Sig 365-.380 or the Smith & Wesson .380 Shield EZ, which would you like?”
It’s the Sig 365-.380, no question. I love the way it fits my hand.
And, not to be superficial or anything, but this one has what’s called a “glossy rainbow titanium” slide.
It’s pretty. Sorry, S&W.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
