SIG Sauer P365 XMACRO COMP: Skinny Compact CCW [Hands-On Review]

THE LATEST, BIGGEST, AND BEST(?) FROM THE P365 SERIES OF PISTOLS

No longer the micro-compact that took the world by storm, the SIG Sauer P365 has grown like a family of rabbits.

With so many options, it’s easy to get lost in the forest without seeing the trees. While each of the many versions of the P365 has its own flavor, the XMACRO is the choice for those of us that want something with as much ammo and size as we can get away with, while still being super concealable. 

Is it worth it? Is the size manageable? I spent my own American pesos to find out. 

P365 FAMILY

Ignoring state-restricted models and safety/non-safety versions but including different calibers and finishes, there are (for now) 19 different versions of the P365 on the SIG website. For any firearm family, that is a lot of options.

Probably the biggest advancement in CCW technology of the past 20 years, the P365 is a gun that can almost do it all. 

The size and concealability of a tiny gun, the capacity of a mid-sized or even full-sized gun, and a shootability that easily outpaces almost any design that came before it in the same size footprint.

And now, with options for compensators, optics, safeties, and more – there is a P365 for almost anyone.

To keep this from being overwhelming, the P365 family can be broken into 4 easy sizes: P365, P365 X, P365 XL, and P365 XMACRO.

The P365 is the base, the first, the original. 3.1-inch barrel, 5.8-inches long, 4.3-inches tall, 1.1-inches wide, 17.8oz, and uses a SIG proprietary rail for mounting lights and lasers. 10-round magazine fits flush and has a pinky extension.

P365 X gets a slightly longer grip making it 4.8-inches tall. 12-round mag is standard and flush fitting.

P365 XL gets the slightly longer grip (and mag capacity) and a slightly longer slide and barrel. 4.8-inches tall, 3.7-inch barrel, 6.6-inches long.

P365 XMACRO keeps the 3.7-inch barrel and 6.6-inches overall length but gets a larger grip at 5.2-inches tall. This boosts the mags to an impressive 17-round standard flush fit. Plus, a 1913 rail for lights and lasers instead of the SIG proprietary one. Weight for this larger model has swelled to 22 oz, but the width remains just 1.1 inches.

That is the short version of the differences between all of the SIGs. Keep in mind that these numbers change as you look at with or without optics, what kind of optic, comp or no comp, and the kind of odd-man-out XMACRO TAC OPS that comes with a mag well.

For comparison, the XMACRO is basically slightly smaller in all dimensions than a Glock 19 and carries 2 more rounds in a standard magazine. 

P365 XMACRO COMP SPECS

• CALIBER: 9mm Luger
• MAGS INCLUDED: (2) 17rd Steel Mag
• SIGHTS: X-RAY3 Day/Night Sights
• THREADED BARREL: No
• PISTOL SIZE: Compact
• OVERALL LENGTH: 6.6 in [168 mm]
• OVERALL WIDTH: 1.1 in [28 mm]
• HEIGHT: 5.2 in [132 mm]
• BARREL LENGTH: 3.1 in [79 mm]
• WEIGHT: 21.5 oz [610 g]
• SIGHT RADIUS: 5.1 in [130 mm]
• ACCESSORY RAIL: M1913
• TRIGGER ACTION: Striker
• TRIGGER TYPE: Flat
• GRIP TYPE: Polymer
• GRIP COLOR: Black
• BARREL MATERIAL: Carbon Steel
• FRAME MATERIAL: Polymer
• FCU MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
• SLIDE FINISH: Nitron
• SLIDE MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
• MANUAL SAFETY: No
• OPTIC READY: Yes

MAKING SMALL THINGS BIGGER AND BIG THINGS SMALLER

It’s the circle of life to make things big at first, then make them smaller, then make them bigger again. 

If the P365 was the first “Micro-Compact,” I would suggest that the XMACRO no longer fits in that category and is really a “Compact” like the Glock 19, simply a more refined, modern, and better “compact” since it is still slightly smaller and holds more ammo.

But things get a little messy because I have the XMACRO COMP. Instead of a 3.7-inch barrel, I have a 3.1-inch barrel like the P365 or P365X and a slide with a comp milled into it.

I lose some muzzle velocity but gain a good amount of controllability. 

ON THE RANGE

I won’t keep you guessing, I love this gun. From the first range session, I knew I wanted this to be my new CCW if it passed my reliability demands. I set out testing a wide range of ammo from 115gr bulk crap to 147gr defensive ammo. Everything has run 100 percent. From steel Tula to spicy +P, the XMACRO has eaten it all.

After two local shooting matches and just under 1,000 rounds downrange, I had zero malfunctions. That’s good enough for me, and this is now my EDC CCW.

My standard range load is whatever the cheapest 124gr I can find. Lately, that has been Sellior & Bellet 124gr. But my carry ammo is either 124gr Federal HST or 124gr SIG Sauer V-Crown. Sometimes 124gr Hornady Ctitical Duty. It really just depends on what I can find at a decent price.

I’d like to give a special thanks to AmmunitionToGo.com and Hornady for helping provide the ammo for this review. I’ve spent a lot of my own money on Critical Defense ammo over the years, and I’ve always been a fan, but Hornady sending out extra for testing is a big help. AmmunitionToGo.com was nice enough to provide a lot of the bulk ammo I used. 

The magazines are a TIGHT fit. Loading a full mag on a closed slide takes a good wack to seat the mag, but that feels like it is breaking in. Or I’m just getting used to it. 

If you need to reload fast, it’s a lot easier doing it with an open slide. That said, like with most P365 guns, loading with an open slide also tends to drop the slide and chamber a round just with the force of seating the mag. 

Maybe this is a feature instead of a bug, but it’s something to get used to.

One of the downsides of micro-compacts is they tend to be a bit snappy. The recoil isn’t bad, but it does send some energy into your wrist. Between the increased size of the XMACRO and the comp, that snappiness is really tamped down. Sure, it isn’t as comfy or smooth as a full-size, but it’s really not much different from shooting any other compact-ish-sized pistol.

The trigger on the P365 isn’t amazing. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it is definitely not anything to write home about. 

It starts with some squash in a long take-up before hitting a decent wall but rolls into the break with more than a little overtravel. 

It’s a factory trigger in a CCW, not a 2011.

I don’t have problems making precision hits at range with it, but I’m strongly considering upgrading the trigger at least a little. I’m fussy that way.

Shooting With A Compensator

I’m a big fan of comps on pistols. I also believe that as more people understand it, more people will do it. Like red dots, comps make guns better. Period.

A flatter shooting gun means more control, more hits, easier hits, hits while stressed, hits when out of the perfect position, and hits that are followed by more hits.

There is some bad fudd lore surrounding comps and some considerations when using them. The biggest lie I see commonly told is that comps ruin your night vision. This simply isn’t the case. The ones telling you this are also the people that don’t shoot at night.

One fact that I think is important to know is when shooting from retention. This gets overblown by the internet sometimes, but it is true that a compensator has a lot of hot gas coming out of it. That’s how they work.

If you’re shooting from retention, having that hot gas hit you isn’t ideal. That said, it’s also not the end of the world. With a comp directly touching you, you’re in for some pain and not totally mild injury. Not life-threatening, but it’s going to hurt. A lot.

However, as long as the comp isn’t directly touching you, the pain and damage are a lot less. Those gasses dissipate and cool pretty quickly with distance. 

I like the comp on the XMACRO COMP because it only has top ports. This keeps the muzzle flip down without putting out as much gas that might burn me if I’m hands-on with a threat. With that in mind, training to shoot from retention is pretty easy – just angle the gun slightly away from you when doing it. I would recommend doing this with a firearms instructor for extra safety and to make sure you’re training it effectively.

LOOSE ROUNDS

For now, the XMACRO is as large as the P365 family gets. I think it will be hard for SIG to go bigger, but you never know.

For max concealability, the P365 is still king. But the XMACRO is super comfy because of how thin it is. Plus, the extra capacity is a big gain. 70% more ammo than the original P365 is a lot. Carry an extra mag, and you’re packing 34 rounds of self-defense.

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