The P365 was the first gun to find a way to shove double-stack capacity into a single stack size. I got my hands on one as soon as I could, and it’s been my EDC since. Over time SIG has capitalized on the P365’s success and release two additional models, the SAS, and the P365XL. The longer slide is great, but the bigger frame — for some folks anyway — not so much. The gun’s longer grip does limit you to 12 and 15-round magazines and the bigger grip makes the gun harder to conceal, especially when you carry IWB. To me, the perfect option was a hybrid P365, with the XL slide mounted on a standard P365 frame.
As of right now, that isn’t an option from SIG, so you are forced to do what I did and make your own. The cheapest method is likely to purchase a P365XL and then a standard grip frame. Since I already owned a standard P365, I found an XL slide for sale and snatched it up.
If you are like me, a two-tone model strikes your fancy, and therefore I went with the coyote option on a black frame.
Why The Long Slide Rules
This hybrid P365 gives you the best of both worlds as far as I’m concerned. The longer slide gives you a few inherent advantages. The most important is the longer sight radius. This makes it easier for you to shoot accurately. The longer slide also adds a little more weight, which reduces muzzle flip and increases control over the weapon.
The XL slide also comes with the ability to mount an optic. It uses the Shield RMSc footprint. Options for these micro-sized red dots are somewhat limited but growing. Currently, Holosun, SIG, and Shield produce micro red dots, and Swampfox and Riton are both planning to introduce one.
Red dots on handguns are the future, and they make shooters faster, more precise, and the ability to engage at longer ranges.
I haven’t gotten a micro red dot yet, but I do plan to make that my next investment. A red dot, the P365’s capacity, and my TLR 6 would make the hybrid P365 one of the most modern concealed carry friendly firearms on the market.
Why the Standard P365 Frame is a Better Choice
The standard P365 frame is smaller but still offers me a full grip, and that’s all I need. A smaller grip means the weapon is ultimately easier to conceal than the larger XL grip. The XL grip also limits you to using the 12 or 15-round magazines. The standard frame allows you to use 10-round magazines.
This includes the flush-fitting ten rounder magazine that will let you maximize concealment and prevent unsightly bulges. Plus, who knows when magazines may get hard to find? Having access to the full range of magazines is a definite advantage. The hybrid P365 does it all.
Disadvantages
Of course, the downsides exist to everything, right? The hybrid P365 has an unavoidable downside. The simple fact is that the longer barrel and slide increase the weapon’s overall weight. If you carry OWB, then you may find the weapon harder to conceal due to the longer barrel.
If you like pocket carry or ankle carry, then you may find the larger design ultimately tougher to deal with and harder to conceal. If those are your methods of carrying, then I’d stick to the classic P365 or the P365 SAS.
Overall, the disadvantages are far outweighed by the advantages. The disadvantages are also impossible to resolve if you take the hybrid P365 route. It’s just part and parcel.
Range Time
The XL frame and the standard frame are identical in most ways, and most importantly, they are identical at the points where the slide meets the frame. This ensures the hybrid P365 is reliable and functions without issue. The installation is seamless, and there are no interface issues.
It snaps on, and bam, you are ready to rock and roll. At the range, the hybrid P365 is a smooth shooter. Muzzle flip is reduced, especially when you start using self-defense +P ammunition. That’s where you start seeing how much .6 an inch can help with control.
The P365 has a 3.1-inch barrel, and the P365XL has a 3.7-inch barrel. For a reference point, the Glock 19 has a 4.01-inch barrel, and the subcompact Glock 26 has a 3.43-inch barrel length. The increase is somewhat substantial. That extra length can give you an extra 100 feet per second, depending on the 9mm load utilized.
Accuracy and small guns are always tough, but the extra length makes it a bit easier to be precise. This doesn’t necessarily expand your effective range as much as it allows you to be more precise inside of your effective range. Nailing headshots, destroying Dot Torture targets, and cutting your par times for those distant shots are where you see the difference.
Living the Hybrid P365 Life
The hybrid P365 is a fun shooter that’s accurate, controllable, and easy to conceal. I can’t believe SIG hasn’t offered it as a stock model yet. The industry is full of custom shops doing grip chops for all manner of firearms. The P365 design luckily makes this a custom shop free affair. It’s the perfect combination as far as I’m concerned.
Just so you fine folks know, if you choose to take this route, you’ll need P365XL holsters. There are no issues to speak of with fitment on P365XL holsters. As mentioned, the frames are very similar, and the main difference comes in at the height portion of each grip. I’ve been carrying mine in a Crossbreed Dropslide OWB with a Streamlight TLR 6 and have found it to be incredibly comfortable, and it’s a gun that disappears quite easily. At the same time, I feel more comfortable with the longer slide because I feel it ultimately performs better and gives me a bigger advantage in a gunfight. At the end of the day, the hybrid P365 might be my EDC for a long time to come.
