The Sig P365X Macro Vs. Glock 19: Compact Shootout

When you hear Sig P365, you likely envision a subcompact, or micro-compact, a pistol designed to be a competitor with guns like the Glock 43. When the P365X Macro came to the field, it was no longer competing for the same slot as the Glock 43. The P365X Macro was competing with the world of compact pistols like the Sig P229, the PDP Compact, and the Glock 19. The Glock 19 has long been the king of the compact pistol.

Compact pistols are designed to be the right mix of size for duty and home defense use while still being concealable. These pistols try to do it all and often can. The P365 is a genre-defining firearm that has completely changed the concealed carry market. Every gun company scrambled to compete. Now that it’s breaking into the compact realm, it makes sense for the Glock 19 and X Macro to go head to head to see if the X Macro can shake the crown off of the Glock 19.

Let’s dig in, break it down, and see which comes out on top.

Accuracy

As a compact handgun, you aren’t expecting anything crazy. The gun should be able to land hits on a torso-sized target out to 50 yards at the very least. Shooters should expect their guns to be accurate enough to hit score an all-black 10-10-10 drill. Both of these guns can do that and do it with style.

Sig P365X Macro and Glock 19
The two compacts are basically the same in accuracy.

The Glock 19 has a slight advantage with a slightly longer sight radius than the X Macro, but only fractionally. On the flip side, the X Macro has a noticeably better trigger than the Glock 19. The flat-faced trigger offers a much smoother trigger pull with less stacking. Ultimately it comes to a tie. You can shoot either weapon with competency and expect 9mm rounds to hit where you need them to.

Ergonomics

Here is where we arrive at a massive difference between the guns. Pick up the X Macro and then pick up a Glock 19. What do you feel? The X Macro offers a vastly superior grip that’s thinner and more comfortable in your hand. You can get a higher grip on the gun without getting Glock-knuckle on the trigger guard.

Sig P365X Macro vs Glock 19 grip width comparison
The grip width difference is extreme.

The X Macro magazine release is easier to press and easier to use due to the much thinner grip design. In terms of slide locks/release, they both have teeny tiny designs. Both are pressed rearwards, and difficult to avoid pressing downward with an aggressive thumbs forward grip. Ultimately the P355X Macro outperforms the Glock 19 ergonomically.

Glock 19 and Sig P365X Macro grip comparison
The grip design of both guns tells a tale of ergonomics.

Reliability

In my experience, both guns perform exceptionally well. I’ve yet to have any problems with either gun in practice. However, the Glock 19 has been kicking around for decades, and it’s remained a top-tier pistol selection because Glocks are reliable. Glock set a new standard for reliability, and that needs to be factored in. Glock makes reliable guns, and the 19 hasn’t changed dynamically.

The X Macro and P365 series are also very reliable guns, but they don’t have the same history of reliability that follows the Glock 19 around.

Capacity

This will be short and sweet. The Glock 19 comes with a 15-round magazine as a stock option. On the flip side, the X Macro comes with a 17-round magazine. Capacity isn’t that big of a deal, but efficiency is. The Glock 19 is 5.04 inches tall, and the X Macro is 5.2 inches tall. The difference is very slight, and two extra rounds are a nice touch. If you put a 17-round magazine in the Glock 19, it’s substantially longer than the X Macro and less efficient overall.

At the Range

The X Macro really shines at the range for a few reasons. First, the end of the slide features a built-in two-port compensator. This makes the X Macro easier to control and keeps the muzzle pressed downward and on target for shot after shot. It’s a nice feature that makes a compact pistol control like a full-sized design.

Both guns handle well and are easy to control, easy to shoot, and plenty capable. The big downside to the Glock is that the Gen 3 and Gen 4 guns have this nasty habit of providing a nice bite to my hand when I shoot them. That’s not an issue with the X Macro. The X Macro provides a more enjoyable range experience.

It even shows on the timer. That compensator makes a difference, and I consistently scored faster times with the X Macro. Sometimes it was as fast as 3/4 of a second. I could be a better shooter and drive those times downward with an uncomped pistol, but that’s not what happened here.

XMacro compensator
The compensator on the X Macro makes the weapon very easy to handle.

Accessorization

The X Macro comes optics-ready with a standard accessory rail. Glock 19 variants come in both optics-ready and non-optics models, and any model produced from the 3rd generation onward features a rail. The X Macro series does use come with a removable fire control group that allows you to swap frames with ease. The P365 aftermarket is growing, but the Glock 19 and the Glock brand, in general, absolutely blows it out of the water.

Glock 19 and Sig P365X Macro side by side
Which do you choose?

Their decades of service and massive popularity have made them the dominant king of the market. You can get magazines of all capacities, new triggers, new sights, extended controls, and honestly, you can build a Glock without any Glock parts. Hell, in terms of magazines, you have multiple companies pumping out mags and capacities from ten rounds for ban states all the way up to Magpul’s 50-round drums.

The P365 series can try, but they can’t quite beat the Glock in terms of accessorization and customization. There might come a time, but it’s certainly not right now.

The New King

I think the X Macro beats the Glock 19. It’s smaller, easier to conceal, and the ergonomics are significantly better. We are at a stage where we are peak 9mm in a lot of ways. The innovation of the Sig magazine design is giving them a serious edge in the marketplace. The P365X Macro is their first break out of the subcompact world, and it’s destroying the compact market. I think a lot of companies are going to need to take a look at their compact pistols and start making changes.

Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner and a lifelong firearms enthusiast. Now that his days of working a 240B like Charlie Parker on the sax are over he's a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is probably most likely the world's Okayest firearm instructor. He is a simplicisist when it comes to talking about himself in the 3rd person and a self-professed tactical hipster. Hit him up on Instagram, @travis.l.pike, with story ideas.

Sign Up for Newsletter

Let us know what topics you would be interested:
© 2024 GunMag Warehouse. All Rights Reserved.
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap