I will start and end this article the same way: I always recommend that you avoid first run/generation products. Let the manufacture get a few thousand units out and let other people put them through the paces. Then, after the product is well tested and the issues are resolved or non-existent, purchase one. It also has the perk of not having to pay full (or more than) retail price.
When the S&W Shield came out; it was the same story, fanfare and hype. You couldn’t find one, and if you did you would have to pay a premium. After about 18 months, I purchased mine and carry it to this day. It has proven to be an excellent concealed carry pistol.
Now we have a new contender; the SIG P365. I have been very impressed with it, and enjoyed shooting it. It seems almost like alchemy the way they have engineered a 10+1 9mm into those dimensions. In addition to that feat it has a good trigger, sights, and shoots well.
One thing I have to be mindful of with the Shield is that as I push the gun and start to fire quickly, there is very little perception when reaching the limits. I noticed this from the first range session with the gun. I would start ringing steel, pick up the speed, and at a point, without warning, start missing. Now, I’m not blaming the gun. It is just something I have to be keenly aware that the gun doesn’t give me distinct feedback to tell me, “Slow down, you’re about to go off the rails.”
My first range session with the P365 did not give me that issue. I drove the gun as hard as I could track the sights, and it kept hitting. This is a big deal for such a small pistol.
Why I’m NOT buying a SIG P365 anytime soon?
There have been many reports of failures in the first run of pistols. That is not acceptable. The owner of the P365 I shot, said they had noticed some reliability issues with certain ammunition. For a concealed carry gun, that is not acceptable. There are currently multiple pistols that are already readily available (i.e. – Glock 43 & Shield) that will eat any 9mm ammo you put in the magazine. That is the standard and the P365 must meet that standard.
The P365 I shot, exhibited the firing pin drag that many have noticed. Every brass casing I examined, had a drag mark and burr across the primer. This is suspected to be the reason for the the reported firing pin breaks/failures.
I only had a few malfunctions. They seemed to be induced by me bumping the slide stop.
Overall, I am very impressed with what SIG has done, but this gun is not ready for prime time in my opinion. Once they iron out the issues it will be a serious contender to be my go to concealed carry pistol. Until the issues are resolved, gaining an additional 3 rounds in a slightly smaller gun is not worth the significant risk of reliability issues we are currently seeing.
So I conclude as I started… Let the manufacture get a few thousand units out and let other people put them through the paces. Then, after the product is well tested and the issues are resolved or non-existent, purchase one.
Here are some reviews of the gun:
Video about the changes SIG had made: