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365 in .380?

17K views 117 replies 56 participants last post by  joeb427 
#1 ·
Out of curiosity, what' the likelihood of a model in .380? It would allow for a slightly easier slide manipulation and recoil provided the weight was similar for people that may need these two things.
 
#9 ·
Out of curiosity, what' the likelihood of a model in .380?
I'm going to dissent from the "Why?" crowd and instead ask, "Why not?". Sig came out with a P250 chambered in .380, after all.

IIRC Sig doesn't currently have a striker fired .380 in production. While the P238 is a fine pistol not so many folks are looking for a SAO 1911-like these days.

The P365 is an excellent gun in 9mm and I don't think it would necessarily be 'improved' if chambered in .380 but I have to think there is a segment of the gun buying population who would appreciate a pistol that isn't quite so snappy, 'effectiveness' be damned.

Long story short... Sig ought to have a compact/micro strikerfired .380 option and a P365-380 seems as good a way to get there as any.
 
#10 ·
I own a 365, a 365 XL , a 938 , a Shield EZ (in 9mm though) and a Hi Power and i have to agree,, a large portion of the current market sees any 1911 platform as something akin to DOS3. They know it existed but they are not sure why.

From purely marketing POV a 380 might appeal to a sector. Make it a cream color and Sig could sell it as a 9MM Corto Latte.
 
#12 ·
It would only have a market IF the slide was considerably easier to rack, the recoil was considerably less, and the controls like slide and mag release were easier to operate for smaller or arthritic hands. Otherwise just buy a P365 in 9mm as-is.

In other words, a pistol would have to be designed from the ground up, based around a 10 round mag that would accomplish these things. With the current glut of 380 micro pistols going for give-away prices; and SIG struggling to meet demand for the 9mm P365; I wouldn't count on SIG expending that effort any time soon.

You'll probably see new iterations of the P365 (like a LEGION P365 or color variations of P365) long before that happens. :rolleyes:
 
#16 ·
It may not far-fetched: a 380 P365 would be almost trivial:

A 0.19" plastic magazine insert along the back inside to adjust for the shorter OAL of the 380.

A shorter (front-to-back) mag follower & spring.

A lighter recoil spring.

Possibly a 0.02" longer extractor hook.

Barrel chambered to 380.

Done.
 
#17 ·
While I agree with everyone in that a 380 P365 is probably not gonna happen, I can see the lure for it. There are people out there that are older or disabled that have trouble racking a slide. I think that’s why the S&W EZ is so popular. In fact, I bought a 380 EZ performance center for my wife because she had a difficult time with racking.

For those that say a P238 covers this spectrum, with that sort of thinking, then Sig would have never made the P365 because the P938 would’ve covered that spectrum as well.

With that being said, I have little hope they would make a 380 P365, but I do think there is a market for it. The S&W EZ proves it (as long as Sig would market it in the same way).
 
#20 · (Edited)
A couple of years ago, SIG took the micro P290rs 9mm and made it also available in 380. Discontinued less than a year later. Does anyone remember it or own one?? :confused:

Yes, I think there's a market for an easy to operate SIG micro 380 striker (in addition to the P238 SAO).
But to simply make a few changes to the P365 to accept 380ACP misses the market IMHO unless it meets the following criteria:

1. Very very easy to rack the slide.
2. Have easy to operate and reachable trigger and controls for smaller or arthritic hands.
3. Have good sights and accuracy to instill user confidence.
4. Have reduced recoil but still be capable for effective self defense.

S&W has found great success with their Shield 380EZ because they made the changes necessary to accomplish the above. It really is EZ!
Anything less IMO is just another 9mm wannabe.

And we don't need another SIG that will just get discontinued within a year. :rolleyes:
 
#21 ·
If they do I'll for sure give it a look and try out if the local range gets one in their rental counter. For now, my current.380's are just fine. Of course, I do not need another .380, but what did that ever have to do with anything? Heck, I'd buy a third P238 if I could find one at a super low price.

The first .380 I bought was a Glock - first production run. That was the one with the 11 pound trigger pull, which was VERY Un-Glock like. Glock did provide replacement parts and it has a lot lighter trigger pull now, but still feels gritty and stiff compared to my SIG's. Yeah, I know: Striker vs. hammer is apples vs. oranges. But still........

The second .380 I bought was a Bersa BP380cc. NOT a Thunder! It was almost identical in size to the Shield EZ which had not been born yet. All Bersa did was to insert a shim in their 9mm magazines. And that gun had noticeably more recoil than my other .380's. It was totally reliable and non ammo picky in any way, but almost impossible to field strip and reassemble unless you had three hands. Seriously! I traded it for the Shield EZ after they had been out a short time.

My Shield EZ is a fun gun but not reliable, with its intermittent 'last round in the mag' stovepipes. AND you can't insert a loaded magazine when there is one in the chamber. To me that is definitely Not a SD or competition gun a'tall, a'tall.

When I say I would look at and rent a 365 in .380 I do mean I would not buy one unless I could do that. I had a horrible experience with a P250 in .380 and it got gone very quickly. I'm an experienced shooter and hubby even more so, but neither of us could get that little monster to hit within the 8 ring at 7 yards. Mostly it shot high and wide! To make things worse the CS rep that hubby got on the phone gave him advice that both of us KNEW was completely wrong and backwards. That is worse than pathetic!

Next, hubby just had to have a couple P320's when they came out (One .40 and one .45acp). I thought they were big, fat and ugly. He shot them quite a bit for a while and then sold both and went back to his Glocks.

Due to our limited experience with all metal SIG's vs. their plastic fantastics, I would not rush to buy a 365 in any caliber. My feeling is that SIG really knows how to make metal guns. Really, really, really!
 
#27 ·
"a solution in search of a problem"

I just purchased my first new to me 380 this year. I shot the neighbor's new Kimber and like the very soft recoil.

The 380 cost more to shoot than 9 mm. I have two P365 and if they came out with a 380 version, I may trade one of my P365s for the 380 version. Would wait a year after release plus try a friends or rent one before buying.

I still like my P938 better than my P365 and shoot the P938 a lot better than the P365. I tend to have as many perfect shots with both pistols and that says half of my P365 shots are poor at best.

The 380 version of the P365 sounds like "a solution in search of a problem".
 
#29 ·
.380 Lacks Stopping Power For Serious Social Use

I would highlight that no reasonable person would advocate a .380 caliber pistol for defense against lions, tigers and bears. Armed bad guys are at least as threatening. The .380 works at half the chamber pressure of a 9mm and is about half as effective.

Working with Chicago Police Tactical Unit In the early 90, I witnessed a gangster shot twice (by another gangster), between the eyes, in the forehead, with a .380 pistol. We were the first to arrive and the victim was in the middle of the street, lying on his back. It appears that he was somewhat incapacitated, but was fully conscious. When my partner asked him who shot him, his response was "Fxxk You". He was back selling dope in six weeks, though may have lost the capacity to do higher order math.

The facts include that this shooting turned out to be an assault rather than a murder because the assailant was armed with a .380 and not a 9mm. Think about it.

This experience tough me not to trust .380 caliber pistols for serious social use. No exit wound from a mans head, two shots between the eyes and he still hated the cop that was attempting to save his life and solve the assault.

So you know that I am not a hater, I still own two .380 caliber pistols, but I carry a P365 every day in my front pocket in a Galco PH460 / J109H. The holster was designed for Kahr PM9, but fits nicely. On heavy days I carry a P224 in .40 or P226 in 40 and think I may still have to shoot twice or more in the gravest extreme.

For some of the same reasons why a guy could think a ,380 was good for a girl, consider being a girl and fighting for your life. You will pick the 9mm.

Cheers
 
#35 ·
I would highlight that no reasonable person would advocate a .380 caliber pistol for defense against lions, tigers and bears. Armed bad guys are at least as threatening. The .380 works at half the chamber pressure of a 9mm and is about half as effective.

Working with Chicago Police Tactical Unit In the early 90, I witnessed a gangster shot twice (by another gangster), between the eyes, in the forehead, with a .380 pistol. We were the first to arrive and the victim was in the middle of the street, lying on his back. It appears that he was somewhat incapacitated, but was fully conscious. When my partner asked him who shot him, his response was "Fxxk You". He was back selling dope in six weeks, though may have lost the capacity to do higher order math.

The facts include that this shooting turned out to be an assault rather than a murder because the assailant was armed with a .380 and not a 9mm. Think about it.

This experience tough me not to trust .380 caliber pistols for serious social use. No exit wound from a mans head, two shots between the eyes and he still hated the cop that was attempting to save his life and solve the assault.

So you know that I am not a hater, I still own two .380 caliber pistols, but I carry a P365 every day in my front pocket in a Galco PH460 / J109H. The holster was designed for Kahr PM9, but fits nicely. On heavy days I carry a P224 in .40 or P226 in 40 and think I may still have to shoot twice or more in the gravest extreme.

For some of the same reasons why a guy could think a ,380 was good for a girl, consider being a girl and fighting for your life. You will pick the 9mm.

Cheers
Cool story! I think it's a story that defines the .380's capability. I've always understood the .380 to be a "Get Off Me!" gun. (We are taught, at least I was anyway, that when in a confrontation our objective is to STOP the threat, not to KILL the assailant. To go forth with that mindset could be construed as premeditated murder.) It appears in this case that the .380 did exactly that, knocked the bad guy down and stopped the threat.

I have a P365XL that is now my primary EDC. My wife purchased a Kimber Micro .380 as her primary for its size and easy slide manipulation. While I prefer the fit and feel of my 365 in my hands, there are occaisons when dress will not allow it to be carried comfortably. I find myself gravitating towards the Kimber Micro. I must admit that my 70 year old arthritic hands find the lighter slide somewhat appealing. If a P365 were to come out in .380 I'd snatch it up in a New York minute.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I personally have no issue racking any slides, but I can understand for some people with limited hand strength or a handicap a key motivator for going to a 380 vs 9mm might be "The slide is easier to rack".

So, I'm wondering if anyone has tried Slide Spider by Arachnigrip on the P365; and if they make the slide that much easier to operate?
 
#31 ·
I have asked this question before and the consistent answer I got back was there was not enough demand to do a striker fired 380. I agree that the novel idea on the 365 in 9mm is an awesome gun (I do have one). I got it for my other half, but even with the 365, she has a hard time racking it due to her hands. Would a 380 be better due to the lighter recoil spring? I am not sure. I wanted to get her a shield EZ because of the lighter spring, but it is a lot bigger than the 365.

I still have to ask. Is sig missing a segment of people not having a striker 380 pistol?
 
#33 ·
Yes, probably.
But my point earlier post was that unless SIG is willing to make a pistol dedicated to address that market that wants a significantly easier to rack slide, slightly shorter frame that would fit a shorter 10 round 380 mag, with significantly less felt recoil.... they would simply have a lame duck 9mm wannabe.

However, IF SIG made a dedicated P365EZ.....
A shorter 380 mag, slightly shorter grip frame to fit, barrel with shorter 380 chamber, lighter weight slide, lighter recoil spring, and possibly a recoil buffer so the recoil spring could be even lighter without beating the frame to death. Not really hard for SIG to do if they wanted to.
THEN it would be a dedicated 365EZ.
And I'll bet very popular too. :D
 
#32 ·
A local shop has double the number of folks waiting on an EZ .380 than the 365. I'm not saying the EZ is a better overall quality firearm, just that the features are more desirable. I'm not "someone" in the know but when the 365 came out, I was wondering the same thing.

I don't mean 2 people vs. 1, I'm talking dozens. Any decent firearm today intended for carry is in great demand.
 
#34 ·
I’m going slightly off topic here but......
Everyone is talking about easier to rack, grip strength, etc. What about Beretta’s tip up barrel system? Never owned one, but always thought it made sense. Easier loading, doesn’t beat up the extractor, etc. Thoughts?
Back to 365-9mm Short. Companies are always trying to expand their market. Some thing work, others don’t. That’s the market. It seems to me that SIG is running flat out trying to meet current demand. If true, nothing new soon.
I don’t think the 365 is the right platform for .40 or .357Sig (and I love both cal.) but I would love to be proven wrong. .380 would definitely work but no idea if it’s a good idea or not.
 
#39 ·
I’ve said it before and I will say it again; Sig should make the P365 in .380.

It may not be a gun for me. It also may not be a gun for you if you’re in the “why” crowd. But I’d bet that quite a few folks would be interested. Does Glock still sell the 42? Yes. Did S&W see a market for the EZ? Yep. Ruger felt it was worth a revision of the LCP, correct? Did Walther make the CCP in .380 recently? Also true. Just because you or I may not have a desire does not mean there is no market. And it’s not like Sig doesn’t like to make different flavors.

And sorry, using the P250 and P290 examples of why a P365 in .380 wouldn’t fly doesn’t hold up to real scrutiny. Are those seriously pistols that ever enjoyed any real popularity? As far as the .380 round being inadequate; people survive handgun rounds of all calibers all the time. Is it great, no. But apparently a lot of people realize that it is better than the unarmed alternative.

A P365 is already basically the same size as a G42. Cut a few ounces out of the slide, lighten the recoil spring a bit, and mod the mags to account for the OAL of the shorter round. Doesn’t seem like a hard job for the company that came up with the P365 design in the first place. Perhaps it can take the place of the SAS when it gets discontinued.
 
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