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Sig P365 vs. Glock 43X Which do I like better?

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Well, ya'll probably already knew, or at least, saw it coming; and asked yourself the question, how long will it be, before @OkieStubble picks up a Glock 43X to challenge his Sig P365?

I have to admit, even to my surprise, I lasted 2 months short of a year carrying my first Sig Sauer ever purchased, before picking up my 6th model of Glock.

Even though my reputation around here as a Glock fanboy, (no fault of my own :) ) I really do like all manner of brands of pistols and have literally shot, many, many thousands of rounds thru Glocks, Sigs, HK's, S&W's and many others not listed, that are not as main stream as the ones I just mentioned. While I enjoy classic and modern semi auto pistols and revolvers just like many others here, I admit my personal "niche" or knowledge or expertise? Definitely surrounds modern semi auto combat pistols.

It's just what I happen to be good at; and people like what their good at, right? Well, as my Father always used to say God rest his soul; "two biggest bullies on the block, sooner or later, they is gonna fight. And that time has finally come. :)

I have owned the P365 since last July and have put, somewhere around 2,500 rounds thru it. Absolutely love everything about it. Which is something amazing, because while I have shot lots of ammo thru many different models of Sig Sauer, over the span of many years, 226, 225, 228, 230, 238, 239, 220, 938, 320, 320 compact, 320 xcarry and even the 250,

I just never cared for how most models of Sigs fit in my hands or the high slide and far forward bore axis, heavy first trigger pull and a host of other just little picky things, that just wouldn't ever let me choose a Sig over Glock. Until the Sig P365.

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I had purchased my wife a Glock 43 several years back, trying to get her for the most part, to carry a bigger caliber over her .380 Ruger LCP II. And while she does take it on business trips or if we are out in the north 40 somewhere Overlanding in my Jeep, or while she 's at work in the colder months where she can holster it OWB under a jacket, she still pretty much gravitates towards her LCP II. She does like to go out to the range and train and put her G43 thru it's paces, but I have accepted the realization that she will be carrying the smaller .380, 75% of the time. Better then nothing, so I'm still thankful. :)

I like her Glock 43, but 6 rounds in a semi auto, to me anyway, seems to shoot faster and empty quicker than a 6 shot revolver. To me anyway. :) Then the Sig P365 hit the market. The P365 had alot of trouble when it first came out back in 2017, mostly, because while Sig knew they had a game changer, with their patented, new magazine, which allowed their tiny P365 the capability of holding 12 rounds, their excitement at the possibility of what they had, tempted them to push it into production and sales a little bit too quickly.

This hurt their very pristine reputation for dependability and quality control. Everything I read about the P365 excited me, so I patiently waited and stayed in touch from afar, while reading and paying attention to whatever news came out about it. Finally, I heard the bugs were worked out and picked up my new Sig P365 in the middle of July 2018. while no torture testing took place and I tried to shoot it for what it was designed for which was self defense. I didn't try and run it excessively hard like a go to war pistol, of which many who I witnessed that did, then turned around and made youtube videos, whining about how much it sucked and they were never getting another Sig of any kind ever again!

Kind of ironic in the fact, that many of those was mostly Sig people and they never favored Glock, but then turn around and ran to Glock for their small carry needs. Yet here I was a forever Glock fanboy, who never liked Sig, buying my first Sig and proving to the babies, that true "brand loyalty" should have more patience when their long time faithful and dependable brand puts out something new and has to take a few baby steps to get it up and running the way they intended. So while I didn't try to break my new Sig just to "prove it's not as good as my beloved Glock", (those are homers, not fanboys.) :) I did however, run it dirty without cleaning or lubrication, right out of the box for 800 rounds. Then cleaned it and ran it for another 1000 rounds before cleaning it again.

For a small self defense pistol that shouldn't be considered a combat firearm? I quickly put over 2,500 rounds to date thru it, without a SINGLE hiccup. Does this make me a Sig fanboy now? :)

Well, I have now put an initial 500 rounds thru the Glock 43X and my thoughts and comparisons to the Sig P365 are forth coming for what that's worth. I know that won't buy me a cup of coffee at 7-11, but hope someone at least finds it, informational or entertaining. :)
 
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OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Went to the local gun store Thursday to get my wife a new gun purse. I never encourage her to carry in the purse which has a hidden rear compartment in the back for a holster and quick draw and she never carries it there, but always carries it on her person. But the gun pocket in the purse is a great place for her to store her pistol, when she's not wearing it. It even has a lock for the zipper on the gun pocket to keep it secure with a key.

While we were there, I was looking at the new guns of course, and asked to handle a Glock 43X that was in a display case that was reserved for LE purchases. Felt really good in my hand. The display case had two different G43X's, one with stock Glock sights and one with AmeriGlo night sights. I thought to myself the sights looked alot like the X-Ray sights on my Sig P365, except the 365 had a green front post and the AmeriGlo was a orange front post.

The clerk said the 43 with regular sights was $385 and the 43 with the Ameriglo's was $465. I walked out the door with the 43X sporting the Ameriglo's and a separate 3rd magazine to go with the two that comes with it, for just over $500. Went straight to the gun range and shot 250 rounds of 124 grain Blazer Brass.

Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's probably a duck. And true to it's nature, the G43X shot like a Glock, was very accurate like a Glock and ate everything I fed it, reliably chugging away without the faintest hiccup or complaint. Just like a Glock.

Took it home Thursday, then took it to work Saturday and put another 250 rounds of Speer lawman 147 grain thru it on steel silhouette's at the department range. I was hitting the steel with speed, shooting multiple's and making them ring and sing out as fast as I could pull the trigger. I gave it it's first cleaning and believe I have a good feel of the G43X and the Sig P365 to offer up my thought's and comparisons between the two.

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OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Comparisons: Both are small, both are thin, both have adequate magazine capacities for their size, even though, the Sig's P365 still beats out the Glock 43x by two rounds in it's 12 round magazine's to the g43X's 10 round magazine and yet the P365 still manages to be shorter overall in length and height than the G43X.

Specs on both say, the 365 comes in at only an inch in width and the G43X is 1.10 inches, which is weird, because the G43X feels thinner to me. The 365 is the heavier gun empty between the two, coming in at 17.8 ounces empty while the G43X is only 16.40 in weight. The P365 actually feels heavier also, especially when loaded with 12 rounds over the G43X's 10 rounds.

In shooting both pistols, I actually think the extra weight of the Sig dampens felt recoil better then the Glock. However, the longer slide and barrel of the Glock tames muzzle flip better than the Sig. Also to my surprise, Both pistols gave me the same accuracy. While the Glock's trigger break and reset were outstanding and there was less experienced mushiness in the take up compared to all the other Glocks I have experienced, The Sig's was still better.

While I thought this better trigger of the 365 would beat out the Glock in accuracy, it didn't, because what little the Glock lacks in quality of trigger, compared to the 365, it made up for it with a longer sight radius and barrel, so accuracy on both was not only very good for smaller pistols, I could never get one or the other, to out shine the other. Because Ameriglo's came with the purchase of the G43X, It compares with the P365's awesome X-Ray sights. One is just green and the other orange. Both work fantastic picking up the front sight in the daytime.

I would love nothing more to say; Glock is more accurate then Sig. But it just didn't happen. I could keep all shots from both pistols, easily within the 8 ring on a B27 at 25 yards. Who is ever going to use these two at 25 yards unless absolutely necessary? I'm not, I would be calling the police. :)

Even of their small size,I still felt like I could run a combat course with both. they just feel bigger in the hand and you can feel the quality of both in your hand.

Contrasts: Not too many contrasts between the two that I can think of. I know The Sig 365 has a stainless steel barrel and slide under their Nitron finish, while the Glock 43x is just some kind of carbon steel with a nPVD finish. This is probably the only contrast i would worry about. Sig Sauer tried just a PVD finish on their Legion series and received a lot of complaints from Legion owners, who were saying their finishes were flaking off and or rusting under the finish.

In contrast, the G43X's silver finish, isn't just a PVD like sig's legion series, but instead Glock used a nPVD which was a Nitrite process, that not only helps harden the PVD finish, but also bonds and impregnates the finish into the steel of the Glock's barrel and slide. I don't know how that's going to pan out, but I will be watching for any flaking or rusting and if I see any, off it goes to Robar for their NP3 Plus finish in black. Even if it doesn't rust or flake, I don't know how long I can put up with a silver finished slide. :) It will have to grow on me or something.

Pro's and Con's of both pistols:

I like the P365's short barrel. While both are capable of AIWB carry, the Sig's overall shortness is the winner for that particular carry position. I rarely carry AIWB, but it does happen occasionally.

However, the Sig's P365 weird position and angle of it's magazine release button, along with it's short grip, doesn't allow a empty magazine to free fall from the gun during a speed reload. the magazine end cap always hits the heel of the hand during a mag button press and stops the mag from falling. The magazine actually has to be stripped from the hand with the support hand first and then the support hand can reach for a replacement mag and reload.

The Glock's 43X grip length and magazine release button angle, allows an unrestricted free fall of an empty magazine without any help from the support hand, leaving the support hand free to reach for a fresh mag while the empty is falling free. None of this might matter in a typical self defense scenario, but who plans and prepares for the typical? I don't. this could save valuable seconds in a gunfight.

The new G 43X has a bit different design for it's extractor and ejector. won't even be noticed by looking at the external portion of the pistol. But, when you are looking to unload the 43X to put it up or clean it? You drop the full magazine and then when you try to gently pull the slide back to extract the live round from the chamber, the round will stay in the chamber even when the slide is pulled all the way to the rear.

when the slide is allowed to then come forward, the round will stay inside the slide and re-chamber when the slide is released. If one doesn't try and notice the round falling on the bed or table or wherever you are unloading, might not be good if the trigger is pulled. Glock says the new design dictates to the user that the slide MUST be pulled to the rear forcefully and completely to sufficiently eject the chambered round. So Glock designed it to do that?

not bad I guess, just different. But why? If a new owner of the newer design of the 43X and 48X isn't aware of this? and they are used to their older Glocks and being able to easily eject their rounds from the chambers with hardly no force? I kept trying to turn it upside down and slowly pull the slide to where the round just gently falls into my hand. I've done this for years with every Glock own. Not anymore, at least not with one that has an X in it's name. :)

I need to get more time with the G43X under my belt, before making any kind of decision like which will become my permanent off duty EDC. While i am still very much enamored by my Sig P365, I must admit shooting the Glock 43X at speed, just felt like home. I mean, what would be the reason to keep both? :)
 
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nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
@OkieStubble , great review and comparison. Very informative if one was on the fence about buying one or the other.

But I really don't understand this strange concept of "..what would be the reason to keep both?"
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I don't understand why get rid of one...

Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk

If one of your EDC’s is your favorite. It’s the one that feels the best to you, it’s the one that carries the best, shoots the best, is the most comfortable. Why keep the other?
 
Because I already own it.

I'm a packrat and not the best example.

Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk
 

jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
If one of your EDC’s is your favorite. It’s the one that feels the best to you, it’s the one that carries the best, shoots the best, is the most comfortable. Why keep the other?
Times, tastes and situations change.

If it ain't eatin', don't take up much space, ain't gotta pay taxes on it, buy it new clothes twice a year or send it to college why not give it a home?
 
I agree - Nice write up! Hard choice!

I’ve become a Glock single stack guy for carry myself. I have my backup or deep concealment 42 that I usually pack in a shoulder holster. My ported and red doted 43 which I edc. And my 48 which is very quickly becoming a “fan favorite.” It’s fast and accurate. I really like it, but the investment I have in my 43 sees me pack it more often. I really like the red dot, and I’m fast with it and it’s porting.

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But the stock 48 just feels - right! And is pretty darn fast too! I might have to give it the same attention (red dot - porting maybe). If I do, the 43 is going to be lonely I think lol!


I like the 365. I do. And if that’s your “one” - I dig it! But I love that aside from mags, my little 3 gun system here does everything I need it to, and even lets me interchange parts. If Walther made something as small as the 365 or 42, I’d reconsider.

Again, great write-up/insight.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
Just like I will never part with my PM9 even though I love the P365, or my J frame for that matter. Different situations favors one or the other from time to time.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Times, tastes and situations change.

If it ain't eatin', don't take up much space, ain't gotta pay taxes on it, buy it new clothes twice a year or send it to college why not give it a home?

This actually made A lot of sense. :)
 
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