Editor’s Note: For more than six decades, Safariland has been making duty holsters designed for use by working professionals. In this time, a cottage industry has emerged to modify these designs. Companies like RDR Gear and OT Defense exist to modify Safariland designs.
Any modification to a Safariland holster may compromise the retention and integrity of the design. Such modifications void Safariland’s warranty protections and should never be used on duty or where the highest levels of holster security are expected.
The Kiral Defence 6511x is an odd beast. This heavy brass sleeve slips onto the grip of the larger Sig P365 guns. The over-grip is designed for the XMACRO, FUSE, and TACOPS. I’ve got it on the P365 FUSE. It is a natural fit for the largest version of the P365 family and has made for a completely different shooting experience.
Why would you want a fat brass grip over the plastic grip of the stock FUSE? It isn’t to make it more concealable. Weighing down the grip changes the balance of the gun. Muzzle flip is significantly easier to control, allowing for faster follow-up shots. For competition or just all-around improved performance, this grip is a great addition.
But there’s a catch. Adding a giant grip on your grip means you may have trouble holstering the gun. There’s a fix.
Holstering Custom Guns
No holster company makes a fit for every gun. And once you begin adding compensators or cutting new slide serrations, you can end up with a one-off gun that requires a custom holster.
Kiral Defense’s 6511X frame isn’t a permanent modification to the gun, and it doesn’t change anything on the slide or frame, aside from the grip. But the larger grip requires a larger holster, or at least a holster with a little bit more room up top.
Before diving into how the 6511X transforms the gun, why is the SIG P365 a good foundation?
The SIG P365 FUSE
The P365 put SIG on the concealed carry map. The smallest P365 is a very concealable micro-compact handgun that gave SIG fans a solid and comfortable option for carry. But there was a substantial gap in size when comparing the micro-compact P365 to the P229 and M18, SIG’s previous answers to concealed carry of the P226 and P320, respectively. That gap left something to be desired in the balance between concealability, comfort, and capacity.
Instead of making their big guns smaller, SIG has gradually sized up the P365 design into the X, XL, XMACRO, and the P365-FUSE.
P365 guns may have been designed for EDC, but these guns are showing up in competitions, too. If you want to compete with the same gun you carry, then the P365 FUSE is a solid choice. If you want a larger range gun with the same controls as your micro-compact EDC gun, then the FUSE is a good choice, too.
Areas Where the Fuse Falls Short
A P365 sacrifices size and weight for its ability to be concealed. Size and weight help manage recoil. Plastic grips get slippery when your hands are wet or sweaty. If you want a P365 to be easier to shoot, there are options. Sig’s Legion grips help cover some of the issues common to all guns with plastic grips. Legion frames are aluminum, but they are about the size and shape of the plastic frames.
Adding the heavy brass frame of the 6511X makes it even better. Sig’s grip texture on the plastic is better than most. Their aluminum frames feel good in the hand. A 6511X blows that up, and the addition of grip tape makes the texture even better.
Kiral Defense 6511X Brass Widebody Grip Sleeve
Solid Brass Design
A 6511X adds 11.5 oz., bringing the total weight of an empty Fuse to more than 34 ounces.
What it adds in width and weight, it sheds in recoil; it’s flat-shooting and extremely controllable. Kiral wraps the grip in a silicon carbide tape.
The brass widens its grip to 1.3”. While this doesn’t seem like much, this width is measured side-to-side. There’s more front-to-back, too. A 6511X feels more like a 2011 grip size than a P365.
At the top of the grip sleeve are foam rests that you can anchor a thumb on. This adds leverage to the increased weight, allowing another element of control.
Installation and Fit
Installing the grip is simple. Slide off the stock backstrap from the Fuse and slide the grip sleeve up the spine of the grip. Once it is seated, pin it in place.
Kiral Defense has designed the 6511X to fit factory SIG Sauer P365-XMACRO, TACOPS, and FUSE plastic grips. It does not fit the AXG Legion or any other P365 grip (like the X or XL).
Holster Compatibility with the Sig P365 Fuse–Making the Safariland Gravity Holster Work
The Safariland Gravity is a simple friction-fit OWB holster. It isn’t light compatible, but it has a deep cut for optics that makes drawing fast (as you can sweep directly to the target without an exaggerated draw to clear the holster).
These lightweight, open-topped builds are designed for the P365 guns, including the FUSE. Its low-cut sides and adjustable tension make it fast and practical for both training and everyday carry, if you carry outside the waistband.
But the 6511X’s width hits the size of the holster. With a minor modification, though, you can seat the gun with a secure fit. In my first-hand testing, I found the solution straightforward:
Safety Disclaimers: I have to talk a bit about risk, here–to you and to the holster. Remove the pistol from the holster before you begin cutting on the holster. Make sure it is unloaded and keep it close.
Knives are sharp. Fire is hot. Only slightly less obvious is that once you cut something off, like the Boltaron of a Gravity holster, it is almost impossible to put it back on. Go slow.
As is true of any DIY project, there are way too many ways to screw this up. The Gravity covers the trigger guard of the FUSE very well. Don’t cut into this area and expose the trigger.
Simple Boltaron Trimming
Carefully trim a small amount of material from the inner edges of the holster’s grip area–roughly 1/8” to 1/2” per side, depending on the arc of the Boltaron. Use a sharp utility knife to score the plastic and a pair of pliers to bend the plastic down as you cut through. Make multiple passes on the same line to cut through.
Or use a Dremel with a sanding drum or cut-off wheel, or both. A cut-off wheel is ideal, but I still cut through the Cordura wrap with a sharp knife. It makes a cleaner cut.
Hit the edges with a flame from a lighter in sweeping motions to smooth over any burs or rough patches. Sandpaper works, too (like 220 grit).
Process Tips: Mark the contact points with chalk or pencil so you can clean any marks up later. Trim in small bits, and test fit repeatedly.
Holster Fit and Draw: After modification, the passive detent still works as it did before. The draw remains quick and consistent, with no loss in security.
Final Thoughts – Is the KiralDefense 6511X Worth It for Your P365 Fuse?
Kiral Defense’s 6511X isn’t for everyone. There’s nothing subtle about it, either. Shooting with the grip, though, makes the gun much easier to control. The weight of the brass, especially in the flared magwell, makes it top-heavy in a holster. The added size means that it prints easily, pretty much regardless of where you choose to carry it. It loses the advantages of a stock FUSE for concealment and delivers a completely different set of strengths than what you’d be looking for in a duty pistol.
That isn’t the point of the Kiral Defense. What it does deliver is a way to easily convert a superb carry pistol into a surprisingly capable competition gun.
And the best part is that this modification is easily removed. You can put it on just for a competition or a range session, and pop the pin and remove it if you want to run the FUSE as an IWB EDC gun. The whole changeover might take a whole minute, if you have the punch ready to pop the one pin that secures it.
The DIY mod to the Gravity, though, is permanent. There’s good news, here, too. A stock P365 FUSE will still fit in the modified holster. The sweat guards will be shorter, but the fit is just as effective.
A 6511X sells for $299 when it is on sale. For that price, you get a solid upgrade without the expense of a new gun.
