The Sig Sauer P365 started the micro-compact genre of handguns, and when it comes to concealed carry, the P365 is an absolute titan. Built around its revolutionary 10-round magazine that fits in a one-inch thick grip, it ended the dominance of the single-stack carry gun.
Though Glock had the Glock 42 and 43 when the P365 came out in 2018, they were now eclipsed by the P365. Other companies worked diligently to clone the P365 in one way or another, but Glock took a different route and unveiled the Glock 48 and Glock 43X.
These new guns kept the single stack magazines, but they upped the capacity to 10 rounds while remaining fairly compact and easy to conceal.
The Glock 43X and Glock 48 series are very different guns. The smaller Glock 43X tends to align more with the P365, and the Glock 48 tends to align more with the P365XL or even the Macro series.
Today, we are looking at the differences between the P365 and the Glock 43X for concealed carry.
Why compare these two?
Comparing two random guns against each other has always seemed silly to me. I think a good explanation is needed, to understand why these guns are competitors.
As mentioned, the Glock 43X and P365 are fairly close in size and competing for the same market. Both made it a point to hold ten rounds of 9mm in a flush-fitting magazine, and both have optics-ready options.
The Sig P365 and Glock 43X are widely recognized as top-tier concealed carry options. The guns have a lot in common, offering slim and lightweight 9mm options for concealed carry. While they aren’t pocket pistols, they are still much smaller and thinner than your typical compact or subcompact pistol, and they’re both vying for a spot in your Schema or Species IWB holster.
Today, we will focus on the differences that make these guns unique and analyze each gun in depth.
Magazine Capacity
Admittedly, the P365 set the standard at 10 rounds in a flush-fitting magazine. SIG used an odd hybrid of single-stack and double-stack magazines to make a very efficient magazine design. Glock went with the tried and true single-stack design.
While both guns hold the same amount of ammo in their flush-fitting magazines, the SIG is more efficient in its design. It’s a shorter magazine.
In fact, the P365 12-round magazine is the same length as the Glock ten-round magazine.
With subcompact guns, magazine capacity should be compared to grip width. The SIG P365 is one inch wide at the grip, and the Glock 43X is 1.02 inches wide. That’s not a significant difference by any means, but it does show the efficiency of the SIG magazine design.
Modularity
SIG went hard into the idea of a removable Fire Control Unit (FCU) with the P250, then the P320, and finally the P365. This is essentially a chassis that contains the fire control parts and is removable from the frame.
The FCU is the actual firearm portion of the gun that’s serialized. This allows the P365 to easily swap frames, slides, and even calibers to a small extent with the .380 ACP variant of the P365. You’ll notice my P365 is wearing a Wilson Combat grip module.
The P365 also has a great aftermarket for triggers, sights, magazine releases, aftermarket magazine upgrades, and more.
I say all that to say that the P365 offers you more modularity than the Glock 43X. With the Glock 43X, you can remove the Glock 43 slide and drop a Glock 48 slide onto the gun to change things up a bit. You can also swap triggers, magazine releases, sights, and similar small upgrades.
Both guns are modular to a degree, but the P365 offers greater modularity overall.
Accuracy
There is a lot to be said about the accuracy of small handguns. To be clear, the Sig P365 and Glock 43X are both going to be more accurate than the shooter behind them. These guns can be accurate enough to engage targets at 25 yards. Mechanically, there isn’t any real difference between them.
The only major difference I’ve observed is that the P365’s all-metal, high-visibility sights are easier to use and overall tougher than Glock’s famed and much-maligned polymer iron sights.
Ergonomics
Ergonomically, both are small guns and — at the range — perform like small guns. The recoil is just barely enough to be called snappy. Both guns are fairly easy to control and shoot rapidly. You might not set world records with your Bill drill, but you can reach a respectable enough time to post on the ‘gram.
In terms of controls, the guns are similar. Both use reversible magazine releases and tiny little slide locks. The magazine releases are easy to reach with a quick shift of the thumb, and I constantly pin down the slide lock of both guns with a thumb’s forward grip. Neither is mind-blowing, but they both work.
I do have some nitpicks and complaints with each gun.
Grips
The Glock 43X features a slightly longer grip to accommodate the slightly longer magazine. This grip fits my whole hand and doesn’t leave a pinky hanging. The longer grip also allows the magazine to always drop freely without me having to shift my hand.
With the SIG, I have a hanging pinky with the flush-fitting magazine and need to add a magazine extension to have a grip that fully fits my hand.
Also, with the P365, my finger and palm lock the magazine in place, so I have to release most of my grip to get it to drop free. That slightly longer grip on the G43X just works better for me.
Slide Bite
My nitpick with the Glock 43X comes down to its firing ergonomics. The slide inevitably bites the web of my hand. Lots of Glocks do this to me, and maybe we just don’t get along. It gets bad enough that it can draw blood after enough shooting.
Reliability
While I have more rounds down the SIG P365 than the Glock 43X, I’m confident in saying both guns are highly reliable. They come from reputable companies, and both have an established track record of success.
I haven’t seen a difference in reliability between the two and doubt that one works much better than the other.
Top-Tier Micro-Compacts
Glock has a culture of setting the standard rather than following what’s popular. Maybe that’s why their response to the P365 was significantly different than what we saw from the rest of the industry.
SIG certainly set a new standard with the P365, and Glock followed it up with two handguns with unique features and designs. Although the Glock 43X and SIG P365 share similarities, they possess enough differences to be considered distinct.
The Glock 43X and SIG P365 are both winners and will serve you well. If you are having trouble picking one, do what I did and get both!
