Sig P365 X Macro Review

This Sig P365 X Macro Review is covering Sig’s X Macro Series. At introduction the gun offered 17 rounds in a flush fit magazine. This is the smallest gun that holds 17 rounds with a standard magazine.

The original Sig P365 X Macro was introduced with a ported slide and shorter barrel. So effectively the gun had a compensator built into the slide. 

A compensator in theory acts like a muzzle brake on a rifle and directs the glasses leaving the gun in a way that makes the gun more controllable.

This feature was originally released on the Sig P365XL Spectre Comp. It took the market by storm offering some advantages over normal compensators.

Sig then released the Sig P365X Macro Tac Ops which did not feature the built in compensator but had the advantage of the longer barrel.

What Is The Gun Used For?

Most people will look at this gun for concealed carry but it can easily be used for home defense, plinking or even duty.

This gun is large enough to give most people a full size grip. Whether you have small hands or large hands you’ll likely be able to use this gun effectively. It’s a good jack of all trades master at none size.

Is the Gun Unique

Holding 17 rounds in a gun this skinny is unique. The built-in compensator is also unique.

So I guess you can say Tac Ops or standard P365x Macro and the compensated version are both unique.

Compensator

Sig’s compensator design is unique and has a couple of advantages.

Most compensators attach to the barrel of the gun. They’re usually attached to threaded barrels by being torqued onto the barrel’s threads or with set screws.

These methods semi permanently mount the compensator to the barrel. 

On most semi automatic pistols this will capture the slide between the barrel and the compensator. So when you’re cleaning the gun you can’t easily remove the barrel from the slide. 

This does make cleaning the gun more difficult.

Sig’s compensator that is built into the slide allows you to take the barrel out the gun as normally do. So cleaning the compensator/slide and barrel is much easier than on other guns.

I couldn’t write this Sig P365 X Macro Review without comparing it to the competition.

The Shadow Systems CR920P, Hellcat RDP and FN 509 CC edge all have quick detach systems. These are easier to use than the torqued or set screw versions but still more difficult to clean than the Sig Macro Comp.

Another upside is reliability. I’ve got multiple guns with compensators and a common issue is they require hotter ammo to be reliable.

In my experience and the experience of multiple friends and colleagues who purchased Sig P365X Macros with their own money these guns run great with standard pressure 115 grain range ammo without issue.

This ammo is the most affordable and the most common. It’s a major advantage for the Macro compensator.

The downside is this style of compensator isn’t as effective as well designed true compensators that are attached to the barrel. 

You’ll have to decide for yourself if performance or reliability with a wider range of ammo is more important for you. 

Think of it like a car that runs off premium vs regular gas. 

How Does It Conceal?

The Macro is really impressive for its size. But if you’re looking for the smallest gun to conceal then you should look for other options.

Options like the Sig P365XL, Glock 43x and Hellcat/Hellcat Pro.

Having the right Sig P365X Macro holster does help.

Features like a concealment wing definitely help but the gun still have some challenges.

While the Sig P365 X macro is thin overall it has a big flaw when it comes to concealment. The slide and most of the grip are very thin for the size of the gun.

Unfortunately the magazine baseplate is pretty wide.

The most likely part of the gun to print is the bottom of the grip. If you compare the baseplate to the width of a glock 19 grip it’s very close.

So the macro conceals more similarly to the Glock 19, Smith and Wesson M&P Compact and other more traditional double stack compact handguns. 

That said you get an extra 2 rounds over the other guns and the Sig P365X Macro weighs less.

I had to be honest in this Sig P365 X Macro review on this issue. Especially as a holster company that specializes in concealed carry holsters.

When carrying the gun for this Sig P365X Macro review the molding line between the grip and the removable backstrap caused discomfort. 

This happened with both of my guns but one gun wasn’t as bad. This didn’t happen with any other my other Sig P365s. 

It’s purely an issue with the removable backstrap. 

I suspect it doesn’t affect all Macro frames and it’s related to the number of times the mold was used.

An easy fix is to wrap the grip in goon tape.

Are The Ergonomics Good?

One of my big complaints of the Sig P365XL is the grip was extremely small. The distance from the front strap to the back strap is really short on the P365. This is something Sig addressed on the Sig P365X Macro. 

It feels like a thin full sized handgun. Reading this Sig P365X Macro Review, don’t get the wrong idea when I say this. 

It’s similar to a full size 1911 with thin grips. It feels nothing like a 1911 but it gives you the similar sensation because it’s clearly a full size gun but thin for its size.

The Sig P365 X Marco’s full size grip and distance from the front strap to the backstrap really help you get control.

Backstraps

Unlike the other P365 series guns the Macro guns have removable backstraps. So you can replace the backstrap with the large or small if the medium doesn’t work for you.

As I mentioned before in the concealment portion the molding line for the replaceable backstrap on both of my Sig P365 X Macros can cause discomfort when carrying.

I think this is an issue related to manufacturing and the specific wear on the molds used to make the frame.

If your frame has this issue you might want to file it down or wrap the frame in Goon Tape.

Beavertail 

There is a beavertail on the Sig P365X Macro. So you don’t have to worry about slide bite. 

Beavertails are often sharp at the end and can poke your stomach when you’re carrying the gun appendix. This can become painful over time.

Sig rounded the beavertail on the Sig P365X Macro so this isn’t a conceal.

Texturing

The texturing feels like 600 grit sandpaper just like the rest of the Sig P365 guns, the Taurus GX4, Springfield Hellcat and a lot of other guns on the market.

General feel

Writing this Sig P365X Macro review I can say with confidence the feel and ergonomics are great for most users. If you have massive or super tiny hands you might need a larger or smaller gun. 

If you’re hands are anywhere in the middle then this gun should work great for you.

Is the gun easy to load and unload?

For the size of the Sig P365X Macro the gun is fairly easy to load and unload. It definitely requires correct technique.

Serrations

The serrations are similar to the rest of the Sig P365 series. They’re effective but not overly sharp. 

The matt finish on P365X Macro is not slick at all which also helps when manipulating the slide.

Are the Controls Good?

This is somewhat of a loaded question. While writing this Sig P365 X Macro review I want to give everyone the correct information.

Controls depend on your hand size and what you expect. If you’re expecting competition style controls then this isn’t’ the gun for you. But for a carry gun it does pretty good for most people.

Thumb Safety

You can get the Sig P365X Macro with a thumb safety. It’s ambi and low profile. It’s positioned in a good place with people with all hand sizes to manipulate it easily.

Mag Release

Despite the larger grip the magazine release is easy for me to reach for people with medium to extra large hands. 

If your hand fall outside of that range you’ll probably need to break your grip.

The X Macro magazine release is not ambi but it is reversible. All you need is a small allen key to reverse it. It’s easy to do with the right allen key or a thin punch. 

Slide Stop

The slide stop does sit pretty far forward. If your hands are large or larger it’ll be easy to reach. If you’ve got medium or smaller hands you’ll need to break your grip to reach it. 

Unfortunately it’s not ambidextrous.

I really wish they had made it ambi. While it would technically make the gun wider it wouldn’t affect concealment in any noticeable way.

Magwell

The built in magwell is very well done. It’s nice and chamfered on all sides. For the width of the gun it’s surprisingly good.

Tac Ops Magwell

This magwell is huge! It works great for reloading but it makes the gun a lot harder to conceal.

Are The Overall Ergonomics Good?

Writing this Sig P365X Macro review I can say with confidence that the overall ergonomics and controls are very good. 

I do wish the slide stop was a little further back as it would make the gun a little easier to shoot.

If they had done that I would rate the slide stop as excellent as it would work with a wider variety of hands.

Does it have a good Trigger?

Everyone has their own opinion on triggers. What is a good trigger? At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference.

In my opinion the Sig P365 X Macro has a duty grade trigger that is sufficient.

How Does the X Macro Trigger Feel?

The X Macro guns ship with a flat trigger. This comes down to personal preference but I really like it.

Like most striker fired triggers you’ve got significant takeup. 

Once you get through the takeup it turns to light creep before you roll through the final break. 

There isn’t a noticeable wall but you can feel the point right before the break. Something changes but I don’t know how to describe it. 

This is definitely more of a rolling trigger.

Sig Sauer P365 X Macro Review Reset

The trigger positively resets right before the creep. For a rolling trigger the reset is surprisingly forceful. 

How Does It Look?

In my opinion the gun isn’t as attractive as the Sig P365. It’s just not as proportional. But it shoots and feels a lot better. I wish the front of the frame was a little larger. The slide also looks small on this gun.

But it’s not that bad. This Sig P365 X Macro Review realyl isn’t about looks though.

The Macro isn’t a safe queen or a collectors piece so it really doesn’t matter.

Are The Sights Any Good?

Sights always come down to personal preference. The X Macro uses a standard sig cut so there are a ton of aftermarket iron sights out there.

They also come cut for a red dot.

Irons/Dot

The stock iron sights aren’t great. They are night sights and the right sight has a green ring around the tritium vial.

They’re just good enough you’ll probably have a hard time justifying replacing them. 

They work but they aren’t great for fast accurate shooting but they’re fine for close distance defensive engagements. For what these sights cost to make Sig could have put a better set of sights on the gun.

If you’re carrying the gun with a red dot they barely cowitness with irons.

The cot witness feature isn’t usable unless you have a lot of time to line up your shot and the lighting is perfect. 

If they would have made the sights just a tad higher the cowitness would be perfect.

Red dot options

The cut they use is the Shield RMSc cut which is standard on guns that size. So there are plenty of optic options.

Does it Shoot Well?

Shooting the X Macro changes drastically depending on the version for the X macro you’re shooting. 

The comp drastically changes your shooting experience.

Reading the Sig P365 X Macro Review will only tell you some much. I suggest finding a gun that a buddy owns or at a rental range. That’ll give you valuable hands on experience.

Sig P365 X Macro Review Comped Version

With its thin profile and lightweight you’d think this gun would be a handful. The comp really tames the recoil. 

If you have a good grip on this gun it is almost as controllable as a full size pistol. It does have more felt recoil but the gun is just insanely controllable.

It’s a surprisingly nice shooting experience.

Non Comped Version

Without the comp it’s not as good. I really expected this gun to shoot better. Unfortunately it’s similar to the Springfield armory Hellcat Pro where it doesn’t shoot as well as you’d expect. 

In this configuration it shoots significantly worse than a Glock 19.

I attribute this to the thinner slide and a difference in the recoil spring. 

The Macro really shines in its compensated configuration.

Is there a Good Aftermarket?

The aftermarket for this guns is second only to glock and the Sig P320. 

Minus the frame and magazine release it uses Sig P365 and P365XL parts. Frame manufacturers like Icarus and Mischief Machine already make frames for it.

I would like to see hi capacity magazines for it that exceed the standard 17 round capacity.

How Easy Is The Gun To Maintain?

The gun uses a takedown lever to field strip the gun. So it’s an easy gun to maintain. It is more difficult than a glock but not by much.

There are good videos online if you want to replace parts such as the slide stop or trigger shoe.

Is the Gun A Good Value?

These guns come at $800 and when you compare them to the Sig P365 and the Sig P365XL they seem overpriced. 

I had to be honest in this Sig P365 X Macro Review.

I doubt the manufacturing is significantly more expensive but they still get a significant premium over the other guns.

Unfortunately it doesn’t have any competition if you’re looking for a 17 round gun this small. And compensated guns minus the Hellcat RDP are going to cost a couple hundred dollars more.

I think the value is there for the comped guns but you’ve got to really want to the extra 2 rounds the macro provides over a hellcat pro or a Glock 48 with Shield mags. 

Magazines for the Macro are close to $60 which is really expensive. The Tac Ops package comes with 4 mags which is a $120 value for the 2 extra mags. That does have to be accounted for but you can still get more for your money with the other options but it does close the gap.

Pros

• Capacity
• Comp
• Red Dot compatible

Cons

• Cost 
• Sights