EDC Battle: Sig Sauer P365XL vs. P365X-Macro

Everyday carry, or EDC, is not just a phrase, but is a mindset. Carrying a firearm and other “gear” means you have made the conscious decision to defend yourself and your family. With constitutional carry in Ohio (and now 25 other states), the conversation of concealed carry and the handguns that accompany that discussion have increased. Luckily for the consumer, there has never been a time when dealers have as many options as line the shelves today. These options range from the budget conscious, such as the Taurus GX4, to the uber expensive—the Staccato P DPO for instance. Today’s discussion will pit two of the most popular models up against one another. Interestingly, they both happen to be from the same company—the Sig Sauer P365XL and P365 X-Macro.

Setting the Stage

We first discussed the 365 series from Sig Sauer way back in January of 2022–that article can be found here. In this article a little bit more information is given about the history of the 365 series, which we will not discuss here. However, any person going into a local gun shop in search of an everyday carry gun will most likely be shown some variation of the 365 (unless the sales associate is a Glock FanBoy. Then, there is no help, the dark side has taken hold). The Sig P365 is ubiquitous in the gun world. It was the first in a new wave of slimline compact pistols. Since, many companies have copied Sig’s idea and have come out with their own variation of the concept. (See this article about the Springfield Hellcat and S&W Shield Plus). Within competition amongst manufacturers, the bar keeps raising, but Sig has done something interestingly unique compared to the others. Since 2018, Sig has constantly updated, rehashed, and redesigned various aspects of the gun to keep up with current trends. The firearm itself, to a point, is completely modular. Like its bigger brother—the P320–the 365 can be configured and customized to the owner’s content thanks to the independently serialized Fire Control Unit (FCU). Just looking at Sig’s website, the amount of individual 365s offered is daunting. That is why we are taking a detailed look at two of the best options for Everyday Carry.

The XL

The XL was really the first continuation of the P365 line. The XL came out at a time when the Springfield Hellcat was beginning to gain steam. That firearm upped the capacity over the standard 365 and offered an optic cut—something Sig had not yet done. The XL countered by going to a 12-round flush magazine as well as an optic cut, flat trigger, and slightly more ergonomic frame. Some benefits included the now standard RMSc footprint for the optic. Technically the Springfield has the same, but optics fit better with a plate adapter from a company like C&H Weapon Systems. This really ups the ante as the “best” option for concealed carry—capacity, form factor, and modularity. The XL really added the features most modern shooters wanted. Furthermore, Sig Sauer and other third-party manufacturers offer accessories to truly customize the XL. Unfortunately, there are some negatives to the pistol. First, the pistol has a relatively small frame design, so for shooters with larger hands, it may not be comfortable. Second, until recently, there weren’t any quality light manufacturers that had options for the XL. The XL uses a dovetail system due to its slim profile that won’t accept the standard picatinny footprint. Honestly, it wasn’t until Streamlight came out with the TLR-7 sub for the XL that there was a quality light. For many shooters, having a light is very important when carrying. To help increase the size of the gun as well as ammunition capacity, Sig came out with a 15-round magazine option. This magazine extends below the grip and utilizes a spacer to fill in the gap. It works—kind of. The spacer tends to pinch a bit when shooting and it changes the ergonomics slightly. However, the XL is maybe the closest thing to a perfect