Best SIG P365 Upgrades [Field Tested]

Kick up your SIG’s performance with these P365 upgrades. We put them through the wringer so you don’t have to.

The Sig Sauer P365 is the most popular concealed carry pistol as of the time of this writing. And with that comes a litany of aftermarket support. By Sig utilizing a modular FCU design an entire sub-market opened up. And as we’ve seen in multiple arenas, whenever a new market opens up, innovation rules the proverbial roost.

With all of the choices comes paralysis. Some companies literally have thousands of different configurations for their P365 setups. Couple that with the dozens and dozens of companies that make grip modules, slides, small parts, spring kits, striker assemblies, back plates, and more, and it becomes even more daunting.

Worry not, though, fellow shooter. We reviewed as many as we possibly could over the last six months, so you can make an informed choice for upgrading your P365. Let’s get into it.

How I Choose The Best P365 Upgrades

Every component was tested rigorously in a hands-on on head-to-head by the author, over the course of several months. The scoring criteria document gets into the details, criteria, and commentary of each component, and scores critical dimensions of each product. Items were scored on the following dimensions: Grip modules for comfort, shootability, modularity, concealability and a nod to holster compatibility. Slides for shootability, controlability, form factor/aesthetics, and porting/recoil impulse if applicable. Optics were scored on window size, footprint, battery size, clarity, durability, and brightness.

Best P365 Grip Modules: Sharps Bros MACRO

Grade

Overall Average: 4.4
Comfort: 5
Shootability: 5
Modularity: 4
Concealability: 3.5
Holster Compatibility: Holster choices are pretty slim but TXC has some phenomenal options.

At the risk of sounding preferential, the Sharps Bros MACRO grip module is probably one of my favorites, especially when paired with the matching slide. It has similar gas pedals as other offerings, but with the Brazilian Cherry hardwood grips. It just looks and feels sexy.

Fine checkering on the front and backstrap and a chunkier grip make this gun a pleasure to shoot with a full-size magazine. The magwell has a slight flare; you can make quick reloads, but still conceal essentially a full-size gun.

Texturing on the front strap and backstrap makes this a wonderful extension of your hand, with outstanding ergonomics and pointability. I can press out, eyes closed, and open up to a perfect sight picture. That’s the sweet spot of any pistol.

One detail I love about this grip module is the use of a screw instead of a pin to install the FCU. That detail, along with the elegant styling and exceptional ergs, make this one of my top picks.

Sharps Bros Deals

Optics Planet	$290
Midway USA	$300

Runner Up P365 Grip Module: Shalotek Macro Flex Frame

Grade

Overall Average: 4.3
Comfort: 4
Shootability: 5
Modularity: 5
Concealability: 3
Holster Compatibility: TXC and Four Bros make excellent holsters for this grip module. However, some of my slides did not fit in the Four Bros (Norsso for example).

Shalotek is in a class all its own with the modularity, innovation, comfort, and permutations of the slides/grip modules they offer. I tested several different types of setups, but its Macro Flex Frame tied for first. I do need to mention, and even the guys at Shalotek warned me, the tolerances here are tight. Putting in an FCU for the first time requires patience, a soft touch, and some gun oil. Same goes for all the other mechanical parts, they’re right, right, and lock up nice.

Macro Flex Frame Deals

SIG Sauer	$420
Shalotek	$420

Other P365 Grip Models Tested

Icarus Precision: Grade–3.5
Mischief Machine Alpha Gen 3: Grade–3.5
Mischief Machine Commander: Grade–4.1
True Precision: Grade–3.5
Juggernaut Tactical: Grade–4.13

Best P365 Slide: Norsso Reptile

Grade

Overall: 5
Shootability: 5
Controlability: 5
Form Factor: 5
Porting/Recoil Impulse: 5

The Norsso Reptile is easily one of my favorite slide/barrel combos for a few reasons. A unique scale-like serrations, it truly lives up to its namesake. Furthermore, there are window/lightening cuts, but with the scalloped edges that look like eyes.

The N365XL Bull Barrel Reptile KP Set features: a RMSc/Holosun/EPS Carry footprint, and I’ve been testing it with the SCS Carry by Holosun. The sawtooth texturing on the top of the slide gives way to the porting, which is primo: the geo ports are outstanding. Moreover, the bull barrel itself is crazy accurate, stupid thick, with a target crown. Note: this slide only works with Bull Barrels.

The 3.7” barrel mates into the slide for a smooth buttery action, and is machined from 17-4 PH Stainless. The rear serrations are deep, aggressive and outstanding for maintaining a grip with wet or – worst case – bloody hands.

Reptile Deals

Primary Arms	$456
Norsso	$454

Runner Up P365 Slide: Fdez Works Slide

Grade

Overall: 4.5
Shootability: 5
Controlability: 5
Form Factor: 4
Porting/Recoil Impulse: 4

This combo is interesting for a variety of reasons, first and foremost, its futuristic styling. With ultra-modern styling—from the pinched rear of the slide to relief cuts on the top side—it just has a unique look. The barrel is both ported and compensated and the slide itself is integrally compensated, making this a very flat-shooting gun. Mine was tested with Angry Bear Arms sights and a Holosun 407K mounted.

Fdez Works Deals

GunMag Warehouse	$375
FDZ Werx	$300

Other P365 Slides Tested

True Precision: Grade–3
Maple Leaf Firearms 5x Slide: Grade–4.5
MCarbo: Grade–3.8
ARC: Grade–4.3

Best P365 Barrel: True Precision

True Precision got their name making barrels for every major pistol, to be sure, but also for every Sig P365 iteration and flavor.

Their proprietary broach cut has 5 grooves, with a 1/10 right hand twist, suitable for all ammo, even cast lead barrels. The barrels themselves are machined and cut from 416r stainless, and aren’t blanks. They take a solid bolt of metal and turn it into a barrel on site and in the US. The barrels come with either 1/2×28 threads or a target crown.

I tested an XL barrel with my True Precision slide. Of all the barrels and barrel companies, since this was how they started, True Precision has the most optionality, versatility, and breadth of choice. You can get one that’s nitrided, or one that is PVD coating in any of the whacky colors they make. You can truly build a unique one-of-a-kind gun with their parts.

True Precision Deals

Midwest Gun Works

$171

Best P365 Comp: Radian AfterBurner + RamJet

This is the gold standard for compensators against which all other comps should be compared. While pricey, and requiring a barrel/comp combo, this is by far the most accurate and reliable package of the bunch. With a novel and easy installation of just a hex screen and barrel/comp pair, the Radian Afterburner Ramjet combo is the pinnacle of compensation and concealability, in my humble opinion.

The barrel itself is made from 416R stainless, enhanced with their Radianite coating. This gives the slide a slick surface to ride over, low friction, high hardness, and corrosion resistance. The small comp doesn’t stick out too far, and on standard 365 barrels it’s rumored to fit into XL holsters with ease.

The Intra-Lok mourning system uses a taper lock, and angled v groove under the barrel to provide a tight and reliable fit. It’s a simple and repeatable process, and is easy to take off with just a screwdriver, unlike some integrated compensator designs that require special tools and a lot of elbow grease.

It performed as well if not better as testes, with a significant reduction in perceived recoil. No ammo issues were observed, and this thing cycles my competition powder-puff loads as well as carry loads. A clear frontrunner, the Radian RamJet is ideal for a CCW compensator.

Ramjet Deals

Scheels	$390
Midway USA	$390

Best P365 Open Emitter Optic: Vortex Defender

Grade

Overall: 4.8
Window Size: 5
Footprint: 5
Battery Size: 4
Clarity: 5
Durability: 5
Brightness: 5

The Defender CCW is my favorite open reflex sight that was tested. Even against a 407/507k, and a Trijicon RMRcc, I found the Vortex to be the best all around red dot. With the best warranty out there, and the texturing on the front of the lens housing, I also shamelessly racked it off everything, as I do with all my dots. This sight held up to the abuse, of course, and held zero.

Spec wise, it’s solid. With an aluminum housing, the 3 MOA dot runs on a common 1632 top load battery – unlike the RMRcc which requires you to take it off – and a shim plate. It has motion sensors that turn it on, and it auto shuts off after 10 mins of non-use. The red dot itself was crisp, small enough for precision shots (my preference) and performed beautifully on a Shalotek LC slide.

Overall, of all the dots I tested, this is the best reflex sight. It’s durable, reliable, has a great warranty, and even the design acknowledges dots are made for racking.

Vortex Defender Deals

Euro Optics	$250
Primary Arms	$300

Best P365 Enclosed Emitter Optic: Holosun SCS & EPS

Grade

These two sights are some of my favorites, and I have some that are much more expensive than these enclosed emitter red dots. Sleek, rugged and with crisp reticles, both of these Holosuns are outstanding choices.

The SCS Carry runs on a solar-rechargeable battery that gets up to 20,000 hours of life on a single charge. The window is rather large for an optic this size (0.9 in x .63 in), and within the window the reticle is green, bright, and crisp.

A 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA ring, the green reticle makes me get over my hatred for green dots, as they usually wash out. The bright reticle is capable of cycling between just the dot, dot and circle, or just the circle. I love this option and delivers it.

The aluminum housing is rugged, the aesthetics of it are pleasing, and she holds zero of course. The shakeawake tech is pretty standard, except for ironically Trijicon, and works well here.

Its brother – the EPS carry – also has a solar failsafe but runs a 1620 battery for 50,000 hours of life. Similar to the SCS, it has a 2 MOA dot, 32 MOA circle that can be run either with just the dot, dot and circle, or just the circle. The red reticle is my preference, and is plenty bright, with some NV settings as well. The window size is slightly smaller (0.58 x 0.77), but it sits lower so as to co-witness better. Both of these are in heavy rotation on my carry guns.

EPS Deals

Optics Planet	$330
Primary Arms	$330

SCS Deals

Optics Planet	$350
Scheels	$350

Other Optics Tested

Trijicon RMRcc: Grade–4.2
Primary Arms Classic Series 21mm: Grade–3.3
Shield Arms AMSc: Grade–4

Best P365 Holsters: Tier1 Concealed Axis Elite

Grade

Overall: 3.5
Comfort: 3
Fit: 4
Printing Factor: 5
Cross Compatibility: 4

One of the gold standards of concealment and versatility, the Tier1 Concealed Axis Elite is top notch when it comes to the ability to carry an extra mag and keep everything concealed. For standard OEM grip modules, this is by far my favorite rig to carry with. Not only do I have an extra magazine on tap, but the p365 platform with a 12 rd grip module just disappears, even in summer. This isn’t my only T1C, I have about 4 others – but for the p365 in standard configuration, this is hard to beat, especially for the sidecar layout. Their Axis Elite setup just vanishes. Overall, the most comfortable and concealable holster out there.

Sharps Bros Deals

Tier1

$140

Other Holsters Tested

LAS Concealment: Grade–4
Hillker Holster: Grade–3.5
TXC: Grade–4.8
4Bros: Grade–4.3

Best P365 Chassis: Flux Raider

The Flux Raider is an interesting little toy, and yes, I view it as a nice to have, but not a need to have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very cool little package, I tested with my True Precision slide, and the Flux 6” barrel.

It’s a solid piece of anodized aluminum as the chassis, which allows the user to carry 1 in the gun, 1 in the front as a backup. Clevery, the mag release to drop your backup mag also engages the magazine in the grip of the gun, making mag changes simple as the press of a button i.e. you will drop an empty when you grab a full magazine and press the button.

Furthermore, the brace can be actuated with your right index finger, and the weapon can be fired with the brace open or closed. I tested it running a few with it closed, opening it and shouldering it with no issues. It’s a very cool design and is intuitive, that is to say: easy to learn.
I had good accuracy on a plate rack with this set up, for example, but I was still faster and more accurate with my pistol. Maybe with practice I could blow away my plate rack times with this since there are more contact points, but in testing, I would just go for a pistol and extra mags. With a side-car rig and a Macro size gun, you have the same ammo, and just have to reach a little further for a reload (hip vs using support hand).

Flux Raider Deals

FLUX Defense

$800

Best P365 Optics Plates: Maple Leaf Firearms

Imagine your chagrin if you spent close to $1,000 on a FCU, grip and slide milled, only to find out that the $600 RMRcc didn’t mount to anything. Maple Leaf heard your pain and created plates to allow you to mount pretty much anything to a P365. I tested out P365s with RMR footprint optics with the company’s adaptor and was pleased. Maple Leaf also makes they even make slides for direct mount RMRcc. It’s very innovative companyand they think in thousandths of an inch with all of their products.
Best Trigger: MCarbo

Probably the gold standard of striker assemblies, MCarbo has a lot going for them. With its titanium striker assembly, it’s made OEM assemblies seem suboptimal. The titanium striker reduces lock time, in addition to being lighter—minimizing light strakes and primer drag. The downside is the strike assembly is both expensive and has a proprietary back plate. What’s more the geometry of the design reduces primer drag and is an instant upgrade for all Sig Models.

Its trigger shoe is a wonderful upgrade as well. It is adjustable and improves the reset and break angle by up to 33 percent. In the Mischief Machine grip module I tested with the MCarbo slide, I installed this trigger in the FCU and the combination of the trigger, titanium striker assembly, and Mcarbo slide gave me wonderful results. It dropped nearly 1 pound in pull weight to around 2lb 10oz, with minimal grit. The geometry of this trigger does lower the overall trigger pull.

Maple Leaf Plate Deals

Maple Leaf

$75

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