[Chowda]

I have a P365-380 as my main carry weapon and a gen1 Shield 9mm as my home defense weapon. I want another 9mm to carry occassionally. I'm considering either a Shield Plus 9mm or a P365 9mm.

I like the trigger on my 380 version and have heard the trigger on the Shield Plus is top notch. If the P365 trigger feels anywhere near as good as the trigger on my 380 I'd be happy.

Both the Shield and Sig holsters I currently own should work with whichever gun I choose when I want to carry them.

The size and capacity of the guns are close enough that they won't be a factor in my decision.

I realize this site might be a little biased since it's a Sig site but in my position which would you choose and why?

 

[DavidR22]

I have both. My 365 has an XL grip on it (365X). Both are terrific. A few thoughts:

- I shoot them about the same but the 365 feels better in my hand; that may not be true for you

- Although you said size isn’t a consideration, the 365 is smaller and for me it carries a little better

- Triggers are very different. I love the 365 trigger but the Shield+ has a fantastic trigger, maybe best in class.

- The Sig is modular whereas the Shield isn’t. This is a big consideration because it lets you play with different sized grips and slides

For me, the 365X wins.

 

[Chowda]

DavidR22 how's the recoil of each? I would most likely buy a Wilson Combat P365X grip for the Sig.

I'm not really recoil sensitive but less is more IMO.

I have to admit that I'm leaning towards the Shield Plus with night sights and optics cut. It's $50 cheaper and also has a $50 rebate. I'm sure there isn't a wrong choice between the two.

 

[DavidR22]

The Shield is a little bigger and heavier so in theory it should have less recoil but I don’t really notice a difference between the two.

You’re right, you can’t go wrong choosing either one. If you like your Shield 1.0 you will absolutely love the Shield+. I owned a 1.0 and rented a Plus at my local range. I plunked down my money on a new Plus before I left the range. The Plus has a little thicker grip, better texturing and a way better trigger.

 

[jkallner]

I have a 365X and the 380 conversion. I also have a Shield 1.0 and I think you can't go wrong, but I agree with DavidR22 that the 365X is the best choice.

 

[Rich Jenkins]

I researched both of these options before buying my P365X in November 2021. I previously had and sold a P365 and P365XL, for reasons which made sense at the time, so I was pretty familiar.

Here are the pluses I noted in m y log for the P365X: "Thin. Mild recoil. 2nd in group oz/rd, tied w G19. Positive previous experience w P365 and P365XL. No suppressor height sights required, can keep existing front sight with optic mounted. FCU design = modular grip options. OEM 15 round mag option. Flat trigger. Stock night sights. Direct mount 407k. 78% of the weight of a G19 rig."

Here are the minuses: "At limit of pocket carry (but solvable with a P365 grip). Pricey."

Turning to the Shield Plus. I liked it so much on paper as an alternative, I went to my local range and rented one to shoot with my range and carry ammo. From my log, again: "Shootable. Growth path for MRDS. Thin. Acceptable oz/rd.". On the minus side: "At limits of pocket carry. Pinky overhang. S&W?" Shooting it, I recall the trigger was excellent; I put the very first round center mass at 7 yards, which for me is pretty good shooting, but I suspect it just meant I lucked out. Anyway I had no problems with the shooting.


I think the main reason I bought the Sig again was the modularity of the platform with all the different grip/slide options. At the time, max capacity was 15 rounds, but of course now you have the Macro grip, and 17 round options (and 20 with my TTI Extentions). The Shield Plus is a very very good pistol; I think it probably boils down to how you value the feature comparison, and which one you shoot better.

 

[gwes351]

I think it probably boils down to how you value the feature comparison, and which one you shoot better.

This above should be 1 of your top considerations - along with which one "just feels right" in your hands (this is a gut reaction). I will also add another consideration is consistency across your personal defense pistols. For a few years I carried the P365 (or XL), but had G19 in night stand (I shoot both pretty well, but sig better). For consistency of muscle memory & training, a XL is now in the night stand (G19 in the safe). Think about consistency when the house alarm goes off at 2 am while you are in REM sleep and you are instinctively reaching for the night stand (a faulty door sensor did this about a year ago to me - it does get the adrenaline going pretty quickly). I had the XL in my hand in about 5 seconds - and it is set up exactly like the carry sigs (same sights, flat trigger, talon grip, extended mag release). Just another possible consideration.

 

[christopherddendy]

You cant go wrong either way, but go with a 365

 

[Sig007]

Performant wise is the same but "Shield" looks way ugly ..LOL

 

[dmacc3]

I would purchase whichever fits you the best, and you have the most confidence in, however I lean towards the Sig. My Son and I had a bad experiance with Smith when his shield fired out of battery and cracked the frame. We will never give Smith our business again. I know there have been other cases of shields firing out of battery, possibly they have this problem corrected, I hope. My Son shoots his Sig P365 XL very well and has full confidence in it and that is his EDC.

 

[Powerman]

Shield plus is my carry gun. 2000 plus round no failures. 15 round magazine for equalizer fits.

 

[iceman17930]

I have a P365 converted to a P365X with the Wilson Combat grip module. In my opinion it is aces.

 

[sigb]

P365 XL with a WIlson grip and a 17 round backup. If you want to change to anything you can. That cannot be beat.

 

[John Preston]

This is a good period with so many options for ccw. The Shield Plus was on my radar, but I went with the 365 because of the FCU.

 

[Groberts]

There are a lot of open minded and Sig agnostic suggestions in this thread despite this being an Sig forum. What a great dialogue.

I like the Shield Plus trigger, but I've only handled it at my LGS. I haven't actually fired a Shield Plus. The Sig trigger on my P365XL is perfectly fine. I don't love it but it is entirely acceptable. I shoot it very well and can't argue with its performance or my results at the range with the Sig. I will add this: the trigger is only part of the decision making equation. You are happy with the Sig 380 trigger so I would expect the P365 trigger to be very similar. Slight differences may exist in the same model line. But break-in will probably balance that out over time. For OP purposes, the 365 trigger should be perfectly fine. What are your otherprimary considerations and criteria?

I own a P365XL and I recently added an Sig X-Macro 365. The X Macro has an ever-so slightly larger grip than the XL but the mags hold 17 rds. The 365X however will carry just a bit smaller and will be more concealable if that matters to you? If not, the X and XL grip modules are the same with the XL having a longer barrel and slide.The X-macro grip feels almost like a full size firearm and sits somewhere between sub-compact versus 'compact' (to me).

I agree with others who enjoy the modularity and upgrade options that the Sig 365 platform enjoys. There are a variety of aftermarket grip modules and all kinds of other options.

For concealability and similarity to the OP's 380, the Sig P365X is a solid consideration. It fits my medium hands better than the standard 365 and I prefer the flat trigger that comes on the X,XL, X-Macro platform

 

[LRRifleman]

I have a P365, a P365-380, and a S&W Shield Plus 4" PC (yet to be fired).

At the moment, you like the trigger on your P365-380, so why not purchase a conversion kit so you have the same exact trigger?

 

[J Whit]

I have a P365-380 as my main carry weapon and a gen1 Shield 9mm as my home defense weapon. I want another 9mm to carry occassionally. I'm considering either a Shield Plus 9mm or a P365 9mm.

I like the trigger on my 380 version and have heard the trigger on the Shield Plus is top notch. If the P365 trigger feels anywhere near as good as the trigger on my 380 I'd be happy.

Both the Shield and Sig holsters I currently own should work with whichever gun I choose when I want to carry them.

The size and capacity of the guns are close enough that they won't be a factor in my decision.

I realize this site might be a little biased since it's a Sig site but in my position which would you choose and why?

At the LGS I checked out the Glock43, the helcat,the Shield and the 365. I bought the 365.

 

[cremaley]

My buddy has the Shield and he let me shoot it. I liked my P365's much more so I would go with the P365.

 

[Sig-Pile]

Performant wise is the same but "Shield" looks way ugly ..LOL

I tried both and preferred the P365. Though not a conscious factor in my personal choice, I agree with @Sig007 The Shield is kinda ugly. I have always thought that sometime between the 320 and 365 designs there was a meeting where someone asked, "Can we make the next one just a little better looking?"

 

[DavidE]

I own the P365 Standard, 365X and two 365XLs so you can say I like this P365 family of handguns very much. I also bought a Shield Plus Optics Ready last spring. several months ago. Pluses and minuses of each:

P365 Standard: I must use the finger extension to get a good grip. I do not pocket carry these handguns so the pinky extension is not a problem for me. I've never liked my pinky hanging off the bottom of any handgun. The only thing it needs out of the box is a set of rubber Talon grips, which are also on all my polymer framed handguns except my Gen4 Glock 19s, which are already blocky enough. The little Sig has excellent night sights and a good (not great) trigger.

P365 X: I really prefer the slightly longer grip and of course the two additional rounds. Talon grips required also. I won't use an optic sight on this one. Like all my 365 triggers it is good but not great. Very useable for its intended purpose. No downsides to this handgun.

P365 XLs: My slight favorite of the three sizes. I have a Holosun 407k green dot and Wilson grip on one of them. Still learning the optic sight so not yet carrying it, but likely will some time in the future. My other XL has a manual safety and I carry it IWB some but mostly OWB. I carry it more often than the others. Safety off when OWB carry and safety on IWB. Personal choice that not everyone will agree with. Not downsides to these handguns.

Shield Plus Optic Ready:
Cons: Out of the box it had an unacceptable (to me) cosmetic flaw. Smith sent a return label, fixed the flaw and returned it in under two weeks. Second, it shot waaayyy left, more than any handgun I've ever owned. The rear sight of the Shield is non-adjustable. The owner's manual said to drift the front sight. Yeah, right! I soaked the sight repeatedly for over 24 hours at a time before repeatedly using my gunsmith punch set and beat the **** out of the side of the front sight and it wouldn't budge. Ordered a specific front sight pusher from Amazon. Soaked it repeatedly again with two different soaky type oils. Sight pusher would not budge it so I returned to Amazon.

Finally got out my old solid steel sight pusher, soaked the front sight again for two 48-hour sessions. Was able to get the slide solidly locked into my steel sight pusher (not made for front sights) and used a six inch hex wrench and LOTS of pressure. The sight finally broke loose with a loud CRACK. After that initial loosening it did not take undue pressure to move it the necessary amounts to get the gun sighted in correctly. Never had such a pain getting a handgun sighted in. I've now shot the gun more than 600 rounds and the only other issue is a roll pin working its way out of the frame enough to block the take down lever, so I've ordered a roll pin punch set to correct that.

My neighbor, who shoots with me most range trips, liked the feel of my Shield so much when I first bought it that he bought one as well. Unfortunately, his shoots far left also, although not as much as mine did. He has found a fiber optic front and rear sight set he likes and is going to have a gunsmith install them on his Shield.

Pros: I had an early Gen1 Shield for awhile and there is no comparison between that gun and my new Shield Plus OR. The factory sights are excellent for me. The texture of the whole polymer frame is great, best of any handgun I've ever owned with the exception of my two Walther PDPs. No Talons needed on this gun. It really is the type texture more polymer handgun makers should adopt. And the trigger is the best of any striker fired handgun I've ever owned, again with the exception of those two Walther PDPs along with my PPQs. The gun just shoots very accurate for its size and intended purpose. Now that I've fixed the front sight and silly left shooting problem I have to say I really, really like this gun. I don't order a holster for a handgun unless I consider it a keeper and I've just order an OWB Tulster for this one.

Bottom Line for the Shield: Obviously, most owners (I hope) don't have the way off center shooting that mine and my neighbor's had. Were it not for that I could recommend this handgun with confidence. I'll keep and carry mine during jacket and coat weather and I certainly enjoy shooting it. But, if I could only have this Shield or the P365X or XL, the nod goes to the Sig. I think it's the best of the micros. For me.