A Client started asking me about concealed carry guns, specifically the S&W Shield Plus and the Sig P365. I sang the virtues of the S&W Plus and directed him to the review I did in June. I had no prior experience with the Sig so I stated doing some research.
The P365 is in the same class as the Shield Plus, size, capacity, dimensions. I went to a local gun store to literally get my hands on one. The grip is designed such that I could get a three finger grip with the flush magazine. The overall length of the grip of the Shield Plus with the 13 round magazine is about the same. The grip was move rectangular on the SIG where the Shield is more oval. The advantage goes to the Shield if you want a shorter grip for your concealment method.
The P365XL has a 3.7″ barrel compared to the 4″ barrel of the S&W Performance Center. So the Shield is longer than the P365XL. in the standard versions the 365 and Shield Plus have a 3.1″ barrel. I told the Client I could supply a S&W Shield Plus PC for him to shoot to compare to the P365.
We agreed to meet at a range that rented the P365XL. After the obligatory waivers and ammo purchase, we were on the firing line. Using 9″ white paper disks for targets the Client started out 10 rounds from each gun. I taped over the LaserGuard I have installed on my Plus as it was an initial distraction. Then we switched to 5 round groups from each gun side by side. It was obvious from the beginning that the Client shot tighter groups with the Sig P365XL compared to the S&W M&P Shield Plus PC. I was a little surprised.
This is exactly the point of the story. Based on my experience with the Shield, I expected the Client to shoot tighter groups with it compared to a gun with a shorter sight radius and shorter barrel. This was after all, the gun I completed my Distinguished Expert with. So this reinforced my advice, Choose the gun YOU shoot best.
The experience was not inexpensive. Range fee, ammo, rental fee, plus the cost of me being there. But the store did give the Client $15 off when he purchased the model he rented, which was basically the single gun rental fee. The Client was happy with the experience and knew that the P365XL was the best selection based on the criteria that they set out.
As an after word, I did shoot tighter groups with my S&W M&P Shield Plus than the SIG P365XL. 1-3/16″ vs 1-11/16″ for five shot groups at 5 yards. I was glad to gain some experience with another gun. I found the P365XL to function well and shoot well. For the features, it is priced lower than the Shield PC and I understand why it is developing a following in the concealed carry space.