SIG Sauer's P365 380 Rose Compact Carry Pistol: Review

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SIG’s Rose is more than just a gun; it’s an entire program. If you want to learn about that, check out this month’s “Speedloads” beginning on page eight. I’m going to focus on the relatively new .380 chambering in the SIG P365 platform, the Rose being one of several models offered in this caliber. When the P365 made its debut, it changed the landscape of semiauto carry guns—offering, at the time, unmatched capacity in a micro-compact pistol. In the years since it arrived on the scene, SIG has tweaked it every which way—longer grips, optics-ready slides and more. And now we have P365-380. The dimensions are basically unchanged from the 9mm. The barrel is 3.1 inches, and overall length is 5.8 inches. Width on versions without a manual safety is one inch, while the Rose and models with ambidextrous safeties have a 1.1-inch width.

The P365-380s do weigh less than their 9mm counterparts—15.7 ounces versus 17.8 ounces. The difference is in the slide and barrel. I weighed the Rose’s slide at 6.7 ounces while my P365 9mm slide is 9.0 ounces. The barrels are also a few tenths different, with the .380’s barrel being 0.06 inch thinner and a few tenths of an ounce lighter. The lighter slide on the .380 makes it easier to rack. I can’t quantify it, but I can definitely feel the difference between my 9mm and the .380—even considering my 9mm is well broken in with hundreds of rounds through it. The Rose slide is cut for optics on the SIG Romeo Zero Elite footprint, and its iron sights are the excellent X-Ray 3. This setup features a serrated rear with two tritium vials that are barely noticeable in daylight but pop in low light. The front sight features a tritium lamp surrounded by a bright green ring that draws your focus in daylight, with the tritium visible in low light. I have them on my P365 9mm and love them. Other P365-380 versions come with Siglite night sights, a white three-dot system with tritium vials.

The Rose’s ambidextrous thumb safety is rose-gold in color, as are the slide-lock and takedown levers, and the striker plate. Other accents include a script “Rose” on the slide and a rose motif engraved in the grip stippling. While it won’t be for everyone, this model is aimed at the female market, and I find it tastefully done. The ambi safety is streamlined enough that it won’t dig into your body, but it still gives you enough real estate to operate it easily. It works with just the right amount of tension—not stiff, not sloppy. The triangular magazine release is equally well done, being easy to activate but very unlikely to do so accidentally. The trigger is the standard curved model. Today everyone is jumping on the straight-trigger bandwagon, and while I’ve become a fan, too, I’ve found no reason to change the curved trigger on my P365. The trigger on the Rose broke at 5.1 pounds on average. It has a normal amount of take-up and a fair amount of creep—but again, I’ve been satisfied with this trigger for years.

The Rose engraving on the grip in no way interferes with the great control the stippling offers. The stippling pattern is repeated on the backstrap and frontstrap, and the result is a gun that stays anchored in the hand. A cutout in the bottom of the frame provides purchase for your thumb and a finger in case you need to strip out a stuck magazine, which I’ve yet to experience with a P365. The Rose ships with two 10-round magazines, one flush fit and one with a slightly extended base pad. The Rose model comes with other extras as well, including a digital lock box, and you can read about them in “Speedloads.” The front of the frame features SIG’s proprietary rail. Companies like Streamlight make compact lights and lasers designed specifically for this rail.

By now you probably have the impression I’m a big fan of the P365. I certainly am because I shoot it as well as just about any other handgun I own. And after working with the P365-380, I’m convinced it is one of the most shootable guns out there. Bench accuracy is shown in the accompanying table, but the proof came in running various drills at five to 15 yards. The well designed grip and lower recoil of the .380 make for super-fast follow-up shots like double taps, and the pistol’s balance and great sights make it easy to transition from target to target and get solid hits. I have to say that if the P365-380 had come out before the 9mm, I would’ve bought one and never looked back. It’s easy to rack, soft shooting and accurate, and with today’s excellent .380 defense loads it’s a fantastic choice as a concealed-carry or home-defense pistol.

SIG Sauer P365-380 Rose Specs

• Type: Striker-fired, semiauto
• Caliber: .380 Auto
• Capacity: 10+1 rds. 
• Barrel: 3.1 in. 
• OAL/Height/Width: 5.8/4.2/1.1 in. 
• Weight: 15.7 oz. 
• Construction: Nitron-finished steel slide, polymer frame w/SIG accessory rail
• Sights: X-ray 3 day/night (tested), optics cut for SIG RomeoZero Elite footprint
• Safety: Ambi thumb safety (tested)
• MSRP: $780; $500 (non rose model) 
• Manufacturer: SIG Sauer 

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