Wilson Combat/Sig Sauer P365 2.0

Wilson Combat turns Sig’s popular P365 into a custom compact for personal protection

by Richard Mann

Throughout the history of the self-defense handgun there have been several models that have become iconic. One of the most recent to earn that title is the Sig Sauer P365. It was popular right out of the gate when introduced in 2018, and it has only become more popular since. In fact, the P365 was so successful that Sig Sauer now offers two dozen variations of it. Wilson Combat, which is one of the most well-known and the largest custom firearms manufacturer in America recognized the popularity of the P365 early on, but they also thought they could make it better. I recently had a chance to shoot a 2.0 version of their custom P365 a good bit and I was impressed.

The Details

The P365 is such a ubiquitous handgun I’m not going to do a deep dive into its make up. Instead, I’m only going to focus on the upgrades offered by Wilson Combat.

The first thing they do is replace the factory grip module with one of their own design. Wilson Combat offers four grip modules in four different colors for the P365, and they all feature enhanced ergonomics. The test pistol was fitted with a black version of the standard size module ($66.95), and a Grey Guns — action tuned — straight trigger ($94.00). Out of the box, the trigger broke consistently and was especially crisp for a striker-fired pistol at 3.25 pounds.

Wilson Combat/sig Sauer P365 2.0 — The Sig Sauer P365 is a fantastic personal protection pistol and Wilson Combat has only made it better.

Next, Wilson Combat installs what they call a multi-pattern slide. This slide has deep serrations at the front and rear, a cutout just forward of the ejection port, and an optics cut for an RMRcc with a cover plate that has the Wilson Combat logo. The slide is also fitted with a Wilson Combat Battlesight ($51.95) rear sight and a red fiber optic front sight ($41.95). These sights are high enough to offer co-witnessing when a reflex sight is installed. Finally, the slide receives carry cuts and Wilson Combat’s Armor-Tuff coating.

Wilson Combat offers several variations of their 2.0 customized P365 pistols, and the test pistol included the Radians Weapons ported Ramjet barrel and Afterburner Micro-Compensator ($389.95). This addition to the P365 obviously makes it a bit longer. Dimensionally, with the Afterburner comp, it is the same size as the Sig Sauer P365 Fuse. So, any holster that will work with the Fuse will work with the Wilson Combat Afterburner compensated P365.

Glaco offers a wide selection of holsters for the Fuse to include their excellent Hawkeye IWB ($149.00) and their Concealable 2.0 Belt Holster ($172.00). The pistol shipped in the factory Sig Sauer box, which included two 10-round magazines and, surprisingly, all the factory parts that were replaced, including the grip frame.

From the Bench

For what it’s worth, I think it’s somewhat of a waste of time to shoot a carry gun from a sandbag rest to establish the level of precision it can provide. The likelihood of you ever shooting it from a similar rest in a real-world self-defense situation is about as likely as winning the lottery. During the quarter-century I’ve been testing self-defense handguns, I can count those I’ve tested that would not provide self-defense-acceptable precision on one hand. You know how well you can shoot, and if you cannot hit what you’re shooting at during practical drills, more than likely you’re just not a very good pistol shot.

Still, consumers have come to expect bench rest results when a defensive handgun is reviewed, so I tested three self-defense loads in the Wilson Combat/Sig Sauer P365 2.0 from Real Avid’s Ratchet Rest at 10 yards.

Even though the pistol comes with an optic cut, I’ve yet to succumb to their allure. I believe that on a fighting pistol you carry every day, a good set of fixed sights is a more reliable option — unless your vision is not compatible with fixed sights — so that’s how I tested this pistol. Would the groups have been smaller if I had used a reflex sight? Possibly — slightly — but as it turned out, they were more than acceptable for defensive work. The average for five, five-shot groups with three loads (15 groups/75 shots) was 1.45 inches.

The first load tested was the Federal Punch load, and it performed flawlessly. The second load tested was the Lehigh Defense load, and the empty cases from the first three rounds fired stove-piped in the ejection port. From a velocity standpoint, the Lehigh Defense load was a bit slow, not generating the same amount of recoil force; however, I applied a small amount of lubrication to the pistol and it fired the remaining 12 Lehigh Defense rounds during bench testing without a hiccup. In fact, during the firring of more than 250 additional rounds, the pistol never failed.

Practical Drills

The real test for a protection pistol is subjecting it to practical self-defense drills. This is where you learn how well you can interface with a pistol and where you can also discover issues with the trigger, sights, manipulation, and recoil control.

My primary evaluation and practice drill with a defensive handgun is the Step Back Drill. I like it because it challenges the gun, and I shoot from between 5 and 25 yards with multiple shots and while drawing from a holster. With a full-size carry gun like a Wilson Combat SFX9 or one of my Browning Hi-Powers, if I run this drill five times, my average will be right at about 15 seconds or a bit less with, of course, a couple misses out of the 50 shots. With the Wilson Combat/Sig Sauer P365 2.0, my average time — again with a couple misses — was 17.75 seconds. I found this not bad at all from a pistol with a barrel that’s 25% shorter and that is also about 50% lighter.

My only complaint with the pistol during all the practical drills was that the slide lock was rather stiff to depress if the slide was locked back on an empty magazine. This is immaterial because why would you want to release a slide on an empty magazine? With a loaded magazine, the slide lock was still a tad bit stiff but easier to release with your thumb. For me, this is a non-issue because I use the slide lock as it was intended — to lock the slide to the rear. When I’m ready to release the slide, I grab it with my support hand, fully retract it to the rear, and let it go. I do this because it is a method that works with any pistol — some pistols do not have a slide lock — and it also allows for the force of a fully compressed spring to push the slide forward and into battery.

The Verdict

I ended up shooting this pistol a good bit, partly because it was fun and comfortable to shoot, but also because I shot it well; however, I did not shoot it as well as my son. After all the formal testing was complete, we were just having some fun on the range, and he shot a five-shot group at 25 yards that you could have covered with a snuff can. Now, a 2.5-inch group at 25 yards is not that big of a deal, except that he fired that group while standing and off-hand. That’s not bad at all for a pistol that’s hardly the size of your hand.

It is worth noting that as comfortable and fun as the pistol was to shoot, the Radian Afterburner comp combined with the short 3.1-inch barrel was obnoxiously loud. Don’t make the mistake of shooting this pistol without hearing protection. The comp, though, was just as effective at recoil reduction as it was unbearably loud, and this is one of the reasons the pistol was so comfortable to shoot.

I’ve always liked the P365 pistol, and Sig Sauer has capitalized on its popularity by offering many variations priced from around $600 to just shy of a grand. The Wilson Combat grip module is more comfortable, the sights and the trigger on the Wilson Combat modified pistol are better, and the comp makes the pistol more controllable and faster to shoot accurately.

If I were considering a P365, I’d give the Wilson Combat 2.0 a first look. Yep, it’ll cost about twice as much as a factory P365, but it just might be twice as good. And, too, you won’t need to spend any money on aftermarket accessories. This pistol is about as right as a P365 can get.

Wilson Combat P365 2.0 Specifications

Chambering: 9mm Luger
Length: 6.0 in.
Width: 1.1 in.
Weight: 18.6 oz. (empty)
Finish: Armor-Tuff
Capacity: 10+1
Barrel Length: 3.1 in.
Sight Radius: 4.9 in.
Rear Sight: Wilson Combat Battlesight
Front Sight: red fiber optic
Optics: optic-ready/co-witness
Additional Features: Radian Afterburner compensator, Radian Ramjet barrel, Grey Guns trigger, two 10-round magazines
Price: $1868

Author
Recent Posts

Richard Mann

Richard Mann is a veteran, former police officer and special agent, and a firearms instructor. He has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. During the last quarter-century he has published thousands of articles and several books about guns and hunting. Richard lives on his private shooting range in West Virginia with his wife and a pack of dogs.