Glock 43 vs Sig P365
A Detailed Review
Sig’s Fat Mag vs Glock’s Single Stack
The Glock 43 vs Sig P365 are two of the most popular concealed carry pistols on the market. Which one do you have?
The Sig P365 is a new category of pistol that came out of the left field.
The Glock 43 is so popular, Glock has sold over a million of them in under 3 years.
These pistols are destined for an epic rivalry.
- They’re both about the same size.
- The Glock 43 dimensions hold 6+1 rounds of 9mm and provide Glock loyalists with an easy to conceal package.
- The Sig P365 dimensions hold 10+1 rounds of 9mm in an impossibly small pistol size for the amount of firepower it holds.
I’ll explain how Sig accomplished their capacity miracle.
I’ll also delve into Glock’s loyal fanbase.
If you could only have one, which would it be?
The Sig P365 Mystery Solved: How They Did It?
It’s either low capacity or bigger gun…right? Not anymore.
Sig Sauer engineers performed a miracle.
They created a pistol the size of a single stack subcompact pistol with the capacity of a double-stack subcompact pistol.
The Sig P365 really is very close in size and weight of the Glock 43. Yet it really has the capacity of the Glock 26!
They really did it.
Sig Sauer helped Concealed Carriers all over the country realize that dreams really do come true. You can leave your house with a comfortably small handgun without feeling inadequately armed.
With the extended mag, you have 12+1 rounds on tap of 9mm. That’s adequate protection!
Before I explain how Sig accomplished the impossible, let’s open up the full picture of just how groundbreaking the Sig P365 is and what the landscape looked like before it’s epic entry.
Subcompact Pistol Evolution
The pistols that changed the Concealed Carry landscape 20 years ago were double stack subcompact pistols.
Companies like Glock were chopping their double-stack pistols down in size and capacity to accommodate Concealed Carry. It proved to be very successful for most handgun companies.
These new pistols packed up to 10 rounds of ammo and were between 1&1/4” and 1&1/2” thick. And your pinky was usually left dangling in the wind.
Most new guns sold to American civilians were limited to a 10 round capacity.
This new “reasonable” ammo count was due to evil politicians such as liberal extraordinaire, Dianne Feinstein.
Because the ammo count was limited to 10 rounds, engineers started designing much smaller pistols (why tote more pistol than you can utilize?). Thankfully the law expired in 2004 but the smaller pistol trend stuck.
A few years back, pistol engineers started building even smaller single-stack subcompact pistols to further accommodate Concealed Carry. These pistols usually had a capacity of 7-8 rounds of 9mm.
They were about the same size as double-stack subcompact pistols; only thinner. They were usually about an inch thick.
While most Concealed Carriers would prefer 10 rounds over 7, many decided to carry the smaller single stack pistols because they were just plain easier to conceal.
We had no choice, right?
If we wanted to carry a smaller pistol, we had to give up a few rounds.
Well, we have a choice now. We can have decent capacity and single stack size in one package: The Sig P365.
So how did Sig Sauer do what nobody else even attempted?
How Sig Sauer Did It
Let’s break it down.
- Slightly modified Double Stack Magazine
- Mag has tapered aggressively at the top
- Really thin mag well walls
- 10th round is crammed in tight
It really is that simple.
That’s why I’m adamant that other pistol manufacturers will follow suit.
Let’s break out the measuring stick.
The Glock 43 is 22 millimeters thick at the slide.
The Sig P365 is 22 millimeters thick at the slide.
So far so good.
The bottom of the Glock 43 mag well is 22 millimeters.
The bottom of the Sig P365 mag well is 24 millimeters.
(Some other Single Stack pistols are 24 millimeters thick too.)
Both mag well walls of the Glock 43 added together = 5.5 mm
Both mag well walls of the Sig P365 added together = 4.0 mm
(Some Single Stack pistol mag well walls add up to 7mm)
The Sig P365 now has 3.5 mm to play with.
Guess how much wider the Sig P365 mag is than the Glock 43 mag? If you guessed 3.5 mm, you’re a genius!
Sig Sauer has another advantage. They don’t coat their mags in plastic-like Glock does. Glock has less space inside their magazines because the walls of the magazine itself are thicker.
Which do you think customers will care more about?
- Thicker mag well walls and magazine walls.
- More capacity.
Based on the enthusiastic reception the Sig P365 has received, I think it’s safe to say most people haven’t even thought about how thick a magazine’s walls should be.
People care about capacity, concealment, and how well it shoots above all else. The Sig P365 checks all 3 boxes.
The Sig P365 shoots well because of its great trigger, sights, and ergonomics.
So far, it sounds like the perfect Concealed Carry pistol.
There are over a million people who would claim the same for the Glock 43 though.
Let’s take a closer look at the Glock 43 to find out why it’s been selling like hotcakes since its introduction.
The Glock 43 Phenomenon: Fanatical Popularity Is Justified
What Does Glock Do Better Than Anyone Else?
Above all else, people trust a Glock to go bang; no matter what. Glock doesn’t sell pistols. Glock sells peace of mind.
Glock’s reliability is never questioned.
Glock makes utilitarian tools that just plain work. They are aren’t pretty or fancy. They don’t have thumb safeties. Simply pull the pistol out of the Glock 43 holster and pull the trigger.
It’s incredibly simple to operate.
Glock makes self-defense tools first and foremost. The Glock 43 is no exception. It shares the same design that police and military have used for decades.
Thirty years ago, Glock pistols were called unsafe because they used a striker-fired trigger with a 5 lb. trigger and no manual safeties. Fast forward a few decades and most pistol manufacturers make pistols this way today.
Glock’s foresight was obviously spot on.
While Glock’s overall design hasn’t changed that much over the decades, Glock has improved reliability, accuracy, and ergonomics through five generations of designs.
Glock took everything that makes a Glock special and crammed it into a tiny gun that’s easy to conceal and shoots well. The Glock 43 makes concealing a Glock pistol easier than ever before. (So does the Glock 42 but that’s a story for another day).
The Glock 43 basically has the same trigger, sights, and grip angle as its bigger brethren. Heck, it even has the same design language. It sports the familiar texture and front strap (no finger grooves) from the latest Gen 5 Glock 19 and Glock 26.
Glock was pelted with requests for years from their loyal fanbase to bring Glock’s interpretation of a Single Stack Nine to the market. People who are fanatical about Glock’s pistols up until this point were forced to carry other pistol brands when their Glock 26 wasn’t small enough.
Many people who carry Glock prefer to run only Glock pistols. They all operate exactly the same. They have (mostly) the same trigger feel and grip angle as well. Many of them even have interchangeable parts and magazines.
Plus, they have that militaristic aura that emanates confidence. Glock pistols give you the feeling that you don’t have to question it’s reliability. It’s a Glock.
Both of these pistols are looking great so far.Let’s break out the magnifying glass and line them up side by side in a Glock 43 vs Sig P365 breakdown.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Compare And Contrast
While there are many similarities between this Glock 43 vs Sig P365 comparison, there are differences aplenty to point out.
For starters…
10+1 is obviously desirable over 6+1.
If you’re confronted with more than 1 attacker, 7 bullets is a frighteningly small number of bullets to protect your life with.
Consider that in most police shootouts half of the bullets miss the intended target. Also, consider most bad guys take 2-3 bullets to stop.
Those stats make a Glock 43 look adequate to stop ONE attacker in a worst-case scenario. I like to base my survivor scenarios on worst-case scenarios (that’s why I carry a backup pistol).
If you have 11 rounds of 9mm on tap, you’re statistically barely able to repel two attackers.
Did you know that almost half of the scenarios that require a self-defense response involve two or more attackers?
Dirtbags like to run in packs.
The Sig P365 absolutely dominates all other pistols in this size class of pistols when it comes to capacity.
Capacity is the single biggest draw to the Sig P365.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Sights
Glock gives the G43 the standard polymer Glock sights.
Nobody loves Glock’s sights – although most will tolerate them enough to not bother upgrading them.
Sig gives the P365 amazing (steel) night sights. It comes standard with XRAY3 Day/Night sights. Not only are these very high-quality sights, but they also perform great in bright or dark settings.
The XRAY3 sights do not require a light source to charge them. They will glow even if they’ve been sitting in a gun safe for 2 years.
These are the type of high-quality sights that many Glock owners will add to their pistol. The fact that they come standard on the Sig P365 is yet another explanation to the Sig P365’s immediate popularity.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Ergonomics
Both are great!
The Glock 43 dimensions have the steeper grip angle that they’re known for. Neither grip angle is necessarily better than the other. But of course, you’ll shoot the Glock 43 better if you’re used to shooting Glock pistols.
If you’re not used to Glock’s steeper grip angle, you can still shoot the Glock 43 proficiently. It’ll just take some practice to get used to it. The Sig P365 has the usual grip angle that you’ll see on most pistols.
Both pistols feel great in the hand. Of course, this is a very subjective opinion.
It’s always important to ensure a pistol “feels right” in your hand before purchasing it.
Sometimes you’ll pick up a pistol and it feels like the pistol designer consulted with you before finalizing the design.
Other times you’ll pick up a pistol and sneer as you think about how disgusting it feels in your hand.
You’ll really want to pick them both up and see how they feel to you in order to subjectively judge their ergonomics.
I personally find that both of them fit my hands great. The Sig P365 fits my hand just slightly better but only if I handle them one right after the other.
If I pick them up on separate occasions, I’ll swear that’s the one that feels best in my hand.
If you want to compare the Sig to a slightly bigger gun, check out our Taurus G3C vs Sig P365 comparison.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Fit & Finish
Not to sound like a broken record but… both are great.
However, the Sig P365 seems to be a little higher quality than pretty much any compact polymer pistol on the market.
Sig has a knack for creating pistols that ooze quality.
That’s not to say that the Glock 43 doesn’t feel like a quality handgun. It most certainly does.
The Sig just feels a little higher quality. It’s more closely comparable to Springfield’s Hellcat. You can read the full Springfield Hellcat vs Sig P365 comparison for more details.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Trigger
The Glock 43 has a typical Glock trigger. It’s not amazing. However, it does have a great reset. The reset is easy to feel and hear.
The Glock 43 dimensions make the trigger feel spongy while it’s moving toward the break. But once you hit the wall right before the break, you’re golden. It’s a pretty clean break.
The Sig P365 has an amazing trigger right out of the box. It has very little creep (you don’t get that spongy feeling that’s on the Glock 43). The break is very clean and nice. The reset is just as good as Glock’s.
The Sig trumps the Glock in the trigger department.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Features
The Sig wins this department too, but it’ll cost you. The sig does have more features but it’s more expensive.
But it very important to point something out in our Glock 43 vs Sig P365 comparison.
If you pay to upgrade your Glock 43, it’ll cost more than the Sig P365.
The night sights alone will set you back about $100 to add to the Glock 43. They’re standard on the Sig.
Let’s look at some other features you’ll get on the Sig P365 that are missing on the Glock 43.
The Sig P365 comes with front slide serrations (useful for press checking). The Glock 43 has the usual boring Glock slide.
The Sig P365 has a factory optional extended mag that ups the ammo count to 12+1.
The Glock 43 has a few aftermarket options for extended mags. However, they don’t quite look like they belong on the pistol.
If you want an upgraded Glock 43 and you’re ok with a slightly bigger handgun, you’d be wise to check out the Glock 43X.
You can read a full Glock 43X vs Glock 43 comparison on our blog.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Capacity
Normally, you wouldn’t see capacity in the “Features” section of a gun writeup. However, nothing is normal about the Sig P365.
The Sig P365’s #1 feature is its amazing capacity.
With the extended magazine, the Sig P365 has more rounds than the Glock 43 or even the Glock 26. In fact, it’s only 3 rounds short of the venerable Glock 19!
The Sig P365 is definitely more feature-rich than the Glock 43.
Glock 43 vs Sig 365: Ease of Concealment
They are both pretty darn close in size and weight. Although the Sig P365 is just a touch shorter.
The Sig P365 will be just a bit heavier fully loaded because it holds more bullets. But if you want it to weigh less than the Glock 43, you could always load the mag halfway (said no one ever). Your Sig’s slightly heavier loaded weight won’t be noticed in great Sig P365 Holsters though.
The Glock 43 and Sig P365 are incredibly easy to conceal. You can still conceal their big brothers though: the Sig P365XL vs Glock 43X debate is still raging on as well.
However, it’s hard to find a gun as concealable as the G43 or P365.
Conclusion
Get the Sig P365 unless you’re a Glock fan.
The Glock 43 is an amazing pistol for Concealed Carry. Especially for Glock fans.
It’s small, reliable, and a great shooter. If you’re used to Glock’s, it’s a no-brainer. The Glock 43 has the same feel as it’s bigger brethren.
The Glock 43 is also every bit as reliable as its Glock heritage suggests.
However, if you’re not stuck on Glocks, the Sig is hands down the better choice here.
You can also read our full Sig P365 review if you want to keep reading about how awesome the P365 is.
Almost twice the ammo in a smaller package…nuff said!
The Sig P365 also has a better trigger and sights. It does cost a little more but the upgrades are more than worth the extra $50 – $100.
So, depending on the Glock 43 vs Sig P365 debate, which do you have or what to purchase soon? If you pick one up, be sure to check out our durable and modular Kydex holsters that are adjustable for multiple ride heights and cant angles.
Updated: 11/21/2024
