I have been carrying a 365 for nearly 2 years with no issue. But when I saw the hellcat I knew I wanted one. Finally got one last weekend and put 600 rounds through it. No issues so far wit either gun. The Hellcat has better ergonomics for me and I like the sights better.

So, the Hellcat will be my primary carry once the Vedder pocket holster arrives.

You would think that Smith would answer this market. Yes the Shield is great, but the capacity has quickly fallen behind.

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Smith all the things

My Walther PPS M2 is just a smidge bigger with the 7rd mag. I understand the Hellcat has more capacity but my 7+1 and a backup 8rd magazine are plenty for me. Plus, I shoot my PPS as good or better than I do most of my full size pistols. It is nice that we are getting multiple brands of higher capacity micros that are reliable these days.

Yup I agree. I can understand that not everyone is getting caught up on capacity. For me, if there is a reliable gun out there with ultra high capacity out there, that speaks to me.

Smith might be catering to the market that is happy with the PPs M2 and Shield. That's fine. But the Shield will no longer be the top-selling gun of its size, that's all.

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Smith all the things

I agree. Shield is a great gun. I still enjoy my 1.0. But the 365 has surpassed it. If I was buying today I’d buy it over the Shield. The night sights that come with the 365 close the price gap between the two.

I'm astounded that almost every article or blog about these 2 completely ignore that the KelTec P-11 existed in the last century. 12+1 back in the '90s. Great back-up to S&W 59xx duty pistol, or detectives 69xx.

I actually do not like the Sig sights all that much, but they are certainly better than white dots.

The hellcat sights are amazing.

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Smith all the things

That is partly why I traded my Shield with Apex kit for a P365. The 365 fits my hand better, and once I put a flat trigger in it, my groups shrank to smaller than what I could do with my Shield, plus I have almost twice the capacity.


Except the XRAY3 sights are not that good. Mine lost the front vial on the 2nd range trip. I replaced them with Ameriglo I-Dot sights and couldn't be happier.

The Hellcat sights are nicer, IMO, but I like the U-shaped rear for a sight. If I didn't have the I-Dot sights, I would have something similar to the Hellcat sights.


Except the P-11 had a horrendous trigger and bad ergonomics. The P365 and Hellcat, otoh...


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I'm very happy w/ my Sig 365. W/ 10, 12 & 15 round magazines & 100% dependability it should do a good job holding off the invading hordes.

"Except the P-11 had a horrendous trigger and bad ergonomics. The P365 and Hellcat, otoh..."

but everyone pretending it never existed is my observation. The fact that it took 2 decades to release something better says something. And it was hundreds less too.

The P-11 has been succeeded by the SCCY CPX-1 and -2. I've shot one, and it has a trigger better than a stock J-frame and is best treated as a square revolver. Ergos seemed OK to me. The Sig P250 subcompact is similar with a smoother trigger.

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Release the Kraken

yes, but the Hellcat ads act as if nothing existed before the Hellcat, and before that, the 365 ads were like that.

I'm still packing my XDs45 and it holds 8. I also carry an extra 7 round mag. I've thought about the Hellcat but I haven't seen one for sale yet. Maybe

My EDC is the P365 and since I have no hands on experience with the Hellcat I can't have much of an opinion on it yet. As far as the capacity is concerned, in my State I am only allowed to have a magazine with 10 rounds anyway, so that to me the extra round capacity is of no advantage to me.

While just going by "looks", I think the slightly longer grip of the Hellcat might interfere with pocket carry but again, since I never had the pleasure of handling one, I am just guessing about that from the picture.

After shooting well over 2,000+ rounds of all different types of ammo through my P365, I can unequivocally state it is a fine, reliable and super accurate pocket pistol with extremely manageable recoil characteristics. I much prefer the flush fitting mags over the extended finger groove style - and in fact I traded my finger groove mag to a friend for his flush one. Now we're both happy!

I did not have any issues with the pistol itself, but did have a few bad mag's for it. Sig quickly and happily replaced them with new ones, tested them with 250 rounds of different types of ammo (yes - that was the round count the report they sent me stated) and now all is perfect again.

All the reports I have read on the Hellcat also say it is a fine pistol too and I hope to get the opportunity to shoot one soon.

Extra capacity is fine, as long as the reliability is there, but remember, increased capacity always means increased weight. For my purposes, the 10-round 365 magazines strike a good balance.

I’d prefer more striking power over more rounds, but I seem to be alone in that thought.

The P-11 had some off-putting baggage that slowed its acceptance including poor service support and and awful trigger. But you're right Racer X, I often forget about that 90's offering which came before the "magical" 10 round P365 magazine came onto the scene.

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NRA Life Member

To me, the SIG P365 is an interesting firearm in a "It's cool that they could make a 9mm that small that holds so many rounds" sort of way, but it's not a firearm that I would ever choose for carry. Yes, it fills a niche for those who specifically desire the smallest, lightest, highest capacity 9mm pistol around, but personally I'd sooner opt to carry a Ruger LC9s or a Glock 19. To me, the P365 just falls into a size category which is basically too big to pocket carry yet too small for IWB carry or to fit my hand nicely.

When it comes to EDC, I carry a Smith & Wesson SW40VE and a Ruger LCP as a backup. If I wanted something inbetween, then I would get a Ruger LC9s or a S&W M&P Shield.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I won't say capacity is overrated....... but as a Civilian Concealed carrier I'm less worried than a Cop looking for a backup gun.

I'm fine with 8+1 in a S&W 3913 and one or two spare mags......

If I think I might need more (and I can't stay home) but must still conceal carry.......... I'm jumping to a Shorty-9/6906 with 12+1 and two 15 round spare mags or other small duty size gun like the Sig 229 or Beretta 92 Compact with 15+1 and 18rd spare mags.

Someday I'll be forced to come to terms with the 21st century....... but not today!!!!

I just don't understand why someone would want a longer, fatter, heavier gun to replace a 365. Other than law enforcement few if any of us will be in position to have a "fire-fight" where the capacity is of major concern. Nationally the average civilian handgun utilization fight has been over with less than 5 rounds fired.

What I like about my 365 is I can shoot it better than most similar handguns because it fits my hand best.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Well some of us aren't "replacing" a 365...... it's more of a question of do I need to replace a gun(+spare) plus a bunch of magazines and holsters that have served me well for 30 years?

For me the answer is No!

I tried a bunch of different guns from 1978-1990 and even after the 3913 some Glocks (19 &26) and a couple of Khars.......... didn't find them to be a better fit for me................


When I was searching for the 'right" gun for me ..... often asked myself why my Dad a 39 year Police Officer still carried the same guns he'd bought in 1939 and the 1940s and 50s. Guess for the same reason we have old trusted friends!!!

I own two P365's. One for carry and a bedside w/laser. I have shot the Hellcat and found in my hands the Hellcat to have a bit more felt recoil and I really am not a fan of split triggers. Neither of which would stop me from buying one.
Both are really top of the line if you seek capacity v. size and thanks to capitalism, we have more options coming out every year.

I was looking at both the 365 and Hellcat. Then one of the folks I
know let me shoot a Taurus g2c. In my hand It points identical to
the Shields I have. It has the striker fired trigger like all Glock
clones and having fired double action revolvers for ever took no
extra training/familiarization.


And it uses the same holster. And I can use SIG P229/226 9mm
magazines that I already own.

And It cost me $240.00 out the door at Murdochs. About 40% of
what the other 2 cost.

SO I took the extra money and and bought a thousand of the 9mm
SIG 124gr ball rounds the second week in march then the Wuflu
was causing everything to close.

I've only shot half of that thousand rounds and my regret is I
should have gotten a few more thousand rounds before the
ammo rationing started.

Lastly, I haven't been able to make it jam.It loves 124gr cast
reloads. It's a sleeper for sure.

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never get out of the boat

Send me a PM if you want to get rid of that unwanted SIG P365, please.

When they both sport their flush mags, it's nearly identical.

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USMC RETIRED

I don't care for the hellcat or little P365 . Both are marginal defensive pistol when a size up model is easier the control , faster shooting and more than likely more accurate . Even my wife disliked the P365 and hellcat was not liked enough to shoot but her EDC is a p365xl on a little bit 5-2 wife , Carried a kimber ultra 9mm before than .

Debating the pros and cons of each does not matter . Buy what your like and more on .

G2C an excellent Glock clone, not a better semi available at that pricepoint.

We truly are living in the Golden Age of plastic fantastics..I do not, however, forecast a collectors market for them in 50 years..lol

For those on a budget, the Shield is a great option. The first generation can be had for $250. I almost picked up a P365 this weekend. Fortunately, I picked up the P365XL before purchasing. It fit my hand fabulously. I can't see me getting rid of this pistol. I do like a thin grip. But, the grip on the Shield was a little too thin. As far as performance goes, if you like the feel and capacity of the Shield, I see no reason to trade. For me, it was strictly a matter of ergonomics. And fortunately, my friend was looking for a concealable 9mm and was willing to purchase my Shield. Can't wait to get to the range.

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otis

And it could use preexisting S&W 59xx and 69xx magazines as well.