Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre 9mm Semi-Automatic Handgun Review

The Sig Sauer P365Xl Is a Beautiful Gun with a Killer Grip

In 2019, Sig Sauer christened its own custom shop—Sig Custom Works. This was very good news indeed for those of us who are devotees of the company. Sig’s most innovative engineers and designers were given their own playground where they can allow their imaginations and seemingly endless talents to run wild. Magic flows from the company’s own version of Skunk Works.

The P365XL Spectre is one of its latest creations. For the purposes of full disclosure, the standard P365XL is one of two pistols I use for daily carry. The primary reason is that it is a truly tiny, reliable gun that offers an astonishing 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition when carried with one in the pipe.  Nothing about this changes with this Spectre version. It is simply an enhanced form of an already great gun for the ages.

Merriam-Webster defines “spectre” as a ghost or something that haunts. This gun has certainly haunted me since first laying eyes upon it.  Whether it has been while changing the oil in my truck or cleaning the gutters, I find myself thinking about how much I “need” one.  It’s simply beautiful. 

Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre Review

For confirmation of what I was seeing, I took it over to my buddy Colion Noir’s house for his first impressions. In his refreshingly unique and wonderful way, he summed them up with one word—“Gucci.” It is hard to argue with the Urban Gun Enthusiast, and I don’t have any reason to try in this instance.

The unique features of this Spectre pistol include the flat TiN gold trigger and barrel with the same finish peeking through stylish lightening cuts in the slide that has X-pattern engraving and graduated serrations. Then there is the laser etched LXG grip module with aggressive texture on all four sides. This thing is not moving anywhere in the hand while shooting. 

I did not get a chance to carry the gun on the streets so I was not able to determine if the aggressive texture will be kind to the skin near the beltline or not. Knowing enough about the folks at Sig, I am betting that they took it right up to the line and found the perfect balance. Smaller, lighter guns want to move more under recoil, so the new keep-it-where-it-is texture of the P365XL Spectre is a marked improvement over my standard P365XL from a speed shooting standpoint.

Shooting the Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre

Shooting steel is a bit of an addiction, so testing this gun was an excuse to unlock the gate to the plate rack at my local range. I burned through 300 rounds of Sig Sauer 9mm FMJ about as fast as I could load the magazines. Runs from appendix draw in the three-second range were standard from seven yards, and I was happy with how rare the misses were.

Of course, they were my fault, not the gun’s. I failed to run my standard P365XL up against this P365XL Spectre, but there is no doubt in my mind that the laser-etched grips made a significant difference in getting the sights back onto the next plate in line. The gun ran flawlessly.

While the test copy had a matte black DLC coating, there is a version of this gun with distressed finish on the slide that should be considered by any prospective buyer.  Regardless of which one might win your money, the pistol in your holster will be transformed from a tool to a most useful conversation piece.

Specifications: Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre 9mm Semi-Automatic Handgun

Action: Striker Fired Semi-Auto Pistol
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Slide: Stainless Steel, Matte Black DLC Coating, Front and Rear Cocking Serrations, Lightening Cuts
Sights: X-Ray3 Day/Night Tritium
Micro Red-Dot Cut: Direct Mount ROMEOZero
Barrel: 3.7” Carbon Steel, TiN Gold Finish
Frame: Stainless Steel
Trigger: XSeries Flat, TiN Gold Finish
Overall Length: 6.6”
Height: 4.8”
Overall Width: 1.1”
Weight: 20.7 Ounces Unloaded
Capacity: 12+1 and 10+1 Where Restricted
MSRP: Starting at $1,099

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