When SIG released the P365 in 2018 we entered an entirely new era. That small SIG stagger-stack shifted the compromise between concealment and capability forever in our favor. All subsequent successful semiautomatics designed with carry in mind would follow their form factor.
The P365 may have started life as a carry gun but now it’s an entire ecosystem. That SIG encourages the aftermarket only adds to this; there are literally thousands of possible combinations. We’ve seen it get longer grips and barrels with the P365XL and XMacro, but nothing has narrowed the gap between the full-size P320/M17 and the original little P365 than the new FUSE.
You can safely see the FUSE as the monkey-in-the-middle, one that feels greater than the sum of its parts.
FEATURES & DETAILS
Firstly, the FUSE has a 4.3-inch barrel, essentially splitting the difference between a Glock 19 and Glock 17. This barrel sits in a slide featuring deep serrations and tasteful lightening cuts. From the factory, you’re looking at a green fiber-optic front sight paired with a blacked-out rear. It comes optics-ready (or already equipped) with a RomeoZero/RMSc footprint.
| Palmetto State Armory | $700 |  |
| Guns.Com | $700 | |
| BassPro | $700 | |
On the grip, the FUSE eschews an exclusive accessory mount, instead opting for a three-slot Picatinny rail for easy light/laser options.
Those who can’t fit their whole hand onto the original P365 certainly can with the P365 FUSE. Though the pinky is the shortest phalange, it’s pretty important when it comes to grasping the gun. In fact, wrapping that little guy ’round accounts for a third of the total grip strength.
But it’s not just the longer length. The P365 FUSE not only ships with a tasteful (and removable) magwell to aid in magazine insertion and to keep the hand high, but there are also three different backstraps to accommodate a variety of mitts. Note that though there are multiple backstraps, they share one nut. For just the backstraps, you’re OK, but it’s required to attach the magwell.
And that lasering? While it’s actually aesthetic and sets the FUSE apart, it’s for more than mere looks. It makes your hand stick but isn’t aggressive enough to immediately eat through your shirt when concealed.
And the FUSE isn’t only for concealed carry — standard, flush-fit magazines fit 17 rounds, and SIG sends it out with one plus a pair of extended 21 rounders. In a world where some companies are cutting down and shipping pistols with a sad single mag, SIG ships with three.
The magazines are all made in-house in New Hampshire by a robot that both welds and grinds them. All told, SIG pumps out 6,200 mags a day.
Being a P365, the FUSE is interchangeable with all of the other slides and grips if you want to play presto chango. Because both bodies and holsters can be very different, there will be people out there who want a shorter grip or a shorter slide and that’s a simple process here.
OUTFITTING
For those worried about holsters, don’t be. The FUSE will fit virtually any P365 holster with an open bottom, and SIG sells some themselves online.
The optic is the new, now-sealed Romeo-X Compact. Though there are a considerable number of enclosed options (see our buyer’s guide in RECOIL 72), most are larger. Before this release, Holosun had the compact market cornered with their EPS-Carry. This latest from SIG, essentially an enclosed and argon-purged Romeo-X, gives you another excellent option.
The enclosed Romeo-X Compact is low enough to cowitness with your normal irons, no need for suppressor-height sights. Color rendition is good, a bit more blue on the top edge of the window but not drastic. Shown is the 3MOA model, and the dot is pretty dang crisp. It has 15 brightness settings (including three for night vision), a runtime of 20,000 hours, and a side-fill battery compartment for easy swapping. SIG offers bundled options, and you’ll save some bucks that route.
For a light, we decided to stick with the theme and mount a SIG Foxtrot2R. People sleep on the Foxtrot lights primarily because it’s polymer but they’re well designed. Running from a single CR123A or the included rechargeable 16340, the Foxtrot2R spits 700 lumens and 20,000 candela. Pleasantly surprising, some WML holsters meant for the Streamlight TLR7sub will work with a Foxtrot2R. It’s no guarantee because the Foxtrot2R is a little longer but worth a shot if you have a holster on-hand.
ON THE RANGE & LOOSE ROUNDS
Back in CONCEALMENT Issue 20, John Correa penned the piece “Making Pocket-Sized Pistols Suck Less.” It’s full of good advice, because many CCW pistols are easy to carry but harder to shoot. The short barrels are snappy in part from all of the gas exhausting out the front. The too short and skinny grips make them harder to hold.
Here? The longer barrel and larger grip mitigate most of these downsides. It’s still slim but the grip texture and magwell keep your paws in place.
| Palmetto State Armory | $700 | |
| Guns.Com | $700 | |
| BassPro | $700 | |
As we’ve come to expect, there weren’t any cycling issues, and it ate everything — this is a popular pistol for a reason.
SIG named this the FUSE because they say it’s the “ultimate fusion of capability and concealment.” The word ultimate isn’t something we’d be comfortable stating, but this pistol really changes the calculus.
Slim, 17 rounds, and simple to secret away? Hell. Yes.
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