The past few years have been exciting for those who favor subcompact 9mm handguns. These handguns were first popularized by the KelTec PF9 and Smith & Wesson Shield. There have been other introductions and handguns with superior features, including greater magazine capacity and superior sights. Modern pistols feature superior reliability, good sights, good trigger actions, and high-capacity magazines. These handguns are good choices for concealed carry. They offer twice the rounds on board of the once-standard snubnose 38 Special, ride flatter, and are easier to use. Just the same, larger guns, such as the SIG P320 and Glock 19, are easier to shoot well and handle better. The two pistols tested in this shoot out are designed to split the difference between micro-compact and compact handguns. Each is larger than the parent pistol, with a longer slide and barrel as well as a taller grip frame. The larger grip and longer slide of each pistol results in a handgun that is easier to shoot and only a little more difficult to conceal. Another plus is added magazine capacity.

The first gun was a SIG Sauer P365XL Spectre P365V001, $1100. With the Spectre, SIG took the route of designing a custom-shop piece with plenty of flair. While based on the proven P365 action, there are important changes, and most of these changes are improvements. The slide is distinctive. The slide features a distressed finish sometimes called battle worn. The stainless-steel slide features a stylized X and cut outs in the slide. The result is a unique appearance.

The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro HCP9379BOSP, $575, is another elongated pistol that features a longer slide, barrel, and grip than its primogenitor. The pistol is 0.8 inch taller than the Hellcat and 0.6 longer. The Hellcat Pro, then, went a bit longer in the grip than the XL treatment of the SIG P365. In return you have a 15-round magazine. Essentially, Springfield designed a new Hellcat with the Hellcat Pro that is intended to sell at a popular price point.

We found each pistol reliable and accurate enough for personal defense. This was a tough shoot out, with the raters split to the end on which pistol is best suited to personal defense. There is plenty of room for personal choice, but only one handgun is the better buy, in our estimation.

Gun Tests Grade: A- (OUR PICK)

$1100

SIG has offered several versions of the popular P365. The standard model with a black Nitron-coated stainless-steel slide seems most popular, and there is also a stainless-steel-slide version. The SAS, or SIG Anti Snag pistol, features a modified takedown lever and slide stop to ensure the pistol is snag free in deep concealment and also features a single tritium front dot for aiming.

The P365 has earned a reputation for reliability. It is a useful concealed-carry handgun. With a 10-round magazine capacity, the P365 offers a good reserve of ammunition. The trigger action is controllable, and the pistol is among the better shooters in the size class. Just the same, the subcompact handgun isn’t the easiest to use well. Some shooters prefer a slightly larger handgun, which the SIG XL series satisfies with a longer slide and barrel.

The balance appeals to some, and the pistol’s slightly longer barrel offers an increase in velocity. The velocity increase isn’t severe, however, and may be counted on to add perhaps 30 to 35 fps with the 0.6 inch extra length of barrel. The longer sight radius is welcome.

The pistol features SIG XRAY sights. These night sights feature two tritium self-luminous dots in the rear sight. The front sight features a bright white outline surrounding a tritium dot. The rear sight is a wedge type that would allow racking the slide on a sturdy belt or boot heel. These are excellent sights for all-round personal-defense use. We found them well suited to firing for accuracy in bright light, and the tritium is visible in dim light to dark conditions.

The pistol features both forward and rear cocking serrations. The SIG P365XL handgun is easy to rack, handle, and load. The slide lock and takedown lever are the same as the P365, in contrast with the cut-down SIG P365 SAS types. The frame treatment is a combination of checkering and hollows in the grip. The result is an excellent gripping surface. The grip tang or uppermost section of the rear grip strap is elongated compared to the standard P365.

The XL guns — and there are several versions, including one with a flash-plated gold trigger — are 0.8 inch longer than the P365, 0.4 taller, with a 0.6-inch-longer barrel, and weigh 2.9 more ounces. The extra weight is mostly in the longer slide. The longer slide isn’t more difficult to conceal when the shooter chooses a well-designed inside-the-waistband holster. While the pistols are heavier than the standard P365s, it isn’t that much, and the extra weight of the XL slide provides a good balance, noticeably better recoil control, and also allows two more rounds in the standard mags. The P365 will accept the longer XL mags.

The pistol is supplied with two 12-round magazines. These steel magazines are well finished. The magazines were difficult to load to full capacity. We were able to insert 10 rounds with much effort. A loader was required to load to capacity throughout the test. The effort needed to load the magazines eased up, but only slightly during the test period. We used the magazine loader supplied with the Hellcat Pro to aid loading against the strong magazine springs. The Hellcat’s magazines were just as difficult to load to full capacity.

The trigger guard is slightly different from the original P365. The trigger, however, is much different in both design and feel from the original. The P365 XL Spectre features a flat trigger. The Spectre trigger is tight with minimal take up and very little overtravel. Trigger compression is a smooth 4.5 pounds. This is a useful trigger that makes shooting the pistol accurately easier. In contrast, a previous standard-model SIG P365 tested went 6.0 pounds in trigger compression and a well-used P365 SAS tested went 5.8 pounds. With the P365XL Spectre trigger, reset is sharp. By pressing the trigger smoothly and then riding the reset, we got good results. So, SIG came up with an eye-popping ensemble.

How does it shoot? Very well indeed. All our raters noted its excellent control and practical accuracy. We used three loads in offhand fire or combat shooting. Winchester USA Ready FMJs were the primary load along with a few handloads using the 147-grain Hornady XTP at 890 fps. We also used Federal Syntech rounds, splitting them between the two pistols. There were no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject with any of the ammunition. The pistol comes on target quickly and tracks between targets better than an original P365 we had on hand for comparison. The P365 itself is a good micro-sized compact, but in the case of the Spectre, the good big man simply beats the good little man, although we  don’t think “big” isn’t a good description of the P365 XL Spectre. Due to the longer slide that’s well balanced, not slide heavy, the pistol stays on target easily, we found.

We did run across an odd problem we had not previously encountered with optics-ready pistols. The SIG features a removable back plate that holds the rear sight. The screws holding the backplate on come in from under the slide. They are easily addressed by simply locking the slide to the rear. This allows easy mounting of an optical sight. The red dot actually screws in from the top, but these screws hold the back plate or cover plate in place.  During the firing test, the backplate became loose and wobbly. The sight was cocked to one side. During firing, we had lost one of the tiny set screws that holds the back plate down. The pistol left the factory with a loose screw. This is just something that happens, but it did create a detour in testing. Neither were the screws available for us to install. SIG was helpful because the pistol was in warranty, and they sent a return label. The pistol would have to go to the custom shop, they told us, for the screw to be replaced. We got by with a single screw tightened down for the duration of the test.

The pistol was fired for accuracy using proven loads we have fired for accuracy in the past. Since these were short-barrel compact pistols, the SIG and Hellcat were fired at 15 yards rather than 25 yards for accuracy. These 9mm handguns were each fired from an MTM CaseGuard K-Zone shooting rest. The loads used included the Winchester FMJs, Hornady 115-grain XTPs, and Winchester 124-grain USA Ready +P loads. Results were good. The best group was under two inches.

Our Team Said: The pistol is reliable, easy to use well, concealable, and makes a fine all-round home-defense handgun for most shooters. The SIG P365 Spectre would have earned a solid A rating save for the loose screw and the trouble needed to get it resolved. SIG would take care of the gun under warranty, to their credit, but the hassle has to count for something.

9mm Luger Range Data

Value Guide: Smaller 9mm Luger Handgun Rankings