SIG P365 Rose Review – The Pistol’s Petals and Thorns

SIG Sauer introduced one of the most revolutionary handguns in recent memory with the SIG P365. SIG Sauer released a version of its SIG P365 that was designed specifically for women. I was immediately interested. As a woman who has spent her career educating gun owners and is a fan of the P365 it was a delayed gift to hear the announcement at the January SHOT Show introducing the new P365 Rose and the Rose program. The Rose program, in essence, is a female-focused beginner kit for women who are looking to carry a firearm for the first. Lena Miculek, the greatest female gun shooter of all time, paired a sharp-looking firearm with sensible accessories to help a new gun owner. I spend a lot of my time helping new shooters to learn how to protect themselves and defend themselves. This is especially true for women, who are often overlooked by the firearms industry. I was giddy and excited. I was also nervous and a little cautious. Bordering on suspicious even. Many of the products marketed to women looking to get into firearms are just…pink guns. Just a pink version whatever small concealed-carry guns are already selling well. No consideration is given to the challenges that women face when trying to enter the firearms world for the first. Would the Rose P365 or the Rose program be the same? I was eager to find out. The Rose ProgramI’m pleased to report that SIG did not simply slap some pink Cerakote onto the P365. The Rose line includes two models at the time this article was written, the P365 380 Rose and the P365 XL Comp Rose. Functionally, both guns are identical to base P365 models, which is fine in my opinion. Both guns are well-designed and have a stellar reputation. Both guns are incredibly reliable, accurate, easy to shoot, and have the increased micro-compact capability that made the original P365 so popular. The Rose Edition upgrades include some very elegant rose gold accents that are found on the slide release, trigger, takedown lever and safety. They add a touch of class to a gun that already looks good. The slide has a Rose edition logo in a color-matched design, and the grip also features a rose. The Rose upgrades add a little extra interest to a polymer-framed gun, which is great. But that’s not all. The Rose program and the accessories it comes with are the real draw. What’s in the P365 Rose Box? The accessories include two standard 10-round magazines – one flush-fit, and one extended – as well as a mag loader. These are all included with the standard version. The Rose kit comes with 5 inert training round and a Vault Tek Lifepod quick access safe. The safe is the perfect size, large enough to hold the gun, accessories, and ammo but small enough to fit on a nightstand. You’ll also find a sweet note from Lena Miculek in your box. This includes a link to a series videos that cover the basics of using a firearm. This includes safety, loading, racking slide, and other small things that a newbie needs to know. Lena Miculek is an 8-time world champ who has been called “the world’s best all-around female gun shooter” by the NRA. She teaches shooting drills and gives advice on drawing, holstering and important information on choosing a firearm holster. You’ll have access to the Rose Community, which has a little more than 5,000 Rose-edition users and is growing every day. This group is filled with women who are eager to learn from each other and share information. Team Sig members, including Lena is very active within the group. All of this provides a solid foundation for anyone who purchases a Rose Edition P365, something that many women feel lost without. All of this won’t replace a class on concealed carry, but that is not the goal. The goal is to provide women who purchase the Rose program with the information and training that they need to feel comfortable taking the class. To give Rose owners a foundation to feel comfortable with their gun so they can learn to be gun owners on their oown. It’s a big step for a woman who wants to protect herself but does not have anyone in her life to help them get started with firearms. The real power behind the Rose program lies not in the pretty gun, the dummy round, or the nice Rose branded case, but in the community and the training provided by the most accomplished women in the world shooting sports. The Rose program is a bridge that many people miss between buying a gun and knowing how to carry it safely. It also provides additional training and information on topics like choosing a firearm holster, legal issues, and other important information for armed citizens. The gun is a great tool, but the access to the Rose program included in the package makes it so valuable for women who are looking to carry concealed for the first time. We can’t talk about the Rose Program without mentioning the gun. Overview of the SIG P365 380 RoseSpecs and Features: Caliber:.380 AUTOCapacity : 10+1Overall Length: 5.8 InchesOverall Height: 4.2 InchesOverall Width: 1.1 InchesBarrel Length: 3.1 InchesSight Radius : 4.9 inchWeight (w/magazines): 15.7 OuncesIf you are familiar with the standard P365 380 or P365, there is not much new here It is the same size as a standard P356-380 and also the 9mm version. This gun is very compact, with an overall length just under 6 inches and a height just over 4 inches. The flush-fitting magazine is perfect for my size small hands. I can fit most of my pinkie onto the grip. The micro-compact design makes the gun very shootable, and the sight radius is longer than average for the overall size. The P365 series also has an incredibly low bore axis that makes it less “snappy”. The 10+1 capacity is a huge improvement over the tiny 9mms or.380s from just a few short years ago, where you got a typical 6+1 capacity. The days of having a revolver’s capacity are over. If you have to deal multiple attackers in a single situation, the extra ammo could be life-saving. Guns for novice shooters should also have as much ammunition as possible. I don’t know of anyone who has died from having too much ammunition in their gun. You also get a Nitron coated slide which is cut to fit a SIG RomeoZero optical. SIG offers a matching Rose version of the optic if you wish to upgrade. You can also purchase various mounting plates for any optic of the right size. There is a rail underneath that can be used to mount a light. When we took the P365 Rose to the range it was business as normal for the P365 series. It shot better than a gun of this size should have, to be honest. The trigger pull was a bit long, but it was crisp and had a quick, tactile reset. The sights were great and I had no trouble using them even in low light situations (even though I have bad night vision). The groupings of the people I took to range varied. The best grouping was just under 1.5 inches. Even by.380 standards, the recoil was manageable for everyone, including myself. The aggressive stippling allows you to get a positive grip on the gun, which is nice for a small weapon. The stippling on this gun is a laser engraved Rose, which is not only very attractive but also functional. We did have one issue, however. The magazine springs were stiff at first. However, loading them overnight solved the problem. I’ve seen people in Rose groups having issues with “limp-wristing” (not an accurate term) which causes ejection problems. This is more of an issue with new shooters and the.380 caliber cartridge itself, than an issue with the firearm. If you don’t grip it tightly, your gun may not eject correctly or go back into the battery. This is a great gun, and the accessories and training included with it are a testament to the care and attention that SIG and Mrs. Miculek put into making it. It looks like a sexy, femme fatale gun that would be carried in a Bond movie, which is a plus. Since I started carrying a firearm, women have asked me about the best gun to purchase, what holsters to use, where to find training and how to stay safe. This impressive target pack is from our friends at Storm Tactical. It contains 62 printable MOA targets with DOT drills for rifle and handgun ranges. The target grids and bullseyes are measured in MOA. Subscribe to the Gun Digest newsletter and we will send you your print-at home target pack immediately. Enter your email below.