Hey guys. Have been running some drills with my 365. I find mag changes tough. I’m pretty good with my full size pistols using my shooting thumb to release the empty mag (mostly 226/229s). I can’t seem to get the ergonomics to work well on the 365 and find myself fumbling for the mag release. Second issue is heel of my shooting hand often block the mag.

I’ve tried sliding my support hand thumb down to press the release on the way to get a new mag. Works Ok in slow mo, but when I try to speed it up, it’s also tough.

Maybe these are just micro pistol issues I need to practice through.

BTW - right handed and release on left side of pistol.

Anybody out there figure out a more ergonomic/faster method for mag exchanges on the 365?

Thanks

The grip on the P365 is small enough that the mag release can be manipulated with the bird finger of the shooting hand, though I use my thumb, conventionally. I try to retain the master trip with the top of the backstrap in the same position in the web of my thumb and forefinger, rather than rotating or moving the pistol.

Once the magazine is rleased, in order to prevent restricting the magazine, I pinch the pistol between the base of my thumb and forefinger, while opening my bottom two fingers. The magazine can be dropped, but it's easier to strip it from the pistol with the support hand, due to the short grip length, similar to a magazine retention reload (or it can be discarded...just giving it some help out of the pistol.

If the support hand isn't available to remove the magazine, then it's just a matter of ensuring that the shooting hand opens enough to allow the magazine to fall free.

Insertion is per normal, except that one does have to ensure the hand is clear enough to allow the magazine to seat without pinching the heel of the hand shooting, or the fingers.

It's legitimate to use the support hand to press the mag release, too, and to strip the magazine with the support hand, though the point of a handgun is that it can also be operated single-handed... one needs to be able to manipulate the pistol with the shooting hand, and if one will be using the support hand to release the magazine, I think it's still important to be proficient using the shooting hand, too. For any number of reasons, the support hand may not be available to remove the magazine or press the release.

With little guns like the 365, Glock 26, Shield, etc., I've found I have to consciously unwrap the little finger from the grip to make room for the magazine to reliably drop and to insert the new magazine. I have not experienced any trouble with the button.

I switched my 365 to an XL grip in part to obviate this and because I was always using the 12 round magazine anyway.

quote:

With little guns like the 365, Glock 26, Shield, etc., I've found I have to consciously unwrap the little finger from the grip …

And keep from slamming a mag shut on the finger.

My comprehensive handgun skills courses include reloading stages plus reloads at the end of each stage. The difficulty in getting rid the P365 magazine was one of the first things that really struck me about the pistol. I am right-handed and it was especially difficult to depress the magazine catch with my right thumb; impossible, in fact without a major grip modification in the process.

But because I always move my mag catches to the right side of the gun to depress with my trigger finger, after I did that depressing the catch became easier. It still requires rotating the pistol in my grip, but not as much as doing it with my thumb.

Due to the gun’s short grip, depressing the mag catch is only part of my process with the P365. My palm wraps around the bottom of the magazine and prevents its falling free. It’s therefore necessary to pull the mag out with my left hand. But despite that extra step of pulling the magazine out, my reload times are not too much longer than they are with a full size pistol. It’s just an adaption that I recognized early on to be necessary and therefore something to anticipate and deal with.

Go to www.armorycraft.com as they sell an extended magazine release for the P365. Also the 12 round mags seem to get in the way of your palm much less then the 10 rounders.

Wrap you index finger from your support hand underneath the trigger guard and when it’s time to reload drag that index finger on the trigger guard and it will drive the mag release towards your thumb of your firing hand. This action opens up your firing hand palm and allows the mag to drop free.without getting caught on your palm.

Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas. AS with everything else, practice, practice, practice.