P365 Safety Problem

C

Captain Nice

New member
I just purchased a Sig P365/.380 with a safety for my wife who is a first time gun user. While instructing her how to safely load the gun, I told her to engage the safety, insert the loaded ( with snap caps) magazine, tap it smartly with the palm of her hand to ensure that it locks in place, retract the slide and let it go to chamber a round. She followed my instructions but could not retract the slide. She handed me the gun and I tried retracting the slid and I could not, it was firmly locked in place. I removed the magazine, disengaged the safety and was now able to rack the slide with ease. I replaced the magazine engaged the safety and was now able to rack the slide and chamber a round with the safety on. The bottom line is, on her gun you cannot rack the slide with the safety on unless the striker is in the cocked position. Is this normal for the P365? If so, it seems a little ridicules to not be able to rack the slide when the striker is not in the cocked position with the safety on. I have an S&W Shield with a safety which I can do exactly that with no problem. Are there any words of wisdom as to why Sig would configure the safety to act that way, or is her gun defective?
 
I don't know about that individual model, but there are a lot of automatics whose safeties lock the slide in place.
You might drop in at the store and look at another example to see if it works the same.
 
My 365's are both 9mm and those will allow you to operate the slide with the safety in the "SAFE" position. I'd ASSUME the 380 will do the same. Many other guns will not.

Some guns will do this if the magazine is fully loaded. Try downloading the magazine by one round. OR, insert the fully loaded magazine with the slide locked back then close the slide to load the top round from the magazine.

This particular gun may not function reliably if loaded with a full mag+1 in the chamber. I've seen this before with certain gun/magazine combo's. My AR's won't function with a fully loaded magazine with certain magazines. Other magazines work fine fully loaded.
 
The magazine was loaded with five rounds of snap caps. The manual that came with the gun describes the loading procedure as: Retract and lock the slide back, if equipped with a safety place it on, insert the loaded magazine, release the slide by slightly retracting it or by depressing the slide release letting it slide forward into battery and chambering a round. I guess it’s all a matter of point of view and logic. To my mind S&W got the logic right with the shield. You can chamber a round with the magazine inserted the safety on and the slide in battery by retracting and releasing the slide. I have two 1911’s which of course will not let you retract the slide with the hammer in full cock and the safety on. Thus was the logic of the greatest gun designer that ever lived. Please don’t forget that even John M. Browning was not satisfied with his design of his 1911. Case in point, he thought his barrel link was the weak point in the design. His solution was his P35 High Power locking mechanism which is used in almost every high pressure semi auto pistol today. Even Browning knew there is always a better way to do things.
 
I had an XD for a while that I couldn't stand because the grip safety needed to be depressed to rack the slide. Realistically not any kind of big issue at all, it just bothered me.

Looking over your loading/make ready steps vs what you quoted from the manual, looks like the striker does have to be cocked to put the safety on. I'm personally more of a fan of inserting the magazine with the slide to the rear. Either just make the slight adjustment to your order of operations, or get one that fits your/her needs, nothing wrong with either choice really.
 
Other than the issue noted, both my wife and I love the little P365 as is. I was just wondering if the way the safety functioned was an issue unique to her gun or do they all function that way. We will follow the loading instructions as indicated in the manual. Still think S&W Shield has it right like my Walthers PPK/S and P38.
 
Captain Nice said:
1911’s … will not let you retract the slide with the hammer in full cock and the safety on. Thus was the logic of the greatest gun designer that ever lived.
Click to expand...

Actually, it wasn't Browning's idea to have a slide-locking thumb safety on the M1911. His original prototype, the 1905, and all subsequent updates, until he modified a few 1910s at the request of the Army, had only the grip safety. The Army demanded the thumb safety to allow a way for mounted troops to safe their pistols while moving. There was no way to safely safe the 1910 with just a grip safety while on a galloping horse. If the thumb safety would have been used on the 1905, I'm pretty sure the redundant grip safety never would have materialized.
 
No, dose not work any way. Magazine empty, snap caps, live ammo, magazine inserted, not inserted. Really not a big issue just curious as to why it was configured that way.

Also, Browning configured his 1903 Pocket Model, which I also have, that way. I don't think the military had a say in that design.
 
Oh well I guess it's my fault for bringing John Browning into this discussion. Who am I to challenge the thought processes and ideas of the greatest firearms designer that ever lived and probably who will ever live. It's like me trying to challenge the divinity of Jesus with the Pope. Oh shoot, now I've brought Jesus into this. Anyway the only worthwhile takeaway from all of this is, know how your firearm functions before you trust your life with it.
 
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