SIG 365 or S&W EQUALIZER

[roysha]

My wife's hands have reached the point that she can no longer pull the trigger on her LadySmith 642. We are looking at replacing it with one or the other of the titled handguns. They both feel good to her, and she can fire them comfortably. I am a fan of both S&W and SIG so I can't even use favoritism as a guide. It seems that pretty much everything is equal, price, caliber, positive reviews, etc. I'm not that crazy about the grip safety on the Smith and the slide is a bit harder to rack on the SIG but neither is a deal breaker.

What is your personal experience with either of these handguns?

[M-Tecs]

I went with the Sig 365XL since I liked the trigger the best and it's modular so if the grip/frame gets damaged or I want to change to an aftermarket I can.

[rintinglen]

I have shot a 9mm EZ, similar to the Equalizer, and found the slide operation to be much easier than on my "old" style Shield. That was a real plus in my eyes, as ain't none of us getting any younger. Personally, I like the grip safety concept, but I can't say yay or nay on the Equalizer. The Sig seems a bit smaller in the hand, but maybe that's just me. I am something of a Sig Fan, having carried one in the twilight of my professional gun packing days and probably would lean toward that choice if slide operation is not a problem--though I think if you can't operate a DA trigger well, the 5.5-7 lb DA trigger on the Sig may be more troublesome than the slightly lighter 4.5-5.5 lb. SA triggers that I have read come stock on the Equalizer. Price wise, hereabouts the Smith is about 50 bucks cheaper. I do like the available manual safety.

[AnthonyB]

I have the 365, 365XL, and Equalizer. You cannot go wrong with either. The Equalizer is much easier to operate, but I prefer the Apex trigger in the regular Shield over the Equalizer. Grip safety is a no problem for me.
Tony

[Bigslug]

The "Whatever you do, don't drop it" debacle of the Sig P320 was due in part to a lack of some kind of fire control block that kept the trigger from moving rearward. On impact with the ground - at the right angle - the physical mass of the trigger itself provided enough momentum to overcome the springs that need to be compressed for the trigger to be "pulled".

Theoretically, this has been corrected and I've not heard of it being an issue on the P365, BUT. . . While I'm not a guy that puts a lot of stock in "safeties", when you reduce the trigger pull from that of a DA revolver, as is the case on most of these striker-fired pistols, the lack of one starts to give me pause. For me, it's all about serviceability, and the answer in this category is the Glock 48 with it's trigger tab safety, but the grip safety on the Smith serves the same purpose.

The real question is what she can cycle the slide and load the mags to. Smith Shield mags are an absolute bear; P365 mags slightly better; the Glock 43X/48 factory 10-rounders aren't bad, but the Shield Arms aftermarket 15's take some work.