It wasn’t supposed to be this way, and it wasn't my intention to be one of those guys that has that one thing in every color. Low and behold, I find myself with (6) P365 Pistols.

Let me tell you how I got here.

I was/am a 1911 guy. I loved the classic look, the history, and the overall swagger I think they have. Eventually when I moved from Texas to Tennessee, I was down to owning a single pistol, a Remington R1, Government full size, 1911 in .45 ACP. I love that gun, but it was a bit large to be carried comfortably on the regular, or EDC as they say now. So I found myself at Smokey Mountain Guns & Ammo at 10:04AM on a Saturday morning. They open at 10:00AM, and it was already busy. I browsed and ended up leaving with a little S&W J-frame .38 special. I never even shot that gun once in the few months I owned and carried it, but alas it ended up being traded in on the purchase of a Springfield Ronin Commander size 1911. What can I say, I have a type. I carried the Ronin and it wasn’t too bad, but still not the most capacity or as comfortable as some of the other options I was eyeing.

When I saw an amazing deal on a M&P Shield 2.0 Performance Center (a great gun), I picked it up and carried it for months. Some Magguts magazine springs (which were so hard to install I sent my magazines and springs to Magguts and let them install the darn things) increased the capacity from 8 rounds to 10, and I thought I was good. Then I stumbled across another deal, this time on an Sig Sauer P365. I didn’t realize that I had lucked into what has to be one of the best modular platforms available. Easy enough to change out pretty much everything, and I was on my way.

That gun taught me all about red dot footprints, proprietary rails vs 1913 standards, and the overall practicality that comes from having a modular fire control unit (the serial is on the trigger which is easily removed/installed into new platforms aka grip modules). So while shopping on optics planet and saw the beauty that is the Sharps Bros grip, I spent the damn near pistol cost and had it shipped express. Oh boy, I had no idea the path that would take me down before it was through.

The box was sitting there when I got home from work two days later, and immediately I was figuring out how to swap the FCU on the fly. From the firs time I picked the Sharps grip up, I noticed how chonky it was (1.5” width in comparison to the factory 1”). It felt so good in my hands, and damn if it didn’t solve almost all the perceived snappiness from that little subcompact P365. Then SIG released the X-macro, and before I knew it another Sharps was at my door.

It was only then I started doing some research online and realized there were other companies making grips as well. One by one they arrived, and with them I purchased new FCU’s however I could acquire them the cheapest. Whether online or finding them used at local gun stores, each grip turned into a new gun. Spare parts helped, but I won’t say it was cheap. I figured I’d sell the ones I didn’t like, and that’d be it. Problem is, I like them all.

Pretty early on, I realized I couldn’t find any holsters that fit any of these darn things. Being the patient and reasonable person I am, I figured that I’d wait and the market would eventually catch up to this trend. That idea lasted about 10 minutes after getting that first Sharps Bro. I had YouTube tutorials open across multiple tabs, and a foam press and kydex ordered before the night was over. Let me tell you, for a month or two, what I made was straight garbage. I had no idea what I was doing, but I started to get it after awhile.

I modified molds I had purchased for P365’s. Blocking channels to handle the clearance needed for gas pedals found on some like the ECM, Icarus, and Sharps. After getting that mold and my work up to level of quality that I was then proud enough to post some pictures on reddit. I never had any idea how many other people had these grip modules and also struggled to find holsters for them. Sure, some of the larger holster companies are now making some options for a few of them, but they are still so damn expensive.

So my little hobby added a whole new different set of hobbies (learning to build a website, photoshop, blogging, etc). It’s actually relaxing to make the actual holsters now versus doing all the other stuff, but I have enjoyed learning all of it. In the end, all of this was to say, “I make holsters for these guns, and if you find yourself in need holler at ya Dude,Bro. Also, if you have questions about any of the grips please reach out and ask. I’m going to lay out my thoughts on each below for anyone wanting to know the differences between them from this DudeBro’s perspective.

Note:

My Icarus and one of my Sharps are the XL Size, all the others are the X-Macro Size:

SIG AXG (Gen 2) w/Hogue grips

This is my most often carried gun. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite - although I do like it quite a lot. I just shoot it better than any other pistol I own. I can’t explain why, I just naturally shoot better with this gun. Where I like the thickness offered by some of the others, I like the thinness of this grip equally as much. FCU was hard to get installed, but it’s tight and solid.

ECM R11

This thing is nice, like really nice. It was also the most expensive out of everyone listed here. It has great ergos, a great mag release, nice trigger undercuts, and its width and weight make it feel just high quality and solidly built. The weight and width also make me carry it less.

Icarus EVO XL

I go back and forth on whether this or the ECM has better ergos. I can’t decide, but these are really good. Feels great in hand, and is aggressive with the curves and angles. It’s thinner than the ECM and Sharps, and is really easy to shoot well. The only issue I have when carrying is the aggressive beavertail cuts into my gut.

Mischief Machine Commander (Gen 1)

Being a 1911 guy, I love looking at this thing. I just wish I shot it better. Its ergos aren’t as good as some of the others, but the grip angle feels natural. The width is middle of the pack. I do love this thing too, it’s just not my favorite in comparison to the others listed. Still would recommend to folks interested, they have also made a new generation 2 I have yet to hold.

Sharps Bros

The standard. Plain and simple, first one I had, and I feel like it might be middle of the pack on everything, but it has no glaring flaws. Thicker than a snicker at 1.5” wide, I love it paired with my short slide on the XL size, but the X-Macro size I have paired with a Sharps Bros comped slide and a tuned spring kit is like butter it’s such a smooth shooter. I have had to send each one of mine back to Sharps for a fix, but both times, no questions asked I either got mine fixed or a new one shipped immediately. I will say the 1913 rail is not perfectly to spec, and I’ve participated in a reddit thread where others had mentioned this issue as well. No matter, I’m still quite happy with both of mine.

Baron

DudeBro in Charge

www.dudebrotactical.com

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