Tyrant CNC TWS365 Sig P365 Chassis [Review]

I’ve followed the growth of the civilian personal defense weapon market extensively, as it absolutely fascinates me.

But the rise of PDW platforms might be confusing to some. What’s the point of PDW? What purpose do they serve? Why wouldn’t I just buy a dedicated pistol caliber carbine?

To find out, I ran 1,000 rounds through the TWS365, including running it side-by-side with a traditional PCC for comparison.

Let’s dig into the TWS365 to see what this pistol-based modular PDW has to offer.

Tyrant CNC TWS365 Sig P365 PDW Chassis

$539

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$539 at Palmetto State Armory

Brownells (see price)

OpticsPlanet (see price)

Tyrant CNC (see price)

Tyrant CNC TWS365 Specs and Features

Specs

• Overall Length (Brace Deployed): 18-3/4"
• Overall Length (Brace Stowed): 11" 
• Height: 5"
• Width: 2"

Features

• 1913 rear rail w/ side-folding spring-loaded brace
• Removable spare magazine holder
• Removable aluminum blast shield

Tyrant CNC TWS365 Backstory

The Sig P365 is one of numerous guns on the market that use a serialized, removable fire control unit. These module fire control units allow you to swap out frames and grip modules without requiring you to purchase a new firearm.

A company called Flux jump-started the genre of PDWs that use guns with modular fire control units with the introduction of its chassis system, the Raider. Since then, multiple companies have followed suit.

One such company is Tyrant CNC. They began showing off early prototypes of their own P365 PDW system at SHOT Show 2025.

Tyrant CNC states, "We went through 30+ iterations of design, each tested and refined until the TWS365 met our standards for innovation and durability. Our goal was to create a compact PDW chassis that wasn’t just an accessory, but a modern tool for the modern operator — a weapon system built to outlast its owners."

Shooting the Tyrant CNC TWS365: Accuracy & Reliability Analysis

My Sig P365XL is my typical go-to for concealed carry, so I knew the Holosun EPS Carry sitting on top of the gun was zeroed.

But figured the red dot would need to be fine-tuned when placed in a chassis, and oh boy, did it. It was off by several inches at 25 yards. Since suppressors also affect zero, I decided to zero the gun suppressed.

I immediately noticed that the TWS365 was capable of impressive accuracy. At 25 yards, my groups were tight, with the rounds nearly touching.

In an offhand shooting position, I was capable of creating three-inch groups at 25 yards on average. When I really took my time, I was able to get those groups even smaller.

I moved back to 50 yards, and that's where I saw the performance increase decrease. At that distance, it didn’t feel much, if any, faster than my performance with a handgun. This is also the distance where my CZ Scorpion began to easily outpace the TWS365.

Keeping the target at 50 yards, I did some ready-up drills on an IPSC-sized steel target. I was able to nail the target repeatedly as long as I took my time. I then moved to a reduced-size IPSC target (roughly 33% the size of a normal one). While I was still able to hit it fairly easily, I really had to slow my shooting pace to do so.

Reliability

Most of my shooting was done with a suppressor. The gun got pretty filthy, as suppressors throw a lot of crud into the gun due to the increased back pressure.

I noticed that running a suppressor changed the ejection pattern, but everything ran fine at first.

Around the 700-round mark, I began to get failures to eject once every couple of magazines. I let the suppressor cool, removed it, and shot again; it was problem-free.

I later stripped the gun and found a massive amount of carbon build-up. After cleaning it, lubing it, and mounting the suppressor again, it ran without a problem.

This was also the first time I had cleaned my P365XL in years, so take that for what you will.

I then removed the suppressor and added the included blast shroud to test the TWS365 in its standard configuration. It put 300 more rounds through it, and it remained problem-free.

Ergonomics: Fit and Feel

My biggest issue with the TWS365 came from the brace. It swings out rapidly, and it’s easy to get parts of your body in the way when deploying the brace, which can prevent it from locking into place.

There is also a pinch point on the left side of the brace as it opens, so make sure that area is clear when you deploy it. It has a hook for you to rest your forearm on, but I added a piece of ripcord to make it cling to my skin a little better.

The magazine holder up front isn’t tough to use, but takes practice. I’ve trained my reloads from the belt for so long that using the mag holder felt clumsy at first.

To fix this, I practiced reloads a fair bit while watching the second season of Fallout to make them feel more natural.

There are two ways to employ the magazine from the magazine holder. First, use your support hand to do everything. Grab the mag, hit the release, and use your firing hand thumb to eject the empty magazine.

The second way is to use your firing hand’s trigger finger to release the spare magazine while your support hand grips the magazine in a traditional grab position with your pointer along the front of the magazine. This makes the reload feel a little more traditional due to hand and finger placement.

Outside of these unique features, the rest of the ergonomics are Sig P365-like. They are easy to use and intuitive. The gun uses an X-Macro grip length, meaning you have to use the 17-round magazines.

Recoil is quite pleasant. When compared to something like my CZ Scorpion, it feels lighter and less violent. Even though the TWS365 is smaller, the use of a short-recoil action rather than direct blowback makes a significant difference.

When running Bill drills, my times were almost identical to those of the larger, heavier Scorpion. The Scorpion has the advantage of a fixed optic rather than a reciprocating one, making it easier to recover between shots. However, the TWS365 is much smaller and lighter, yet capable of the same level of performance.

It is a ton of fun to shoot fast. I was easily able to do double-taps, failure-to-stop drills, and even El Presidente drills. The TWS365 is a solid performer in these defensive-type drills.

Improvements We’d Like To See

One big advantage that other PCC and PDW platforms have is the ability to mount an optic in a location that doesn’t reciprocate.

Adding a frame-mounted optic mount option to the TWS365 would help with recovery time between shots.

While the brace can be challenging to deploy, I don’t see many ways to prevent the problems while maintaining a quick-deploy feature.

Who Is It For

The TWS365 offers shooters a compact, ultra-lightweight bag gun option. It’s quite niche for defensive use, but I do like these types of guns when I travel far from home. I can’t, or at least don’t, bring the 12 gauge for hotel room defense, but I do prefer something more capable than a traditional pistol.

I live in a rural area, and tossing this in a holster and riding ATVs gives me something more capable than a standard pistol, but much smaller and lighter than a long gun. It’s well-suited for hiking, camping, and other tasks where weight is precious.

You could even use one for survival events, like the nearly yearly hurricane evacuation I deal with. Having something a little bigger than a handgun makes me feel more comfortable amid the chaos.

By the Numbers

Accuracy: 3.5/5

For a micro-sized platform, it’s more than accurate enough. It’s not a 1 MOA tack driver, but it's about as accurate as a platform like this can get.

Reliability: 4/5

After 700 suppressed rounds, it began to choke. After removing the can, it ran without a problem, and after cleaning it, it ran suppressed just fine. I think that qualifies it as reliable in my book, but keep it clean if you suppress it.

Customization: 5/5

Using the TWS365 gives you access to all of the P365’s accessories. The kit is inherently modular, allowing it to be stripped down or beefed up on demand.

Value: 2/5

The TWS365 is $600 dollars, and the holster is another $100. Factor in the cost of a P365 FCU and a slide, and you're up to over a grand quick. This isn’t for everyone, but if you want a PDW, you have to pay the PDW tax.

Overall: 4/5

Tyrant CNC TWS365 Sig P365 PDW Chassis

$539

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$539 at Palmetto State Armory

Brownells (see price)

OpticsPlanet (see price)

Tyrant CNC (see price)

Upgrades & Accessories for the Tyrant CNC TWS365

Holosun EPS Carry MRS

$399

at MidwayUSA

Prices accurate at time of writing

$399 at MidwayUSA

OpticsPlanet (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

The Holosun EPS Carry MRS has a rugged design and an excellent multi-reticle system that makes it our favorite enclosed optic for micro compact pistols like the P365.

SilencerCo Spectre 9

$747

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$747 at GrabAGun

Battlehawk Armory (see price)

Firearms Depot (see price)

A lightweight titanium design and short overall length make the SilencerCo Spectre 9 a perfect fit for a compact platform like the Tyrant CNC TWS365.

Streamlight TLR-1 HL-X

$187

at GunMag Warehouse

Prices accurate at time of writing

$187 at GunMag Warehouse

GrabAGun (see price)

Amazon (see price)

Every PDW needs a weapon light, and the Streamlight TLR-1 HL-X fits the bill perfectly. It easily mounts to Picatinny rails, has an extremely powerful output, is compact, and has easy-to-use switches.

How We Tested the TWS365

I tested the TWS365 using an OEM Sig P365XL slide and FCU over the course of 1,000 rounds, 700 of which were shot suppressed.

The gun was cleaned once around the 700-round mark. Reliability was assessed by the total overall performance of the pistol during the 1,000-round count.

Accuracy testing was conducted freehand at 7, 10, 15, and 25 yards using B-27 targets. I also pushed the gun out to 50 and 100 yards to check for long-range first-round hit capability, shooting at standard IPSC cardboard targets and reduced-sized IPSC targets.

In addition to testing for basic accuracy, I also conducted fast-moving drills, working near and around cover, and engaging a wide variety of targets at various ranges.

Meet the Experts

This review was written by Pew Pew Tactical contributing author Travis Pike. Travis spent a lifetime shooting as a kid and later joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served for 5 years as an infantryman. His experience as a machine gunner, recreational shooter, and hunter has given him unique insight into various guns and accessories. He also has extensive experience owning, testing, and reviewing all manner of PDW and PCCs, along with numerous accessories for the P365 line of pistols.

Final Verdict on the Tyrant CNC TWS365

As a PDW fanboy, the TWS365 hits the spot for me. It’s small, fun to shoot, and increases the range, accuracy, and control of my P365XL. It even looks nice!

The system works, and works well. I think Tyrant CNC has made a strong entry into the PDW and chassis genre, and I’m excited to see how they continue to push their design forward.

What do you think? Are PDW chassis neat, or are they a gimmick? Let us know in the comments below! Don't have a P365 yet? Check out our article that covers and explains all the Sig Sauer P365 Models!