.45 vs. .357

[Black Deadrick]

Sorry, and... http://greent.com/40Page/ammo/357/357SIG-advoc.htm

[Black Deadrick]

Apparently it helps to know local ammo dealers. I just picked up 2 each, 50 round boxes of 125 grain, jacketed, Federal hollow points @ $15 a box. That is very acceptable for 357 Sig.

[shermdo]

Originally Posted by DPB

If you are planning to shoot a lot, here is another point to consider: .45 guns were pretty much all built to be .45 guns. Most of the .357 SIGs are built on 9mm platforms. Given that the .357 SIG operates at significantly higher pressures than 9mm, I would expect the service life of the guns to be a lot shorter, with more parts breakage along the way. Of course, this will mostly only be true with a hard use gun, and a quality .357 SIG will probably outlast the shooting 99% of owners will do with it.

If I am recalling things correctly there may be a bit of confusion here ... IIRC the .357SIG is a .40 cal case necked down to a take a .9mm bullet. Many of the most popular .357SIG handguns (Glock, Sig, XD) are nothing more than the .40 cal model with a different barrel. You use standard .40 cal mags for the .357 Sig rounds.

I do not own a .357 Sig but if I decided to purchase one I would probably buy a Sig .40 cal ad then order a .357 Sig barrel for it.

[Elliot's Kin]

There are few things that get lost in the comparison of one caliber to another. You will always be able to show that mathematically one will out perform another - I've been doing that since I got my first reloading book in 1971. You must look at what you are trying to accomplish. I carried a S&W 640 - heavy 2 1/8 inch stainless steel .357 Mag as a second weapon for years and qualified with it each year. 100 rounds of .357 in that format wears your hand out and it's only 5 shots and then it's time to reload. The Glock 32 is 13+1 of comparable ammo - it weighs less than the 640 and believe it or not, they are nearly the same size. Take one and put it on top of the other and you'll see for yourself. In spite of what folks have said about recoil, I've found that there is no comparison when shooting 100 rounds in the 32 vs 100 in the 640. The 32 is like a +P 9mm (if that) and the 640 hurts before you get to round #100 when qualifying. So for me, I get 13+1, lighter weight, softer felt recoil, concealable size and the equivalent of a semi-auto .357 mag. Think about what you're trying to accomplish, think about what you are replacing and think about why you're doing it in the first place.