Sig.357 or .45acp

[HDH]

I am contemplating the purchase of a SA XD service model in either SIG .357 or 45 ACP for personal protection. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[Punisher]

get the .45 acp - it's easier to find ammo and in order to get the best ballistics out of the sig.357 , you have to reload them yourself - they're nothing like the .357 mag they were supposed to copy when you buy factory loads.......... they did the same thing to the 10mm - factory loads are more like a .40 - although once in a while you run in to a company that makes them as hot as they're supposed to be...........

[ChamberedRound]

Agreed. The .45ACP cartridge is much easier to obtain, and not that much more expensive.

[TcRoc]

45acp agreed although I will pick a 357 sig one of these days.
My ballistic books show some very impressive numbers with the 357 sig.
Isn't 357 Sig. round more expensive than 45 acp anyway?

[Cheeseybacon]

+1 for .45 ACP.

I think there's probably a good reason why .45 ACP is still popular after all of this time. I don't know what that reason is, but I imagine it's a good one.

[Big D]

I am very curious on the same question. Is there a Speed/Torque Versus a Total Mass Arguement?

I am sure either one would have an extreme upside/downside in its own way. As would any other round.

I am going to risk the issue of beating a dead horse here but are there any resident "experts" with cold hard facts?

[VeryPrivate]

You're good with either caliber.

[normanvin]

can we take this one further? 45 acp 357 sig or 45 gap. i have heard good and bad on the 45 gap. what do you guys think about it?

[Cheeseybacon]

[32 Magnum]

I have a SIGARMS M2340 in .357SIG, I also shoot quite a bit of .45 ACP - My primary home defense handgun is the M2340, here's some unbiased information on the .357SIG round:


[edit] Performance
Because of its relatively high velocity for a handgun round, the 357 SIG offers a very flat trajectory, which in turn allows the firearms chambered for it a bit more effective range over those chambered for its contemporaries. However, it does not quite reach the performance of the venerable .357 Magnum with bullets heavier than 125 grains, or with typical commercial loadings using 125-grain bullets (e.g., fired from a four-inch barrel, a typical commercial .357 Magnum load propels a 125-grain bullet to 1450 ft/s, while a typical 357 SIG load propels the same bullet to 1350 ft/s). Specialty loads, such as Double Tap Ammunition, are able to propel a 125-grain bullet to 1450 ft/s from a four-inch barrel. Offsetting this general slight disadvantage in performance is the fact that semi-automatic pistols tend to carry considerably more ammunition than revolvers.

However, this comparatively high velocity can also create the potential for overpenetration. The 357 SIG, much like the .357 Magnum and the similarly necked 7.62 Tokarev, is well-suited for use with bullets that are designed to defeat body armor. Also like the Tokarev, the 357 SIG works well when shooting through barricades is necessary. There has been a documented case in Texas where a police officer's .45 round did not penetrate a tractor-trailer's shell, but a 357 SIG round from a backup officer's gun did (killing the suspect inside).[2] The round's ability to penetrate barriers is the main reason for its adoption by law enforcement agencies.

The myth that the 357 SIG round loses its crimp (allowing for bullet setback) was partially true when the cartridge was new and ammunition manufacturers were just beginning to produce the round. These problems have since been corrected by major manufacturers. As a result, the SIG round now exhibits nominal setback characteristics (similar to other cartridges).

The bottleneck shape of the 357 SIG cartridge makes feeding problems almost non-existent. This is because the bullet is channeled through the larger chamber before being seated entirely as the slide goes into full battery. Flat point bullets are seldom used with other autoloader platforms because of feeding problems; however, such bullets are commonly seen in the 357 SIG chambering and are quite reliable, as are hollowpoint bullets.

One disadvantage of the 357 SIG is that it fires a .355" bullet at higher velocities than most bullets of the caliber are designed for. Very few bullets have been designed specifically for the 357 SIG, and .357 Magnum bullets that are designed for the same velocity range cannot be used due to their slightly larger diameter. Because of this, there are fewer ammunition choices in 357 SIG than one might expect for a cartridge using .355" bullets.

Another drawback of the 357 SIG is its often harsh treatment of the pistols that are chambered for it. Many are designed to fire the .40 S&W and are later modified for use with the 357 SIG. Firing regularly at pressure levels effectively beyond what the pistol was originally engineered for tends to translate to accelerated wear on the firearm.


[edit] Implementation
The SIG-Sauer P229 in 357 SIG is currently the standard issue firearm carried by agents of the United States Secret Service,Federal Protective Service, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Virginia State Police, Tennessee Highway Patrol - Glock 31, Federal Air Marshals, and various other local and state departments. In most cases, it has replaced 10 mm/.40 S&W and 9 mm "Para" loads. In 1995, the Texas Department of Public Safety became the first government agency to implement the 357 SIG.