40 s&w vs 357 sig

**blackirish** · December 24th, 2011, 09:27 PM

I'm sure that this is going to be one of those personel preference questions, but I'm going to ask it any way. I'm looking for imput on the 357 sig. I currently carry and work with a glock 23 which I love. But I have been hearing some good things about the 357 sig. I also might be able to pick up a sig p226 in 357 sig and I wanted to know what people thought about it.
My early research says that it is flatter shooting and has more oblect penetration than the 40. Thoughts?

**sprrdhawk44** · December 24th, 2011, 09:55 PM

There's nothing wrong with .357sig. Is it so vastly superior to the .40 s&w that I would change over to it? No. There is very little difference in terminal performance between all of the commonly carried handgun rounds.

That said, if you're excited about getting a gun chambered in .357sig, get it! It's a good round. Keep in mind though, the ammo will be a lot more expensive and is somewhat harder to find.

**RapidRoy** · December 24th, 2011, 11:39 PM

I was going to say pretty much the same as hawk44. It's won't be a lot different in velocities in the heavier grain bullets but the 357sig is a lot harder to find. Some of the Pa Game Comm. carry some of those but .40S&W would be cheaper to shoot.

**thelemite** · December 24th, 2011, 11:59 PM

I think both rounds will get the job done.

I prefer the recoil impulse from the 357 sig round over the 40, but that's just me.

If you handload then get what you want, Otherwise 357 sig is going to to cost you a bundle.

If you have and like the glock 23 you have, why not get a 357 sig barrel for it?

For about 100-150 you can shoot the 357 out the platform you already know and love.

**bripro** · December 25th, 2011, 01:00 AM

Like those before me stated......357 Sig is a great round but doesnt offer enough benefit to switch over. If you have the bug though and you're like me you wont be satisfied until you try it for yourself. I dropped a Lone Wolf 357 barrel into my Glock 27, shot 100 flawless rounds through and switched the barrel back and have been using 40s ever since. I liked the 357s but really see no reason to switch my carry rounds since I have fired hundreds of expensive HPs in 40 to make sure they work good enough for SD. The point Im making is that I know my gun runs flawless on 40 cal. It most likely will run just as good on 357 Sig but why bother? All that said, no my 357 Sig barrel for Glock 27 is not for sale.

**jcabin** · December 25th, 2011, 02:10 AM

I think 357 sig is an awesome round. If my job issued 357 sig pistols, I would look forward to shooting it all the time. Unfortunately, they don't, and it's way too damned expensive to shoot with any regularity if I purchased my own pistol chambered in 357 sig.

**jackmonster1** · December 25th, 2011, 02:12 AM

I have a g33 and m&p full size in .357 sig. Shooting distance I find it shoots much flatter then .40. It has become my personal favorite for carry, and the penitration properties of .357 are better then the .40.

That said, it is expensive to shoot. (i have a 9mm barrel for extended practice) You can buy bulk pretty cheap, at about .32 cents a round. still significantly more then 9mm.

good luck

**harold63** · December 25th, 2011, 09:20 AM

If you can afford to shoot two different calibers, then go for it. .357 Sig is merely a super hot 9mm (a 124 gr. .357 sig is about 250 fps faster than a normal 124 gr 9mm, on average, depending on how you reload) and is known in the target world as being very accurate. It does cause more percussion damage in the wound channel than a 9mm, which is what "stops" a person. The expense part is since you rely on the G23 on the job, you will need to shoot it, often, to help keep from getting dead in a gun fight. Adding the expensive .357 Sig to your shooting workouts will definitely cost you some extra coins, but if you have them, then by all means.

A 155 gr .40 S&W is only marginally slower than a 147 gr .357 Sig. For stopping humans, I'd rather have the .40. Targets, on the other hand, is a different story. A flatter trajectory (with a lighter .357 Sig bullet), even at a closer distance, will yield you tighter groups in almost every case.

**135Grain** · December 26th, 2011, 01:26 AM

There are offerings in .40 S&W that exceed 1,400 fps. Those would be in the 135 grain weight, hence my name.

**1iarrowking** · December 26th, 2011, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by blackirish

My early research says that it is flatter shooting and has more oblect penetration than the 40. Thoughts?

I don't know what your intended use is for a Sig 357 but if it is as a self defense carry gun I don't see where these qualities are desirable. If you shoot someone from a distance where flat shooting matters your going to need a good defense lawyer. I load 155gr Federal Hydroshok's in my 40 to cut down on penetration. The last thing I want to do is shoot through a BG and hit someone in the back ground.