Somebody school me on the .357 sig

[*Klutch*]

I'm considering one but never even saw one being shot...I have no interest in .40 and I've got 9mm and .45ACP but looking for info on the caliber as well as what pistols are best suited for it...
Thanks

[Marcus99]

I have one in a Sig P226, love it. Great caliber, low recoil. IMO probably the best semi-auto handgun round in terms of performance (short of probably the 10mm).

The only downside is COST and AVAILABLITY OF AMMO. Also, I believe, if you're a reloader the bottleneck design of the case requires lube (IE no carbide dies)
It does have a more significant muzzle blast, but that never bothered me. Not as snappy as a .40 IMO.

[theunrulychef]

I have a Glock 32 & reload for 357 sig. It's definitely snappy & has a bit of muzzle flash, but I like it. Some will say you can do almost as much with 9mm +P or +P+. I would tend to agree that you can almost get there, but not quite.

Reloading isn't as hard as some say, but it's not as simple as a straight walled pistol caliber. I would cringe at having to purchase loaded ammo for it. The biggest thing is finding a good bullet profile.

My overall opinion of 357 sig is that it's a bit of a boutique cartridge. It takes more fiddling (or money) to get it just right, but if the desire for that extra power is there, it's a good design.

[SHEPHERD321]

The neck is too short, causing bullet set back. Because of this I don't consider +p safe with this round.

[dkf]

The neck is too short, causing bullet set back. Because of this I don't consider +p safe with this round.

There is no such thing as .357sig+P. You shouldn't be rechambering the same rounds regularly anyway. Though setback is not as big of a deal as a lot make it out to be.

But if I can almost get there with a hot 9mm where is the advantage

You are not going throw a 125gr bullet over 1550+FPS out of a 4" barrel with any 9x19 load. The major factory .357sig 125gr JHP loads are usually around 1380fps out of a 4" barrel but you still are not going to get there with 9x19. You just have decide if you want the extra fps and are willing to deal with the extra cost and little more recoil. The .357sig is really a reloaders round and it costs me only slightly more to load .357 than 9.(more powder). The ammo has went down some the last couple of years but fmj range ammo is still more than 9, .40 and .45. Premium JHP ammo is about the same.

[Pointman73]

When .357 SIG hit the market, people went nuts and started buying Glocks and SIGs in this new Wondercaliber. I shot a Glock 32 Competition and a SIG 229 in the caliber and found it to be snappy and as cool as everything else.

Years later, while testing rounds on vehicles (LE training guys, not gang banging), we found .357 SIG to be an amazing penetrator, even to the point of over penetration. This is not good out in the world.

I had an option to buy a duty gun, which was the DHS gun (SIG 229R DAK .40S&W) and never got the .357 barrel for it due to the cost of the ammo. I rarely shoot .40 anymore as 9mm is king. The ballistic benefit just doesn't exist. The concept of a bottleneck cartridge being more feed reliable, well, is just that, a concept. With a quality pistol, feeding isn't an issue.

Just for something else to have, sure, why not? Like previously mentioned, cost is the factor. One caveat is the high pressure of the cartridge. I would inspect the gun after each session to check for issues.

[bluetrane2028]

I have a Glock 32 & reload for 357 sig. It's definitely snappy & has a bit of muzzle flash, but I like it. Some will say you can do almost as much with 9mm +P or +P+. I would tend to agree that you can almost get there, but not quite.

Reloading isn't as hard as some say, but it's not as simple as a straight walled pistol caliber. I would cringe at having to purchase loaded ammo for it. The biggest thing is finding a good bullet profile.

My overall opinion of 357 sig is that it's a bit of a boutique cartridge. It takes more fiddling (or money) to get it just right, but if the desire for that extra power is there, it's a good design.

I, for one, decided against keeping the .357. I had a barrel for the G23 I had, never could bring myself to buy the ammo because it was like three times more money.

[*Klutch*]

What benefits is there over a .40?
Or basically something other than 9mm

[Marcus99]

What benefits is there over a .40?
Or basically something other than 9mm

Better velocity and energy

[*Klutch*]

Better velocity and energy

But if I can almost get there with a hot 9mm where is the advantage