S&W sig .357

[jstanding]

wanting to buy a S&W sig 357 compact does anyone own one or have any thoughts, good or bad
Thanks

[Steve_NEPhila]

.357 Sig is a round that solves a problem that has yet to be invented, in my opinion. But I will be more practical.

Price .357 Sig ammunition. Then compare those prices with .40 S&W and the 9x19. Ask yourself, how much do you want to practice with this pistol (the smaller the pistol the more difficult to maintain proficiency, which requires more practice).

I dig the .357 Magnum, yet I carry 38 special +P for defense in my .357 carry revolver. However, .357 Mag and 38 special is far more popular and less expensive then .357 Sig.

Ask yourself why you want such an exotic cartridge, what will it do for you? Is it worth the expense over .40 or 9x19? Have you ever shot one? Etcetera...

[urbanamish99]

I had one that I sold recently. I liked the gun, and I liked the round, but for some of the reasons mentioned above, I chose to keep my handguns down to 9mm and .45.

I have to draw the line somewhere, and if I can't get it done with either a 9 or 45, I suppose I should have my .308.

It's a fast, flat shooting, accurate, reliable cartridge, with excellent penetration, and overall ballistics. If you can afford to practice with it, and stock up, I'd say have at it.

[SCBaldr]

I will write the disclaimer here. I am not starting the round argument again. It should be said straight off that FBI testing with Spec Gelatin has proved that anything over 320-350 pound/feet of muzzle energy is sufficient to produce "effective penetration." Whatever that means (I read the FBI's report, they never actually defined that term, though I think it means exactly what it says.) This is purely informative, make of it what you will.

.357 Sig is nothing but a necked down .40 S&W with a higher chanber pressure. (40,000 PSI for .357 Sig and 35,000 for .40 S&W. Numbers are SAAMI maximums) It should be said that .40 S&W itself was a solution to a problem that never existed. (Gasp, an opinion!) If you look at penetration and energy numbers, you'll find that there is quite a bit of energy in the .357 Sig round. A Double Tap 115 Gr. JHP goes through a Chronometer (four feet from the barrel) at 1550 Feet per second when fired from a four inch barrel. That gives you a muzzle energy of 614 pound/feet of kinetic energy. A target load for this is typically a 147 grain FMJ doing 1250 Feet per second in the same conditions. That delivers 515 pound/feet of muzzle energy. Though there are many target loads available and not all with have that much energy.

Looking at the .40 S&W there is a significant difference in energy and penetration. A 200 gr. Double Tap Hornady XTP JHP under the same test conditions passed the chronometer at 1050 Feet per second developing 490 pound feet of energy. That is a difference of 124 pound feet of energy or a 25% gain over the .40 S&W.

A 9mm Parabellum which the .40 S&W was to replace (along with the .45) has several loadings. The standard loading has a SAAMI maximum chamber pressure of 35,000 PSI. A 124 JHP grain standard pressure load is doing an average of 1200 Feet per second which develops 382 pound/feet of muzzle energy out of a 3.9 inch barrel.
A 115 Gr. +P+ loading which has a maximum chamber pressure of 41,000 PSI spits the JHP bullet at 1430 Feet per second developing 519 pound feet of energy.

A .45 ACP has a SAAMI maximum pressure of only 21,000 PSI and a standard pressure federal premium 165 Gr. JHP flies at 1060 Feet per second out of a 5 inch barrel giving 412 pound/feet of energy. Now a +P .45 ACP loading (23,000 PSI Maximum) will do better out of the same gun. A 200 gr Speer Gold Dot JHP +P measures at 1080 Feet per second, giving 518 pound/feet of kinetic energy.

The energy figures of +P+ 9mm and +P 45 ACP both out-perform the .40 S&W. Ready? Here comes the opinion. This is why I say that .40 S&W is a solution to a problem that never existed as both the +P+ 9mm and +P .45 ACP were available at the time of the .40 S&W's introduction. That means if you look purely at energy and performance, the .357 Sig succeeded where the .40 S&W failed... by 124 pound/feet.

It should be said that "The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could be retrofitted into medium-frame (9mm size) automatic handguns." That is a direct quote from the FBI's report by the way. In other words, the FBI was looking for a cartridge that could out perform .45 ACP +P and 9mm +P+ and still fit in a medium framed handgun. A tall order no matter how you slice it.

Now if you are looking for the most energy in an automatic pistol cartridge that you can get and you don't care how long the grip of the gun is, A 10mm auto's Maximum pressure is 37,500 PSI and a 200 grain Hornady JHP leaves a Glock 20's barrel at 1300 Feet per second and gives Kinetic muzzle energy of 750 pound/feet. That is almost a 50% gain over 9mm +P+, .45 ACP +P and more than 50% over .40 S&W. Of course you'll have to deal with the recoil and muzzle flash of that round.

Another opinion, I like the .357 Sig, It gives a mix of a lot of advantages without sacrificing size or capacity like the 10mm auto and .45 do. These advantages are the ballistics and energy, capacity, compactess and managable recoil. The only thing you sacrifice is the price of plinking ammo, it is the same price as shooting .45 ACP at this point. $330 shipped to PA for 1000 rounds of 125 gr. FMJs from Georgia arms.

I hope this sheds some light on the near constant 'what round is better?' arguement.

[Hog Sniper]

Love that little round.Feeds great has great energy and a good overall round. I have a Sig 229 and Glock 27 both have the 40 and 357 Sig barrels. So I plink with 40 and carry the Sig round

[ReconLdr]

I love the 357 Sig. It was designed to perform like a .357 Mag 125gr JHP from a 4" barrel. IMHO, it comes pretty damn close with the right loads.

I have a G32 that I also love. It is my main carry gun. I probably wouldn't have bought a pistol chambered for this cartridge but I got such a good price on the gun. $387.50 for a LNIB G32 is pretty damn good. I am very happy I bought it.

Ammo is priced pretty close to .45 ACP at most shops. If you are able to buy in bulk, that is your best bet. During the ammo shortage, 357 Sig ammo could only be found at Walmart.

My recommendation:

1) If you want a 357 Sig, get it... Every time I second guess myself, I regret it.

2) If you get it, practice with it a lot. It has a stout but manageable recoil.

3) Buy ammo in bulk when possible/practical

4) Get a reloading kit - http://www.rcbs.com/guide/supreme_reloading_kit.aspx

[mrnyman]

THe .357 Sig is no 9mm, If you have ever shot one or stand next to one when it goes off you'll know its no 9mm talking.

An awesome round, especially when accuracy and a flat trajectory is needed, i can see why the texas rangers uses it.

I love my Glock 32 , i bought it 2 years ago never shot it just locked it away in storage , lately i feel the need for Glock 19, then i remember my Glock 32 in storage, saved me the cost of a G19, awesome Gun and round.

In fact i like both .357's , .

Nyman

[SCBaldr]

I love the fact that all I have to do is change out barrel and recoil spring in my P229 Elite to switch from .40 S&W for cheap practice to .357 Sig as a defensive round.
I don't know If I can do the same switch with a 229 in 9mm? It would be nice though.