The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - How does the .357 Sig compare to .357 Magnum?

Marko Kloos · February 24, 2002, 10:25 AM

I kind of doubt that a JHP travelling 100-200fps faster than a JHP out of a 9mm +P will have "virtually identical" terminal effects, but that's just me.

Also, there's the question of bullet design, as stated earlier. The .357SIG Gold Dot bullet is almost identical to the 124gr .357 Magnum Gold Dot in that it is a shallow, sharp-shouldered ogive, designed to facilitate expansion at high speeds. It doesn't clog up easily. The HPs used in 9mm +P and +P+ loads have narrower and deeper cavities for expansion at the lower 9mm speeds. In other words, the .357SIG HP is designed for those speeds, the 9mm HP is not.

Another argument for the .357SIG over the 9mm +P and +P+ is the fact that the 9mm is stretched to the limits of its design when loaded to such pressures, while the .357SIG was designed for the ground up for it. Some 9mm guns don't take well to a steady diet of high-pressure loads.

An added bonus is the inherent feed reliability of a bottle-necked round, since you're shoving a 9mm peg into a 10mm hole.

February 24, 2002, 10:25 AM	#15
Marko Kloos Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2000 Location: Enfield, NH Posts: 5,521	I kind of doubt that a JHP travelling 100-200fps faster than a JHP out of a 9mm +P will have "virtually identical" terminal effects, but that's just me. Also, there's the question of bullet design, as stated earlier. The .357SIG Gold Dot bullet is almost identical to the 124gr .357 Magnum Gold Dot in that it is a shallow, sharp-shouldered ogive, designed to facilitate expansion at high speeds. It doesn't clog up easily. The HPs used in 9mm +P and +P+ loads have narrower and deeper cavities for expansion at the lower 9mm speeds. In other words, the .357SIG HP is designed for those speeds, the 9mm HP is not. Another argument for the .357SIG over the 9mm +P and +P+ is the fact that the 9mm is stretched to the limits of its design when loaded to such pressures, while the .357SIG was designed for the ground up for it. Some 9mm guns don't take well to a steady diet of high-pressure loads. An added bonus is the inherent feed reliability of a bottle-necked round, since you're shoving a 9mm peg into a 10mm hole. __________________ "The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." --A.E. Van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher the munchkin wrangler.