.357 Sig Question

Psolo · February 7, 2006, 02:22 AM

I am looking at buying the Sig P239 that comes with both the .40 and .357 SIG barrels but I really don't know much about the .357Sig round. Can anyone enlighten me on this caliber? Is it a good CCW round? Is it fun to shoot at the range? How does it compare to just using the .40?

Any advice or info would be great.

Axel357 · February 7, 2006, 03:45 AM

.357 is an excellent carry round. Argueably better stopping power than 9mm or .40 while still holding the mag capacity of .40. Recoil is better than .40 as well, more compareable to 9mm. The downfall is the cost of ammo. Not a good round for frequent range shooting, if you're on a budget at least.

Moloch · February 7, 2006, 06:09 AM

The .357sig is only a marketing hype, its only a very light .40S&W .
Just use the 135grain .40S&W ammo and you will be fine.

Few differences between .357sig & .40S&W

* 1mm
* Price

* Bottleneck (There is a possibility that some bullets seat back cause of the recoil; there is lesser brass to hold the projectile)
* Bullet velocity: 40S&W 135grain ~1300fp/s, .357sig 125grain ~1350fp/s (Hornady)

All in all ist just a marketing hype.

juliet charley · February 7, 2006, 08:00 AM

The 357 SIG delivers no better performance in terms of effectiveness than the best 9x19 rounds. It delivers equivalent performance to the 9x19 at a higher cost, reduced capacity, reduced shootability, and more wear and tear on the weapon and the shooter. It is a calibre that enjoyed a brief heyday, but any advantages in may once have had have been overcome by current generation bullet technology.

AK103K · February 7, 2006, 04:54 PM

I have three SIG's in .357, two P226's and a P239, and a P229 in the same caliber on the way. I just want to comment on a couple of things.

First, the .357 is not any harder to shoot than the 9mm, .40, or .45 and even in the P239, its very easy to shoot well with. Its not hard on you, and I dont see how it can be hard on the gun, if the gun was made to shoot it. I wonder how well your normal 9mm handgun will hold up to constant, full power +P+ ammo that it really wasnt designed to shoot on a regular basis. How about you 9mm shooters, do you normally shoot +P+ in practice, or the lighter, cheap stuff?

Stating the 9mm is cheaper to shoot is somewhat deceptive. Comparable loads actually cost more than what the .357SIG goes for. Ammoman has 9mm (+P+) 124GR. FEDERAL P9HS3G for $119/250,(23.80/box) where Streichers has 50 round boxes of .357SIG 125 GR Speer Gold Dots for $18/box($100/250 shipped). I can get Speer Lawman or Federal AE in .357SIG from Ammoman for $119/500 and its full power ammo. You need to compare apples to apples here. The difference really isnt all that much either way.

As far as bullet set back, so far I havent seen it happen. I seriously doubt its going to happen from recoil while sitting in the mag. You may get some with a round loaded and unloaded a number of times and letting the slide slam home on it, but that happens to all of them.

I'm curious here, just how many of the nay sayers have actually got much, if any trigger time on a .357SIG to really have any valid input?

If you get the P239 with both barrels, you'll have it covered. Pick the one you like best and you'll be fine. Hey, its a SIG, your way ahead of the curve already.

Twycross · February 7, 2006, 05:00 PM

IIRC, the .357 SIG is a .40 S&W necked down to 9mm. Ballistics are comparable to .357 Mag. It is a fine SD cartridge.

As a disclaimer, I have never fired a .357 SIG.

625 · February 7, 2006, 05:33 PM

I just don't understand the .357Sig. Why try to improve an already great round? You neck down a .40, so of course you will have to push it faster to expand to the same diameter. Sometimes, hollow-points don't expand. You simply can't expect a hollow point to expand under every condition, so why not start with a guaranteed larger hole. The guns that shoot them both have the same capacity, so that's a wash. What's the advantage again?
.40 ammo is cheaper too.

kidcoltoutlaw · February 7, 2006, 07:10 PM

I have 8 of them. Also have the 40 barrels for all of them. If you push it fast enough it will expand period. A 9mm will expand in wet water but not dry. A 44 or a 357 mag will expand in either one. My 357 SIG loads go 1400 . Even in the P239 in longer barrels they go up to 1535 .They expand in anything. At least the Gold Dots do. Not sure if the factory loads do or not. If you reload the 357 sig is real cheap to shoot.

The 40 I love to. Hodgdon says a 135 will hit 1480 with a max load of longshot.I have not tried it yet. They say with longshot the 180 will hit 1160. I have tried that and they are right it will. As much as I love the 357 SIG if I try the longshot with a 135 and it gets the velocity they say it will I will kick myself for not trying it earlier. If it does it I will say look at all the bucks you could have saved by just going with the 40 ,

Thanks,Keith

Caseless · February 7, 2006, 07:26 PM

Comparing the average 9mm subgun ammo to the average factory 357 SIG ammo, They are both around 1350 fps. Since most 9mm handguns are not built to digest a steady diet of subgun ammo, it seems a good way for SigArms to expand its market share this way.

NBT · February 7, 2006, 07:34 PM

Find me a factory 9mm round that pushes 1350fps?! You are not talking about 75gr are you?

Don't listen to the .357sig haters.

Yes the only downfall is the price.

If you want a loud flat shooting round that will punch through auto body better than 9mm or 45acp, then .357sig is the round to go with.

If you want to have the rights to say you use the same rounds as the FBI, US Secret Service, USF Air Marshals, Delaware State, TX DPS, NM State,... then go with the .357sig.

If you want a round that naturally feeds better than .40 or 9mm because of its natural bottleneck design, then go with the .357sig.

If you still like .40, you know you can always do a barrel swap. Go with .357sig.

Gremlin · February 7, 2006, 07:57 PM

I, too, love the .357sig in the right platform.

By that I mean that in the full size Sig P-226, I enjoy shooting mine with the .357sig barrel more than the .40 barrel. The recoil is very manageable, the muzzle flash is limited, and it's a wonderfully accurate round.

In my HK USP compact, I shoot mine with 165gr .40 ammo much more often than I do with the .357sig barrel in it. The .357 just doesn't appeal as much to me in a polymer frame, compact barrel pistol. For one thing, it looks like the freakin' space shuttle is taking off with all of the muzzle blast. For another, the recoil causes a bit more pronounced muzzle flip in my HK than the .40 does--although the .40 seems to 'twist' in it's recoil where the .357 tends to 'rise.

There's few guns I'd rather shoot a hundred rounds through than my P226 in .357sig. I'm not quite so anxious to wring a hundred of the same out of a lighter, smaller gun.

Just my two cents.

fairview mick · February 7, 2006, 08:04 PM

I was confused about that caliber before I bought it. I've got it in a M-31 Glock(with2 more bbls-.40 & 9mm) and also a P226 sig. If you go to the Federal ammunition home page, you can work your way into it and get info on all Fed Hydra shock cartridges. You'll be surprised at the power and muzzle energy conpared to other hot shot ammo. Besides it's accurate. For carry, I use .357 Fed Hydra Shock and Speer Gold dots. I wouldn't be afraid to protect myself and family with that cartridge
Mickey

cje1980 · February 7, 2006, 08:33 PM

I personally don't see the point of the 357Sig. If you want 9mm performance at the same cost and low ammo availability of 10mm, with the reduced capacity of the 40S&W and poor ammo selection, then it sounds like its right up your alley. Why not just use a .40 if you want better performance than the 9mm? The 40S&W can launch a 155gr. bullet to 1200fps, which is right around 500ft/lbs of energy.

czc3513 · February 7, 2006, 08:59 PM

So how does .357 sig compare to 9mm +p and .357 magnum?

Jart · February 7, 2006, 09:32 PM

The 357 SIG in my P239 is fun to shoot.

Hence, I shoot it more than any other gun I own. More practice = good.

Any objective or subjective analysis of caliber worthiness takes second place to being able to hit what you aim at.

And it's not that expensive.

Peeweester40 · February 8, 2006, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Find me a factory 9mm round that pushes 1350fps?!

Okay, here's two:

www.corbon.com
www.doubletapammo.com

Metellus · February 8, 2006, 02:17 AM

the .357 sig is closer to the 9mm than the .40 in my opinion. something like a 9mm +P+^2 but a 9mm nonetheless. i usually carry either a 9mm 124gr +P or a .357 sig 125gr. i honestly don't see too much of a difference between the two unless i plan to shoot cars. i think the .357 sig has better auto penetration than most pistol calibers (very slight edge but still and edge).

juliet charley · February 8, 2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

So how does .357 sig compare to 9mm +p and .357 magnum?

The 357 SIG in it most common form launches .36 calibre, 125-grain bullet ~150 fps faster than the 9x19 launches a .36 calibre, 124-grain bullet.

The 9x19 and 357 SIG deliver identical ballistics (penetration and expansion).

The 9x19 (with current generation, premium ammunition) and the 357 SIG deliver identical results in actual LE use.

The 9x19 has good selection of highly effective, current generation, premium JHPs 147-grain rounds. The 357 SIG does not.

Practice ammo is considerably less expensive for the 9x19 than for the 357 SIG.

The 9x19 has a capacity advantage over the 357 SIG.

Follow-up shots (split times) are slightly faster with the 9x19 than with the 357 SIG.

The 357 SIG is proving harder on weapons--they wear out quicker and have more problems--than the 9x19. The G31 has a much lower MRBF than the G17.

As for the .357 Magnum, there really is no comparison. The .357 Magnum has it all over the 357 SIG in terms of versatility and ammo available. The .357 Magnum is capable of delivering far more ME than 357 SIG. The best that can be said of the 357 SIG is that it gets close to some lightweight .357 Magnum loads. It is definitely not the autoloader equivalent of the .357 Magnum by a very, very long shot--that honor belongs to the 10mm. If you want to compare the 357 SIG to the .357 Magnum then compare it to the 10mm.

AK103K · February 8, 2006, 08:35 AM

Quote:

The 9x19 has good selection of highly effective, current generation, premium JHPs 147-grain rounds. The 357 SIG does not.

You need the 124 grain +P, +P+ 9mm's to compare to the .357SIG, it isnt trying to catch up to the 9mm's.

Quote:

Practice ammo is considerably less expensive for the 9x19 than for the 357 SIG.

Not if you practice with loads equivalent to your carry ammo. The difference between standard velocity 9mm and +P+ is a little different, dont you think?

Quote:

The 9x19 has a capacity advantage over the 357 SIG.

and also over the.40 and .45, so whats your point here?

Quote:

Follow-up shots (split times) are slightly faster with the 9x19 than with the 357 SIG.

All things being the same, hot rounds in an equivalent gun, why would they be that much different?

Quote:

The 357 SIG is proving harder on weapons--they wear out quicker and have more problems--than the 9x19. The G31 has a much lower MRBF than the G17.

I keep hearing this but havent seen any real proof. I havent seen any accelerated wear in any of my pistols. If the .357SIG is so hard on a gun designed to shoot a steady diet of it, what will a steady diet of +P+ 9mm do to your 9mm pistol that isnt?

Quote:

As for the .357 Magnum, there really is no comparison. The .357 Magnum has it all over the 357 SIG in terms of versatility and ammo available. The .357 Magnum is capable of delivering far more ME than 357 SIG. The best that can be said of the 357 SIG is that it gets close to some lightweight .357 Magnum loads.

I believe the comparison has always been between the 125 grain .357mag and the 125 grain .357SIG and not the other heavier bullets. The 125 grain .357mag has always been the round deemed the best in that caliber, and also a benchmark for most others, for self defense, if I'm not mistaken.

Psolo · February 8, 2006, 11:22 AM

Everyone thanks for all the info you have provided.

Rivers · February 8, 2006, 01:35 PM

The hypothesis that botteneck handgun ammo feeds better than straightwall handgun ammo is incorrect.

TexasSIGMan · February 8, 2006, 01:48 PM

Quote:

The hypothesis that botteneck handgun ammo feeds better than straightwall handgun ammo is incorrect.

Because you say so or do you have something that demonstrates your claim?

Mike P. Wagner · February 8, 2006, 04:31 PM

"Fun to Shoot"

Try shooting them both. I find them very different.

I find the .40 much less pleasant thant the .357 SIG. For me, the .40 is much more disruptive to my sight picture - it takes longer for the sights to settle back down on the target when I shoot a .40 than when I shoot a .357 SIG.

I have noticed this across a number of pistols. I think the recoil is very different. It may be that the recoil in the .40 is quicker. What I notice is that when I have shot the .40, the gun really seems to twist in my hand. The 357 SIG recoil for me is more vertical - straight up and down.

For what it's worth, "Gun Tests" magazine raved about the P239 in 357 SIG a while back. I find that combination really fun to shoot.

I will note (and maybe this is true for all magnum loads, I don't know) that folks shooting around me seem to be more bothered than the muzzle blast/noise than I am.

"Power"

I can't quite tell when folks are comparing apples to apples and apples to oranges in these caliber wars. I think that if you look around, you'll find that the orignal stated motivation for the 357 SIG was to duplicate a particular popular loading for the 357 Magnum. I think that the idea was to push a 125 grain bullet at 1350 fps out of a 4 inch barrel. Both calibers do that.

The 357 SIG was not designed to match ever possible 357 mag load, just a very common (and at the time, very popular) load.

"Cost"
With regard to cost, it is looks to me like there is super cheap .45 and 9mm ammo out there, and that stuff is cheaper than any 357 SIG ammo that I have found. There are people that are better at scouring the internet than I am.

Trying to compare apples to apples, it looks to me like it's reasonable to compare the MRSP of a particular line of ammununution in the different calibers from the same manufacturer. Here's the data from the "Cor-Bon traditional JHP" line. The cost is about the same in 357 SIG and .40: both are about $18 MSRP. The .40 is a little more expensive for the same muzzle energy.

357 SIG 575 footpounds 18.08
357 SIG 564 footpounds 17.88

40 S&W 526 footpounds 17.94
40 S&W 480 footpounds 18.55
40 S&W 485 footpounds 18.21

The 9mm +P is a little less expensive, but not quite as powerful

9mm Luger +P 434 footpounds 14.04
9mm Luger +P 466 footpounds 14.22
9mm Luger +P 450 footpounds 14.33

The 357 SIG was about the same as the 9mm +P: $0.31-$0.32/footpound. The .40 was a little more expensive at $0.34-$0.38/footpound

Mike P. Wagner

juliet charley · February 8, 2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

You need the 124 grain +P, +P+ 9mm's to compare to the .357SIG, it isnt trying to catch up to the 9mm's.

Nope, the better 147-grain (and 124-grain standard and +P) 9x19 loads easily equal (or slightly exceed) the 357 SIG's performance both in the lab and in actual LE use.

Quote:

Not if you practice with loads equivalent to your carry ammo.

I have no problem finding inexpensive practice loads that easily duplicate the velocity of the 124-grain +P carry loads. The 9x19 most certainly does not have to go to +P+ pressures to meet or exceed 357 SIG performance.

Quote:

and also over the.40 and .45, so whats your point here?

The question was how does the 357 SIG compare to the 9x19. The 9x19 has a capacity advantage over the 357 SIG (as well as the .40 S&W and .45 ACP). What's your point?

Quote:

All things being the same, hot rounds in an equivalent gun, why would they be that much different?

They is not "that much" differencd, but there is a difference (and nobody but you says you have to go to +P+ pressures in the 9x19).

Quote:

The 125 grain .357mag has always been the round deemed the best in that caliber, and also a benchmark for most others, for self defense, if I'm not mistaken.

You're mistaken.

NBT · February 8, 2006, 07:26 PM

juliet = 357 sig hater

Quote:

9x19 loads easily equal (or slightly exceed) the 357 SIG's performance both in the lab and in actual LE use.

How is that physically possible
124gr @ 1250fps = 125gr @ 1350fps?

Oh, and You forgot the HOT .357sig loads (1400fps-1600fps) (corbon, magtech)

Quote:

The 9x19 has a capacity advantage over the 357 SIG (as well as the .40 S&W and .45 ACP). What's your point?

Cali limits mags to 10 rounds, I rather have 10 .357sig than 10 9mm, your point is invalid. And if you really need 10 rounds to take out a bad guy, work on your shot placement/aim/reloading skills.

Quote:

They is not "that much" differencd, but there is a difference

Obviously there is, why would our government use .357sig to protect our plane passengers and pilots and the life of the President/Vice President/VIPS .... not the 9mm?

February 7, 2006, 02:22 AM	#1
Psolo Member Join Date: January 17, 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 15	.357 Sig Question I am looking at buying the Sig P239 that comes with both the .40 and .357 SIG barrels but I really don't know much about the .357Sig round. Can anyone enlighten me on this caliber? Is it a good CCW round? Is it fun to shoot at the range? How does it compare to just using the .40? Any advice or info would be great.

February 7, 2006, 05:00 PM	#6
Twycross Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 1,187	IIRC, the .357 SIG is a .40 S&W necked down to 9mm. Ballistics are comparable to .357 Mag. It is a fine SD cartridge. As a disclaimer, I have never fired a .357 SIG. __________________ The test of character is not 'hanging in' when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty, and persistence of example when you know no light is coming. - Vice Admiral James Stockdale, USN (ret.)

February 7, 2006, 05:33 PM	#7
625 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2005 Location: PA Posts: 858	I just don't understand the .357Sig. Why try to improve an already great round? You neck down a .40, so of course you will have to push it faster to expand to the same diameter. Sometimes, hollow-points don't expand. You simply can't expect a hollow point to expand under every condition, so why not start with a guaranteed larger hole. The guns that shoot them both have the same capacity, so that's a wash. What's the advantage again? .40 ammo is cheaper too. __________________ I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves. Ronald Reagan

February 7, 2006, 07:10 PM	#8
kidcoltoutlaw Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: bluefield Posts: 735	Love the 357 SIG I have 8 of them. Also have the 40 barrels for all of them. If you push it fast enough it will expand period. A 9mm will expand in wet water but not dry. A 44 or a 357 mag will expand in either one. My 357 SIG loads go 1400 . Even in the P239 in longer barrels they go up to 1535 .They expand in anything. At least the Gold Dots do. Not sure if the factory loads do or not. If you reload the 357 sig is real cheap to shoot. The 40 I love to. Hodgdon says a 135 will hit 1480 with a max load of longshot.I have not tried it yet. They say with longshot the 180 will hit 1160. I have tried that and they are right it will. As much as I love the 357 SIG if I try the longshot with a 135 and it gets the velocity they say it will I will kick myself for not trying it earlier. If it does it I will say look at all the bucks you could have saved by just going with the 40 , Thanks,Keith __________________ It's not just a gun it's the symbol of freedom

February 7, 2006, 07:26 PM	#9
Caseless Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2002 Location: P.R.C. Posts: 121	Comparing the average 9mm subgun ammo to the average factory 357 SIG ammo, They are both around 1350 fps. Since most 9mm handguns are not built to digest a steady diet of subgun ammo, it seems a good way for SigArms to expand its market share this way. __________________ Beware of the man with two guns, one in each hand. He may be either the disciple of Chow Yun Fat or the reincarnation of Ed McGivern.

February 7, 2006, 03:45 AM	#2
Axel357 Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 242	.357 is an excellent carry round. Argueably better stopping power than 9mm or .40 while still holding the mag capacity of .40. Recoil is better than .40 as well, more compareable to 9mm. The downfall is the cost of ammo. Not a good round for frequent range shooting, if you're on a budget at least.

February 7, 2006, 06:09 AM	#3
Moloch Senior Member Join Date: November 27, 2005 Posts: 1,419	The .357sig is only a marketing hype, its only a very light .40S&W . Just use the 135grain .40S&W ammo and you will be fine. Few differences between .357sig & .40S&W * 1mm * Price * Bottleneck (There is a possibility that some bullets seat back cause of the recoil; there is lesser brass to hold the projectile) * Bullet velocity: 40S&W 135grain ~1300fp/s, .357sig 125grain ~1350fp/s (Hornady) All in all ist just a marketing hype.

February 7, 2006, 08:00 AM	#4
juliet charley Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 1999 Posts: 2,501	The 357 SIG delivers no better performance in terms of effectiveness than the best 9x19 rounds. It delivers equivalent performance to the 9x19 at a higher cost, reduced capacity, reduced shootability, and more wear and tear on the weapon and the shooter. It is a calibre that enjoyed a brief heyday, but any advantages in may once have had have been overcome by current generation bullet technology.

February 7, 2006, 04:54 PM	#5
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	I have three SIG's in .357, two P226's and a P239, and a P229 in the same caliber on the way. I just want to comment on a couple of things. First, the .357 is not any harder to shoot than the 9mm, .40, or .45 and even in the P239, its very easy to shoot well with. Its not hard on you, and I dont see how it can be hard on the gun, if the gun was made to shoot it. I wonder how well your normal 9mm handgun will hold up to constant, full power +P+ ammo that it really wasnt designed to shoot on a regular basis. How about you 9mm shooters, do you normally shoot +P+ in practice, or the lighter, cheap stuff? Stating the 9mm is cheaper to shoot is somewhat deceptive. Comparable loads actually cost more than what the .357SIG goes for. Ammoman has 9mm (+P+) 124GR. FEDERAL P9HS3G for $119/250,(23.80/box) where Streichers has 50 round boxes of .357SIG 125 GR Speer Gold Dots for $18/box($100/250 shipped). I can get Speer Lawman or Federal AE in .357SIG from Ammoman for $119/500 and its full power ammo. You need to compare apples to apples here. The difference really isnt all that much either way. As far as bullet set back, so far I havent seen it happen. I seriously doubt its going to happen from recoil while sitting in the mag. You may get some with a round loaded and unloaded a number of times and letting the slide slam home on it, but that happens to all of them. I'm curious here, just how many of the nay sayers have actually got much, if any trigger time on a .357SIG to really have any valid input? If you get the P239 with both barrels, you'll have it covered. Pick the one you like best and you'll be fine. Hey, its a SIG, your way ahead of the curve already.

February 7, 2006, 07:34 PM	#10
NBT Junior member Join Date: January 31, 2006 Location: CA Posts: 134	Find me a factory 9mm round that pushes 1350fps?! You are not talking about 75gr are you? Don't listen to the .357sig haters. Yes the only downfall is the price. If you want a loud flat shooting round that will punch through auto body better than 9mm or 45acp, then .357sig is the round to go with. If you want to have the rights to say you use the same rounds as the FBI, US Secret Service, USF Air Marshals, Delaware State, TX DPS, NM State,... then go with the .357sig. If you want a round that naturally feeds better than .40 or 9mm because of its natural bottleneck design, then go with the .357sig. If you still like .40, you know you can always do a barrel swap. Go with .357sig.

February 7, 2006, 07:57 PM	#11
Gremlin Senior Member Join Date: November 27, 1999 Location: Just left of center Posts: 544	I, too, love the .357sig in the right platform. By that I mean that in the full size Sig P-226, I enjoy shooting mine with the .357sig barrel more than the .40 barrel. The recoil is very manageable, the muzzle flash is limited, and it's a wonderfully accurate round. In my HK USP compact, I shoot mine with 165gr .40 ammo much more often than I do with the .357sig barrel in it. The .357 just doesn't appeal as much to me in a polymer frame, compact barrel pistol. For one thing, it looks like the freakin' space shuttle is taking off with all of the muzzle blast. For another, the recoil causes a bit more pronounced muzzle flip in my HK than the .40 does--although the .40 seems to 'twist' in it's recoil where the .357 tends to 'rise. There's few guns I'd rather shoot a hundred rounds through than my P226 in .357sig. I'm not quite so anxious to wring a hundred of the same out of a lighter, smaller gun. Just my two cents. __________________ Take the long way home...

February 7, 2006, 08:04 PM	#12
fairview mick Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2005 Location: North Olmsted Posts: 795	.357 Sig I was confused about that caliber before I bought it. I've got it in a M-31 Glock(with2 more bbls-.40 & 9mm) and also a P226 sig. If you go to the Federal ammunition home page, you can work your way into it and get info on all Fed Hydra shock cartridges. You'll be surprised at the power and muzzle energy conpared to other hot shot ammo. Besides it's accurate. For carry, I use .357 Fed Hydra Shock and Speer Gold dots. I wouldn't be afraid to protect myself and family with that cartridge Mickey __________________ 90% of my hard earned money went to Hot women, fast bikes and guns. THE REST I WASTED!!!!! Mickey-NRA life member

February 7, 2006, 08:33 PM	#13
cje1980 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,412	I personally don't see the point of the 357Sig. If you want 9mm performance at the same cost and low ammo availability of 10mm, with the reduced capacity of the 40S&W and poor ammo selection, then it sounds like its right up your alley. Why not just use a .40 if you want better performance than the 9mm? The 40S&W can launch a 155gr. bullet to 1200fps, which is right around 500ft/lbs of energy.

February 7, 2006, 08:59 PM	#14
czc3513 Senior Member Join Date: September 4, 2005 Location: Oregon. Posts: 709	So how does .357 sig compare to 9mm +p and .357 magnum? __________________ "HEDP: High Explosive Donkey Punch"

February 7, 2006, 09:32 PM	#15
Jart Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2001 Location: Grand Prairie, TX Posts: 1,647	The 357 SIG in my P239 is fun to shoot. Hence, I shoot it more than any other gun I own. More practice = good. Any objective or subjective analysis of caliber worthiness takes second place to being able to hit what you aim at. And it's not that expensive.

February 8, 2006, 02:17 AM	#17
Metellus Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2004 Posts: 156	.357 sig the .357 sig is closer to the 9mm than the .40 in my opinion. something like a 9mm +P+^2 but a 9mm nonetheless. i usually carry either a 9mm 124gr +P or a .357 sig 125gr. i honestly don't see too much of a difference between the two unless i plan to shoot cars. i think the .357 sig has better auto penetration than most pistol calibers (very slight edge but still and edge).

February 8, 2006, 11:22 AM	#20
Psolo Member Join Date: January 17, 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 15	Good Info Everyone thanks for all the info you have provided.

February 8, 2006, 01:35 PM	#21
Rivers Junior member Join Date: November 5, 2005 Posts: 670	The hypothesis that botteneck handgun ammo feeds better than straightwall handgun ammo is incorrect.

February 8, 2006, 04:31 PM	#23
Mike P. Wagner Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2001 Posts: 452	"Fun to Shoot" Try shooting them both. I find them very different. I find the .40 much less pleasant thant the .357 SIG. For me, the .40 is much more disruptive to my sight picture - it takes longer for the sights to settle back down on the target when I shoot a .40 than when I shoot a .357 SIG. I have noticed this across a number of pistols. I think the recoil is very different. It may be that the recoil in the .40 is quicker. What I notice is that when I have shot the .40, the gun really seems to twist in my hand. The 357 SIG recoil for me is more vertical - straight up and down. For what it's worth, "Gun Tests" magazine raved about the P239 in 357 SIG a while back. I find that combination really fun to shoot. I will note (and maybe this is true for all magnum loads, I don't know) that folks shooting around me seem to be more bothered than the muzzle blast/noise than I am. "Power" I can't quite tell when folks are comparing apples to apples and apples to oranges in these caliber wars. I think that if you look around, you'll find that the orignal stated motivation for the 357 SIG was to duplicate a particular popular loading for the 357 Magnum. I think that the idea was to push a 125 grain bullet at 1350 fps out of a 4 inch barrel. Both calibers do that. The 357 SIG was not designed to match ever possible 357 mag load, just a very common (and at the time, very popular) load. "Cost" With regard to cost, it is looks to me like there is super cheap .45 and 9mm ammo out there, and that stuff is cheaper than any 357 SIG ammo that I have found. There are people that are better at scouring the internet than I am. Trying to compare apples to apples, it looks to me like it's reasonable to compare the MRSP of a particular line of ammununution in the different calibers from the same manufacturer. Here's the data from the "Cor-Bon traditional JHP" line. The cost is about the same in 357 SIG and .40: both are about $18 MSRP. The .40 is a little more expensive for the same muzzle energy. 357 SIG 575 footpounds 18.08 357 SIG 564 footpounds 17.88 40 S&W 526 footpounds 17.94 40 S&W 480 footpounds 18.55 40 S&W 485 footpounds 18.21 The 9mm +P is a little less expensive, but not quite as powerful 9mm Luger +P 434 footpounds 14.04 9mm Luger +P 466 footpounds 14.22 9mm Luger +P 450 footpounds 14.33 The 357 SIG was about the same as the 9mm +P: $0.31-$0.32/footpound. The .40 was a little more expensive at $0.34-$0.38/footpound Mike P. Wagner __________________ PCV Yemen 84-86 Past results are no guarantee of future performance.