resizing 40S&W to .357 SIG

rangermonroe · April 17, 2005, 10:47 AM

Are there any tricks to doing this better than I am doing it now?

I end up with a very short neck that holds the case tenuously. a little pressure on the nose and I have a bullet rattling around in the case.

I must be careful to get straight sided rounds to avoid this.

The resized brass functions fine, but is not very durable.

shu · April 23, 2005, 06:07 AM

yeah. the trick is to don't do it.

everything i've read on the subject says resized 40s&w is shorter than 357sig. sure enough, worked that way when i tried it. those of us who like the 357sig would still feel more comfortable if it had a longer neck for more bullet grip area.

oh - and don't try it with the (longer) 10mm cases either. if you look close, you'll see they take large primers.

caz223 · April 23, 2005, 06:10 PM

Yeah, I've heard making 357SIG from .40 is nothing but trouble.

rangermonroe · April 23, 2005, 07:48 PM

"Don't do it"...shu

I disagree.

I have made some great plinking rounds, but not something that I would use as defense ammo.

.40s&w is found plentifully at the range, but .357sig is few and far between.

I like the Idea of resizing 40's for blasting ammo, reliability notwithstanding.

I had hoped that someone had some trick that I was missing that would allow for a little better consistency thatn what I am getting now (with resized reloads).

Zekewolf · April 25, 2005, 04:30 PM

Doesn't sound to me like your current process is yielding "great plinking rounds."

Sturm · April 25, 2005, 04:58 PM

When the .357 SIG came out and the reloading articles followed, the conclusion was that you could resize .40 brass and yes, it would give you a short case most notably in the neck since you need additional length to form the bottleneck. The consesnsus oppinion was, more trouble than it's worth since the .357 SIG is short on caseneck to begin with. They didn't say, never try this at home.

I am particular about the brass I use and never use mixed or rangebrass, but if you have found a way to make an inexpensive load doing so and understand that you should never use it for anything other than plinking, more power to you!

RangerMonroe, what powder and primers are you using? Maybe a general purpose type service powder could help. HS-6 or something similar comes to mind rather than say VV 3N37 which is very good for holding flash to a minimum for defensive loads. I am not a big fan of using powders faster than say AA#5 or Unique for the medium cases of the .40 and .357 SIG. If it works for you, again more power to you!

rangermonroe · April 26, 2005, 12:43 PM

HS 6 is what I use.

It seems that when I resize them, every 8-10 rounds, I will have a "loose" one.

I certainly wouldn't recommend using 40's for PDA, but the 357's work out fine.

Hornady 155gr XTP's yeild great loads...IMO.

xXStarScreamXx · April 26, 2005, 01:03 PM

Ive tried it, it didn't work so hot. I love reloading 357 sig and do it weekly as I blast out 300 rnds per week on it.

With as much time as it consumed and with the poor quality it was worth it to wait for the special from midwayusa.com for 500 357 Sig bras once fired for $12

I have a pretty high retrieval rate (80 percent or so) so that 500 has mad it's rounds and saved me alot of money.

rangermonroe · April 26, 2005, 02:06 PM

500 for
$12!!

Yeah, thats what I'll look for. Beats fighting for substandard ammo.

At the guns shows I have been to, they seem to want about 1/2 price loaded ammo for once fired brass.

I figured that if I collected none of my brass, I might as well fire factory,at those prices.

I'll put sig brass on my "wish list"

Thanks

April 17, 2005, 10:47 AM	#1
rangermonroe Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Location: savannah Posts: 758	resizing 40S&W to .357 SIG Are there any tricks to doing this better than I am doing it now? I end up with a very short neck that holds the case tenuously. a little pressure on the nose and I have a bullet rattling around in the case. I must be careful to get straight sided rounds to avoid this. The resized brass functions fine, but is not very durable.

April 23, 2005, 06:07 AM	#2
shu Senior Member Join Date: May 11, 2000 Location: lower rio grande valley, texas Posts: 216	yeah. the trick is to don't do it. everything i've read on the subject says resized 40s&w is shorter than 357sig. sure enough, worked that way when i tried it. those of us who like the 357sig would still feel more comfortable if it had a longer neck for more bullet grip area. oh - and don't try it with the (longer) 10mm cases either. if you look close, you'll see they take large primers. __________________ If you would have Liberty you must accept that individual security is not the responsiblity of government. You must. - XAVIER ONASIS

April 23, 2005, 06:10 PM	#3
caz223 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,429	Yeah, I've heard making 357SIG from .40 is nothing but trouble. __________________ I'm not just a gun. I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me.)

April 26, 2005, 01:03 PM	#8
xXStarScreamXx Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2005 Location: Nor*Cal 707 Posts: 353	Ive tried it, it didn't work so hot. I love reloading 357 sig and do it weekly as I blast out 300 rnds per week on it. With as much time as it consumed and with the poor quality it was worth it to wait for the special from midwayusa.com for 500 357 Sig bras once fired for $12 I have a pretty high retrieval rate (80 percent or so) so that 500 has mad it's rounds and saved me alot of money. __________________ I still don't see why cannibalism is a crime.

April 23, 2005, 07:48 PM	#4
rangermonroe Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Location: savannah Posts: 758	"Don't do it"...shu I disagree. I have made some great plinking rounds, but not something that I would use as defense ammo. .40s&w is found plentifully at the range, but .357sig is few and far between. I like the Idea of resizing 40's for blasting ammo, reliability notwithstanding. I had hoped that someone had some trick that I was missing that would allow for a little better consistency thatn what I am getting now (with resized reloads).

April 25, 2005, 04:30 PM	#5
Zekewolf Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2005 Posts: 886	Doesn't sound to me like your current process is yielding "great plinking rounds."

April 25, 2005, 04:58 PM	#6
Sturm Junior member Join Date: March 2, 2005 Location: Central Texas Posts: 584	When the .357 SIG came out and the reloading articles followed, the conclusion was that you could resize .40 brass and yes, it would give you a short case most notably in the neck since you need additional length to form the bottleneck. The consesnsus oppinion was, more trouble than it's worth since the .357 SIG is short on caseneck to begin with. They didn't say, never try this at home. I am particular about the brass I use and never use mixed or rangebrass, but if you have found a way to make an inexpensive load doing so and understand that you should never use it for anything other than plinking, more power to you! RangerMonroe, what powder and primers are you using? Maybe a general purpose type service powder could help. HS-6 or something similar comes to mind rather than say VV 3N37 which is very good for holding flash to a minimum for defensive loads. I am not a big fan of using powders faster than say AA#5 or Unique for the medium cases of the .40 and .357 SIG. If it works for you, again more power to you!

April 26, 2005, 12:43 PM	#7
rangermonroe Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Location: savannah Posts: 758	HS 6 is what I use. It seems that when I resize them, every 8-10 rounds, I will have a "loose" one. I certainly wouldn't recommend using 40's for PDA, but the 357's work out fine. Hornady 155gr XTP's yeild great loads...IMO.

April 26, 2005, 02:06 PM	#9
rangermonroe Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Location: savannah Posts: 758	500 for $12!! Yeah, thats what I'll look for. Beats fighting for substandard ammo. At the guns shows I have been to, they seem to want about 1/2 price loaded ammo for once fired brass. I figured that if I collected none of my brass, I might as well fire factory,at those prices. I'll put sig brass on my "wish list" Thanks