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Old May 10, 2018, 11:03 PM   #26
trooper3385
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The 357 sig has nearly identical ballistics to the 357 mag using 125 gr bullets. The advantage for the magnum is being able to use heavier bullets. The sig was designed for the 125 gr and that’s pretty much what your limited to. I’ve carried a sig 357 sig for 17 yrs. A Sig P226, P226 DAK, P229 DAK, and a P239 DAK. I have also carried the Glock 32 and 33 for other than issued. In my opinion, it’s the best caliber on the market for L.E. I can count the number of jams I’ve had with any of the listed guns on one hand. One thing I can say about my agency is they don’t spare any expense when it comes to training and training ammo. I’ve fired 1000 plus rounds a day and several occasions. I have all of those guns listed in my safe now and the barrels still look good and shoot just as accurate as the first day I got them new and they all have probably 10,000 rounds on them. Well maybe not the P239 and the glocks. I’ve never heard of a barrel being shot out after 3000 rounds. The reason they are in the safe now is we just (yesterday) switched to the Sig P320 in the 9mm. I have to say after 500 rounds yesterday and another 500 rounds today in 2 P320’s I was issued, I was thoroughly impressed with it. Although 9mm would not have been my first choice. Supposedly, according to our training section, the 9mm with the 135 gr Hornady critical duty performs almost as good as the 357 sig although I would like to see that to believe it.
On a side note, my agency tried to switch to the S&W M&P 9mm a couple years ago. The gun didn’t even last through a full recruit school before they decided to pull it and re-issue the P226 to the recruits. You can imagine how big an issue this created when they already had 5000 plus guns, duty gear, and ammo in stock for the whole agency that they had to return and how big of an issue they had with the S&W’s to come up with that decision. They had multiple problems with the S&W’s that could not be corrected. Our local police dept uses the S&W in 40 cal and they said they have not had any problems, so maybe it was just an issue with the 9mm’s and may have since been corrected. Not sure.
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Old May 11, 2018, 06:12 PM   #27
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The sig was designed for the 125 gr and that’s pretty much what your limited to.
A couple of posters in this thread have noted that you can get 147 and 180 grain bullets for the .357 SIG. I haven't seen any on the shelves myself and I wonder how many factories made ammunition using bullets heavier than 125 grains for the .357 SIG?
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Old May 12, 2018, 06:33 AM   #28
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Roll your own,

To my limited knowledge, other than Sellier & Bellot who loads 357 Sig in140 grain FMJ flat nose the commercial loadings I've seen are 125 gr.

Loading your own opens up possibilities to weights up to 147 grain in multiple bullet configurations. I've had excellent results with MG 147 gr CMJ and Speer 147 gr Gold Dot and TMJ. No issues making Major with any of those three. In a YMMV situation, I've found the 147 gr seem to feed better than the 125 gr in my 357 Sig chambered 1911.

Not familiar with any 180 gr bullets that are acceptable for 357 Sig but if they exist, could someone post a link.

Without get getting into a leg lifting contest, my own opinion is the 357 Sig marketing around the 125 gr load, fails to accentuate the benefits obtained with loads using 130 to 147 gr.

It's a fun cartridge if you want to play with it, but unless you load probably not everybody's cup of tea.

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Old May 17, 2018, 09:44 PM   #29
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I have been a 357 Mag fellow for years ..But I have over the last few years , been leaning toward semiautos.. Mostly (99%) Glocks ... And one of my favorite carry pistols is a 32 (23)
with a 357 Sig barrel , that is ..
As tbe 357 Mag with 125gr JHP is known as a "stopper". The 357 Sig is in all practical purposes equal in that respect.... And with Underwood 125gr Gold Dot out of a 32 makes a formable SD round

https://youtu.be/ughIFOrIP_w
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Old May 30, 2018, 04:25 PM   #30
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The 357sig 125grain hollowpoint in the Speer gold dot hollowpoint hums in at 1350 fps, which is slightly below .357 magnum levels. Still a very good, and proven round. I know personally from Texas DPS (highway patrol) and Texas Rangers have carried that round in their Sig Sauer p226 and p229. They have since gone back to 9mm, but I don't know exactly why. I own and carry a Sig Sauer P229 SAS gen 2, with a .357sig barrel. Shoots great. Sigs, and. 357sig ammo are both expensive. Depends on how much you want to spend.
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Old May 30, 2018, 09:08 PM   #31
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My experience is that the 357 Sig is comparable to service grade loads for the 357 Magnum. Not the hot original hot loadings or the hottest stuff out there today. Out of a 4" barrel 125 gr loads will do about 1375-1400+ fps which is comparable to service grade 125 gr 357 loads. It's a bit of a myth that the 357 Sig is only comparable in the 125 gr loads. I used to have a Glock 31 with a 4.5" barrel and factory Hornady 147gr XTPs ran 1250 fps. That's right on par with the classic 145 gr silvertip 357 load. A lot of people diss the 357 Sig as simply being a hot 9 but that's just pure bologna. I used to use the 357 Sig in IDPA and I deliberately tried to download to 9mm levels. Even starting loads were well above +p 9mm velocities. I was running Berry's 124 gr FN bullets with starting charges of longshot and was getting 1300 fps. The 357 Sig is a legit round.
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Old May 30, 2018, 09:12 PM   #32
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Oldjarhead, there are two Speer 357 Sig Gold Dot loads. They are loaded to different velocities and actually have different bullet designs. One is loaded hotter and doesn't expand as robustly and is designed to penetrate barriers better. The other is loaded to 1350 fps and expands more robustly and doesn't penetrate as much. I used to keep my Glock loaded with Federal 125 gr HST and they ran about 1400 fps out of the Glock 31 and they were designed to expand robustly. I think that load mimics the classic 357 Mag 125 gr SJHP loadings pretty well.
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Old May 30, 2018, 09:14 PM   #33
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JeffK, I find that really hard to believe. A pistol round wearing out a barrel in 3000 rounds. 308 and 30-06 barrels last longer than that and we are talking about projectiles going 2700+ fps. 5.56 barrels last longer than that launching projectiles 3000+ fps.
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Old May 31, 2018, 12:48 AM   #34
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I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Are they both more expensive than 9mm sure. Are they both better performers? Depends on how well you shoot them. And that is highly subjective.
They both will pack more punch than some lesser rounds but if you can’t handle the power of a v8 buy a 6 cylinder right?
I’d say go 357mag if you want a revolver and sig if you want a semiauto. Either comes with a premium so make the investment and if you go sig buy a 9mm barrel and mag (if it’s a 229) to practice with.
I love 357sig and carry/ shoot a couple guns chambered in it including a usp compact and a 229 legion. I honestly don’t see any big issue with the power of the 357 sig. it doesn’t seem appreciably more violent than anything else. Matter of fact my usual range toy is an EAA witness limited in 9mm and I shoot the legion almost if not as good as the Witness, high bore axis BS and all.
All factors of modern firearms and ammunition considered I think the only thing you are gaining with either of these is probably barrier penetration, possibly sightly larger cavity, better expansion and better penetration through heavier clothing..... now that I write that it seems like a lot of advantages lol. I carry the extreme defender rounds which are solid non expanding light high velocity rounds. They knock some weight off the rig, lessen the recoil and help take expansion issues out of the equation.

The more I think about this subject and discuss it with people the more I think that the difference in most of these calibers is negligible. Everyone looks for the magic bullet but it’s like comparing several cars all producing within 10hp of each other. I hate to be the guy that throws out all the cliches but the best gun is what you actually carry that you can hit with and holds the most bullets.
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Old May 31, 2018, 06:18 PM   #35
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I agree with the above. I actually shot IDPA with 357 Sig for a while. It's loud but doesn't really have a violent recoil impulse. I found much more pleasant to shoot than 40S&W. I always found it very accurately and it would hit poppers with more authority than the 9mm. Some of the other competitors out there were impressed with the authority it hit steel. I think the best load for carry/HD is the Federal 125 gr HST loading. It's not downloaded like some of the other stuff and it expands violently while still meeting all the FBI protocols. I disagree with some folks that say it lacks versatility. There are many loads out there for the 357 Sig that accomplish many different tasks. The Hornady 147 gr XTP is a nice outdoors load with a controlled expansion projectile, nice sectional density and more velocity than 124 gr +P 9mm loads. There are some heavier loads out there as well. Speer also has a couple of loadings in their Gold Dot line. One is loaded hotter (54234) and is more of a controlled expansion projectile while the other (53918) is loaded to a slower velocity and meant for more expansion.
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Old June 1, 2018, 12:36 AM   #36
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I took 2 M&P40c's and put aftermarket 357SIG SS barrels in them and they have been my EDC for several months. Some really hot 357SIG rounds out there now!
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Old June 1, 2018, 01:19 AM   #37
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I bought a Sig P239 in .40. Found a 357 Sig barrel and mags. I’ve yet to switch it back to .40. The 357 Sig is an awesome round. It will out preform any +P+ 9mm. With a lot less wear and tear on the gun.

That said, I often carry another P239 in 9mm.
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Old June 1, 2018, 02:10 AM   #38
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Sgt127. I don't understand why think the 357 Sig creates less wear and tear than the 9mm. The 357 Sig is going to have more slide velocity and runs at 40K psi as opposed to 38.5K PSI for the 9mm +p.
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Old June 1, 2018, 09:20 AM   #39
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In the Sig P239 the slide is heavier and, the recoil spring is stronger in the .40/357 SIG version. It was designed for a hotter round.
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Old June 3, 2018, 09:05 AM   #40
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Sig or HK
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Old June 3, 2018, 10:57 AM   #41
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.357 sig vs. .357 magnum
So I have chronographed BB .357 180 grain hardcast out of my 1 7/8" LCR at 1250 fps giving around 600 plus foot pounds ME. Is there a .357 sig load that is comparable in energy to this?
It seems that the ligher weight loads get the higher energy by increased velocity, but as I want this for woods load, I prefer the heavier grain mass for penetration.

With my .40 sw 180 grain loads, I'm still only getting 970 fps out of my Kahr with a 3.4" barrel, so it's still below the .357 magnum in my snub.
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Old June 3, 2018, 11:18 AM   #42
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357 SIG is available with 125g loads exceeding 1500 fps that are about 625 ft lbs.

But you have identified a use case where the 357 Magnum is always going to be a better choice.

With heavier bullets the 357 Magnum equals or exceeds 10mm and 40 S&W.

I shoot a 190g Hard Cast from my 4" 686+ that is just shy of 1300 fps and that's not really pushing it.

There is really only one choice and that is to buy them all.

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Old June 3, 2018, 11:41 AM   #43
Carl the Floor Walker
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The more post I read about the 357 Sig, the more I am impressed with the 9mm.
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Old June 3, 2018, 12:33 PM   #44
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The more post I read about the 357 Sig, the more I am impressed with the 9mm.
How so?
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Old June 5, 2018, 12:21 AM   #45
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In my opinion, the .357 Sig is like a 9mm magnum. It does what people pushing 9mm to hot +p or +p+ levels are looking to do but does it as an ordinary, bog-standard norm. It costs a little in capacity but if that's what you are looking for, then fine. People complain that it costs more but more than those radical loadings in 9mm? The guns are designed for regular use of it too.

Versus .357 magnum, you can get similar performance with similar bullets within a reasonable range of weights. There are things that .357 magnum can do that .357 Sig can't, such as firing shot shells or big heavy hardcasts with a wide meplat. There is something that .357 Sig can do that .357 mag struggles with and that's riding ready in high-capacity interchangeable magazines for semi-automatic handguns.
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Old June 5, 2018, 10:04 PM   #46
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Also, my 357 Sig P239 is infinitely easier to shoot than a .357 Magnum revolver. With 125’s it gets pretty tiresome and, somewhat painful.

The P239 has slower bore axis and the slide eats up a lot of the recoil energy.

That said, I love the .357 Magnum and, if forced to choose one handgun for the rest of my life, it would a a .357 Revolver.
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Old June 7, 2018, 12:37 AM   #47
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Also, my 357 Sig P239 is infinitely easier to shoot than a .357 Magnum revolver.
Perhaps you might add some qualifiers to that statement? Like which .357 Magnum you are comparing your Sig to??

you can get a .357 Magnum in everything from a light weight snubnose revolver to a long barrel S&W N frame or Ruger Redhawk, or Blackhawk, and there is a huge difference between shooting those guns and shooting any Sig semi auto.
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There is something that .357 Sig can do that .357 mag struggles with and that's riding ready in high-capacity interchangeable magazines for semi-automatic handguns.
Is 9+1 high capacity?? I've got a semi auto .357 Magnum which holds that.
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Old June 7, 2018, 02:00 AM   #48
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Is 9+1 high capacity?? I've got a semi auto .357 Magnum which holds that.
Ten is sometimes used as a lower boundary for "high capacity" but let's look at it relative to the comparison here. This obviously varies by model but can't you get 12-15 rounds in some .357 Sig guns? That's considerably more than 6-8 in a revolver. Yes, there are semi-automatic guns made to run .357 magnum but aren't there some trade-offs?

For instance, how big are those autoloaders? Are they as handy or reliable as, say, a Glock or a Sig? Can they reliably feed some of those big bullet types that are often counted as an advantage for .357 magnum in revolvers?
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Old June 7, 2018, 10:37 AM   #49
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Yes, there are semi-automatic guns made to run .357 magnum but aren't there some trade-offs?
Of course there are some trade offs. Show me anything in life that doesn't have some trade-off, and I'll show you something where you missed seeing it.

You're not going to run a 10 second quarter mile in a (normal) 3/4 ton pickup, and you're not going to haul 4x8 sheets of plywood in your Corvette.

There's no free lunch.
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Old June 9, 2018, 08:26 PM   #50
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Originally Posted by JeffK View Post
You must not shoot .357-SIG, or care about accuracy. I replaced my barrel at about 3K rounds, and the rifling was almost invisible and the accuracy was gone. New barrel, poof, it's accurate again.
I do both, and this sounds impossible to me. Grooves filled with lead is far more likely to be the culprit.

What model gun are we talking about here?
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