357 Sig loads

Overhill · April 12, 2007, 10:18 AM

Just got a 357 SIg barrel for my G23 and shot 100 Fed. factory rounds. I am going to reload these rounds. I ordered the dies and it uses the same shellplate that i use for the 40SW. My question is what bullets to use? All of my manuals give load specs and list it as a .355. Can i use 9mm bullets? I am concerned that the 357 bullet may require a different constuction or something that i am not aware of. Any imput is deeply appeiciated.

scheirere · April 12, 2007, 11:58 AM

what dies did you buy? if you bought Lee dies, you will need to size the .357 SIG cases with your .40 die to remove the bulge at the base of the shell. then size the case with the .357 SIG Die to do the neck. (I don't know if the same thing applies with other manufacturers dies.)

You can and should use 9mm bullets for your .357 SIG however you will want to stick to truncated cone styles as a typical round nose/FMJ 9mm bullet is too long to use. If you push the bullet back into the case far enough to fit the magazine, you wind up with part of the ogive inside the case mouth.

If you are target shooting or plinking, then it really doesn't matter what kind of bullet you are using. However if you are planning on other stuff, you may want to look into bullets that are designed to work at the higher velocities that the .357 SIG is capable of.

ECLIPSE45ACP · April 12, 2007, 12:03 PM

Lee makes a 357 sig die set, why would he need to do that?

Dave P · April 12, 2007, 01:57 PM

"what dies did you buy? if you bought Lee dies, you will need to size the .357 SIG cases with your .40 die to remove the bulge at the base of the shell."

Say what??? You must have too much time on your hands.

The bullets are .355 diameter, normally truncated tip. Look for bullets advertised for 357 sig.

Dave

Scorch · April 12, 2007, 03:20 PM

357 SIG ia actually a 9mm and uses 9mm bullets, but was called 357 SIG to point out that it has the velocity of a 357 Magnum.

JDG · April 12, 2007, 05:45 PM

.355 dia flatnose. The round nose wont give enough neck tension.

Overhill · April 13, 2007, 08:28 AM

I ordered Lee dies. What i dont understand, is why i would have to resize with the 40 die first. Isn't the the Sig die capable of full length resizing? Please explain.
Thank you all for your help.

JohnLizCas · April 13, 2007, 08:59 AM

The reason you would resize first with a 40S&W die is that you won't need to lube the cases as they are bottleneck rounds vs. straight wall. If you don't use the 40 S&W die, you'll have to lube the rounds when you resize with the 357 Sig dies.
Just saves a messy step. BacSi

April 12, 2007, 10:18 AM	#1
Overhill Member Join Date: March 1, 2007 Location: PA Posts: 96	357 Sig loads Just got a 357 SIg barrel for my G23 and shot 100 Fed. factory rounds. I am going to reload these rounds. I ordered the dies and it uses the same shellplate that i use for the 40SW. My question is what bullets to use? All of my manuals give load specs and list it as a .355. Can i use 9mm bullets? I am concerned that the 357 bullet may require a different constuction or something that i am not aware of. Any imput is deeply appeiciated.

April 12, 2007, 03:20 PM	#5
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	357 SIG ia actually a 9mm and uses 9mm bullets, but was called 357 SIG to point out that it has the velocity of a 357 Magnum. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 13, 2007, 08:59 AM	#8
JohnLizCas Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 162	resizing The reason you would resize first with a 40S&W die is that you won't need to lube the cases as they are bottleneck rounds vs. straight wall. If you don't use the 40 S&W die, you'll have to lube the rounds when you resize with the 357 Sig dies. Just saves a messy step. BacSi __________________ For those who have had to fight for it, life holds a special meaning that the protected will never know.

April 12, 2007, 11:58 AM	#2
scheirere Member Join Date: October 18, 2005 Location: South hills of Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 19	what dies did you buy? if you bought Lee dies, you will need to size the .357 SIG cases with your .40 die to remove the bulge at the base of the shell. then size the case with the .357 SIG Die to do the neck. (I don't know if the same thing applies with other manufacturers dies.) You can and should use 9mm bullets for your .357 SIG however you will want to stick to truncated cone styles as a typical round nose/FMJ 9mm bullet is too long to use. If you push the bullet back into the case far enough to fit the magazine, you wind up with part of the ogive inside the case mouth. If you are target shooting or plinking, then it really doesn't matter what kind of bullet you are using. However if you are planning on other stuff, you may want to look into bullets that are designed to work at the higher velocities that the .357 SIG is capable of.

April 12, 2007, 12:03 PM	#3
ECLIPSE45ACP Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 177	Lee makes a 357 sig die set, why would he need to do that?

April 12, 2007, 01:57 PM	#4
Dave P Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 1999 Location: North Florida Posts: 1,346	"what dies did you buy? if you bought Lee dies, you will need to size the .357 SIG cases with your .40 die to remove the bulge at the base of the shell." Say what??? You must have too much time on your hands. The bullets are .355 diameter, normally truncated tip. Look for bullets advertised for 357 sig. Dave

April 12, 2007, 05:45 PM	#6
JDG Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: West Michigan Posts: 673	.355 dia flatnose. The round nose wont give enough neck tension.

April 13, 2007, 08:28 AM	#7
Overhill Member Join Date: March 1, 2007 Location: PA Posts: 96	I ordered Lee dies. What i dont understand, is why i would have to resize with the 40 die first. Isn't the the Sig die capable of full length resizing? Please explain. Thank you all for your help.