.357 question

Police pistol calibers are like a fad. Like when my Sheriff came in he wanted Sig 220's in 45acp. If the money is there you will carry what the boss likes. Just like if the next Director of The F.B.I. doesn't like .40 Glock they may go to 9mm sigs again you just never know. Any of the major defense calibers are more than adequite given todays bullet technology. But it does make you wonder if the 45 acp is the greatest thing out there why the Texas Department of Safety switched from Sig 220's in 45acp and went with the Speer Gold Dot .357 Sig. This is fact. The only thing the 357 sig does differ than the .357 mag is deliver its performance in an autoloader.
Carry .38 or .357 whichever you can shoot and come more comfortable with.
 
Snub342,

Begging your pardon, pistol calibers used by cops are not fads. They are chosen after careful analysis of science. However, as science and technology evolves, so do decision based thereupon.

Good shootin',

Leon Phelps
 
Part of the discussion here is that maybe the 125gr/.357 isn't as good as its reputation. There has been a lot made of the "street stoppers" data, and just how trustworthy it is. Taking a 125gr weighted bullet and shooting it in a semi may give the same ballistics, but may not give you the same performance - the bullet design has to be different to cycle correctly.

The FBI especially, and also other LE agencies, are making their decisions based on extensive 'scientific' testing more and more - and most of those test are now geared to deep penetration, bullet weight retention, and wider/bigger permanent wound channels.
 
I wonder why the F.B.I. still gives the option to older agents the option of carrying .38 revolvers or 10mm smiths autos, or 9mm sigs. It goes to show these guns and calibers are still in use. Look at the newly combined/renamed I.C.E under Homeland Security. One of the calibers they requested was 9mm along with the .357 sig. Why wouldn't they just skip over the 9mm and go with the .357 sig I guess the 9mm is still popular and gets the job done. Half of my Dept. still use the 124 +p+ 9mm Hydra-Shok. The rest of us use the 45 acp. In the 125 grain loading of the .357 sig it almost duplicates the ballistics of the 125 grain 357 magnum. This is why alot of deptments are going to it. Texas Dept. Of Safety shot a guy with in a vehicle, the round went thru the windshield then thru the badguys head then thru the head rest and then thru the backseat and was found in the back of vehicle trunk/rear bumper area. This round is just as good as the 125 grain 357 mag. but gives you the convenience of an auto pistol I.E. more rounds than a six shot revolver and less recoil. I might not be the smartest on this subject but I see that there is nothing wrong with 125 grain 357 mag., it might be an older round but heck so is the 38 special and 45 acp.
Good luck.
 
OK - possible hi-jacking the thread, but anyway - if you worked for the FBI, and they gave you the choice of what handgun caliber you could use - what would you pick? I would take the 10mm.
 
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