.357 Sig opinions

Anyone who says it's like 9mm +P is smoking dope. Even 9mm +P+ doesn't get near the performance of a high-end 357 Sig round.

With that said, 357 Sig is probably not too much difference than 9mm in real world civilian scenarios. Bottom line, carry what you are comfortable with.
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I think a lot of the problem here is emotion towards what you are invested in (I was caught up in it and it was for me at the time. I did get over it though. :)), and paper numbers, which is where the heat of most of these type arguments end up going, and there has to be a winner. Yes, the 357SIG is about 100 fps hotter on paper than +P+ 9mm, but in reality, both are a 40000 psi round, and will perform about the same when using the same bullet.

And that comes directly from the engineers at Speer. I emailed them when I was still shooting and carrying one, because of a discussion just like this. It was also another reason I decided to go back to 9mm.

This was their response, I saved it. :)

The 9mm is a 35,000 psi, +P is
38,500 psi and +P+ is 40,000 psi. The 357 SIG is a 40,000 psi. Bullets
of the same weight will approximate the same velocities in SIG and +P+.
The difference is gun construction, all 9mm's will not handle +P+. All
of the 357 SIG's are made to handle the pressures for the caliber.
Shoot Straight!
Coy Getman
CCI/SPEER Technical Service
2299 Snake River Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501
(800) 627-3640 ext. #5351 (pound key must be used)
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That last part about all 357SIGs being able to handle the round, I found to not necessarily be correct. Or at least with my Glock it wasnt. It was beating itself to death on the underside of the slide pretty good, and didnt show any signs of slowing down. I had to file the burrs down a couple of times and was cutting my fingers on them while cleaning the gun. My SIG's on the otherhand, seemed to be fine with it.

I do understand too, that some things have changed with the development of some of the boutique rounds, and some do get a little more out of it, than the "standard" loadings. I really dont see them going anywhere beyond that though, as I really dont see anyone beyond those set up for 357SIG now, expanding their lines, and those who now make them, pumping up the volume. Im thinking its basically going to end up going the 45 GAP route.


I agree with the last part about not being to much different in the real world, and I think that pretty much apples to any of the accepted "realistic" handgun calibers. I think its more important to invest the time and effort into shooting well with whatever you chose, than it is what caliber you choose.

Thats the other big plus to 9mm. Its the cheapest of the lot for the most part, so you can practice a more. Its also about the softest shooting in most guns its chambered for, so it also tends to be easier to shoot. I put 357SIG in that same group too, as I really dont/didnt see any difference in shooting it compared to the 9mm.
 
How much ammo and what bullet? How much being more important.
Midway wants between $20 and $35 per 50 depending on the brand.
It's supposed to give .357 Mag performance out of a 9mm size case. Buying a barrel and getting it fitted(some are alleged to be drop in) will give you another big kid's toy without buying a whole pistol.
"...the specialized bullets..." They're regular .355" 9mm bullets. Lots of specific how to's online. Only issue might be the bottle necked case.
 
"...the specialized bullets..." They're regular .355" 9mm bullets. Lots of specific how to's online. Only issue might be the bottle necked case.
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There is a difference in the shape of the bullets. Most places I remember ordering them form, separated 357SIG and 38 Super bullets from the rest of the 9mm bullets.

The 125 grain 357SIG bullets are more the shape of the 147 grain 9mm bullets, and not the standard 115 and 124 grain 9mm bullets. The ogive on those 9mm bullets is different, and when you set them to 357SIG OAL, they dont work.

Or at least that was my experience.

The bottleneck isnt an issue, if you use the right powder/load. You want a full case of powder.

Heres a couple of links showing the differences in the bullets....

357SIG 125 grain

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=357sig+125+grain+bullets&userItemsPerPage=48

9mm 124 grain

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=9mm+124+grain+bullets&userItemsPerPage=48

Ive used a number of factory and aftermarket drop in barrels for differrent things, and out of close to a dozen or so, never once had to fit anything. They all dropped right in.

I used a LWD 40-9 9mm conversion barrel in my Glock 31, and it worked great.

One thing with those barrels though, if you want a gun in a specific caliber, Id just get the gun, and be done with it. Otherwise, you end up with a lot of money tied up in things you usually end up not using.
 
2wheel, I had two pistols chambered in the cartridge, a SIG P226 and P229 Sport. I did some chronographing of factory ammo in the 4.4" and 5"+ barrels. Impressive ballistics, no doubt about it. And I think factory ammo and components to reload .357 will be available as long as our government allows us access to guns/ammo/primers/powder,etc. I never got around to loading for the .357 SIG. Truth be told, I wasn't real anxious to start loading for the cartridge due to some concern I had about bullet retention with that real short case neck.......ymmv
 
"Already own a Glock 22. Can I drop a barrel in that one and start shooting as well to get going?"


Absolutely! I have a Glock 22 police trade-in that I got for cheap about a year ago. This summer I bought a 9mm conversion barrel and 9mm magazine from Lone Wolf Distributors for $126 total. The barrel was $99, and my understanding is that you don't even need a new magazine for 357 sig.


My G22 shoots 9mm just fine. I have had no malfunctions with it whatsoever. Depending on ammo, it generally shoots about an inch lower at 15 yards with 9mm than it does with 40 caliber.

I would definitely be all over the 357 sig barrel for my G22 if I were interested in that caliber.
 
For what it's worth, more than once while reading reviews on the .357 SIG, I saw claims that the bottleneck case is inherently a better configuration for reliable feeding from a magazine than a straight case is. No one argued that it ever made much difference in the "real world" but, if true, even "slightly" better feeding/reliability would be a plus for any pistol being used for self-defense.
 
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The more reliable feeding of the bottleneck 357 SIG cartridge is often cited as an advantage.

And I have never had a failure to feed while shooting 357 SIG with my SIG P229s. But then I have never had a failure to feed shooting .40 S&W with the same two pistols, and I have shot a whole lot more of that.

If you shoot ammunition with significantly different velocity with the same handgun using the same sights, for example 357 SIG versus .40 S&W, the higher velocity ammunition will typically shoot to a lower point of impact using the same sight picture than the higher velocity ammunition does.

The higher velocity ammunition gets out of the barrel more quickly so muzzle rise from recoil has less effect on it. SIG Sauer uses different height sights for 9 mm and 357 SIG than they do for .40 S&W on the same pistol.
 
5 years ago I was big into .357 Sig. I mean, 15 rounds of .357 Mag power with 125 grain bullet ballistics in a more reliable feeding bottleneck case? What's not to like? A few things, namely price, limited ammo options, and increased reloading difficulty.

I bought 450 rds of bonded .40 JHP last month for $170, had I bought the same amount of .357 Sig, it would have cost $200 more. Is .40 slower and weaker? Yes, but it's still a good stopper. Were .357 Sig the same price as .40 S&W, I'd buy it. I was hoping when the Army adopted the P320 that they'd adopt it in .357 Sig, but they didn't and with LEO's moving to 9mm more and more, the .357 is more likely to meet that demise everyone keeps saying .40 will.

Also, if I want more power in a semi auto, I'm more likely to buy a 10mm now that it seems to be making a comeback and the 135 grain Underwood 10mm is 100 fps faster with a heavier, larger bullet for the same price as .357 Sig JHP ammo is.

I own two 40 caliber Glocks, I could buy the barrel and do the conversion, but I decided a long time ago it wasn't worth doing and that .357 Sig didn't offer me much more in capability.
 
357SIG is my EDC and has been for sometime! Check out some of the Underwood 357SIG ammo! As others have said you can mix and match most 357SIG and 40S&W barrels and mags I swap them around in my Glocks, M&P. and SIG's quite often and never any issues!
 
My next gun purchase will be a 226/229 in .40 or .357 sig. Regardless, I'll buy the other barrel. Wanted another .40 besides my G22. This solves 2 problems.
 
The barrel was $99, and my understanding is that you don't even need a new magazine for 357 sig.
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Caveat - only experience is with Glock on 40/357. If using for SD, I'd recommend swapping out the 40 follower to that of a 357. Although I've never experienced any issues using 357 Sig cartridges in an OEM 40 Mag. The followers have a more aggressive angle for 357.
 
In the pic below is a 357 Sig barrel for the P229. You can see the mags are marked for both rounds. I would not automatically assume that all pistols can do the same (though I don't know why not) so check before guessing.



On the 357 Sig round feeding better than straight cased rounds: I've never had an issue with 9mm feeding well, or 40 S&W, 38 Super or 45acp. Provided that the gun and mags are in good shape and the ammo was properly built. None of that ammo has an inherent issue with feeding. No manufacturer says "This new caliber is great it just doesn't feed very well! Buy some now!" They all feed.

tipoc
 
I can squeeze an extra 357sig round into my .40 s&w factory mags and never had a feeding issue.

So for example glock 27 mags hold 10 rounds of 357sig, glock 23 mags hold 14 rounds of 357sig, etc.
 
In the pic below is a 357 Sig barrel for the P229. You can see the mags are marked for both rounds. I would not automatically assume that all pistols can do the same (though I don't know why not) so check before guessing.
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Just an FYI, my P239 in 357 SIG was an early gun, and its mags would only take 357SIG. There was an offset in the mag at the neck on the round. .40 S&W rounds would not fit into the mag because of it.

Later P239 mags that I acquired would in fact, take both.


Not my mags, but examples...

357SIG...the seam along the witness holes is where the shoulder would ride.
5E0F35E86B9F0BFE17EA2E672DDE48C90D4827D4.jpg


357SIG & .40S&W....no seam
s-l500.jpg


Never encountered this with my P226 and P229 mags.
 
If using for SD, I'd recommend swapping out the 40 follower to that of a 357.
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The comment was for Glocks, I believe, so my info is not necessarily arguing with that in the slightest. But the .40 caliber magazines for the S&W M&P are marked for both calibers. And they work fine for both.

AK, I scored a few P239 mags marked for .40 which have 8 round-counting holes :eek:

They were sold as factory blems and were half-price, which I appreciated. This was early last year when the P239 was freshly discontinued and magazines were getting hard to find. They work fine for both calibers also.

Bart Noir
 
Price of SIG mags was always a sore spot for me. Well, the guns too for that matter. :)

Ebay is often a great place to get good deals on them. I just scored a lot of three, P220 Compact mags that look to be brand new, if they arent, for $45 shipped. They usually sell for $35-40 ea. elsewhere.
 
I do like the 357 SIG but at the same time, I struggle to see a real need for it. There's no question it's potent, factory stuff is pretty decent and you can reload it to be a monster, I've done it. I'm not sure if it will ever really make a comeback unless quite a few LEO agencies start adopting it. The 10mm "comeback" I think is more of a fad, it's gotten popular based on it being loaded to the max, but again, without major support for it, it's never going to be 9mm, .40 or .45 popular.

To me, the 357 SIG is more worthwhile as a barrel swap for an existing .40 pistol, I'm not so sure I'd buy a 357 SIG pistol, although I have before. As a secondary option to the .40, it makes sense.
 
A conversion barrel is probably the way to go. The .357 Sig gets pretty close to the beloved 125-grain loads in .357 magnum; with more than double the capacity and a form factor that can be easier to carry. Paul Harrell has a couple of good demonstrations on .357 Sig. While they are done as caliber comparisons with .40 S&W and .357 magnum, they'll give you a good idea of how it performs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrcSO5wErJw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9iuN-JBCXE

In my humble opinion, it's the best way to accomplish what some people try to reach for with radically hot 9mm +whatever. With hardcast or sharp copper solids like those "extreme penetrators", I think it'd be a surprisingly good woods round in a lot of places.
 
With hardcast or sharp copper solids like those "extreme penetrators", I think it'd be a surprisingly good woods round in a lot of places.
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I agree. My woods carry rounds use the Lehigh Defense “Xtreme” copper bullets in my Sig P229. I feel that’s pretty good firepower. I replaced my Gold Dot loads with the Lehigh copper bullets after my last close encounter with a large and very bold black bear not far from my home. I want as much penetration as I can get when I’m I the forest.

The .357 Sig has become my favorite round. It’s hard hitting and flat shooting with modest recoil.
You have to reload though to fully enjoy this cartridge. Factory ammo offerings are limited and expensive. Despite some ongoing negative comments on reloading this cartridge, it’s really no harder to reload than any other bottleneck cartridge. Reloading takes this round to a new level.
 
Since you've already got the Glock 22, just buy a .357 Sig barrel for it and go shoot. If you also want a dedicated gun, you won't go wrong with the Sig P229.

I did almost the reverse. I had a bunch of .40 S&W with no gun to shoot it in and didn't really want one. Just about that time, I got a great deal on a 229 in .357 Sig that came with a boatload of ammo. I bought an extra barrel in .40 and now I have one platform to shoot both calibers.
 
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