.357 Sig or 5.7x28mm for self defense?

Brian--
I am reading between the lines here, so forgive me if I miss the mark.

I believe that in Mexico one may not own "military" cartridges, so that eliminates .45acp and 9mm....correct? If i am mistaken, please forgive me.

So if you are looking at .357 Sig, then .40 S&W is also an option, yes?
Between the two, I would go .40S&W any day, mostly due to ammo cost/availability, and then because of noise if fired indoors (God help your ears if you discharge a .357 Sig without hearing protection, especially indoors).

Honestly, I have no use for either the 5.7 or the .357 Sig, but others will disagree.

But that is because I can own 9mm, .45acp. 10mm, etc.
And I do. :)

As far as which platform is the "best"....well, which one do you shoot the best? For me, that is the 1911, hands down. YMMV.

Best regards, Rich
 
Orionengnr:

You are in the correct, in México almost all military calibers are prohibited (there are some loopholes).

Honestly I think that the .380 is not enough for self defense, so I'm thinking about getting a .357 Sig or 5.7 (for the capacity in the magazine).

I was thinking in buy the Five-seveN for the capacity in the magazine.

PD: I have had several Glock's and 1911's, but I've never had a Sig Sauer (so it's new to me).
 
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NATO almost adopted the 5.7x 28mm to replace the 9mm, but Germany objected,(for unknown reasons) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_5.7×28mm So I would assume it would work well in self defense. It has very litle recoil.

On you tube videos it puts holes into metal at close range. I am told that the United States Secret Services uses this round.
 
NATO almost adopted the 5.7x 28mm to replace the 9mm, but Germany objected,(for unknown reasons)
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"Unknown reasons" meaning H&K didn't get the nod like they'd assumed they would (they didn't even bother designing the companion pistol as instructed, and still stamped their feet after the decision until they had lobbied the Germans to veto)

TCB
 
I believe that in Mexico one may not own "military" cartridges, so that eliminates .45acp and 9mm....correct? If i am mistaken, please forgive me.

So if you are looking at .357 Sig, then .40 S&W is also an option, yes?
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In addition to barring military cartridges such as 9mm, I think Mexico also limits civilians to 38 caliber or less.
 
As already mentioned, the .357 Sig cartridge is expensive and can be hard to find. It seems like you are pretty set on it though so I would suggest you stock up when you find it. I'd feel pretty comfortable carrying the .40 S&W which many have already mentioned that it only requires a barrel swap. Based on ammo cost and availability, I'd stay away from the 5.7. While the velocity is high, it lacks penetration.

As for which gun to buy, it really depends on your purpose for it. If this is going to be a carry gun, I would say go with the Glock since it is light and highly corrosion resistant. It has no safeties to "forget about" in the heat of the moment. Glocks are highly reliable and very affordable.

There are not too many 1911s I know that are chambered for the .357 Sig. I'm sure you can easily find one in .40 S&W and buy a replacement barrel. The 1911 is usually a single stack if round count is an issue. 1911s also have thumb safeties as well as grip safeties. The 1911 usually has the shortest and lightest trigger.

While I like Sig handguns and have a couple of them myself, I do not like them for carry. The P226 is a full sized handgun and I very hard to conceal. I also do not care for double action to single action if I can help it. The long heavy pull of the P226 is designed to prevent accidental discharges since there are no manual safeties. Unless you practice a fair bit, this may hinder your first shot accuracy. The single action is short and sweet though.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Stephen426:

I am very interested to buy a gun in .357 Sig because it is the maximum caliber allowed civilians(in México).

In Mexico the .357 Sig are expensive ammunition($ 50 USD per box:mad:), but not so hard to find (in the DCAM almost always in stock).

The purpose of buying the pistol in .357 Sig is replace my Beretta 92FS in .380 acp (is the weapon that I have for self-defense and is the weapon I carry).

2damold4this:

Yes, legally the maximum caliber allowed for civilian(in handguns) is the 9mm Makarov and .38 Special, but there are some loopholes that allow us to have guns in .357 Sig, 7.62x25, 5.7x28, 30 carbine, etc.
 
Brian the gunner said:
Yes, legally the maximum caliber allowed for civilian(in handguns) is the 9mm Makarov and .38 Special, but there are some loopholes that allow us to have guns in .357 Sig, 7.62x25, 5.7x28, 30 carbine, etc.
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Is 9mm Makarov worth considering?

It's certainly not as intense a round as .357 SIG, but you can probably find a conversion barrel for the Beretta that handles 9x18. I would expect it to hold one round less in the mag, but going that round would save you a lot of money in moving up in firepower, and if the ammo can be found, it would probably be quite a bit less expensive than .357 SIG.

If you're looking for more firepower than .380, 9x18 offers that. If you're looking for a LOT MORE firepower than .380, then .357 SIG is the way to go.

Have you shot anything in .357 SIG. It can be an experience, depending on the gun...
 
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Brian, now I think I understand. If your 92fs is in .380, not 9X19MM, I would definitely suggest the .357 SIG caliber. I would favor the P226 SIG pistol. My P226 SIG, and P229 Sport, in .357 SIG caliber were 100% reliable with any type of ammo I tried. I caried a P226 SIG 40+ hours a week for several years. The P226 never failed.
 
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As long as you can find and buy full powered .357 Sig ammo that is what I would use. It was designed with a 125 grain bullet traveling 1450 fps. The companies like Federal, Gold Dot, etc load their ammo to 1350 and it has been proven to work fine. I buy my .357 Sig from Underwood and it will chrono at 1500 fps. I would not depend on any of the plastic guns to hold up under this load. The Sig P229 or Sig P226 would be my only choice if I were in your shoes. These guns were designed for the load and not just a 9mm framed gun like the others. There are going to be people come on here and flame me for what I said about the Sig versus other brand guns. If these people will do all the research I have done on the .357 Sig they would find out for themselves. The other brand guns are very good guns in 9mm and if you have to go to Glock for your .357 Sig get a Glock 35 in a gen4. The .357 Sig and the .40 S&W are very hard on a gun and not just any gun will hold up.
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I'd stay away from the 5.7. While the velocity is high, it lacks penetration.
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Does Mexico have our stupid "armor piercing" ammo laws and fears? If not, SS190 penetrator ammo may be more available, and would have plenty of penetration, particularly where light barriers and armor are concerned. If mag limits are in play and lower than 15 rounds, I'd look for other options (simply because the five-seven pistol is so huge, and the only game in town) like 22TCM in a 1911 double stack.

Me? I'd go 7.62x25 in the OP's lamentable circumstance, but from a modified double stack 1911 (no, no one makes these at this time :rolleyes:). If Zastava ever brings the PPZ out, that one in a heartbeat. What about a CZ26? That's kind of a pistol if you take the stock off :D

TCB
 
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