357 Sig Shooters - 125 or 147?

L

ligonierbill

New member
Really happy with my P226, and I'm wondering what y'all are shooting. With the Sig shooting my 125 GDHP/AA#9 loads, I absolutely match both commercial and personal 125 .357 Mag loads shot out of a 4" GP-100, all north of 1,400. Shooting 147 XTP vs. 158s, it's close. The Sig is going 1,257 with 147 XTP vs. 1,239 for Blazer 158s and, depending on the powder, about 1,300 for my 158 XTP .357 Mag loads. My loads are all "in spec".

I'm inclined to load the remaining 147 XTP for fun at the range, and pack the 125 Speer for the field, but I'd be interested in your thoughts.
 
I have only shot 125 grain in my 357 SIG P229 and have Speer Gold Dots as my SD load, but I will watch this thread with interest since I have been curious about the Hornady 147 grain XTP.

My understanding had always been that 357 SIG pistol cartridges could match the ballistics of 357 Magnum (or nearly so) in the 125 grain loads, but fell at least a bit short when it came to the heavier projectiles.
 
I really like the 357 Sig. If not for the cost and PITA to reload, most of my guns would be in this caliber.

Go lighter is ok. There's a 90gr load out there that generates close to 700 ft lb on paper. Anything heavier than 125, you are not doing this caliber justice. Might as well carry a 40S&W.
 
I tried loading them a couple of times in 147, and didnt have very good results.

The 147's were really the only "9mm" bullets that work in them too. The profiles of most of the others didnt work.

I loaded a lot of 125's over 13 grains of AA #9, and with real good results. Good load, and no bullet set back.

I never found them to be hard to reload for, or a PITA. I used a .40 carbide sizer first, then just ran them up into a standard 357SIG die. One extra step.

You can turn .40 S&W cases into 357SIG cases very easy and without notice, so watch what youre picking up, its easy to miss them. While they do come out looking like a 357SIG, they are a tad short. They work, but its not recommended.

When I first got into 357SIG, they were going for the exact same price a case as the .40's ($250/1000). Reloading wasnt really worth it either, as factory was only about a buck a box more. That first ammo craziness changed all that. When I got out of it, I made out like a bandit on the unopened cases I had pretty much doubled my money when I sold them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top