.357 Sig vs .45

[Red Bull]

The .357 Sig actually surpasses ballistic performance of the .357 Magnum in the lighter bullets.

Especially out of a shorter barrel (from 4 inches or less), the .357 Sig puts out a 110 to 125gr bullet at faster velocities than the .357 Magnum in the same barrel, for most of the new .357 Sig loads.

For some reason that I don't know about nor care about, the .357 Sig does not launch the heavier bullets quite as fast as the .357 Magnum. On the other hand, no one has really tried to develope the heavier bullets in the .357 Sig loads, because no one needs them, so who knows what they could do if someone developed such a load to it's potential?.

The 125gr .357 Sig penetrates 16 inches in bare gelatin and even more in clothed gelatin.
The only reason to go to a heavier bullet would be for more penetration, and the lighter to medium weight .357 Sig rounds penetrate very effectively, and some would say they penetrate too much. So, why go to a heavier bullet in a personal defensive piece?

Out of a smaller gun, the .357 Sig pushes a 125 grain bullet much faster than the equivalent .357 Magnum, and I don't see any need whatsoever to go to a heavier bullet than the 125gr for personal defense, since it already penetrates 16 inches reliably.

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"On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero"
- Jack, Fight Club

 

[Jorge]

Red Bull,
The .357 Sig cannot surpass the heavier .357 Mag loads. The .357 Sig is basically a bottle necked .40 S&W, which in turn is a short 10mm casing. One of the "hot" 10mm loads is the Triton 155gr JHP. It travels in the neighborhood of 1400fps or a little bit over. There's no way the shorter round would be able to surpass it's bigger brother. Thus, the .357 mag 158 gr JHP@ 1475fps load can never be surpassed by the .357 Sig. Trying to do so would be very dangerous. True, some of the lighter grain .357 Sig loads can beat the lighter FACTORY .357 mag loads. Most of the .357 mag loads have been down loaded in the previous years due to smaller framed .357 mag revolvers on the market not being able to handle the true .357 mag load. Of course, if you reload the .357 Mag, it's an entirely different story. The .357 Sig factory loads are pretty much loaded to their max already. If you're talking pure power, it goes to the .357 Mag.

 

[BigG]

Two reasons I can think of that the SIG can't perform as well as the 357 S&W Magnum with 158+ grain bullets is because of the short neck and short overall length. The heavier bullets would be set pretty far back into the powder space. The result of setting back the bullet would be less grip on the bullet because of the short neck, and less powder space to get those stellar ballistics exhibited with the lighter bullets.

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45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel!