.357 sig vs every other handgun ammo

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Prophet

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Is it the best? One of my friends just bought a XD-357 and was saying that the 357sig was the best handgun round out right now. Why would he say that. I myself have a XD-40 and love it. Thanks for your time.
 
It is simply another choice

i had several pistols in .357S but I consolidated calibers and it lost out

I would personally pick it over .40 but there is nothing magical about it

I would prefer 9mm or .45
 
Anytime someone says something is the best, a red flag should go up... The first question out of your mouth should be "Best for what?"

Same thing for forum threads claiming something is the best or asking what is the best. Usually no such animal in the zoo.
 
Well he said his uncle is a TX DPS officer and his uncle said that it would go through car doors and other obsticles that the 40S&W and 45ACP woudn't.:eek:
 
Well he said his uncle is a TX DPS officer and his uncle said that it would go through car doors and other obsticles that the 40S&W and 45ACP woudn't.
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Probably true but does that make it "the best handgun round out right now?"
 
If you're looking to define

"the best" then uses come into play. If you don't want to limit the things you can use your handguns for, then there's really only two choices:

the .357 magnum and the .44 magnum. Even if you ignore the Specials, both cartridges can be downloaded to accomplish any small-caliber task, and both can be uploaded to "I'm hungry" levels. Obviously, the .44 wins out at the top end, but the .357's no slouch when it comes to making meat, and a lot of folks shoot it better.

the .357 SIG was designed to replicate precisely one .357 magnum load, in an autoloader. If that one load does what you want, then it's a good choice, but that one load was chosen for effectiveness against human assailants. Handguns are useful for more than just that. The .357 SIG isn't.

So it depends on what you want your handguns to do. If all you're concerned about is self defense against human attackers, you've got at least 10 essentially equivalent choices. At least, the real-world differences are so small that decades of controversy and debate haven't produced a clear winner. Logic says that's because there isn't one. If you want to expand your horizons beyond that limited domain, your choices go down significantly.

If full-spectrum utility is a consideration, you're limited to revolvers. The fact that autoloaders use the ammunition to cycle the action confines such guns to a limited power window. This restricts utility. Likewise, on the high end, revolver cartridges can be loaded to levels that would be impossible or stupidly dangerous in an auto. At the extremes, sixguns rule. But those hand-cannons sacrifice the low-end uses that make the .357 and .44 so versatile.

Is the .357 SIG a good handgun round? I'm sure it is, although I've no interest in owning one. Is it the best? No, it isn't.

--Shannon
 
Its a good round, no better than some of the others though. I will not buy another gun in .357s because the ammo is just too freaking expensive for someone who likes to shoot fairly often.
 
While I like the Sig round, and I have a Glock 32 in .357 Sig, it all depends on what you consider the criteria for 'best'. I've got 9mms, .45s, .357 magnums, and others. All have good qualites in some areas that overlap and complement each other.

I would not say the .357 Sig is the 'best', just say 'it's good as any, and better than most.'
 
The Secret Service uses it to protect the President,Air Marshalls use it to defend against hi jackers

I dont think there is any 1 best,but the 357 sig is pretty dam good
 
Its a good round, no better than some of the others though. I will not buy another gun in .357s because the ammo is just too freaking expensive for someone who likes to shoot fairly often.
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That's why I reload. It also explains why I even have a 10mm AND a .357 Sig.:D
 
In theory, .357 sig is the greatest caliber imo. It can penetrate deep just like the large calibers, but small enough to pack a ton of rounds into a mag, the only real disadvantage to the round (and not to guns chambered in .357 sig which break too soon, or the price of the round, but thats more of an economic issue) is that it's really small. But then again like we hear from all the 9mm guys, "its shot placement that counts", so if you can't send a .357 sig round through the sternum into the spine, it's basically "user error". The recoil is just right too, really snappy and loud, but allows for much easier follow ups. The only other disadvantage I can think of is over-penetration, but that's only for street and home encounters, not for one on one battle.

Of course that's just the round on paper, in the real world:

Very very expensive
harsh recoil
induces a ton of wear to guns
penetrates wayy too much for any practical self defense purpose
tiny round

That said, if I was a BG, and didn't care about innocents that may or may not be standing behind my target, I would use a gun in .357 sig.
 
ballistics.jpg
 
Now imagine that same .357 Sig 125 at 1400.... And what the track would look like. Not hard, Cor-Bon and DT both hit that mark.
 
At the end of the day, it is just another medium powered handgun round - not a super magnum, no a little rimfire - it is a compromise of portability and power.
If you were wondering, portability won, because the first rule of being in a gunfight is to have a gun. Police just can't carry shotguns and rifles (which have much more power available) with them everywhere.
 
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