.357Sig Ammo Suggestions

C

Chris Pinkleton

New member
I have only one handgun at the moment, a Glock 33 that I got as a concealed carry gun when I owned a restaurant(lots of very liberal customers--couldn't have them see me carry a firearm, and I had a bad incident with one of our local Crips!!) after my first piece was stolen. (Unfortunately, I didn't have the cash to replace my previous gun, a sweet little stainless Kimber Ultra Carry .45 that I got a great deal on from a friend:() Now that I'm free from that crazy business, the 33 is more of a home defence gun, at least until my CC permit comes through. I load it with 125 grain Gold Dots, which is the only self-defence load I have been able to find in this area(Central NC). I would like to find a round with less penetration(I live in a house with my girlfriend and her 3 kids and it has very thin walls). I have looked at various on-line sellers, and I am considering the MagSafe SWAT load--it seems the only round designed not to breach interior walls. While I feel that this load may give up some stopping power, I plan only to only use it for my first 2-4 shots, the rest of the magazine being Gold Dots. My main concern is the MagSafes reliability in my pistol. I can't afford to put 100 rounds of it through the 33 as a test like I did with the Gold Dots. Any lower-cost, low penetrating .357Sig loads out there? Any one have any personal experience with MagSafe reliability in their own autos? For those of you think the whole low penetration idea is foolish(I know the .357 is not the best choice for this concept anyway, but I can't afford another gun at this time)do you have any info on the loads in this caliber with the least flash, so as to make my follow up shots as accurate as possible? Thanks, Chris
 
Hi Chris, you might want to try Cor-Bon's 115 grain load for the .357 Sig. It's supposed to expand explosively, rather than drive deep like the 125 grain and 150 grain .357 Sig loads. My P226 also seems to shoot the 115 grain Cor-Bons better.
 
Thanks for the Cor-Bon suggestion -- it probably would have a lesser chance of exiting a BG than the Gold Dot -- but how does it compare to the 125 gr. loads in flash? I would assume that the recoil is less, but I have little trouble controlling the Gold Dot load on the range with hearing protection and bright lighting -- in a darker house, without hearing protection, I'm not so sure of my ability to follow up with a quick second shot.

However, I'm really not as concerned about a shot going through an attacker as missing my target completely, and having a bullet pierce an interior wall and hit one of the kids! I think the 115 CorBons would be just as likely to do this as the 125s. Maybe I'm mistaken -- but the gun rag concensus on this topic seems to be that any decently high powered handgun load will tear right though most drywall, and in fact, even HP's will behave just like FMJs as their hollow will be plugged up. This is what I'm trying to avoid -- of course the real answer is good shooting, but I'd love to have a little "insurance." Would the Triton Quick-Shok or CQB Frangible be any more likely to fragment inside drywall? Their price makes reliability testing somewhat more feasable.
 
Chris

I have the same concerns about a missed shot going through a wall and hurting someone. I live in an appartment so I have folks in most directions. For that reason I use a Sig 230 in 380 for my at home pistol. There is little recoil, second shots are a breeze, almost no flash, manageable bang and rock solid reliability. I know there will be many who will jump in with lots of stopping power and one shot stop BS, but in the final analysis, accuracy is everything. A small, accurate, manageable handgun that is easy to operate and with a load that will not over penetrate may be the best way to go.
 
One the other hand, if you used a shotgun for home defense, shot penetrating the wall would scatter a lot, and thus if it did hit the kids, probably wouldn't hit them with very much of the shot. Still not ideal. If you can, figure out the main routes which an attacker would use, and then put dressers and whatnot on that side of the kid's rooms so if it does come to shooting, you have some mass in the areas you need it to shield the kids.
 
Dangus

I have old magazine articles showing shot penetrating 4 sheets of drywall, with the wad itself sticking in the second wall.

Shotgun loads WILL penetrate walls; the load stays fairly cohesive; heavy furniture or armored walls (both are used in my home) are your safest alternative.
My ammo is not changed for HD.
 
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