How many guys/gals here are 357sig converts & why?

I'm not sure I'm a convert, but I sure enjoy shooting my .357 SIG, SIG P239. I got it to match my 239 9mm. Have Hogue grips and night sights on both. At this point I'm still looking at the .357 SIG as my "fun gun." It's a blast to shoot, it's a 100% reliable and very accurate. For defensive applications I'm still a little concerned about shot to shot recovery time compared to the 9mm, capacity (I use the 10 round 9mm mags with great success) and permanant deafness if I had to fire it indoors, or worse in my car, without ears (yeah I know better deaf than dead, but better still not deaf and not dead!). On the other hand, I'm sure the .357 can be (with proper placement) a devestating round, and the fire from the muzzle flash is likely to do the job if the bullet doesn't. All in all its a heck of a fun round to shoot off the 239 platform. At the range I use Precision Cartridge reloads http://www.pla-net.net/~precart/index.html at 1000/$110 + shipping (if you recycle your brass to them). Regards, Dennis



[This message has been edited by DennisE (edited May 31, 2000).]
 
I would not say I am a convert either, but I thin the 357 sig is a great cartraige and here to stay. If nothing else it is a blast to shoot. It has less recoil then my 40's, it has the blast of my 10mm and the accuracy of my 45ACP. By the way I use a p229 sport as the platform to send the sigs on the way. In and of itself it (the 229sport) is probably part of the reason I love the round. Great gun, accurate and easy to shoot.


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P229 Sport and 357 SIG, Perfection!
 
I never thought I'd find something to make me turn from the .45 ACP, but the .357 SIG has just about done it. Very reliable, accurate, and when you shoot one out the business end of your weapon, you know there's power heading downrange.

My platform is the SIG 229 with crimon trace lasergrips. Accuracy is really evident when swapping out the .357 with the .40 barrel. The .40 is nowhere near as accurate - even with the laser.
 
robins, just curious: I have a 229 in .40, but as a new shooter am still learning. What do you think there is about the .357 that makes it more accurate?

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"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is power. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master." George Washington
 
I'm sold on the .357 Sig: the feeding is universally wonderful (love those bottlenecks - shoving a 9 mm pole in a 10 mm hole), the accuracy is superlative, muzzle blast is acceptible, concussion is manageable, recoil is negligible (I don't have the recovery time problems some people note) and power is just right for bad guys and mountain lions. I like having this level of power available in a small autopistol, like my Glock 33 (and I wanted the Glock instead of the Sig 239 only because of the polygonal rifling and capacity advantages). Since getting the Glock I've gotten rid of a 9 mm, a .357 mag., and a .45 acp - I just don't need them anymore. I'll hang onto the .41 mag., tho!
 
I also am reluctant to say I'm a convert, but I definitely have added a .357 SIG to the stable. My choice is a Glock 31, and I've been very happy with it. I suspect I'll acquire another gun in this caliber as well -- probably a 1911.
 
Another good way to skin the cat, not necessarily a better or best way?

Shooting similar loads from similar pistols you get about a 10% energy edge in the 357, a 10% expansion edge in the 40, tactical pen the same. Does seem to be an accuracy edge, IMO the reliability edge is hyped; both are excellent in good guns. The 357 is louder by far.

From a SIG, 125 Gold Dot v 155 Gold Dot, energy 530 v 475, 17.5/.52 v 17/.58 in gel after cloth. 125 Ranger T v 155 Silvertip, 500 v 460, 12/.62 v 13/.71 (According to TXS DPS/FBI figures).

No bad move? Flip a coin?

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>>>>---->
 
Loved it from the start, probably one of my favorite calibers- still a bit $$, but I deal with it.

[This message has been edited by JG (edited June 01, 2000).]
 
Two words Power and accuracy. I have a sig 239, 229 sport, glock 31 and a 24 upper with a 357 sig barrel.
PAT

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I intend to go into harms way.
 
FWIW...

I'm a through and through convert. The only .40 I still own is a Glock G22. I have a G31, a G31C, a G32 and a G33 in .357SIG and love every one of them like chidren. :D

Reasons?

#1) Feed reliability insurance due to bottle neck.

#2) Accuracy compared to the .40's I had.

#3) Initial ballistic performance test results.

#4) Possible psychological advantage in self defense scenario. Louder bang might make dirt bag think the gun is "bigger". Might perceive any hits as more serious due to the noise and flash.

I plan to lose the G22 soon and maybe get a G32C in it's place. You know, have one of every Glock .357SIG variation. :) I wish they would hurry up and come out with the Practical/Tactical (G34/G35) version of the .357SIG. I *WILL* get one when they hit the market.



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The Glock freak formerly known as Chris...
 
tl

In terms of why the .357 SIG is more accurate than the .40 - I thought maybe it was just me, until nearly everyone experienced the same thing. The .357 SIG uses a slower rifling twist than the 9mm (1:16 vs. 1:10), but faster twist the the traditional .357 (1:18). You just have longer range capability and less bullet drop. It shoots flat as a straight edge!
 
I like my Glock 33. I'm still working on control. Follow-up shots are not nearly as fast and accurate as I would like. The small package, Scherer +1 magazine extension and the internal laser make the Glock 33 a lot of gun in a small package.
 
The .357 is a great cartridge, it's powerfull and extremely accurate. The first time I shot a .357 I was really new to shooting but with a Sig 229, I was hitting 2in groups at 25 ft...bloody fantastic for me.

Only problem, the cost! cuz you want to shoot it so much!

~bamf
 
Why is the 357sig accurate? IMO the faster you push the 9mm bullet the more accurate it becomes and that is what is happening with the 357sig.
 
Totally newbie, but my son and I like it for the combination of the sense of power when shooting it, and the snappy recoil. Both of us find the recoil easier to handle than .40 or the .45. The only problem we have is that we are shooting a rental, which means buying the range's ammunition, which ain't cheap.

The recoil and muzzle flash were pretty much non-issues for us, which surprised me after some of the dire warnings.

If I actally buy a SIG P239, I think that I will learn to reload.

munir

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ahlan wa sahlan
PCV Yemen 1984-86
 
munir,what load/loads did you & your son run through the p239?
Just curious,as most people seem to qualify the 357 sig's recoil as snappier than the 40 & 45,and noise/blast as quite a bit louder.
Also, did you guys rent 40/45's to shoot alongside the 239 for comparison?

long shot!
 
Well I got one because I loved thought of having the power of a .357 mag in an auto frame. Out of the 5 inch barrel of my Sig 226 the bullet will equal or excced that of a .357Mag. I get 10 rounds per mag (13 in pre bans) intead of 5 or 6 in a Revolver and Very quick reloads.
And lets not forget that the .357 mag, and therefore the 357 sig, Equals the stopping power of a .45 ACP
 
Long shot, I'm embarassed to say I don't know what we shot in the P239. I'm pretty sure that it was 125 gr, but I don't remember the brand, or any othe info. The range has been out of .357 SIG "range" ammo the last two times we've been. We fired a SIG P220 .45 three weeks ago, and a SIG P226 .40 tonight. I need to fire the P239 again, but I swear the recoil was faster, but more easily handled (by me) than the .40. But comparions two weeks apart may not be particularly valid. Guess I'll just have to shoot more!

I was clearly surprised at the .357 SIG ammo's not being a problem due to recoil or muzzle blast.

I hope they have some .357 SIG ammo the next time we go. If not, I think we'll shoot a Kimber in .45 to see what that's like.

munir

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ahlan wa sahlan
PCV Yemen 1984-86
 
It is really annoying how many people refused to believe how accurate the .357 Sig is.
But, the more people that shoot it, the more believe.
It is by far the most accurate cartridge I have ever shot.
I own all the Glocks, and the .357 Glocks are even more accurate than the legendary Glock 30! There is a difference in the caliber even though people refuse to believe, and the .357 auto is more accurate!

My .357 Glocks shoot circles around my .40 Glocks, even after changing barrels and testing. I can stack .357 rounds into one inch at 15 yards offhand, and my .40 Glocks can never keep up with that (about 2 inches). It is just more accurate. And, at longer ranges, that one inch difference in group size turns into several inches real fast.

The .357 is also flat shooting. I shoot mine to 100 and 200 yards all the time, and believe it or not, there is no hold over at 100 yards. When all my other guns are hitting two feet below the target at long ranges (even my 10mm), the .357 Sig is right on within an inch or so.

You might notice from the fact that accuracy and flat shooting matter to me: I hunt a lot with my Glock 31.

[This message has been edited by DerGlockenpooper (edited June 03, 2000).]
 
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