Pros/Cons of 9X23,10mm, .357 Sig, .38 Super?

D

David Blinder

New member
Could some of your knowledgeable people tell me the advantages/disadvantages of the 9X23, .357 Sig, 10mm and even the .38 Super. I haven't gotten a new custom gun in at least a month and need to get one started. I know that Dane Burns is a fan of the 9X23, Brian Bilby likes the 10mm and I assume Tim Bacus likes the .38 Super given his ID but they all seem roughly equal in capability (1300-1500 fps, 500-600 ft lbs). The .357 Sig seems like it's gaining the most credibilty among LEO's so cost & availability of components will likely be better. Will someone convince me regarding which is better for a carry weapon in terms of reliability & effectiveness?
 
You'll never get a straight answer from us :)

Your question is too big and their are fans that could make a good case for literally any caliber.

Now, for the 357 SIG, you can read what I have to say about its merits at my site below.

cheers and good luck,
pete

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http://home.earthlink.net/~petej55
 
They are all good calibers with comparable effects on the target. The .357Sig has the advantage of being the "in-thing" for now and of being able to fit in 9mm size weapons (the others require .45 size weapons) which are generally smaller for a given mag capacity. Ammunition on all will be a bit pricey (compared to 9 mm or .45) with 9x23mm being the most difficult to find (9x23mm weapons are also the most diff. to find).

If I were getting a custom weapon, I'd get a 10mm from Bilby. 10mm 1911 . . . perfection. :)
 
I do not know which is better, but I will give you these comments because I shoot nearly all of them.

357 sig: I have a 229 sport in 357 sig. Work of art by SIG, exceptionally accurate, very little recoil and reasonably loud. I would not carry it though, to loud without muffs.

38 super: I have Baer 1911 in 38 super, and it is more accurate then I am. Easy to shoot, but watch those hot reloads. Tends to be hard on brass, but for carry I would use factory anyway. Would not carry it, to expensive of a gun.

9x23 no experience.

10mm: In my witness, heavy, accurate and tons of power. Easy to control out of a big gun. Some extended (12 rnd) mags out there, but not enought to be impressive (I do not own any). Very reliable and easy to shoot quick. I carry it, iut is cheap, and I do not worry about scratching it and it is very formitable. In my glock 20, light, accurate and more power then any autoloader I know of. As Mr. Glock says 16 rnds of 10mm power is about the most powerful autoloader you can get. More of a challenge to control, but easy to shoot. I would probably not carry it. 15 rnd mags are so expensive, and I do not like the squishy feel of the gun during firing.

Actually what I carry the most is a PPK/S for "formal" occasions and now a H&K P7PSP for less "formal" occasions. The PSP is 9 rnds of very accurate power.

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P229 Sport and 357 SIG, H&K P7PSP and 9MM, Dual Perfection!!
 
All good high power semi-automatic pistol cartridges. I myself like the .38 Super. Its flat shooting, accurate, I like it.
 
The 10mm won't do anything that a .45 Super or 460 Rowland won't do CONSIDERABLY better. The .38 Super has no factory load that is hotter than a +P+ 9mm, and the 38 Super, 10mm, and 9 x23 require 45 ACP length actions. The 357 Sig works in a 9mm Luger length action, so it can be used in a gun that is pocketable. There is no reason to lug around a belt gun that has LESS power than the 600 ft lbs that a high v prefrag has in a 357 Sig pocket pistol.
 
The 10 mm has one major advantage over .45 Super and .460 Rowland: availability of ammo. Yup, I said it. This is the rare circumstance where 10mm ammo (both carry and practice ammo) is more plentiful than other calibers. .45 Super and .460 Rowland are still rather rare critters.
 
The 10mm is generally better for hunting than the 45 Super due to better sectional density of 200gn 10mm bullets compared to 230gn 45cal. I would say that the 45 Super is the better defensive round, but that's anybodies guess. The 10mm has the advantage of being a factory round(real factory, not tiny little semi-custon shop) The 460 Rowland looks interesting, but I'm wondering how controllable that it in the 1911 frame. The 38 Super is basically 9mm+P+, without the pressures. When normalized for barrel length they work about the same (115gn at 1425fps or so, 5inch barrel) The 9x23 is a good one. Mine is averaging 1480fps with the 125gn Silvertip, and 1495 with the white box 124JSP from a Colt 1911. I haven't seen any 357 Sig load equal that in the real world(the Gold Dot load seems to be the contender at about 1430-ish). The 357 Sig has a lot more variety out there as well as being a "up and coming" police caliber. The 9x23 is far easier to reload. I have heard all sorts of problems with reloading 357Sig. I don't currently own one, so I can't say for sure. My vote would be 10mm or 9x23 first, than 357 Sig, than 38Super. 10m or 9x23 would depend on what you plan to do with it. Self defense=9x23. Hunting =10mm. Semper Fi....Ken
 
Peter M. Eick

The glock 20 is the best 10mm on the market and its easier to control than steel 1911 10mm's. Its low bore axis and polimer construciton that is shock absorbing make this possible.
The 357 sig is the best of the bunch for personal protection as it comes in smaller ligher packadges that are easier to carry. It is more powerfull than the 38 super only a little behind the 10mm and dead even with the 9x23 if equal barrel lengths are compared. (1450 for 125 grain 357 sig out of a 4.5 inch glock vs 1450 for a 9x23 out of a 5 inch colt.)
PAT

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I intend to go into harms way.
 
IME, the Glock 10mm will not handle heavy loads without considerable modification, and after all that, it's still plastic.
The 1911 / 10mm marriage seems good (STI), but a 10mm Witness is the path I'll be taking...love my Witnesses.

The 38 Super makes the most sense if you're considering the .355"-bores; factory-available ammo, extremely hot custom loads, and plenty of proven bullet designs (thank you, 9mm+P+).

The bigger bores are basically handload-only propositions at this time, and I don't like a carry gun that needs a compensator.

The 357SIG is good. Probably your best choice for carry.
I feel fine with the 9, and I still like my 45ACP 1911 (Caspian, of course).

What do you carry now? (see, I asked the most important question)

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
My glock 20 handles full power 10mm loads fine. A lot more delta's were beat to death than glocks. Personally I would not own a witness 10mm as every other witness except one 9mm I tried had been a jam amatic.
PAT

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I intend to go into harms way.
 
I had other experience with my (now sold) M20.

Heavy-bullet extreme-power ammo would not cycle the gun properly; this occurred in some customer guns, too. Recoil springs, custom barrels, etc. etc., didn't seem to fix...

Okay in a 610, though.

Also, I own two Witness small-frames, and one large. I shoot 9x19, 9x21, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 41AE, and 45ACP with these, and the only problematic (sic) is the 45. When replaced with the 38 Super top the gun is 100%.
I have a 9x19 Witness that has never bobbled; it has over 15,000 rounds through it, is carried, used in competition, rarely cleaned, and is accurate in the extreme (1" @25yds).
Perhaps you held the gun wrong?


LOL

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Webshoot how hot or ammo are you talking. I personally use publishied data with power pistol and AA9. I know of one guy on the glock page who has what he calls nuclear 10mm reloads in his glock 20.
PAT

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I intend to go into harms way.
 
Hot enough to cause function failures.

You know, hot.

Did I mention "screw SAAMI?"

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
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