Statistically speaking, what is the best handgun?

.357 Magnum = .357 SIG ?

Georgia Arms loads a Gold Dot 158gr .357 Magnum bullet to a velocity of 1475 fps. Even if it suffers a velocity loss of 100 fps, that is significantly more "power" than a 125gr bullet going 1400 fps. If by power you mean Kinetic Energy. To have merely the SAME Kinetic Energy as the .357 SIG, it would have to be going 1245 fps.

Federal Loads 158gr HydraShock .357Magnums at a velocity of 1240 FPS

ProLoad has a 158gr Gold Dot at 1260 FPS

In short, the .357 Magnums do have power levels FAR surpassing the .357 SIG in not only Soft Pointed bullets, but in Hollowpoints as well.

-Morgan
 
Federal Loads 158gr HydraShock .357Magnums at a velocity of 1240 FPS

Realy have you chronoed them because in my 357 revolver they were only going 1150 from a 4 inch ruger. Thats only a little faster than federals 150 grain 357 sig jhp. As for the 1475 jhp I will believe it when I see it. Maybe from a 6 inch test barrel but not from a real revolver. Also the 357 sig does between 1430 and 1480 in the glock 31 not just 1400 fps.
PAT
 
"The velocities shown are measured at 15 feet from the muzzle of a standard pistol or revolver."-http://www.georgia-arms.com/power.htm

Georgia Arms is like ProLoad, except they load everything hotter. This is the only handgun round listed on their sight for both defense, and shooting deer. And according to the data on the deer bullets, it is "From a 6" BBL" Which is why I included the fact that it still has as much as the 125gr .357 SIG doing 1400fps at 1245fps. In order to have the same KE as a 1480 fps .357 SIG it would have to slow down to 1316 FPS, instead of 1245.

As was discussed in another thread, most companies load their .357 Magnum rounds SLOW, just like the 10mm. Reason being that there are some .357 Magnum Handguns that are poorly designed for such high power loads. A 1400 FPS 125gr out of a .357 Magnum is a LIGHT load. If we consider that the .357 Magnum was designed for a 1500fps 158gr bullet. A 125gr should be going at LEAST 1800 fps, perhaps 2000 fps.

The difference then is that there are no bad loads (except for exotics) in the .357 Magnum. Thus the .357 SIG is to the .357 Magnum, what the .40 S&W is to the 10mm. It emulates a particular light-weight loading in a cartridge judged "too powerful".

I'll also point out that the .357 Magnum earned its reputation as a "Man-Stopper" at the lower velocities achieved from shorter barrels. Lower velocity in a Hollowpoint usually results in deeper penetration.

For the record I have NOTHING against the .357 SIG I think it is an excellent round, and would, and do, consider buying a gun for it eventually. However, I do not think it should be considered the equivalent of the .357 Magnum, nor should it be considered a 9mm version of the .40 S&W, because the .357 SIG tolerates higher pressures than the .40 S&W.

The short version is that neither a .357 SIG nor a .40 S&W are hunting rounds, wheras the .357 Magnum and 10mm are.

-Morgan
 
I can hunt anything with my 6 inch Glock 24 with a kkm 357 sig barrel with 125 grian loads at 1600 that you can expect a 357 mag revolver to drop. If its more than my sig can handle you need a 44 or more not a 357 mag.
PAT
 
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