Glockfan.45
member
Not to knock anyone but I wonder what is the point of a .357sig? If my understanding is correct the .357sig is just a necked down 40S&W with a 9mm bullet. Wouldnt a 9mm+P be the same thing for the most part?
Whats the point of .357sig ?
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browningguy
Member
It's basically a .357 Mag. for semi autos, not a bad thing to have, even though I don't own one.
atblis
Member
There's
some speculation about feeding reliability it being a bottle necked cartridge and all. It is supposed to feed more reliably. I can understand how the argument can be made, but it seems like something that would be impossible to improve (or very difficult).
It's a neat cartridge. The only thing that keeps me from owning one is higher ammunition costs (though I do have 10mm). haven't figure out if the difficult to reload thing is true. Might look into that when I get bored with 10mm.
What's the point?
New cartridges = new guns = $$$$ for SIG et all.
SIG gets their name on a cartridge
You get 38 SA performance in a 9mm sized gun.
It's just a hot 9mm.
It isn't all hype regarding this caliber. It does perform.
some speculation about feeding reliability it being a bottle necked cartridge and all. It is supposed to feed more reliably. I can understand how the argument can be made, but it seems like something that would be impossible to improve (or very difficult).
It's a neat cartridge. The only thing that keeps me from owning one is higher ammunition costs (though I do have 10mm). haven't figure out if the difficult to reload thing is true. Might look into that when I get bored with 10mm.
What's the point?
New cartridges = new guns = $$$$ for SIG et all.
SIG gets their name on a cartridge
You get 38 SA performance in a 9mm sized gun.
It's just a hot 9mm.
It isn't all hype regarding this caliber. It does perform.
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Dollar An Hour
Member
Ammo cost isn't any worse than .45 ACP - if you order online 500 to 1000 at a time.
Another nice thing about .357 Sig is all the ammo is hot. If you buy, and practice with, bargain 9mm WWB, it's nothing like a defense loading 9mm +P which costs 3x as much per round. .357 Sig meanwhile is loaded the same whether you're using Lawman practice ammo or Gold Dots.
Premium defensive ammo in 9mm, .40 or .357 is all priced pretty closely.
Another nice thing about .357 Sig is all the ammo is hot. If you buy, and practice with, bargain 9mm WWB, it's nothing like a defense loading 9mm +P which costs 3x as much per round. .357 Sig meanwhile is loaded the same whether you're using Lawman practice ammo or Gold Dots.
Premium defensive ammo in 9mm, .40 or .357 is all priced pretty closely.
the naked prophet
Member
It was supposed to duplicate the 125 grain loading of the .357 magnum. Most people think it falls pretty short.
DoubleTap loads the hottest .357 SIG that I've seen:
.357 SIG - 125 grain Gold Dot, 1450 fps (4" barrel)
.357 Mag - 125 grain Gold Dot, 1600 fps (4" barrel)
And that doesn't really match. It comes close to some of the milder loads though.
If you increase bullet weight to 147 grains, the performance drops drastically, to only about 100 fps more than 9mm +P (I carry 9mm +P 147 grain Gold Dots @ 1135 fps, from DoubleTap).
I think the .357 SIG is pretty neat, but I like heavier bullet weights for deeper penetration, and it really doesn't work great for those.
DoubleTap loads the hottest .357 SIG that I've seen:
.357 SIG - 125 grain Gold Dot, 1450 fps (4" barrel)
.357 Mag - 125 grain Gold Dot, 1600 fps (4" barrel)
And that doesn't really match. It comes close to some of the milder loads though.
If you increase bullet weight to 147 grains, the performance drops drastically, to only about 100 fps more than 9mm +P (I carry 9mm +P 147 grain Gold Dots @ 1135 fps, from DoubleTap).
I think the .357 SIG is pretty neat, but I like heavier bullet weights for deeper penetration, and it really doesn't work great for those.
Redneck with a 40
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Since I can handload a 135 grain 40 S&W to 1480 fps with 12 grains of longshot, I see no use for the 357 sig.
Phil DeGraves
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Better sectional density and ballistic coefficient with the 125grn .357 than with a 135grn .40, if it makes any difference. Personally, the ballistic difference between the 9mm+P+ and the .357 SIG is pretty insignificant, however, due to the case capacity, the .357 is somewhat more versatile if that is important to you. It isn't to me.
mainmech48
Member
Back when the swing among LEAs from .38 Spl/.357 Mag revolvers to 9x19 semiautos was going full tilt, one of the larger issues from old hands was that they missed the tremendous effects they'd seen with their 125 gr. .357 JHPs on violent felons. The Indianapolis PD and several others had reported that, in most cases, a single torso hit resulted in a perp that dropped as if "struck by a bolt of lightning".
IMO, the .357 SIG is a sincere attempt to regain this type of terminal effect in an auto pistol round.
IMO, the .357 SIG is a sincere attempt to regain this type of terminal effect in an auto pistol round.
Jiml3
Member
I read that the New Mexico State Police and the Texas Rangers use this round with great success. The article was written by either Sherrif Wilson or Bart Skelton in one of the gun mags.
Skywarp
member
Here is why I carry it
3.5" barrel - 1415fps .
I have 8 of them in a Sig 239 with an extra mag in a slim lightweight gun that I can easily control and conceal under a tshirt. compared to a snubby 357 mag, i have a higher capacity,faster reload and it'll stop people. Itsa viscious round. Gelatin tests, my own wet pack tests, andwater bottle tests all show its nice round.
Aside from that, the 357SIG is a high powered easy to shoot cartridge that is deadly accurate out of my 239, 229 and 226.
3.5" barrel - 1415fps .
I have 8 of them in a Sig 239 with an extra mag in a slim lightweight gun that I can easily control and conceal under a tshirt. compared to a snubby 357 mag, i have a higher capacity,faster reload and it'll stop people. Itsa viscious round. Gelatin tests, my own wet pack tests, andwater bottle tests all show its nice round.
Aside from that, the 357SIG is a high powered easy to shoot cartridge that is deadly accurate out of my 239, 229 and 226.
rcellis
Member
I'll second Skywarps comments - my 229 in 357 SIG is my best target pistol. Not sure why the 257 SIG cartridge is so accurate, but for me it is.
Now. Having said that, my habitual carry guns are a Sig 239 in .40 and a Para-ordinance in .45. Then again, I happen to be carrying my 229 at this moment. Its a great gun.
Now. Having said that, my habitual carry guns are a Sig 239 in .40 and a Para-ordinance in .45. Then again, I happen to be carrying my 229 at this moment. Its a great gun.
cloudcroft
Member
Glockfan.45,
I never saw any reason for it.
Still don't.
-- John D.
I never saw any reason for it.
Still don't.
-- John D.
AK103K
member
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- 7,610
Just wanted to comment a couple of things...
The +P+ and the 357SIG are pretty close. The 9mm at the top of its range, the SIG at the bottom. I emailed Speer on this and this is their response...
"The 9mm is a 35,000 psi, +P is 38,500 psi and +P+ is 40,000 psi. The 357 SIG is a 40,000 psi. Bullets of the same weight will approximate the same velocities in SIG and +P+. The difference is gun construction, all 9mm's will not handle +P+. All of the 357 SIG's are made to handle the pressures for the caliber."
Reloading the round is not difficult at all. If you dont want to lube the case, there is one extra step due to the bottleneck. If you size first using a .40S&W carbide sizer, you can then just run the case up into the 357SIG dies with no troubles. If you use a case filling powder, like AA #7 or #9, the bullet wont set back. I have my dies set for a firm crimp, and have yet to have a problem either way.
and
The +P+ and the 357SIG are pretty close. The 9mm at the top of its range, the SIG at the bottom. I emailed Speer on this and this is their response...
"The 9mm is a 35,000 psi, +P is 38,500 psi and +P+ is 40,000 psi. The 357 SIG is a 40,000 psi. Bullets of the same weight will approximate the same velocities in SIG and +P+. The difference is gun construction, all 9mm's will not handle +P+. All of the 357 SIG's are made to handle the pressures for the caliber."
I've been buying it for awhile now, and I also buy factory 9mm, both in bulk and both made by major, new ammo makers. I only see the SIG costing me a couple of dollars a box more than the 9mm. Personally, I dont think its that big a deal. The difference is, I get to practice with ammo that is at the same power level as my carry ammo. The only difference here is, the type of bullet. I prefer to practice with ammo that acts like my carry ammo, for obvious reasons. I can do this cheaper with 357SIG than I can with 9mm, and my gun is built to take it.
Reloading the round is not difficult at all. If you dont want to lube the case, there is one extra step due to the bottleneck. If you size first using a .40S&W carbide sizer, you can then just run the case up into the 357SIG dies with no troubles. If you use a case filling powder, like AA #7 or #9, the bullet wont set back. I have my dies set for a firm crimp, and have yet to have a problem either way.
See above
I used to be a diehard .45ACP fan too. Carried one daily for about 30 years, and have been regularly shooting them for over 40. A little over a year ago, I bought my first 357SIG, a used SIG P239 in real good shape, mostly on a whim, just for something different. It was different alright. Once you pick one up, I double dog dare ya to put it down.
Peter M. Eick
Member
What's the point?
Out of my 229 Sport it is exceptionally accurate!
What more do you need?
Out of my 229 Sport it is exceptionally accurate!
What more do you need?
klover
Member
I like it because some store clerks don't see any reason for it, and
are willing to sell you a really nice Sig 229 in .357 for less money than a .40.
Try it, you'll like it.
don't see any reason for it, andare willing to sell you a really nice Sig 229 in .357 for less money than a .40.
Try it, you'll like it.
boomstik45
Member
It's as close to the .357 magnum as you can get in an autoloader. The 10mm is stronger, especially in it's more powerful loadings. Some people never saw the point in a .41 magnum. Some will never see the point in any caliber. Variety is the spice of life. And this thing shoots like a laser beam, very flat trajectory due to it's velocity. That's why it's so accurate. What's the harm in that? Just remember, for every person that doesn't like it, there's another opportunity for someone who does or might.
If I already had a .357, I might consider it. Otherwise, I'm not trying to complicate my munitions any more than they are. However if I were already stocking .357, then I might be in the market. But what I have seems to cover most bases (.22,.45,.44,.223,7.62x39,&.308). A fifty and a 6.8 might work too!
cloudcroft
Member
AK103K,
I'm not really a "diehard" fan of the .45, I just prefer big slow-moving bullets (non-magnums)....good, old-fashioned big-hole making.
But too bad the Coonans are not being made anymore.
[EDIT: Oops...I thought Coonan was out-of-business]
BTW, I decided that my 1911 was too big and heavy (uncomfortable) to carry concealed so it will be a open-carry gun only.
For concealed carry, I go with small-caliber autos.
-- John D.
I'm not really a "diehard" fan of the .45, I just prefer big slow-moving bullets (non-magnums)....good, old-fashioned big-hole making.
But too bad the Coonans are not being made anymore.
[EDIT: Oops...I thought Coonan was out-of-business]
BTW, I decided that my 1911 was too big and heavy (uncomfortable) to carry concealed so it will be a open-carry gun only.
For concealed carry, I go with small-caliber autos.
-- John D.
Chuck Perry
Member
+1 on the Coonans. I would love to have a scandium framed Coonan Cadet!
Yeah I agree with this. In a 4 1/2" or 5" barrel, I'd just assume have a 9mm +p+. In sub 4" barrels, the extra velocity helps out in constant size/weight bullets. For instance, in my G34, some of the boutique stuff in 9mm is approaching 1400fps. Not so much in a 3.5" barrel (polygonal or no). I would be on the fence with for instance a G19 vs G32. Probably that long or longer I'd take 9mm. Shorter, give me the extra punch to make up for velocity. I'd have ~equal performance in .357sig from even the baby glock in .357sig (?#) as I would 9mm +p+ from the 34.
I think I'd take a .357sig over .40sw, in my platform preference anyways, just because of the feeding advantage of the cartridge design. NOT that I feel either of the above is a gimmick round by any means, by having neither a significant penetration/expansion advantage over 9mm but neither in the neighborhood of 10mm or .45acp even- don't believe they are just another cartridge to sell; but I'd take .45acp I think. Next one of those DT .357sig @ almost 1400 fps from a 4" (?) barrel maybe. Either that or a 9mm +p+ that from everything I've seen gets the same amount of penetration and expansion (except in windsheilds and steel). Hmm, maybe a good truck gun.
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