For those who have experience with 357 Sig......

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d'zaster

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I acquired a large supply of .357 sig ammo acquired at an estate sale. I know it's not a very popular cartridge but i decided to check it out.

Picked up a Lonewolf .357 conversion bbl for my G20. Runs great and I've been shooting factory and reloads. Completely reliable so far, easy to reload, accurate if I do may part, I have ho complaints.

Im am curious about what you guys think of your 357 Sig?
What model do you have (or if you have more than one, which is your favorite and why?)? What's to like (or not like) about this caliber based on your experience?
If you reload 357 sig, what is/are your favorite load(s) that cycle reliable and are accurate? Are there special considerations for reloading this bottle neck case?
Do you have a favorite factory load?

Thanks fellas.
 
I have a Sig P226 and a P229 Legion in 357sig.

I love the round. It is accurate (if I do my part), and it is in the platform that is most comfortable to me.

I had the P226 for several years, and it was my everyday carry. I bought the P229 to have a carry pistol that
was a little smaller/lighter for EDC.
 
I had a G31C upper for my Glock 22 a few years ago. It was easy to shoot it fast without much recoil...I kinda wish I hadn't sold it now (although .357 SIG ammo is rare around here). Here's a super-short video I took with both the .357 and .40 top ends. I was shooting about as fast as I could get the sights back on target.

 
I have a Lone Wolf barrel for my G22. 125 SNS coated bullets with 10 grains Blue Dot or 13 grains AA 9 are the two loads I have used.
Bullet setback can be an issue because of the small amount of brass gripping the bullet. Case filling powders (Blue Dot & AA9) are one way to prevent setback. Rather than bell the case mouths I chamfer them, takes time but you only do it once. I also size in two steps, first with a 40 S&W die then the 357 die.
 
"I had the P226 for several years, and it was my everyday carry. I bought the P229 to have a carry pistol that was a little smaller/lighter for EDC."

Is the size difference very noticeable? I only have the P229, and it seems pretty much full-sized to me.
 
I'm strongly considering getting into the .357 Sig. I have always been a 9mm fan, but recently picked up one of the many police surplus .40 S&Ws (a Sig p239) and have been thinking about getting a .357 Sig barrel just so that I can try out the caliber.

The only downside I can see is the cost of ammo (and the fact that the p239 seems to be the only gun in existance that uses different mags for .40 and .357 Sig, both of which are practically unobtainable at the moment).

Is the size difference very noticeable? I only have the P229, and it seems pretty much full-sized to me.

It's not a huge difference, but it is noticeable. It's pretty much the same thing as going from a Glock 19 to a 17. I think the 229 is about the perfect size so unless you just want a 226 for the sake of having something different, I don't think you're missing much. I actually shoot my 228 better than my 226, but in my opinion the 226 makes a better suppressor host. Maybe if you're looking at .357 Sig, the extra barrel length might let you squeeze out a bit more velocity.
 
There are several threads in the reloading section that deal with reloading the 357 SIG ... lot of good reading for a new SIG reloader ... those would be worth reading as they pretty much cover it ....

Glock 31 is what I have ...
 
Its not a "bad" round, but I prefer the price and availability of 9mm, 45 ACP, and even 40 S&W.
 
I have two SIG P229s chambered in .40 S&W and a 357 SIG barrel that works with either. Speer Lawman 125 grain is the FMJ 357 SIG ammo that I most frequently find online at a decent price so that is mostly what I have shot.

357 SIG is loud if shot at an indoor range and has a fair bit of muzzle flash. Ammunition is significantly more expensive than comparable .40 and the selection is much more limited.

357 SIG is flat shooting if you like to shoot pistols at distance. For me, it has a sharper recoil impulse straight back into the hand than .40 S&W, but .40 seems to have more muzzle flip. It's fun to shoot especially if you already have the ammo. I don't shoot it all that often because I really don't see that it has enough advantage over .40 S&W to justify the cost differential.
 
The only downside I can see is the cost of ammo (and the fact that the p239 seems to be the only gun in existance that uses different mags for .40 and .357 Sig, both of which are practically unobtainable at the moment).

The P239 .40 S&W magazines will work fine for .357 Sig. I use them all the time. I use .40 caliber magazines to shoot .357 Sig in my P226 and P229 as well. I don't think they make a .357 magazine for them.

I use .357 Sig as my carry round now. I really like the cartridge. For woods carry, I load the Lehigh Defense solid copper Xtreme Defense and Xtreme Penetrator bullets.

I seldom use factory ammo. It’s expensive and bullet choices are limited. You have to reload to fully enjoy this round. AA9 powder works well as does Power Pistol. If you use a lighter than 115 grain bullet, you’ll need to use a faster powder like Bullseye for complete ignition. I loaded up some 90 gr varmint rounds. They are FAST.
I don’t bell the case mouth. I lightly chamfer it instead and have NEVER had a bullet set back in the case.

For plinking, any 9MM bullet will work but for serious business, you need a bonded bullet or a solid to avoid fragmentation.

I hope that helps. Enjoy your new cartridge.
 
Welcome to the 357sig club. Factory ammunition normally cost around .35 per round where my reloads cost me around .13 per round. It think 357sig is a cartridge where it makes sense to reload. I have a SIG P229 in 357sig.
 
So, uh, where are you guys finding these police trade in 239s? That in 40 with a sig barrel is on my short list.
 
I am thinking about seeking out a good deal on a 357 sig as well. I enjoy shooting handguns at “long range”. My 38s were visible thru my binos at 80 yards, like a pinball flying into the dirt.

My revolvers are for the woods, i prefer semi for city living. 357 sig seems like a great round for a reloader/shooter. Probably not ideal for 95% of gun owners.
 
So, uh, where are you guys finding these police trade in 239s? That in 40 with a sig barrel is on my short list.

Here's one source: https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/173423

This is not where I got mine, so I can't speak to the guns in this lot. I was going to buy one from them but I found a better graded 239 on Armslist that also had night sights, an extra mag (for a total of 3) and was only $400.

The ones in the link above were $439 a few weeks ago, but now are back to $499.

Also, good luck finding parts. There are some .357 Sig barrels out there, but since Sig discontinued the model, mags for all calibers are getting hard to find and expensive.
 
If you carry a P226 for a while and then switch to a P229 yon can feel the difference.

I went the other way (229 to 226) and dont notice much difference. But mine is a 229-1 with the bigger frame and is nearly the same weight.

I've always been intrigued by the .357 sig and am really tempted to pick up a barrel/slide for my 226 if I can find one for a reasonable price.
 
Chrono averages from my Glock 22 with a Lone Wolf 357 Sig barrel:
Speer Gold Dot 125 @ 1,363 fps / 516# KE
Federal HST 125 @ 1,385 fps / 533# KE
Ranger T 125 @ 1,389 fps / 536# KE
 
I got conversion barrels for my P224 and G23. I like the cartridge enough to carry it. It's not one I want to start reloading, and not one I want to shoot a whole bunch of (due to the price of factory ammo). Though I do like how it recoils compared to .40 in those guns. So I shoot them mostly with .40 at the range, and occasionally with my chosen .357sig carry ammo (just to keep POA/POI fresh in my mind, although this is something everyone who carries different ammo than they practice with should do anyway).

I do wonder: if it cost the same as .40, would it be far more popular than it is?
 
Probably since they would ramp up ammo production based upon need.
If cost were the same, the .357 Sig might be more popular since it produces more energy than the .40 S&W with less recoil and the bottle neck case is less prone to jamming than the straight wall case of the .40 S&W.
 
the bottle neck case is less prone to jamming than the straight wall case of the .40 S&W

I that statement really true?

I have seen the statement a few times, but my experience is that the shape of the bullet and/or COL causes more jams than the shape of the case.

My 357sig and 40s&w P229's are equally reliable.
 
In my experience it has been more reliable, that’s one reason I switched to that round from .45 ACP. Recoil, energy, flatter shooting and magazine capacity were factors in my decision as well.
I’ve intentionally tried to make my Sigs jam with the .357 round and have not been able to. I have been able to initiate jams in my Sigs using .40 and 9MM.
The .357 round has a smaller frontal diameter for the first 1/3 of its length and is less likely to catch or hang up on something on its way into the chamber.It's always easier to start a wedge shaped object into a cylindrical space than a close fitting cylindrical object .
 
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