.357 SIG or .45 GAP?

I'd really want to shoot a subcomapct in .357sig before buying. I've never shot one but a high-pressure boomer of a round like .357sig + small light gun = recipe for harsh recoil.

Why buy a 45 GAP? If you're going to buy a .45, buy a .45 ACP. Far more available ammo and .45 +P beats the pants off the gimped GAP.

It seems to me that your needs might be better suited to getting the subcompact .40 S&W glock and then buying a .357 SIG barrel. You could also buy a 9mm barrel and magazines and have 3 calibers in one gun.

Will losing 3 rds for a bigger, slower round be worth it?

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Yes.
The .357 SIG ain't quite as fast out of a sub-compact.

Big bullets don't get any smaller or lighter out of them though.

Why not a .40 though?
Bigger bullets then the .357, same mag capacity as the .357, and faster then the .45.

rc

I would suggest you look at the price of ammo,(unless you're a reloader), before buying any gun. Both of the calibers you mentioned are not the cheapest and sometimes hard to find.

Why buy a 45 GAP?

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It just might be that some people like the gun :banghead:

I almost purchased a Glock 39 (.45 GAP) but after doing some research I noticed that all the local gun shops around here, to include Walmart, never had that ammo in stock. I've also thought about the Glock 33 (.357 sig) But the ammo was rather pricey and pretty hard to find as well. You should consider a glock in .40 S&W. It's a very good round and it's plenty accurate.

Will this be your first handgun purchase?

I like the ideas of both of those calibers but price and availabilty seem to be a real issue......At least in my area.

I like the 45 GAP. It makes a bigger hole.

rcmodel said:

Why not a .40 though?
Bigger bullets then the .357, same mag capacity as the .357, and faster then the .45.

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+1 The .357 Sig is just a necked-down .40 S&W! Why would you be focusing on that caliber?
Al

I concur with the other recommendations that a .357 Sig or .45 GAP are probably not the best choice, especially for a first time owner. They are hard to find rounds and expensive, neither are conducive to allowing a first time handgun owner to practice.

May I suggest 9MM as the choice. Very inexpensive ammo, lots of available pistols to choose from, and lightweight hollow points will penetrate less than either the .357 Sig or .45GAP, while still being effective.

Well if over penetration is a big issue since you live in an apt. I wouldn't reccommend the .357. Also, if it's gonna be a main carry gun, that means ur gonna need lots of practice with it... so what does that mean? Your not gonna be able to practice much with the low availability and high price of both the .357 Sig and the .45 GAP. I would reccommend the .40. I own a glock 27 and I feel very confident that it will carry me through any SD situation should I ever need it.

By the way, my first gun was a .40 and i fell in love with it right away. I've also owned a couple 9mm but they just weren't for me. .The 40S&W is a good round.

I have a Glock 32 and think it's one of the finest pistols made. The recoil is really about average (no worse than a .40) and it's super accurate at 50 to 100 yards if you enjoy shooting at such distances.

The 32 is small and light enough to carry and is reliable as any Glock i've owned (which means it's been perfect). The 357 sig is the only cartridge I reload and with my setup it's slow going but very rewarding cost-wise.

Both the .357 and 45 GAP have merits, but ammo choices/availability/cost can be prohibitive. I wouldn't want to shoot either out of a sub-compact, instead I would get the compact size gun instead, ie the G32 or G38. Out of those two, I'd go for the G38.

Before you make your decision, do yourself a favor and try to shoot a XD45 Compact. 10+1 rds of .45ACP with a grip size similar to most 9's and 40's and a much better trigger than you would expect.

On caliber, this is my thought process;

THE most important factor is shot placement. Period.
Most attackers don't stop on the first shot. Multiple hits may be required. Quickly.
Most SD shootings happen at less than 7yds.
The ability to have accurate follow-up shots is essential.
Shoot the largest caliber you can shoot well. A 9 is fine, if you shoot it well.
A gun that points naturally for you will give you the best chance of survival.

Observe the chamber pressure of calibers like the .357, 40, and 45GAP. They are high enough to make accurate follow-up shots less likely compared to lower pressure cartridges like the 9mm, .38SPL, and .45ACP.

See, hold, shoot as many different handguns/calibers as you can before you make a decision.

Good luck and happy shootin'!

"Most attackers don't stop on the first shot."

No offense, but where did you get that from?

Yes, it will be my first gun. Let me explain. I have small hands. A full sized ACP is just too big. I need a gun for carry and HD, so I need a compact. The GAP can deliver power, but I worry about capacity. The SIG has enough rounds but I worry about overpenetrating apartment walls, hurting neighbors. If the SIG will expand enough to minimize OP, great. If 6 rounds is enough to handle any HD situation, great. But that's what I need to know. SIG or GAP?

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I have the same problem and went through range of Glocks, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Glock, I just didn't like the way they fit my hand. I ended up with XD's, and like them.

If you compare recoil, (muzzle flip) between the 9 and the .45 the 9nn has a much faster bullet velocity than the .45, .45 bullet being heavier but slower. The chances of penetrating a wall with any of the mentioned is always possible, even with a .22, It's 50/50 The .45 GAP is a compressed (+P) and was put out for people with small hands and have the same characteristics as the .45APC

I have small hand too. I owned a 357 sig. The recoil is quite snappy. Due to the snap, and the combination of my hand size, it made quick follow up shots difficult. An accurate double tap was near impossible for me. So, although it was small, and a Powerhouse, I figured if I can't control it and hit anything, it didn't do me much good. After buying and trading 14 guns, I found that, though a bit larger and a little harder to conceal, I found I did the best with a XD 45acp 4" Service. I also shoot a J-frame good also.

I am 5'7", 135 lb soaking wet, and skinny as a post ( if I turn sideways and stick out my tongue, I look like a zipper ). I have struggled with the concealment issue a long time. SO, here was my solution... Wintertime or while I am driving on a trip, it's the XD. Summertime, out fishing in shorts, ect, it is a S&W 637 Airweight J frame.

IMO those are both goofy useless calibers.

Go with a standard caliber, there is a reason they are the standard.

you will need to practice.

I don't love either caliber. I think I'd go with the .40 S&W myself.

But if you bought the .357 gun (which is nearer on the .40 and adds velocity), would you be able to buy some kind of conversion package later so that you could shoot .40 S&W if you ever wanted to? If so, I'd go with the .357 Sig. And I'm not sure that GAP ammo is going to be commercially available 10 years from now, anyway.

Or just start with the .40 S&W in the first place.

Edited to add:

I worry about overpenetrating apartment walls, hurting neighbors.

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You're gonna have to worry about that with every caliber.

Just a couple of things on the 357SIG. First, its not hard to find, and basically costs the same as .40S&W. Last time I bought in bulk, they were exactly the same, last time I was in Walmart, the .40 was $1 cheaper than the 357SIG, for a 50 round box. If your worried about cost, then go with 9mm, as its always been the cheapest. .45acp has pretty much always been the most expensive. I believe the GAP is in about the same range as the .45acp.

357SIG is not a necked down .40, and is a completely different case. While you "can" make a 357 case out of a .40 case, the dimensions are not correct, and the neck comes up short. I believe there are also dimensional differences in the thickness of the the brass as well.

What you shoot it out of will make a big difference in what it feels like to shoot. The difference between a Glock and a SIG is instantly noticeable, but neither are hard to shoot. Felt recoil with standard 357SIG is basically that of a +P+ 9mm out of a similar gun. If your worried about penetration, 9mm is going to be similar, and actually, for defensive ammo, they all penetrate pretty much the same. The smaller calibers tend to out penetrate the larger caliber through barriers though.

I have a number of guns in 357SIG, and I have spare .40 barrels for them. The .40 barrels rarely get used, and all but one were only ever fired to confirm that they worked OK.

I was thinking about getting a 33 to go with my 31, but the more I thought about it, I figured why bother, and just went with the 26. The 357SIG does best with the longer barrels, and +P+ 9mm is basically the same as the 357SIG, so why not just have the extra rounds.

Have you considered a.38 special revolver? One of the inexpensive Model 64 trade ins would do well in your situation. Loaded with 158gr +P "FBI" loads, it is a proven stopper that has easily managed recoil.

Otherwise a basic 9mm is a better choice than either the .357sig or .45gap.

William

You need to go and rent some pistols . See what feels best in the hand, and what you are comfortable with . Then you can come up with a list of possibles. The Glock 26/27 work well for many users. The XD subcompact is another option.

the GAP seems to be on its way out, i wouldn't even consider one nomatter what the deal.