.357 vs. .40

Both the .40 and 357SIG will snap significantly more than the 9mm. Perhaps you should try a .45acp.

.357 Sig should have more stopping power.

You could always go for the best of both worlds and get the XD40 with a .357 Sig conversion barrel. Twice the fun.

Both have recoil. But the recoil is different.

The 357 supposedly has a flat trajectory. This may be so as I am a whole lot more accurate with my 357 than my 40. The recoil on the 357 is also snappier than the 40 but its almost so snappy that your back on target before you know it. For this reason for me the recoil for the 357 is more but also more managible.

One way to deal with any recoil is to shoot allot and get used to it. I think you may have a hard time finding anything to your liking over 9mm otherwise.

I'd think that if 9mm recoil is a problem, a plastic framed pistol in 40S&W or 357 Sig is not the answer, but rather a step in exactly the direction you don't want to go.

You might want to try something steel framed in 9mm like a BHP, CZ-75, or one of Springfield's 9mm 1911s if snappy recoil is a problem for you.

You'll have to forget the 40 or 357sig since they both recoil more than the 9mm. For lighter recoiling 9mm the delayed blowback of the HK P7 is about the lightest. The HK USP recoil system also has lower recoil. Otherwise go to a full size , all steel gun like the BHP.

If you don't like 9mm you definately won't like the .357 or .40. Either one of those is a lot more than a 9mm, I have several 9's and carry High Powers in .40, there is a real difference in recoil.

Now my High Power in 9mm is a pussycat.

I've fired lot's of guns in 9, 40, .357Sig, with steel, polymer, and aluminum
frames... I can't say any of them were uncomfortable to fire, regardless of caliber.

ok, Full whack .357mags out of a airweight snubby was a little 'rich', but you know what Im saying.

A sig, XD, or glock in .40 would be my bet. If you want, you can get factory barrels in .357 for your .40 frame, and both Barsto and EFK make conversion bbl's in 9mm for the .40 frames

If you really feel you need less muzzle rise, you'd need to step back to a .380 or a .32 ACP. A nice steel frame Walther PP in .32 ACP will spray the lead with very little rise.

.40 shoots like you'd expect it--with a notch more recoil and rise than a 9x19. The .357 Sig is similar but slightly snappier (though this is subjective). I'm assuming you're not talking about the .357 Magnum, which is a different kettle of fish.

Eastwood, In my experience 9mm has more of a quick snap with quick muzzle rise, and 45 ACP is more of a slow push with slow muzzle rise. There are some people who actually control 45 ACP better than 9mm because of the differences in the way they recoil, and the reverse is also true. 40 S&W and 357 SiG both have combine the snap of a 9mm with the push of a 45, the 357 SiG being the snappier of the two. The final consideration is that 357 SiG ammo is generally the most expensive and hardest to find of the 4 calibers listed. If you don't like the snappy muzzle rise of lightweight pistol in 9mm try to go and shoot a heavy 9mm like a Hi-Power or CZ, and heavy 45 like a 1911. In your situation I'd avoid 40 S&W and 357 SiG.

Between the two, do you want velocity to be the factor in your 500+ ft lbs or do you want bullet weight to be the majority factor? They both make about the same energies in top loadings, just the .357 shoots a smaller bullet. If you are a big bullet guy, the answer is obvious. The .40, though, has plenty of velocity in a 155 grain loading.

Personally, I'd go with the .40 because the local police dept. uses .40 and they use our range and when they qualify, they leave all the brass laying around for me to pick up. I see no real ballistic advantage in the .357. Fact of the matter is, I'd as soon be carrying a 9 or a .45 with good, accurate loads. To me, it's like saying do I wanna shoot a .308 or a 7-08 for deer hunting.

eastwood, if you have trouble with muzzle rize with a 9mm, you probably need to try a different handgun. 9mm has the least recoil of any commonly-used center-fire pistol caliber. Perhaps the platform you used had too high of a bore axis. Try a Glock 17 or 19, or a CZ 75 series (including the P-01 and SP-01). I'd also look at a SIG p226 and p228, as they also have very low recoil.
If you want a bigger caliber, look at a SIG p220. Makes a big hole, but has very low recoil.
Good luck,

David

eastwood,
have you tried a BHP in .40 or 9mm? Or a 1911 in either caliber? My guess is that either would work well for you. The BHP, btw, is a very robust gun that can accept 9mm at +p+ levels, which give you .357 SIG performance.
BTW, I find the 1911 negates recoil better than almost any gun I've tried. I'm sure there are many 9mm pistols with more recoil than a .45 1911.
-David

Which would be the better choice for accuracy and stopping power?

Both have excellent stopping power, although I must confess I've dealt with far fewer .357 SIG shootings than .40. From what I have read, .357 is extremely accurate, but I can't hit jack with it in a polymer gun. Too much muzzle flip for me. Never tried it in the SIG p229/p226/p239 platforms, but I hear those guns are easy to shoot well and tame recoil easily.
The .40, in my experience, is the best man-stopper you can buy. I have yet to investigate a shooting where someone was shot with a .40 and walked away from it. Not everybody was killed, but everybody was put down in their tracks and disabled. I investigated homicides in Atlanta for years, and of the commonly used calibers it worked best.

Eastwood, I agree with Mr. Cooke, try something like a BHP, or CZ75, or 1911 in 9mm. All are heavier steel guns that will absorb recoil far better than the uber light Walther P-99. The older Walther you fired may have been a P-1, which is a post WWII alloy framed version of the P-38. The P-1 with its short cutaway slide and alloy frame is still very light compared to the other steel frame guns I mention. You may also want to go into a modified weaver stance, lock your elbow on your shooting arm and slightly lean in toward the target putting more of your weight behind the pistol. Also focus on allowing the pistol to recoil and controlling it rather than fighting it. It takes some experimentation, but you can learn to work with the recoil and not against it.

If you're going to go for the 5 inch model, I don't think the .40 will be to snappy for you. I own both a XD9 service (4 inch) and xd40 tactical (5 inch) and I feel that the 40 is easier to shoot. Of course recoil is a very subjective thing. One of my ex's felt that my Speed Six (2-3/16th barrel) with full house .357 loads was easier to shoot than my P220.

I've had an XD357 and a Glock 32. The .357 SIG round is very managable. As they said, its a fast snap and you are back on target.

Only thing I will note is this. My XD357 was a turd. It had a bad habit of not returning to full battery, and youd have to wack the back of the slide to get it back in there, then it would shoot again. I tried many many different ammo types with the same results. My biggest gripe with the XD's, is the striker spring is pulling rearward on the slide so much, that they come out of battery very easily. Most come out of battery when holstering. In my experience, you have to keep your thumb on the back of the slide while holstering. I have shot several XD's, from the 9mm compacts, to the new .45 acp. My .357 was the only one I ran into with the failure to return to battery problem. But they all come out when holstering. Maybe theres no harm in that, but it just bugged me. Lastly, the XD's finish sucks, plain and simple. We had some at a humid gun show, and fromt Friday to Sunday, they started showing rust. I had to scrub and oil everyone of the #@^%@# things. Get the Bi-Tone if you are set on an XD.

By the way, when I bought the Glock 32, I took all of my left over ammo from the XD357 to the shop with me. Loaded it up into several different mags, mixing all the ammo as I was loading. It ran through them without a hitch.

I say find you a longslide Glock insteads of an XD tactical. But I am a bias Glock nut, seeing as how all 9 of mine have been flawless

Better go with a

.38 special or a .380acp. Not a small or light one either. Personally I would try to find a nice hi-capacity Beretta or Bersa autoloader in .380. A light and/or tiny handgun is going to have recoil for sure and muzzle flip as well. The double stack Beretta and hi-cap Bersas are medium in size and so recoil will be mild. You also want a hi-cap so the number of bullets compensates for the lack of stopping power. 15 - .380 hollowpoints in the chest should do the trick out to 20 feet.

You might consider the CZ83 in .380,(9mm Browning or 9mm short). All steel, very little recoil, yet giving you 13+1 capacity in a very accurate very concealable pistol.

Yes BHP is Browning High Power , also called GP [Grand Puissance] also Model 1935,

Eastwood, I don't think your problem is the caliber. I don't think you are holding the pistol to properly manage the recoil. You should probobly get some instruction. Try a high thumb grip.

Steve