.357 SIG vs. 40 cal

[tblt]

My choices
9 mm cheap to shoot.+p for self defence(best all around IMO
40 ?
357 sig harder to find

 

[XD-40 Shooter]

357 sig is just a supercharged 9mm, I'd still rather have the 40. Also, ammo cost will be higher and availability is limited in some areas, for the 357 sig. I would suspect the blast and flash are severe as well, with those bullets screaming at 1400 fps. I would also suspect that reloading the 357 sig might be tricky as well, as it is a bottlenecked cartridge. I'll keep the 40.

 

[possum]

i like .40 because it is cheaper, and more condusive to my shooting habits. however .357 sig is a great defense rd that has awesome performace.

i say get the .40 model, and then get the .357 sig conversion barrel and then you will have both and you can decide for yourself.

 

[Lonestar49]

...

Have to agree, would start with either Sig P226 40cal, or Sig P229 Carry 40cal, and with either, get a 357 barrel up the road, then ya have the best of both worlds.


Ls

 

[TacoMalo]

Wow this thread is old! Dec. 24,2003! I love my .357 Sig but it is expensive to shoot.

 

[Grifter116]

If the 9mm were any good pope John Paul would have been dead a lot sooner
(like this thread should have been) Forget the additional inch of penetration, look at the wound cavities in the ballistics gel photo. It appears the .357sig easily surpasses the 9mm for volume; even appearing to be slightly better than the .45acp. - and volume is always better than penetration distance, according to reassurances from my missus

 

[sdj]

I prefer the .357 sig to the .40 (that is, I prefer the G32 to the G23). Disclaimer: this is completely a "feel" thing, for me.

 

[BlindJustice]

My $.02

I shoot .45 ACP in a full size 1911, as well as a S&W 625
as well as a CZ 75B 9mm Luger. I've never shot a .40 S&W
but I like the 75B so well I'd problably go with that platform in
.40 S&W if or when I go that route, however, and I'm commenting
here is that the thread title states

.357 Sig or .40 Cal.

Well, that llends itself to one cartridge, the .357 SIg
against every other cartridge that is chambered in .40/10MM.

If I wanted a 10MM/.40 S&W and start accumulating brass
cases, I'd get a S&W 610 revolver and start bagging up brass.

Actually I do have a .40 cal semi-auto. It's my 1911 when I put
the Bar -Sto .400 CorBon barrel in it. The .400 CorBon is like
the .357 SIg in that it is necked down from a slightly tapered cartridge.
Same issues though as .357 SIg, big flash bang but flatter shooting
than some for the caliber.

I like sub sonic for SD.HD for rapid recovery and heavier bullet weights
for momentum. Double Tap 9mm Luger +P with 124 gr. or
147 gr. Gold DOts and more mgazine capacity than the .357 SIg.

I asked a guy behind the counter at the range about .357 SIg and
he said the SIgs they sell in .357 Sig most new owners of whithin a
month are asking about buying a barrel in .40 S&W.

just saying....

Randall

 

[Taurus_9mm]

I love my Taurus PT840 although the .357 Sig round has recently captured my attention. At the moment I'm considering either a Glock 31 or FNP 357 Sig due to the availability of .357 Sig ammo in my area. That and I need an excuse for another handgun.

www.gunnerforum.com

 

[kansas coyote]

Alot of misinformation in this thread . I do not have the time or energy to correct it all.
.357 sig is a necked down 40 s&w it is nowhere near the 9mm same case capacity as 40 just a smaller projectile . I think it will be a cartridge that will be a has been at some point . Due to its non adoption by most if any military or leo departments . Also the 40 is nowhere near being a middle cartridge of the 9mm - 45 acp that some people think it is . While being a little less than a 45 is is miles away from the 9mm .

 

[Dr_2_B]

It received pretty good marketing, but I don't think it will receive the lasting use that some others enjoy.

 

[justinvoigts]

Look at the stats for the 357 sig

LOOK AT THE KINETIC ENERGY FOR THE 357 SIG IT IS LIKE 100 MORE POUNDS OF PRESSURE THAN THE 165 GR 40 S&W IN THE T SERIES I DON'T CARRY THE 357 SIG BUT DO THE 165 GR WHO CARES A 165 GR T SERIES WILL STILL KILL LIKE A 357 SIG T SERIES WILL ITS ALL ABOUT PLACEMENT:banghead:

 

[SingleSeven]

I jumped on the .40 bandwagon in the early 90s with the purchase of a Glock 23. It seemed like a good compromise back then between the capacity of a 9mm and the larger diameter of the 45ACP. But it never really grew on me although I spent many of the years since trying various upgrades (lighter trigger, custom grips, etc.) without a marked improvement. I even ran the spectrum of ammo from 180 gn to 135 gn but nothing changed. The weapon was reliable and reasonably accurate, but it just didn't have the same feel when firing (by that I mean like an extension of my hand) as my 45s or my S&W 686. I've also owned a S&W 4006 and a P226 in .40 but they never really did it for me either. Well a couple of years ago I decided to swap a 357 SIG barrel in the Glock 23 and that made all the difference. I think it might have had to do with the more rapid cycling of the slide or a quicker dissipation of felt recoil, but whatever it was accurate doubletaps became second nature after the swith to 357SIG. I know this recap is anecdotal and doesn't shed any light on the terminal ballistics of the caliber, but I certainly practice more with the 357SIG than I ever did with the .40. It has become my favorite range gun.

Still,
My preferred house gun for self defense is the S&W 686 packed with Federal 125 gn hollowpoints, and if I could only have one auto it would be a 1911 45 ACP, but the weapon I like to shoot the most is my Glock 23 conversion in 357SIG.

 

[HiVelSword]

NOT good qualities in a defensive weapon!

Logically, the better comparison would be 9x19 versus .40 S&W. The 9x19 is consistently delivers the same performance (terminal effectiveness) both in the lab and in actual LE usage as the 357 SIG--and without the negatives associated with the 357 SIG plus an increased capacity. Your looking at about 16 inches of penetration and expansion to approximately .63 calibre with both the 9x19 and 357 SIG. The .40 S&W will deliver about the same penetration and approximately .05 inches more expansion (.68 calibre). As you increase bullet size and mass from 9x19/357 SIG, to .40 S&W more tissue is crushed, resulting in a larger permanent cavity. In addition, the larger bullets often offer better performance through intermediate barriers.

a 125 grain at 1,450 fps duplicates .357 mag combat loads from a 4" revolver. The .357 mag has a LEGENDARY track record for dropping bad guys particularly the 125 grain JHP's.

But a round that emulates it (more or less) while doubling the capacity over a standard revolver is now somehow an inferior choice?

 

[HiVelSword]

Crap. I replied to someone's post from an ancient thread.

Thanks, Taurus_9mm! :banghead:

 

[johnnylaw53]

When our sheriff office went to general issued weapons several years ago the sheriff wanted sigs, so a group of deputies was arranged and a rep came down with several sigs for the team to test. I was not on the team but showed up one afternoon and was allow to shoot all the weapons. The team decided on the the 229 in .40 but that sheriff really didn't want any feed back and we ended up with sig pro's in .357 sig. They not bad but I reallly like the beretta that I had in 9mm. I would not get the .357 since i belive that a hot 9mm is almost at the same power level and practice ammo is far cheaper then .357. Between the two we are talking about I would just go with the .40

be safe

 

[Extremely Pro Gun]

So ive got a glock 27 and a sig barrel. I use the sig in my vehicle for the penetration and I use the 40 at home for less penetration and bigger hole.

 

[Ling_650vette]

Alot of misinformation in this thread . I do not have the time or energy to correct it all.
.357 sig is a necked down 40 s&w it is nowhere near the 9mm same case capacity as 40 just a smaller projectile . I think it will be a cartridge that will be a has been at some point . Due to its non adoption by most if any military or leo departments . Also the 40 is nowhere near being a middle cartridge of the 9mm - 45 acp that some people think it is . While being a little less than a 45 is is miles away from the 9mm .

Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, New Mexico and Tennessee and I believe 2-3 other State Trooper agencies = non adoption...then sure, your "facts" are correct.

And losing 2 to 3 rounds = "nowhere near the 9mm same case capacity"? I'll have to remember that next time I break out an M&P40/357 and someone has an M&P9 that they've got "uber pwnage" on me in capacity

 

[gunslinger720]

I own a Sig P-226 with the 357 sig and the 40S&W Barrels and find them about equil in recoil and thats using HOT 40's and Winchester Rangers in 357 Sig's I think the 357 is slightly more accurate though. I've put both Factory and numerous reloads all very hot just for a comparison. I think each has its good points and do exactly as were intended and besides that for defense any caliber of the Majors not 22's 25's etc. The intruder or attacker wouldn't know what hit him weather or not it was a 40, 357 or a 44 mag and secondly its not the defensive caliber but the placement of the rounds shot 1 hit with a 40 is better than 6 misses with a 44 mag

 

[RiverCity.45]

I wonder what the record for reviving an old thread is. This caliber war started in 2003.

FYI: I have a S&W M&P .40 that I converted to .357 SIG with a drop-in barrel. Love the flexibility.

 

[kerstingm]

I just picked up a P229 for under $600 this weekend at a local local gun show and after shooting
It I liked it far better than my XDM that I previously owned. I picked up the 357 barrel
For another $100 I haven't shot it yet but from what I have read here sounds like I made
Made a good choice.

 

[dom1104]

Here is my thing, if a 9mm bullet going 1450 fps is supposedly, so fantastic, drops bag guys with hits in the extremities <have heard even Massad Ayoob say this as early as last week> ballistic pressure waves, kills water moccasins with near misses in the water, has a 99% stop rate, and every agency that switches to it is 100% totally happy with it..


would that make a 9mm carbine like... the hand of god himself?

I dont buy it.

9mm bullets out of carbine barrels arent killing bad guys left and right, and extra 200 fps out of a pistol isnt going to make it suddenly a magic bullet.

For reference, http://proarmspodcast.com/2010/07/11/055-were-getting-the-band-back-together-to-discuss-the-357sig-cartridge/

 

[Wildkow]

All other criteria between the 9mm, 357 SIG and the .40 S&W being the same or nearly the same wouldn't the reliability of the 357 SIG bottle neck design make it a better choice for the entire spectrum of shooting, i.e. plinkin, Self/Home Defense, Competition or LE?

I have all three by the way.