.357 sig wears guns out faster then .40?

[jedi]

Does the .357 Sig round wear guns out faster then the .40? I have the P226 so thats the one I'd be thinking of. I thought I heard something about the Texas DPS cracking frames but I don't know if there was any validity to it. Anyone know?

 

[caz223]

Nope.
Haven't heard of any trends to that effect.

 

[JohnKSa]

No empirical data but something to think about.

Beretta did not hesitate to adapt the 92 pistol to the .40 cartridge which resulted in the 96 pistol.

They still have not released a .357 Sig version.

It is also my understanding is that the slide velocity is higher in the .357 Sig. than in a comparable .40 pistol.

 

[Spieler]

A couple of months ago in Gun World there was a fleeting reference to the .357 Sig wearing out police guns faster than the .40, but the author did not substantiate the claim, so who knows?

 

[caz223]

Never, never trust a gun rag.

 

[Preacherman]

John Farnam has commented on this (see source):

19 Jan 03

A student and good friend in a course we are doing here in CA, like me, uses a G32 in 357Sig. His slide cracked at 10,000 rounds and was promptly replaced by Glock at no cost. Yesterday, at 20,000 rounds, the barrel lugs sheared. I'm sure Glock will take care of that too, but this caliber (357Sig) is obviously a lot harder on guns than is the 40S&W and others.

High chamber pressure and high slid velocities obviously take their toll. My G32 is at 2,500 rounds (mostly Cor-Bon), and I have had no problem with it. I also have a SIG239 in 357Sig. It is new and works fine. We'll see how it holds up as we round rounds through it.

I believe the 357Sig caliber to be a significant development in handgunning technology. From what we know so far, its terminal effect is outstanding, but guns chambered for it, even Glocks, are going to be battered as they are with no other caliber. Glock's and SIG's excellent service philosophy are surely helpful, but the user's expectations with regard to the useful life of the pistol are going to have to be adjusted accordingly.

/John

 

[caz223]

Subcompact guns take a beating no matter what caliber they are.

 

[Ian11]

In general I believe .357 SIG and to a lesser degree .40 S&W pistols do wear faster than similar guns chambered in 9mm and .45 ACP. I generally consider them +P or +P+ rounds and the .357 SIG and .40 S&W moniker simply avoids that psychological stigma. These are high pressure rounds so you pay for that extra performance with quicker wear on the gun. In addition, most of the guns in .357 and .40 aren't dramatically different than 9mm pistols as opposed to a 10mm or a .45. This is why I'm glad to see manufacturers like SIG coming out with much stouter guns like the P226ST.

To what degree and how quickly they wear depends on the design. I believe quality manufacturers like Glock, SIG, and H&K torture test their weapons so that their customers can expect reasonable durability. Now of course "reasonable" is a very broad term. And these companies decided its cheaper to fix their customers guns than to come up with a stronger design thats just as compact and lightweight or not make them at all.

 

[Rich357]

John Farnam's comment does not answer the question. He mentions what happened to his friend's G32. It says nothing about a G23 or other .40S&W Glock and how they compare. For that matter he didn't compare it go a G19 ( 9mm). And... this is only one G32. That's a pretty darned small sample of all the G32s made.

I see people saying "I beleive..." or "I think...". it is nice to have their opinions but it is not "science". It is not information from a well designed test.

Rich

 

[10-Ring]

I would think that the ammo used influences how quickly a firearm wears out, but I don't think 357sig would wear a gun out faster than 40 S&W.

 

[RON in PA]

If you really want to know here's an experiment: Take a hundred pistols (from any major manufacturer) chambered in .40 and a hundred chambered in .357. Shoot them all a minimum of 10,000 rounds and preferably 50,000 (if they can take it). Compare failures in each group. You'll have your answer. I doubt that anybody, manufacturer or large government user agency has done such an extensive and expensive study. They've probably done it with a few pistols up to 10,000 rounds.
I strongly suspect that large government user agencies soon learn what parts break in their weapons and this is reflected in stocked parts. Also suspect that manufacturers soon learn what parts are in demand. None of this info ever become public knowledge.

Any ex or current armorers care to comment on this hypothesis.

 

[bountyhunter]

All I can say is the .357 definitely KICKS harder and BARKS louder than any of my .40's. I think .40's are pretty tame compared to the .357 SIG round.

 

[mrapathy2000]

corbon 135gr .40S&W will do 1300fps and 500ft lbs energy which kicks more than other .40S&W rounds. second best thing is winchester silvertip 155gr 1200fps and 500ft lbs and Remington Express 155gr which does similar 1200fps and 500ft lbs. corbon has a 150gr which does similar. these rounds are newer for .40S&W generation 2 and 3. not many ammo manufactures have 135gr bullets even then its JHP ammo no FMJ for practice. it will definately punish most guns in .40S&W. ask any border patroll agent that was issued the remington 155gr ammo in .40S&W.

 

[Gunslinger45]

It only stands to reason that any round that produces high pressures and high velocities is going to be harder on any firearm than a lesser caliber. How well the gun stands up to the punishment is a mater of how well the gun is designed and made as well as the material it's made from. Also round count has a great deal to due with gun longevity. Then more the rounds through the gun the quicker it's going to wear out. Period.

 

[Sean Smith]

.357 Sig is a very high pressure cartridge, at a SAAMI mean peak pressure of 40,000 psi... higher than .40 S&W (35,000 psi) or even 10mm Auto (37,500 psi).

Faster jacketed bullets tend to wear out a barrel faster than slower jacketed bullets. 125gr @1,400+ ft/sec will wear out a barrel faster than, say, 155gr @ 1,200 ft/sec.

And finally, it is just plain more powerful than most .40 S&W loads. And while practice ammo for .40 S&W often consists of mild 180gr subsonic loads, .357 Sig practice ammo is typically still running at 1,350+ ft/sec.

So it wouldn't surprise me if a .357 Sig handgun tended to wear out faster than a comparable .40 S&W handgun. Bottom line is, there is no free ride, especially considering that .357 Sig guns are all just re-barreled .40 S&W guns, that in turn were (mostly) re-barreled 9x19 guns. Accelerated wear should be expected, though it probalby wouldn't be drastic.