WrongHanded
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2017
- Messages
- 4,771
After beginning to reload .357 Sig and really enjoying the cartridge, I decided to aquire a full size pistol. Prior to this I had a G23, into which I had dropped a conversion barrel; and a P224, into which I had done the same. But I wanted something bigger because even the G23 feels a little small in the grip for me.
As the new gun would be used for range work, load testing, home defense, some hiking, and at times for CC, I didn't want to buy anything I would be afraid to beat up. I narrowed it down to two possibilities, metal frame Sig or Glock. I'm familiar with both, prefer Sig, but appreciate the Glock design.
The Glock won.
(I also wanted to try running a weapon light and I already had this Streamlight TLR-1.)
The Glock won because, I don't care about a Glock as much as I care about a metal frame Sig. Also they're cheaper, easier to modify, get parts and accessories for, the magazines are less expensive, etc, etc.
Even before I bought the gun, I decided to go with a .40 and get a conversion barrel. That way I would have the option to shoot .40, but could justify getting a match grade .357 Sig barrel. As all the pistol parts between the G31 and G22 are the same - other than the barrel, mags, and the writing on the slide - I bought a new G22 gen4 from my LGS, and prior to doing so ordered a nitrided .357 Sig barrel from KKM.
(My other KKM .357 Sig barrel for the G23 isn't nitrided, just plain stainless. I wouldn't bother with the nitride if I bought again.)
Now I don't hate the stock Glock sights, but I did want something with a slightly more defined sight picture. Sharper lines and all that. So I ordered a Charger set from Dawson Precision. I chose a plain black rear and a fiberoptic front because this combination has worked well for me on some revolvers. A plain black rear lets my eye be drawn to the front sight, and seems to better allow me to shoot with both eyes open (I know! I'm working on that.)
The FO front sight is great for range work, but disappears very easily in low light. And I mean very easily. So after I confirmed the sights were getting me to hit where I wanted, I ordered a tritium front sight of the same height.
It's a good compromise, which I really like.
Then I needed a holster that would allow me to carry with the weapons light. I ordered a kydex holster from Red River Tactical. I don't often wear black pants, so I opted for a color that might not stand out quite so much against the pastel colors I tend to wear. Not that I intend to open carry around town, but sometimes the bottom of a holster can peek out at people.
It appears to be very well made. Retention is not a tight "snap" like some kydex, more of a slide in, to a friction hold. And the holster is deep enough that I can't see the gun getting bumped out. The edges are melted smooth, it's compatible with Blade Tech fixtures, and even shipped with some thread locker. It doesn't hug the body very tightly, but can still be covered with a coat quite easily.
Other than swapping the mag release to left handed, the only other modification I made was to replace the stock trigger spring with the NY-1 spring. This makes the trigger heavier, but I've been dry firing enough to smooth everything up and get used to it. The stock trigger just didn't feel quite right. But now that I'm used to the NY-1, I also installed one in my G23.
Oh, and to make the shipping cost of the NY-1 springs worth it, I bought the Vickers Gen4/5 grip plug tool. It's pretty much as advertised and may or may not stay on the gun. I'm unlikely to ever need it, but it doesn't seem to get in the way.
So how does it shoot? Only as well as I do. Honestly, I'm at least as good with my GP100, in double action. So far, that is. This was from my first (and to date, only) range session with the current set up.
9 out of 10 shots in 2-1/16" at 25 yards from a wrist rest (I haven't shot it from bags yet). And 9 out of 10 into about 5.5" at 25 yards offhand.
But considering that the Glock weights 37.5 Oz loaded with taclight compared to 42.5 Oz for the loaded GP100, and that the Glock is slightly smaller overall, I'm willing to put some time in to learning to shoot it better. The capacity disparity of 15 to 6 is also no little thing.
Now my chosen .357 Sig carry ammo is Federal HST 125gr, which Lucky Gunner claims is in the 1380fps range. My own range load does about 1425fps from a 4" barrel, and I've yet to chrono them from this gun's 4.5" barrel. So I'd say that for 125gr projectiles, this Glock brings more to the table, overall, than the GP. I just need to learn to shoot it better, and at speed.
All in all, this has been a fun project and I'm very pleased with the results. I've appreciated the Glock design for a long time, but just never really warmed to polymer guns. I finally got over that, and can now enjoy some of the benefits.
But all this isn't to say that I'll be getting rid of my .357 Magnums. They've still got some benefits of their own, that can't be matched by plastic bottom feeders.
As the new gun would be used for range work, load testing, home defense, some hiking, and at times for CC, I didn't want to buy anything I would be afraid to beat up. I narrowed it down to two possibilities, metal frame Sig or Glock. I'm familiar with both, prefer Sig, but appreciate the Glock design.
The Glock won.
(I also wanted to try running a weapon light and I already had this Streamlight TLR-1.)
The Glock won because, I don't care about a Glock as much as I care about a metal frame Sig. Also they're cheaper, easier to modify, get parts and accessories for, the magazines are less expensive, etc, etc.
Even before I bought the gun, I decided to go with a .40 and get a conversion barrel. That way I would have the option to shoot .40, but could justify getting a match grade .357 Sig barrel. As all the pistol parts between the G31 and G22 are the same - other than the barrel, mags, and the writing on the slide - I bought a new G22 gen4 from my LGS, and prior to doing so ordered a nitrided .357 Sig barrel from KKM.
(My other KKM .357 Sig barrel for the G23 isn't nitrided, just plain stainless. I wouldn't bother with the nitride if I bought again.)
Now I don't hate the stock Glock sights, but I did want something with a slightly more defined sight picture. Sharper lines and all that. So I ordered a Charger set from Dawson Precision. I chose a plain black rear and a fiberoptic front because this combination has worked well for me on some revolvers. A plain black rear lets my eye be drawn to the front sight, and seems to better allow me to shoot with both eyes open (I know! I'm working on that.)
The FO front sight is great for range work, but disappears very easily in low light. And I mean very easily. So after I confirmed the sights were getting me to hit where I wanted, I ordered a tritium front sight of the same height.
It's a good compromise, which I really like.
Then I needed a holster that would allow me to carry with the weapons light. I ordered a kydex holster from Red River Tactical. I don't often wear black pants, so I opted for a color that might not stand out quite so much against the pastel colors I tend to wear. Not that I intend to open carry around town, but sometimes the bottom of a holster can peek out at people.
It appears to be very well made. Retention is not a tight "snap" like some kydex, more of a slide in, to a friction hold. And the holster is deep enough that I can't see the gun getting bumped out. The edges are melted smooth, it's compatible with Blade Tech fixtures, and even shipped with some thread locker. It doesn't hug the body very tightly, but can still be covered with a coat quite easily.
Other than swapping the mag release to left handed, the only other modification I made was to replace the stock trigger spring with the NY-1 spring. This makes the trigger heavier, but I've been dry firing enough to smooth everything up and get used to it. The stock trigger just didn't feel quite right. But now that I'm used to the NY-1, I also installed one in my G23.
Oh, and to make the shipping cost of the NY-1 springs worth it, I bought the Vickers Gen4/5 grip plug tool. It's pretty much as advertised and may or may not stay on the gun. I'm unlikely to ever need it, but it doesn't seem to get in the way.
So how does it shoot? Only as well as I do. Honestly, I'm at least as good with my GP100, in double action. So far, that is. This was from my first (and to date, only) range session with the current set up.
9 out of 10 shots in 2-1/16" at 25 yards from a wrist rest (I haven't shot it from bags yet). And 9 out of 10 into about 5.5" at 25 yards offhand.
But considering that the Glock weights 37.5 Oz loaded with taclight compared to 42.5 Oz for the loaded GP100, and that the Glock is slightly smaller overall, I'm willing to put some time in to learning to shoot it better. The capacity disparity of 15 to 6 is also no little thing.
Now my chosen .357 Sig carry ammo is Federal HST 125gr, which Lucky Gunner claims is in the 1380fps range. My own range load does about 1425fps from a 4" barrel, and I've yet to chrono them from this gun's 4.5" barrel. So I'd say that for 125gr projectiles, this Glock brings more to the table, overall, than the GP. I just need to learn to shoot it better, and at speed.
All in all, this has been a fun project and I'm very pleased with the results. I've appreciated the Glock design for a long time, but just never really warmed to polymer guns. I finally got over that, and can now enjoy some of the benefits.
But all this isn't to say that I'll be getting rid of my .357 Magnums. They've still got some benefits of their own, that can't be matched by plastic bottom feeders.
