Opinions on the .357SIG?

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Alan Fud

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I've been reading past threads on this caliber and there seems to be two common opinions. Some claim that it is equal to a .357MAG but in an autoloader and that it is superior in stopping power to the .45ACP.

Others says that it is only marginally better than a 9mm +p and that it can't do anything that isn't already done better by the .40S&W.

Already owning a 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP; are there situations that I would be better armed with a .357SIG than one of the other three caliber mentions?
 
.357 SIG is a .30 Luger on steroids.
The 115 grain bullet and 125 grain bullet loadings can come very close to .357 Magnum ballistics but the cartridge is no where near as versatile as the .357 Magnum.
I like the cartridge but, like the 10mm, it is experiencing a downfall because very few pistols are designed or marketed that allow the cartridge to come to its full potential and very few places allow semi-automatic pistols to be used for the purpose of medium to large game hunting which is where I think the .357 SIG and the 10mm cartridges really shine.
 
I have three friends that are U.S. Air Marshals, Dallas Texas. DFW.
All carry SIG 229 in .357Sig as there duty flying gun.

I carry a SIG 229 in .40S&W, and have fired theirs, but not enough to give an in-depth comparison.

Although I am planning on getting the .357SIG barrel for mine, I'm not planning on doing it very soon.

They (my friends) say that "they" (referring to the higher ups') find the .357SIG to be the most effective human stopper for their needs when flying.


RTFM
 
I'm a huge .357sig fan.

All I am offering is what I have perceived.

Enough agencies (including the Secret Service) feel confident enough to call it their standard cart.

It can fire a 115gr. projectile at about 1500fps out of a ~4"bbl. (this equals penetration) Additionally, (IIRC) you can actually get real ball rounds for the .357S, rather than the flat-nose ball rounds as one is restricted to in .40 and .45. Whether or not this means anything to you is, well, up to you.

Trajectory is insane. I've fired a 9mm, a .40S&W, and a .357S at 100yds+ (EXTREMELY approximate), and the trajectory of the .357S is far, far superior to it's copper-clad colleagues. Once again, this is just what I have observed firsthand.

Why do I like it? I am under the impression that it is, in fact, more powerful than the .40. The added velocity alone makes me a bit more comfortable shooting it anyways. So, in the least it is faster than the .40, and as I collect, it is more powerful, but you can squeeze the same amount of .357S rounds in a .40.

My favorite part, however, is the additional feed reliability afforded by the necked cart. I would use .357S over the 9mm or .40 for that reason alone.

The pyrotechnics are fun, too!
 
It's a good round, as effective "on the street" as .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and .357 Magnum. It's not "better" than any of the other three, with the possible exception of a very flat trajectory. Like all handgun rounds, it's an attempt to do the best possible job in an inadequate platform.
 
I'm chiming in as usual to say that I give a big unqualified thumbs up to 357 Sig. I think its a great round. As said, its naturally reliable, flat shooting, and offers great penetration in testing through several important types of materials. I personally feel that it's a better round than the 40 with more uses. I'm of the opinion that the 40 is a half-breed round that came about as a compromise solution to a non-existant problem.

The 357 sig is also definitely not as versatile as the .357 magnum, but I dont think it tries to be. If you're looking for an excuse to buy another gun, I say go for it and I dont think you'll be dissapointed. However, I think that the .45 does probably the best job of the bunch and would not feel undergunned using it for defense in any way. In an auto, the .45 and .357 sig are my two choices for best defense round.

Enjoy!

-Spooky
 
.357 SIG is a decent round and if I was armed with one I wouldn't feel under gunned. I'm avoiding most of the bottle necked pistol rounds because the straight wall rounds can be reloaded without lube which speeds things up a bit.
 
i had a .357 sig.

I traded it for a springfield .45 because .357 sig cartridges are hard to find in my area for under 15$ a box for plinker ammo.

good gun.
 
There may be but I cannot think of one. I have HK Compacts in .45 ACP,
40 S&W, and .357Sig. All three are excellent but was there a need for the .357 Sig given today's choices in ammo for 9mm, 40 S&W, and .45ACP?

:( On another note, I would not recommend .357 Sig for Air Marshal use! Over penetration is the last thing you want at 40,000 feet! :banghead:

Gary
:evil:
 
Over penetration at 40,000 feet is not an issue. A jet liner leaks more air than a tiny little 9 millimeter hole.
 
But gentlemen, the question is.....


Quote:
Already owning a 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP; are there situations that I would be better armed with a .357SIG than one of the other three caliber mentions?


...........possible but, doubtfully.
Click to expand...

Well Said, Shermac...

Being a proponent of .357S, I'd say yes. I think we can agree that it is more powerful than a 9mm, and has a significantly greater capacity than a similarly sized .45ACP, so the question then becomes 'How much different is it than .40?' To answer the question, that's where a distinction must be drawn.

Once again, I simply have to push the feed reliability of the bottleneck rounds.. but that's still dancing around the question.

"are there situations that I would be better armed with a .357SIG"

For a straight answer...
Off the top of my head, shooting through an obstacle (car doors and the like), and at longer ranges (say, ~>50yds).
 
I was referring to the bullet exiting the perp and hitting another passenger or possibly entering the cockpit or worse. I get the impression from your post that over penetration in this application is not an issue! Wrong!!

Gary
:evil:
 
I was looking last night at a bunch of muzzle velocity and muzzle energy stats on self defense loaded rounds.

When it comes to muzzle energy for factory self defense rounds:

357 sig < 357 magnum < 10mm auto

For muzzle velocity:

10mm auto < 357 sig < 357 magnum

For optimun bullet weight

357 sig: 125gr (?)
357 mag: 125gr (?)
10mm: 180gr (?)

I don't have the data handy, I can add it later.

I prefer 10mm auto, it's probably the most versatile semi auto cartridge available. But not necessarily the most commercially available.

About over penetration, some FBI reports have indicated that people overblow the over penetration issue.

You should be far more worried about MISSING your target than overpenentrating in a firefight. Overpenetration is a problem if you always hit with 100% of your rounds.
 
On another note, I would not recommend .357 Sig for Air Marshal use! Over penetration is the last thing you want at 40,000 feet!
Click to expand...

Do you have evidence of overpenetration with the .357 Sig? In all of the tests I've seen, including ammolab, it's penetration is approximately identical to the other defensive calibers. Yes it is a fast mover but by design most of the energy is dumped into the target.
 
Already owning a 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP; are there situations that I would be better armed with a .357SIG than one of the other three caliber mentions?
Click to expand...

Yes you would be better served with 357 sig or 10mm for that matter.

Looking at the ballistics tables and the smaller size of a 357 sig gun like Glock 33, you are going to get better terminal velocity and penetration into a target compared to 9mm, 40SW, and 45 ACP.

And ballistically, it does match 357 mag, it's just that the cases are shorter so you cnanot accommodate bullets in the 150 grain range making 357 mag better on the street.

I carry all three calibers here and there but my main carry caliber is 357 sig. Why?

9mm - even the +P+ stuff doing 500 fpe - is just not inflicting enough trauma for me.

40SW - is a great round but only marginally better than 9mm. But for officers on the street with less than 10 hours of range time a month, it's the best they could do.

45 ACP is great too - big round holes leaving some excellent wound cavities. But it has barrier penetration problems. If you ever get carjacked and need to fire through that glass, forget it with a 45.

All will do the job with shot placement. But 357 sig like 10mm takes practice to master. Greater report and recoil require discipline. :neener:

And if you reload or buy ammo in bulk, it's in the same price range as 45 acp.

I have all of the below calibers and again state, its the duty round for the USSS. It protects W - then it can protect me.

Both my primary carry guns are in 357 sig - G33 and G32.
 
One other point, in cold places like Seattle where people wear heavy parkas in the winter, you need more than 16" of penetration in order to hit the vitals.

And I've read no reports or talked to any cops or federal LEAs carrying the 357 sig at the Seattle Police Range who had any overpenetration problems with the round.

So at least in the winter, you want 357 sig or 10mm. :evil:
 
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