Hi guys.....I am contemplating buying a 229 chambered in .357 Sig. My question is, do you think the .357 Sig cartridge will fall by the wayside anytime soon due to the 9,40,45 simply being more popular? I don't want to drop $900 on a gun, if in a few years, they stop making ammo for it.

I rarely ever see guns in my local shop chambered in .357 Sig.

That's a valid question and it's why I own 40 S&W barrels for my pistols chambered for 357 SIG.

On the one hand, the 357 SIG has attained more popularity than any new handgun cartridge other than the 40 S&W since before World War II.

On the other, however, if introduction of guns chambered for it is an indication, it seems its popularity has peaked at best and may be declining. Although the past year has hopelessly skewed things from the supply standpoint, even before then it seemed to me that the available varieties of loads for the round had been declining.

Gun manufacturers could have capitalized on the fact that agencies like the Air Marshals and Secret Service use it, but for some reason have not. Perhaps they're selling all the guns chambered for 9mm, 40 and 45 that they want and aren't interested in selling a few more in 357 SIG—just as SIG Sauer America is not interested in selling P226s and P229s without the accessory rail. Even if a model is normally available in 357 SIG, often SIG won't offer it in that chambering when they produce a special edition.

The 357 SIG is my favorite pistol cartridge, for both range and defensive purposes, but I probably wouldn't buy a pistol in that chambering if I couldn't also obtain a 40 S&W barrel as a backup. I don't believe the round will disappear anytime soon, but I wouldn't bet the rent that it will still be with us in a good variety of loadings 15 years from now.

Unfortunately...I agree. I think I'll stick with the 9mm with +P ammo.

There are way too many Govt agencies carrying .357 sig for it to just go away. I have a 229 in .357 Sig..and Love it. Get it in .40 and buy a barrel to switch to 357 sig...I have seen plenty of them on here in the last few months for less than 120...it is a drop in caliber change Mags are the same and the sights are close enough not to worry..

Before you drop it, try one, either rent or borrow from a friend. Very fun and accurate round. You can shoot your silhouette qualification target and keep them all in the black. At 100 yards..... Law enforcement loves it, it will shoot through curved glass that slower rounds sometimes skid off of.

I don't think you will see it disappear anytime soon. There's still a demand out there but you may not see it locally in your area. I find a lot of .357 Sig brass at my range and find guns readily in that caliber at the gunshops I frequent.

The popularity of .357 Sig does seems to be declining, but it has enough of a following that it's unlikely to ever fall completely by the wayside. The worst we would probably see is a more limited choice of ammo, along with higher prices--but compared to 9mm, .40, and .45, that's already the case! Your gun will still be a good investment--as others have already noted, even if .357 Sig ammo disappears completely, you can just drop in a .40 caliber barrel and keep shooting.

I have never seen .357 Sig ammunition anywhere including my local gun shops, not just Wally World and the big name stores...
funny it's not more popular given the stats, but if ammo's hard to find why bother.

seems kinda like the 10mm, good but not popular with shooters. sort of a cult round.

.40 seems to always be on the shelves.

If you ask me, .357 SIG is here to stay

It may become a wildcat cartridge in the future, but that's why God made Dillon.

quote:

Originally posted by Deadman:
I have never seen .357 Sig ammunition anywhere including my local gun shops, not just Wally World and the big name stores...
funny it's not more popular given the stats, but if ammo's hard to find why bother.

seems kinda like the 10mm, good but not popular with shooters. sort of a cult round.

.40 seems to always be on the shelves.

Runs about $23 a box at the local Wal-Marts around here. Definately get a 40 barrel for it.

Your best bet is to buy the .40 and get a spare barrel in 357Sig as the .40mags will work with the 357Sig ammo but the 357Sig mag's will not work with the 40 ammo..

quote:

Originally posted by armsmaster270:
the .40mags will work with the 357Sig ammo but the 357Sig mag's will not work with the 40 ammo..

That's true only of the P239. P226 and P229 magazines for 357 SIG and 40 S&W are identical for both cartridges; in fact, they are marked with both designations.

Well I think the 357SIG is here to stay, the question is will it be:

.38Special, a loyal following and in widespread use, with support from gun makers of all sized but a niche product.

10mm/38Super, a niche product that is widely supported by the aftermarket and smaller gun makers.

.357Magnum, a niche product that keeps a loyal following, but because you can shoot .38Special through it the demand is there to keep the larger gun makers in the game, (a .40S&W drop in barrel makes the 357SIG analogy work here, sorta).

.41Magnum, a niche product that worked well, but ultimatly became a curiosity. No real support from any gun makers, ammo is available, but you really need to handload if you want to shoot it in any volume.

I am not sure where the 357SIG will wind up, but given that it does not fit well into the M1911 platform, and does not seem popular with the race gun crowd I see the second senario being the least likely.

Too many agencies use it for it to just disappear. Get reloading equipment and don't worry about it.

I don't think it will go away but it most likely never be the most popular either. I like it and have P239, P229, and P226 in 357sig and matching 40sw barrels. I will say it is harder for me to be as accurate with it than the 40sw counter-part-barrel. Don't quite know why but perhaps some more practice is in order. Still a nice round though.

Like the .41 mag or even the 10mm, there are logical points to be made in reference to durability.

I have a close friend in FAM that advises the 229's in this caliber fail much quicker than you would think with the hot .357 loads. He reports that multiple 229s just "gave up" during his training. This was a matter of wear and tear and not function though.

It is what it is. I wouldn't hesitate to carry this caliber.

I have a 229 in .357 sig and shoot more .40 than anything else and the mags work fine forward backwards and sideways and twice on Sundays. it also says .357/.40 right on it.