This has probably been discussed before but, faced with the option of a P229 in 40 S&W or 357 Sig for home defense which would you choose and why ? I realize that ammo costs vary but it will be fired for initial break in then kept loaded with JHP ammo. It will be fired once or twice a year at the range. Thank you...

No offense, but I'd shoot it more often if that's what you're keeping by the bedside.

As for caliber, I'd go with whichever you're more comfortable with since both cartridges will give you options in terms of bullet construction and neither would seem to really offer a significant advantage over the other at household distances.

The answer is both. By a .357 SIG barrel and play around with it. If you don't like it or .40, get a 9mm conversion barrel. The P229 is one of those guns that can swap calibers to whatever you want.

+1 on what Il Cattivo said.

Assuming you are practicing regularly and comfortable with the platform, I would go with .40 for an in-house self defense scenario. .357 is really loud and has a good deal of muzzle blast. It's just fine for outside, but in your home in a confined space with no ear protection would be punishing! Go .40 with some 180 grn hollow points. It'll get the point across!

I have to agree with DanH.
I am a fan of the P229 in 40SW and actually bought one from a forum member.

I have carried the P229 in .40SW for years, and it will be always be one of my beside guns.

Earlier this year I took the plunge and bought a .357sig barrel from a forum member.

As others on this forum have always said, it great to be able to swap calibers with a change of the barrel.


If cost is truly the main concern, I would go with the .40SW, and then if you so desire you can purchase a .357sig barrel.

I have a P229R that I shoot both .40 S&W and 357 SIG out of. The P229 handles either beautifully. I shoot .40 S&W much more frequently than 357 SIG and that is largely due to relative ammo costs.

People will argue the pros and cons of the terminal ballistics of the two cartridges until the cows come home. My take is that the 357 SIG cartridge might have an edge in barrier penetration (car doors, auto glass, air plane seats) and that is why the Secret Service and Federal Air Marshals have long used it. It is a higher velocity cartridge and shoots flatter which might give it an advantage in accuracy at distance. But neither of those factors will be an advantage in the typical home defense scenario.

The bottle necked 357 SIG cartridge is said to have an advantage in feeding, but my P229R has never had a failure to feed any type of .40 S&W ammunition I have tried in it, and you can't improve on 100%. I have heard many claim that the 357 SIG has a more controllable recoil and I have heard some claim the opposite. IMO the recoil characteristics are similar, but different. You would have to shoot both to determine which you find more controllable.

What is definitely true is that the 357 SIG cartridge is louder and has somewhat more muzzle flash which I would view as a disadvantage for home defense in which shooting indoors in dim light or without hearing protection is a distinct possibility.

In the end, which is better is probably the one you can consistently shoot more accurately. My choice is .40 S&W since I really don't see any advantage to the 357 SIG cartridge in the scenarios in which I conceive possibly having to use it for self-defense.

Start with the 40. Not sure I'd want to touch off a 357 Sig round indoors either tho.

There is virtually no difference in the field results of most service cartridges (eg 9X19, .40, .45). This is not true of .357 Sig.

While other service cartridges produce an entry, and occasionally exit wound and eventual incapacitation by blood loss or central nervous system damage, the .357 Sig leaves no trace, except the faint outline of the subject remains etched in brick or rock walls as evidence that the subject ever existed. Stucco, drywall, or wood panels are simply vaporized along with the subject. In some cases, the very memory of the subject is diminished or completely erased from the minds of those who knew them. All that, and no recoil. At least, none that can be remembered.

Without hearing protection, they'll sound just the same- deafening. Try both; pick your preference.

I carry a .357SIG and keep it loaded for home defense.

Apart from caliber, you mention shooting it once or twice a year. Do you have any other DA/SA pistols?

If not, I'd suggest another platform. I've had my P229 DA/SA .40 for 22 years and have a lot of rounds through it. Same with my P226 and P239 .40's. While not extraordinarily difficult to master, DA/SA requires a reasonable amount of periodic practice to maintain proficiency. Especially the first DA and SA shot. If I layoff my P229 for too long (months), it takes me a mag to get up to speed again. Not much, but you don't get any "tune up" shots in a gunfight.

Depending on the shooter and specific platform, some pistols are easier to maintain proficiency with. I have Sig classic P-series, Sig P320's, Glocks and 1911's. If I have a hiatus of several months, the P320 and 1911 still perform when I return to them. The DA/SA and Glocks don't. Takes me a full or partial mag to get back in the groove. Doesn't matter in a range gun. Does matter in a defensive handgun.

I actually like & carry pistols chambered in both calibers. Admittedly, more 40 these days. Either caliber will serve you well. 40 is ubiquitous and consequently less expensive to use. Personally, I hope more folks go back to 9mm and leave the 40 to shooters who appreciate its merits

indoors, both will make somebody deader than Kelsey's nuts. There's no right answer here.

I carry 357 Sig. Its an amazing round.

I would try to take the deafening noise into consideration. With the P229 being able to convert to either caliber with a barrel swap, I'd shop for the cheapest one and get a conversion barrel in the other caliber. If you like one over the other, sell the barrel you don't use.

I was able to find a used Glock 22 and get a 357 barrel for cheap. Later I found a 9mm conversion barrel for, well, not so cheap. I don't know if there is anyone selling 9mm conversion barrels for the .40/357Sig P229 at this time. Perfect world scenario would be able to find a threaded barrel and a can...

The .40 should be less expensive and easier to find and practice with. Either round should be fine as practice will serve you better than the characteristics of either caliber over the other one.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
There is virtually no difference in the field results of most service cartridges (eg 9X19, .40, .45). This is not true of .357 Sig.

While other service cartridges produce an entry, and occasionally exit wound and eventual incapacitation by blood loss or central nervous system damage, the .357 Sig leaves no trace, except the faint outline of the subject remains etched in brick or rock walls as evidence that the subject ever existed. Stucco, drywall, or wood panels are simply vaporized along with the subject. In some cases, the very memory of the subject is diminished or completely erased from the minds of those who knew them. All that, and no recoil. At least, none that can be remembered.

I fired one once. I immediately got a set of six-pack abs, my hair all grew back and I suddenly knew all the lyrics to every Ted Nugent song ever recorded. Wouldn't have been a bad thing, but it got all three of the women standing nearby pregnant.

Use with caution.

had both, shot both. I prefer and carry 357 sig. Recoil seems slightly less in 357 sig, and different. For me it seems to flip up more but quicker to return to target. HP ammo is the same price, FMJ a few dollars more-negligible-buy online.
My P229, P2000sk, Glock 33 all shoot well, but I love the P229.

quote:

Originally posted by whisky22:
had both, shot both. I prefer and carry 357 sig. Recoil seems slightly less in 357 sig, and different. For me it seems to flip up more but quicker to return to target. HP ammo is the same price, FMJ a few dollars more-negligible-buy online.
My P229, P2000sk, Glock 33 all shoot well, but I love the P229.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by TexasRaider:

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
There is virtually no difference in the field results of most service cartridges (eg 9X19, .40, .45). This is not true of .357 Sig.

While other service cartridges produce an entry, and occasionally exit wound and eventual incapacitation by blood loss or central nervous system damage, the .357 Sig leaves no trace, except the faint outline of the subject remains etched in brick or rock walls as evidence that the subject ever existed. Stucco, drywall, or wood panels are simply vaporized along with the subject. In some cases, the very memory of the subject is diminished or completely erased from the minds of those who knew them. All that, and no recoil. At least, none that can be remembered.

I fired one once. I immediately got a set of six-pack abs, my hair all grew back and I suddenly knew all the lyrics to every Ted Nugent song ever recorded. Wouldn't have been a bad thing, but it got all three of the women standing nearby pregnant.

Use with caution.

I know what you mean. I fired one for the first time under cober of darkness. The moon deflated and fizzled, and the sun was too ashamed to show for two days. When I drew the courage to open one eye, it was brighter than noon, and a forest was gone. I never felt a thing.

I am not sure, but I think the 357 Sig is probably the son of the mighty 10mm. 357 Sig fell from his lofty home, and has been trying to live up to his father's expectations all his life.

357 Sig shoots fast, flat and has excellent penetration. A terrific round for city and field.