.357 SIG.

Here’s my 1 vote and logic defending that vote.

There’s a relatively current thread on why the 40 S&W is fading. Reading post after post says it’s because of the lower costs, higher fps, and bullet advancements of the 9mm. The 9mm is now faster and the bullets are better…both true…both advantages over older loads and bullet designs. Better than the .40? Not for me to say but it seems the public and state pendulum is moving towards the 9mm.

Based on the above considerations for the 9mm…it seems the .357 SIG is already meeting or exceeding these points with advantages of its own. I’m not suggesting 9mm owners all go buy the .357…not at all. Am sayin’ that the .357 SIG can hold its own and, IMHO, has some real advantages over the 9mm worth looking at.

Fortunately, .357 SIG fmj practice and SD ammo prices are now competitive…maybe a touch higher than 9mm…but close and very doable for those folks who can afford other caliber ammunition. And…Gold Dot bullets are available in Speer and Underwood loads. What’s not to like?

And why I appreciate my P239 357 SIG more and more every day. Again, IMHO, said respectfully, an overlooked, underappreciated caliber that has a lot to offer. All of this is said FWIW, with no intent to disparage any other caliber or SIG model.

Where are you seeing 357 Sig prices close to 9mm? 357 Sig is at least double the cost. Also, it's more expensive and difficult to reload if you want to go that route.

I own 2 pistols chambered for that cartridge and I wish I never bought them.

I pretty well standardized to 9mm and 45 for pistol calibers a dozen years ago. I recently picked up a .40 P229, which incidentally is the same pistol as the first gun I ever bought. So i immediately picked up a 357 sig barrel for it. Love the 357sig. so many people dumping .40 stuff cheap, it makes sense for me to pick up a couple of them since I already have 9s covered.

I have always liked the 357 Sig round, it is one hell of a round. Years ago I had Sig 229 with both the 40 and 357 Sig barrels.

The only problem was (back then) was that I could buy 9mm ammo off the shelf cheaper than I could load the 40 for, and the 357 ammo was even more expensive than the 40 ammo. And not only the cost, but just finding the ammo was pretty hard to do. When you did find it, you were lucky if a place had more than a couple hundred rounds. At the time, I was shooting a lot, so the 40/357 just ended up sitting in the safe until it got sold off to fund another project.

Still, if I win the lottery I will have a couple of 357 Sigs back in the safe, and a lot of ammo to go with it.

quote:

357 Sig is at least double the cost.

It comes and goes. I jumped on board when a certain police agency (IIUC) switched to another round and decided to sell off their practice ammo through one of the online distributors. I don't recall the cost, but it seemed pretty close to new 9mm FMJ at the time.

Nowadays the bulk ammo website I tend to frequent has 124 ball running about 50% to 100% more depending on the bases for comparison.

Sadly, I suppose, the lesson is to look for deals and stock up in order to minimize the pain over time. It's too good a round for me to want to do without, though.

quote:

Originally posted by pessimist:
Where are you seeing 357 Sig prices close to 9mm? 357 Sig is at least double the cost. Also, it's more expensive and difficult to reload if you want to go that route.

I own 2 pistols chambered for that cartridge and I wish I never bought them.

Carry ammunition is about the same cost; look at the Sig V-crown .357 Sig and 9mm, and it's not that much different in price. Not much different for .45, .40, or .45, either.

If you're reloading, still not a lot of difference.

There's not much difference when it comes to the end result if you use your handgun, either. There are differences in capacity, recoil (and split times for those who are into that sort of thing). There are advantages and disadvantages; it comes down to personal choice where one can choose, and what one is issued, where one can't. It also depends on the platform, and the use.

I love the round. I’ve been shooting it for almost twenty years. Through the years I have had nine different guns in the caliber. I switched us over to the gen3 31 in 2008. I got four gen4 31 guns in to test in 2012. If things go my way, we will switch completely over to new gen4 31s by the end of the year. Unless they announce a gen5 by then...

Not a bad round, I was issued a 357 Sig for twelve years.
Pros;
1.) Good self defense round
2.) Reliable feeding
3.) Accurate

Cons;
1.) Ammo Prices
2.) Follow up shots not as fast as 9mm.
3.) Muzzle report loud with heavy blast, harder
to train new shooters and taxing on indoor
range.
4.) More wear and tear on firearms.
5.) Doesn't do anything the other calibers can't
do.

I speak from experience with this round. Our P229s took a beating in those twelve years. Running the range for a full day was hard on instructors because of the muzzle report. I witnessed two on the job shootings with this round, one with Gold dot 125 grain and the other with Winchester Ranger 125 grain, nothing spectacular in the results. Just my two cents. I do like the round but no longer carry it now that it's not issued.

357 Sig was my EDC for years.

Now, I carry a 10.

The 357 is my secondary.

quote:

Originally posted by 10round:
3.) Muzzle report loud with heavy blast, harder
to train new shooters and taxing on indoor
range.

I speak from experience with this round. I witnessed two on the job shootings with this round, one with Gold dot 125 grain and the other with Winchester Ranger 125 grain, nothing spectacular in the result.

So, in case after case, the 357 Sig performance was 'meh.'
Do you believe Con #3 was the deciding factor?

My first experience with the 357 Sig was with a 357 Sig conversion barrel in a Glock 23. Fun. But I soon went to the P239 , 40 S&W. Added a 357 barrel. More fun! Next came a P226, 357 Sig. Also added a 40 SW to this. I reload the Sig round and also buy factory ammo when I find a deal. Since 40 SW ammo can most always be found even during "ammo shortages", I feel this is a good combination. Yeah, I have a few 9mm guns but they just don't have the "Signess" of the 357 SIG. Now I'm working on a summer carry 357 Sig outfit. Although it won't be Sig hardware it will be the 357 cartridge. Most likely I will use a SandW Shield, 40 SW and add a 357 SIG conversion barrel. Considered the Glock 33 but just too chunky.

quote:

Originally posted by pessimist:
Where are you seeing 357 Sig prices close to 9mm? 357 Sig is at least double the cost. Also, it's more expensive and difficult to reload if you want to go that route.

We sell .357sig ball ammo for $26/box... good 9mm is $19 or less. So it is a bit more expensive, but I love the caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by 10round:

Cons;
1.) Ammo Prices
2.) Follow up shots not as fast as 9mm.
3.) Muzzle report loud with heavy blast, harder
to train new shooters and taxing on indoor
range.
4.) More wear and tear on firearms.
5.) Doesn't do anything the other calibers can't
do.

1. Buy in bulk. Reload. It still is more expensive than 9mm, so yes.
2. Sounds more like a training issue.
3. All guns are loud unsuppressed. Moot point.
4. How many people will reach the max life of such a pistol?
5. Could be said of nearly any common pistol round.

quote:

Originally posted by pessimist:

I own 2 pistols chambered for that cartridge and I wish I never bought them.

Wow. Don’t hear something like that too often. I’ve carried one for over 10 years and still love it.

Started shooting it in 1995 and it was My primarily caliber until a few years ago. I don’t think a better semi-auto caliber has been invented. Never had a single failure to feed. The caliber shoots extremely flat, and fast. Cost did me in however. Well cost and the HST in 124gr +p. I shot it once, one mag, and said byeto 357sig. It only took 20 years. 9mm has more options in handguns/platforms as well. 357sig isn’t offered in either platform I’m using.

I’ll go back to carrying 357sig as soon as someone else is paying for it. I wish it would have gained more widespread use so the price on practice ammo would drop. JHP’s are no different in price for me locally.

I still have a thousand rounds of .357sig and another two thousand in .40s&w fmj and jhp since one of my pistols will shoot either. I've seen only one gun store here in northern AZ that has some twenty round boxes of .357sig in stock.

It's comforting...

I did read somewhere that some modern ammo (I think GD and HST but could be wrong) in 357 Sig ended up penetrating less than their 9mm versions due to higher velocity, thus violent expansion on impact and reduced penetration.

Could be that these 357 bullets were originally designed for 9mm velocities.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
I still have a thousand rounds of .357sig and another two thousand in .40s&w fmj and jhp since one of my pistols will shoot either. I've seen only one gun store here in northern AZ that has maybe twenty round boxes of .357sig in stock.

It's comforting...

Flagstaff has a shiny new Sportsman's Warehouse. Should be plenty of ammunition there.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
I still have a thousand rounds of .357sig and another two thousand in .40s&w fmj and jhp since one of my pistols will shoot either. I've seen only one gun store here in northern AZ that has maybe twenty round boxes of .357sig in stock.

It's comforting...

Flagstaff has a shiny new Sportsman's Warehouse. Should be plenty of ammunition there.

The Prescott store is where I saw SIG .357sig ammunition last week. Small shops don't seem to want to stock it.

For us S&B 357SIG, our most affordable factory ball load, runs about $24 for a 50ct box. S&B 115gr 9mm ball is $12 for the same count. 40S&W, 45AUTO and 10mm 180gr ball from them each run around $18 for a box of 50. So yes, if someone were to buy from us the ammo cost for 357SIG would be much higher.

Don't even want to cite what Federal's American Eagle 357SIG goes for. We have 44MAG factory ball loads that are cheaper.