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I was out shooting today with a friend and he asked me if I wanted to trade anything for a SIG P226 in 40 S&W he bought new last year and didnt like. Sure take my R1 Remington 1911 I said. I didnt like it much either. Swapped right then and there. Great living in a free state . Anyway I wasnt much interested in the 40 S&W part but I do want to swap barrels on it to 357 SIG ad I understand theres some mighty zippy rounds in that chambering.

Anyone run a 357 SIG? What do you think of the round?
 
I have a .357 barrel that came with a .40 conversion kit - but I have not tried it. Not particularly interested in it.

The ammo is expensive because it isn't popular. I prefer the .40 ballistics; it handles heavier projectiles better and the .357 isn't that much better than +P+ 9mm which is easier to come by and less expensive.

I am keeping the .357 barrel just in case SHTF and I stumble over .357 SIG ammo or someone wants to trade/etc. - but not going to swap out any of my .40 SIGs (most of which also shoot 9mm).
 
Just ask the Texas Department of Public Safety. Ask the US Air Marshall Service. Ask me, I love it. I did buy a 226 in 40 (police trade in that was like new in box). I put a 357sig barrel in it, and haven't looked back. Look at my avatar, 357sig 229 Sport. I reload, so the price does not bother me. I was also lucky enough to pick up about 11 thousand brass for a song. Zippy round and very effective. If I own a gun that left the factory as a 40, it now has a 357sig barrel in it. Great round! 12 grains of AA#9 under a Montana Gold 125 JHP. Accurate as well. Don't tell me about bad ballistics. I will argue with you.

357sig_with_AA9.jpg
 
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I cant argue with the ballistics on that. I'm a firm believer in faster is better and I do like LOTS of muzzle energy. There are factory loads of 700 lb/ft in that package.
 
I have a Glock 31 .357 sig, underwood ammo makes a 125gr golddot @ 1500 fps , I don't see any hot loaded 9mm's doing that.
 
I have a .357 barrel for my 229.
After quite a bit back and forth on which way to go with it I stayed with the .40
I do like the round, it's easy to shoot and it really smacks the plate but the cost of packaged ammo is to much to shoot for me on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that a .357 barrel in a slide with .40 sights is going to be about 2" low.
If it has 6/8 sights then you just need to get a #8 front if you are staying with .357
Which was another factor in considering which way to go with mine.
As mine had 8/8 sights that were 4" low with .40 cal and it took a #10 rear sight to get it on target.
To be able to use .357 I would need a #10 front sight as well.

If it's set up for .357 then you can drop a 9mm barrel in it and the sights will be on for that as 9mm and .357 use the same set of sights.
Kinda the best of both worlds if you intend to make a dedicated .357 Sig.
 
Great round! 12 grains of AA#9 under a Montana Gold 125 JHP. Accurate as well. Don't tell me about bad ballistics. I will argue with you.

View attachment 624413
Argue all you want.


  • Caliber: 9mm Luger
  • Bullet Weight: 124 Grains
  • Bullet Style: Speer Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point
  • Case Type: Ducta-Bright 7a Nickel Plated Brass
BALLISTICS INFORMATION
  • Muzzle Velocity: 1300 fps
  • Muzzle Energy: 465 ft lbs
You can get faster (advertised) .357 SIG ammo (1400+ fps), but I still don't see that much of a difference. You can also get .40 S&W that is faster than .357 SIG (135 gr. @ 1300-1400 fps) - although the .357/9mm will have a bit better sectional density with the lighter projectiles.

IMO the .40 S&W has advantages over the .357 SIG, and you will find .40 ammo much easier, not to mention 9mm ammo. The nice thing about many .357/.40 handguns, is that there is often conversion barrels (and/or slide kits) between the two, and often to/from 9mm. So you can fall back on whatever is available should SHTF. I don't feel underarmed or otherwise at a disadvantage with any of the three cartridges - I just prefer .40 S&W because of the wider range of projectiles, availability and lower cost of off the shelf ammo over the .357 and the option to fallback to 9mm.

YMMV - whatever floats your boat - but if SHTF and you can't get .357 SIG, don't come looking for ammo from me - I won't have any.
 
Argue all you want.


  • Caliber: 9mm Luger
  • Bullet Weight: 124 Grains
  • Bullet Style: Speer Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point
  • Case Type: Ducta-Bright 7a Nickel Plated Brass
BALLISTICS INFORMATION
  • Muzzle Velocity: 1300 fps
  • Muzzle Energy: 465 ft lbs
You can get faster (advertised) .357 SIG ammo (1400+ fps), but I still don't see that much of a difference. You can also get .40 S&W that is faster than .357 SIG (135 gr. @ 1300-1400 fps) - although the .357/9mm will have a bit better sectional density with the lighter projectiles.

IMO the .40 S&W has advantages over the .357 SIG, and you will find .40 ammo much easier, not to mention 9mm ammo. The nice thing about many .357/.40 handguns, is that there is often conversion barrels (and/or slide kits) between the two, and often to/from 9mm. So you can fall back on whatever is available should SHTF. I don't feel underarmed or otherwise at a disadvantage with any of the three cartridges - I just prefer .40 S&W because of the wider range of projectiles, availability and lower cost of off the shelf ammo over the .357 and the option to fallback to 9mm.

YMMV - whatever floats your boat - but if SHTF and you can't get .357 SIG, don't come looking for ammo from me - I won't have any.

But, the 357 Sig does it with a heavier bullet.

That is not a factually inaccurate statement, so I'll stick with it.
 
But, the 357 Sig does it with a heavier bullet.

That is not a factually inaccurate statement, so I'll stick with it.

The 135 gr load I referenced was .40 S&W not .357 (maybe you confused it because I put the stat after I mentioned the .357) - so it is the .40 that does it with a heavier projectile. The two, .40 & .357 are pretty close in ballistics, with the .40 doing a bit better as the projectile gets heavier, but the .357 having better sectional density. In the end, it comes down to bullet design for either one.

The problem is that with the same projectile weight and design/construction, when you exceed the velocity that the projectile is designed for, you get faster and earlier expansion. This often results in less penetration. If you look at +P and +P+ gel test vids, this phenomenon is often present. At that point you want to switch over to "controlled expansion" projectiles as they won't expand as fast and get better penetration at higher velocities.

What it all comes down to is that energy & velocity are a place to start, the real indicator is the terminal ballistics in a ballistics medium. I don't care that much about the temporary or permanent wound channels with handgun ammo - what I look for is penetration and whether the projectile expanded and kept together.

This is why I buy either Federal HST or Winchester bonded JHP for personal defense against humans. For defense or hunting I prefer JSP ammo, but again, I look at what the projectile does; will it penetrate thru bones, muscle and other tissue to reach vital organs, will it expand and will it keep together?

I.E., I don't put as much weight behind velocity/energy stats as I do performance of the projectile at the target. That's why I feel confident in either 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP (all three of which I have guns for, not to mention revolvers for similar cartridges) as I choose the ammo carefully; with each of those cartridges, if you get the right ammo for the job, it will perform well - therefore, other factors, such as cost, recoil, availability are also important factors for me. The .357 SIG fails on at least two of those criteria.
 
The 135 gr load I referenced was .40 S&W not .357 (maybe you confused it because I put the stat after I mentioned the .357) - so it is the .40 that does it with a heavier projectile. The two, .40 & .357 are pretty close in ballistics, with the .40 doing a bit better as the projectile gets heavier, but the .357 having better sectional density. In the end, it comes down to bullet design for either one.

The problem is that with the same projectile weight and design/construction, when you exceed the velocity that the projectile is designed for, you get faster and earlier expansion. This often results in less penetration. If you look at +P and +P+ gel test vids, this phenomenon is often present. At that point you want to switch over to "controlled expansion" projectiles as they won't expand as fast and get better penetration at higher velocities.

What it all comes down to is that energy & velocity are a place to start, the real indicator is the terminal ballistics in a ballistics medium. I don't care that much about the temporary or permanent wound channels with handgun ammo - what I look for is penetration and whether the projectile expanded and kept together.

This is why I buy either Federal HST or Winchester bonded JHP for personal defense against humans. For defense or hunting I prefer JSP ammo, but again, I look at what the projectile does; will it penetrate thru bones, muscle and other tissue to reach vital organs, will it expand and will it keep together?

I.E., I don't put as much weight behind velocity/energy stats as I do performance of the projectile at the target. That's why I feel confident in either 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP (all three of which I have guns for, not to mention revolvers for similar cartridges) as I choose the ammo carefully; with each of those cartridges, if you get the right ammo for the job, it will perform well - therefore, other factors, such as cost, recoil, availability are also important factors for me. The .357 SIG fails on at least two of those criteria.

I was just joking about the 9mm 124gr +p+ vs the 357 SIG 125gr load.
 
All of the above mentioned calibers are good to have on hand. That is why we as gun owners usually have at least one of each. I do know that quite a few Law Enforcement agencies are carrying the 357sig. That says loads to me. But then again a great deal of LE had the 40S&W and then went back to the 9mm. So we are left with the great debate: which caliber is better? Me, I like them all for various reasons. My favorite not mentioned is the mighty 10mm. Best regards guys.
 
Take a look at what is on the shelves. Take a look at how many LE orgs use .357 SIG vs. 9mm or .40 S&W. Take a look at the cost and availability of different kinds of ammo. The .357 SIG comes out in third place in those criteria - significantly behind. That's why I don't bother stocking any even though I have a .357 SIG barrel.
 
Every store around me sells 357 SIG. Even Wal Mart sold 357 SIG until they stopped selling handgun ammo.

Plink with the plinker 40 Cal ammo and switch barrels for better ballistics in a carry gun.
 
Every store around me sells 357 SIG. Even Wal Mart sold 357 SIG until they stopped selling handgun ammo.

Plink with the plinker 40 Cal ammo and switch barrels for better ballistics in a carry gun.

The .40 S&W ballistics are as good or better than .357 SIG.

If you look closely, you will see that .40 S&W ammo on shelves outnumbers .357 SIG ammo by several times and 9mm even more.
 
22 ammo outsells all of them. That doesnt mean its a better round. Better balistics mean differentvthings to differentvpeople. You can get full power 10mm energy out of the 357 SIG. A 124 grain hollow point travelling 1500 FPS is going to make it through clothing, couches, walls etc. No factory 40 S&W loads and certainly no 9mm loads come close
 
I believe it is just the US Coast Guard. As far as other military none that I know of. I have never heard of the 40 being used by the military unless again it was the Coast Guard?

No - USCG is .40 S&W - SIG P229 (or was last I checked).

I don't know of any US military that uses .357, only civilian LE. USCG kind of straddles the line on military v. civilian LE - they have the equivalent of civilian LE authority, being part of the DHS, but are also military (especially in any military type conflict).
 

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