357SIG and other oddball calibers

[E4mafia]

Anyone have any experience with 357sig? from some stuff I have read online and a couple videos it doesn't seem too bad but what im mostly looking for is people who actually use it often or CC. Dunno but I sort of want an oddball caliber since I have the primary 9-556 covered.

My understanding is that its basically at suped up 9mm bullet that fires at higher velocities than 40sw and packs a little more punch, capacity I hear is the same as 40 as well. The downside is its shelf price. Curious how it handles while firing, from the videos i've seen it looks almost like 40 when fired.

Discuss other odd calibers to (45GAP etc)
Thanks!

Read More

 

[No_Regerts]

See, defensive handgun cartridges are boring to me. To compare them to rifle cartridges, the 9mm is like 270 (effective when placed well) and 45 is like 30-06 (more penetration with more recoil) and with 40 being like 280 (best of both worlds but infinitely unpopular).

I have always been a 280 guy (and a 40 guy). To me, 357 Sig is cool. But, it does suffer some problems. Its a 9mm bullet (I like stuff that starts with 4) in a 40 case (sometimes less case support than you'd like). Its not as widely available. I suppose you could get a 40 barrel for most practice and what-not and then carry with the 357.

I guess a defensive gun should be chambered in something widely available so you can practice. I put easily 100 rounds out of my pistol and AR for every round I shoot out of a hunting rifle. Because of that, I prefer performance based cartridges in hunting rifles and practical cartridges in defensive guns.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I'm a big fan of the 11.45x23 cartridge....
Andy

 

[Ura-Ki]

Go Metric or Go Home! 10 mm Auto and be the coolest guy you know!

Seriously, the power can be any thing from Weak .40 all the way to full Nuka Anti Peterbuilt!

 

[No_Regerts]

Go Metric or Go Home! 10 mm Auto and be the coolest guy you know!

Seriously, the power can be any thing from Weak .40 all the way to full Nuka Anti Peterbuilt!

This is exactly the opposite of what I'd do. Metric is for countries that haven't put a man on the moon yet. Thats why I shoot 40 and 280. None of that 10mm/7mm stuff for me!

 

[Jonnyuma]

Don't see much 38Super anymore. ... why is that?

 

[No_Regerts]

Don't see much 38Super anymore. ... why is that?

Its rimmed. The 9x23 is more betterer.

 

[Jonnyuma]

Its rimmed. The 9x23 is more betterer.

I was actually gonna mention 9x23 but left it out. I guess they're hanging around w 41AE and 44AutoMag at the retired cartridge home.

 

[joken]

I have a 226 with 40/357 barrels. I don't carry it, but do handload for both and the .357 is very accurate and fun to shoot.

 

[oli700]

10mm Auto is the round you seek . Same capacity, more common and no more expensive than 357sig. Although 10mm Auto is more powerful than 357sig, placement is still king when it comes to handgun cartridges that will fit a common size combat handgun

 

[oli700]

Don't see much 38Super anymore. ... why is that?

not sure , I have one and I think its an awesome round I really like it . Not too common on the shelf maybe ? I reload mine so I don't pay any attention to the shelf

 

[Medic!]

I carry .357 Sig. Here's why.

Now lets say all pistol rounds do the same thing [Damage]in the human body? I don't believe this completely but OK.

The .357 Sig has better barrier penetration. And shoots flatter.
After all. A bullet needs to hit a bad guy before it dose anything. Right?

As to price? I buy Premium Gold Dot ammo for $20/50rds.
As to recoil? Some can only tolerate/control .380.

 

[156256Hunter]

.357 sig is accurate and fun to shoot. Recoil isnt as bad as people make it out to be. The heavier loads have slightly better sectional density than a lot of .40 loads. Yes ammo is a little pricier but not too bad. Best way to go is get a .40 and buy the .357 sig barrel. Just make sure you don't keep mags loaded with .40 while the pistol has the 357 barrel in it.

 

[Member 34319]

My problem with 357, and 10mm or any other "considered hot" cartridge is the Ammo. Off the shelf Ammo is never loaded to its full potential.

Only tried and trued cartridges like 357mag or 9mm+p, and 38+p have actually potent loads and are off the shelf available.

Some 357 sig and 10mm on the shelf is not even as strong or as fast as the round it is supposedly better than. For instance most value pack range Ammo for either is no better than the 9mm the 357 is supposedly superior to or 40 the 10mm is supposedly superior to.

It's all marketing in my eyes. Especially the 10mm. Just look at how many these days rave and brag on them, just another gun they had to have, because it's so powerful!

 

[No_Regerts]

My problem with 357, and 10mm or any other "considered hot" cartridge is the Ammo. Off the shelf Ammo is never loaded to its full potential.

Only tried and trued cartridges like 357mag or 9mm+p, and 38+p have actually potent loads and are off the shelf available.

Some 357 sig and 10mm on the shelf is not even as strong or as fast as the round it is supposedly better than. For instance most value pack range Ammo for either is no better than the 9mm the 357 is supposedly superior to or 40 the 10mm is supposedly superior to.

It's all marketing in my eyes. Especially the 10mm. Just look at how many these days rave and brag on them, just another gun they had to have, because it's so powerful!

The 10mm is a hipster cartridge. Solution looking for a problem where the solution HAS to be different by being metric.

 

[Medic!]

My problem with 357, and 10mm or any other "considered hot" cartridge is the Ammo. Off the shelf Ammo is never loaded to its full potential.

Only tried and trued cartridges like 357mag or 9mm+p, and 38+p have actually potent loads and are off the shelf available.

Some 357 sig and 10mm on the shelf is not even as strong or as fast as the round it is supposedly better than. For instance most value pack range Ammo for either is no better than the 9mm the 357 is supposedly superior to or 40 the 10mm is supposedly superior to.

It's all marketing in my eyes. Especially the 10mm. Just look at how many these days rave and brag on them, just another gun they had to have, because it's so powerful!

With 10 mm yes.

125gr 357 sig is loaded between 1350 and 1550fps from a four inch barrel.
That's easily 150fps-350fps more than 9mm+p ammo. And that's ''A lot more''.

I cant find any 357 sig ammo loaded slow like with the 10mm?
Loads like Remington FMJ green and white box. Gold dot HP ammo. and Sig's factory loads. Are all hot.

 

[AMT]

A buddy of mine bought a 357Sig Glock. Used to carry it with confidence that it was a good self defense round. Then he started reading and watching videos. His confidence turned to concern when he started researching the effects of over penetration (through penetration), and the affected objects located beyond your target. (Consider the round going through something/someone and going into an innocent. Or going through your walls into your neighbors house)

He swapped it to a 9mm barrel. Carries hydra-shok, golden Sabres, critical defense, etc. Soemthing with good hitting/stopping power, without too much worry of over penetration, like that of a 357sig round.

YMMV




PS: you weren't specific. Do you want to CC it? Or are you looking for something fun?

 

[Medic!]

A buddy of mine bought a 357Sig Glock. Used to carry it with confidence that it was a good self defense round. Then he started reading and watching videos. His confidence turned to concern when he started researching the effects of over penetration (through penetration), and the affected objects located beyond your target. (Consider the round going through something/someone and going into an innocent. Or going through your walls into your neighbors house)

He swapped it to a 9mm barrel. Carries hydra-shok, golden Sabres, critical defense, etc. Soemthing with good hitting/stopping power, without too much worry of over penetration, like that of a 357sig round.

YMMV




PS: you weren't specific. Do you want to CC it? Or are you looking for something fun?

Oh no! Overpenetration may hit someone!
What about the two 9mm rounds that you sent down range that didn't connect like the third?


Maybe we all move to .25 auto?

 

[156256Hunter]

The 357 sig is supposed to replicate 357 mag ballistics out of a short barrel. Concerns about overpenetration may be valid, if one has concerns about carrying or using for home defense a 357 mag with a 3 or 4 inch barrel (which I would). However, as we all know, it also depends on the load.

The .357 sig 125 grain speer gold dots (1375 fps) in the below linked ballistics test (using a G22) show 13.2" average penetration depth and 0.67" average diameter expansion. I'll take it.

.357 Sig Self-Defense Ammo Ballistic Gel Test

 

[No_Regerts]

One thing that manufacturers get right with premium hunting bullets is expansion thresholds. A premium hunting bullet that impacts a deer at 2000 fps will upset and exit and, tests have shown, have insufficient energy to cause much harm after exit.

Too bad pistol ammo is too slow to do that. Im not worried about what exits, I'm worried about what doesn't hit the intended target to begin with. So, in that case, I want ammo that exits and causes 2 bleeding holes.