Thoughts on .357 SIG

orygun · Feb 8, 2026

From what little I know about the 357 Sig, it's pretty much a duplicate to the 357 Magnum when shooting similar bullet weights. That would definitely move it into the "snappy" side concerning recoil and I imagine in blast, too. But that means that it's going to be a good fight stopper if it's loaded with the right bullet.

Bobbygun · Feb 8, 2026

orygun said:
From what little I know about the 357 Sig, it's pretty much a duplicate to the 357 Magnum when shooting similar bullet weights. That would definitely move it into the "snappy" side concerning recoil and I imagine in blast, too. But that means that it's going to be a good fight stopper if it's loaded with the right bullet.

I put a .357 Sig barrel in my .40 M&P Shield. I didn't find it that painful to shoot. In fact, my perceived recoil was less than .357 Magnum rounds through my 4" S&W 686 plus. The Shield does fit my hand exceptionally well.

My 79 y.o. hunting buddy didn't care for the .357 Sig though. Here is his comment in an email he sent me the next day: "I haven't looked yet but I probably have black and blue marks on my hand and wrist from firing that noisy kicking pistol of yours."

bpyycpyy · Feb 8, 2026

While the 357 Sig is a little more snappy than 9mm (shot in the same handgun - M&P, Gen 1.0) it's less than a 10mm in the M&P, Gen 2.0. Not punishing snappy, but more recoil for sure. You gain ~250 fps over 9mm for same bullet weight with ~40% more energy. The 357 Sig shines in barrier penetration like sheet metal and especially auto glass. Like already mentioned, mostly comparable to 357 Mag (lower bullet weights) out of a semi-auto pistol. Ammo cost is there but if you reload, you can reload for it pretty cheaply once the brass is obtained. Some people report issues with the reloading of these due to the bottleneck design but if you size/decap with 40 S&W die and then bump shoulder with 357 Sig die, no lube is required.
If recoil is an issue, I'm sure you can always get a different recoil spring weight to help with that as there is usually many options out there from several different suppliers.
If you check YouTube for comparison between them, there are several videos available.

fredball · Feb 8, 2026

Welcome Aboard :s0101:

Xmark1 · Feb 8, 2026

I approve of 357 Sig.

ilikegunspdx · Feb 11, 2026

ilikegunspdx said:
Many police reports of .357 stopping power being similar to .357 magnum. Lots of reports on dogs going down with 1 shot verses several required for 9mm. Also if you've seen a lot of 9mm police shootings it often takes several 9mm rounds. Here's a one shot .357 sig example. Skip to 5:38 mark. Suggest ignoring the commentator but that's up to you.

View: https://youtu.be/_NFx7zfE1FA?si=D8CUCT9k7QnFEeLI

Most of the 9mm cop encounters I've seen on video look similar to this below. Saw one the other day old guy in hospital. Took 2 sets of shots to stop him. Shot placement of course we can't tell but I don't think I've seen a 9mm one similar to that .357 sig one. Too limited examples to tell. Just what I've seen.

Skip to 1:55 mark