Is the .357 Sig slowly dying?

[AZ Hawk]

Now the Hawk has diss my HK, but the reasoning is this, an LE can purchase a Glock for ± $300-$400 vs a HK weapon for LE "Large Volume Only" of ± $600-$700. Retail is upwards of $850.00 on an HK. HK was selling more 9mm and 40 S&Ws so manufacturing a limited run .357 Sig barrel is more costly.

I reload .357 Sig for training or run my 40 S&W barrel. As for SD rounds I don't see Winchester or Speer limiting production. However I do hoard when I see a sale! Just for my retirement!

I didn't diss your HK, I just said it's not popular among LE. That is all.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Yankeejib]

I don't see .357 sig going away any time soon. On the other hand, 9 and 40 cover the bases pretty well too, for far less $.

[onacoma]

I didn't diss your HK, I just said it's not popular among LE. That is all.

You try working with ±300 LEOs and 298 carry those Tupperware guns, aka Glocks!

You get just a little protective about the only friend I've had longer than ANY of my wifes!

Note the other HK guy carries a .357 Sig baby Glock as a back up!

Come to think of it, if I'd stay away from marriages, I could have afforded more HKs! C'est La Vie!

[zonker1986]

don't think the .357 SIG is going away anytime soon.....but do see manufacturers without a large
LEO contract to drop the caliber as they are just not selling enough of them to private citizens to keep them in their catalog. All I see are Glocks and SIGs with the .357 SIG contracts.

In 1995, the Texas Highway Patrol became the first government agency to deploy a firearm utilizing .357 SIG cartridge.

The SIG-Sauer P229 in .357 SIG has been adopted for use by agents and officers of the following organizations:

United States Secret Service,[2]
Bureau of Industry and Security,
Federal Air Marshals,[2]
Delaware State Police,[2]
Rhode Island State Police,
Virginia State Police,[2]
Richmond City Police, Virginia,
Bastrop County Sheriff's Office,
Alameda County Sheriff's Office,
Montana Highway Patrol
North Carolina Highway Patrol
The Tennessee Highway Patrol presently issues the Glock 31 pistol chambered in .357 SIG. The Mississippi Highway Patrol issues a (Glock 31 Generation 4) with their logo engraved on the weapon.[21][22] The Bedford Heights Police Department in Ohio currently issues the Glock 31/32/33. The Elloree Police Department in South Carolina Elloree Police also issues the Glock 31, .357 SIG and the Madison Police Department in Madison, WV issues the Glock 32 in .357 SIG. The Lexington Police Department in North Carolina issues the Sig P229 DAK in .357 Sig. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issues the SIG-Sauer P226 in .357 SIG. The Paramus Police Department in New Jersey also issues the SIG P226 in .357 SIG. The West Grove Borough Police Department, West Grove PA, also carry the SIG-Sauer P226 in the .357 SIG caliber. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol uses Smith & Wesson M&P's chambered in .357 SIG. The Herculaneum (Missouri) Police Department uses the P226 and P229 in .357 SIG. The Orlando Police Department uses the Sig-Sauer P226 in .357 SIG.[23]

[CDW4ME]

Only due to ammo costs... it will stay around. Just be a niche caliber that only certain people can afford or want to afford like the 10mm.

From what I've seen and heard about it the .357 Sig will become a niche round, as stated above. Next will be the .45 GAP, IMHO.

I've done my small part for the niche calibers, Glock 33, 29 SF, 38.

I guess I'm a sucker for slight caliber advantages.
The 33 produces more KE with less kick than a G27 (40 S&W), no penalty in capacity.
The 29 SF produces more KE than the 30 (45 acp) no penalty in capacity.
The 38 is more pleasant to shoot than the 23, has a bigger bore, same frame size, less rounds.

[Sig35seven]

The 357sig ammo can be purchased at a slightly more cost than .40 cal. It's no big deal. I use Georgia Arms factory reloads at the range. $16.50 for 50 rounds.

Also, decompression at altitude can be serious depending on how fast the air escapes from the cabin. The golfer Payne Stewart and his mates were killed when there private jet apparently had a window fracture. This caused everyone in the cabin, including the pilots, to become incapacitated from ear drums exploding and other decompression related injuries. The plane flew until it ran out of gas and then crashed.

[czman2006]

From what I've seen and heard about it the .357 Sig will become a niche round, as stated above. Next will be the .45 GAP, IMHO.

But let me say there is nothing wrong with a niche round. I'm even thinking about getting a .38 super!

[onacoma]

Also, decompression at altitude can be serious depending on how fast the air escapes from the cabin. The golfer Payne Stewart and his mates were killed when there private jet apparently had a window fracture. This caused everyone in the cabin, including the pilots, to become incapacitated from ear drums exploding and other decompression related injuries. The plane flew until it ran out of gas and then crashed.

Sorry but that BS!

There was no decompression or ear drums blowing out! The offical report stated "The NTSB determined that the probable cause of this accident was incapacitation of the flight crewmembers as a result of their failure to receive supplemental oxygen following a loss of cabin pressurization, for undetermined reasons."

Here is the link!

Payne Stewart Plane Crash Information

[gasmitty]

"Explosive decompression" - amazing how one scene from "Goldfinger" became a revered Hollywood staple for more than a generation!

Most technical types in the airplane biz know the notion of explosive decompression is a myth, and the Aloha Airlines incident 20+ years ago was plenty of real-world confirmation. But - using Hollywood to debunk Hollywood, Myth Busters ran that experiment on a full-size aircraft. Using a scrapped commercial airline fuselage (DC-9?), they sealed it off and used an enormous compressor to pressurize it to the correct delta-P that represented flight conditions, then remotely fired a 9mm round through the airplane skin from the inside. The result? A little "hisssss" like a leaking tire. They plugged the hole and then tried shooting a window - same result. When they were all done, the only thing which could get their dummy even halfway out the fuselage was using C4 to blow a 3-foot hole in the plane. One of their better episodes.

[SFury]

I think comparing the .357 Sig to the .45 GAP is a big mistake. The .45 GAP does not appear to be even garnering much support at all compared to the .357 Sig anyways.

I think the .357 Sig will eventually garner more market. It's a solid round with a good following, and more LEAs are either moving to it, or allowing it as an option for their officers. Which is a good sign at any rate.

[multistage]

I think comparing the .357 Sig to the .45 GAP is a big mistake. The .45 GAP does not appear to be even garnering much support at all compared to the .357 Sig anyways.

I think the .357 Sig will eventually garner more market. It's a solid round with a good following, and more LEAs are either moving to it, or allowing it as an option for their officers. Which is a good sign at any rate.

I agree with this guy. But just the same, I hoard ammo for mine.

[Sig35seven]

Sorry but that BS!

There was no decompression or ear drums blowing out! The offical report stated "The NTSB determined that the probable cause of this accident was incapacitation of the flight crewmembers as a result of their failure to receive supplemental oxygen following a loss of cabin pressurization, for undetermined reasons."

Here is the link!

Payne Stewart Plane Crash Information

It is NOT BS. You need a better understanding of what can happen to smaller aircraft at high altitude.

First the NTSB concluded... " No definitive evidence exists that indicates the rate at which the accident flight lost its cabin pressure; therefore, the Safety Board evaluated conditions of both rapid and gradual depressurization."

"If there had been a breach in the fuselage (even a small one that could not be visually detected by the in-flight observers) or a seal failure, the cabin could have depressurized gradually, rapidly, or even explosively." (NTSB)

Linda Pendelton is an expert in this arena. She is an expert on the subject of high-altitude physiology and decompression. You're guaranteed to learn a thing or three from Linda's remarkable article. She specifically speaks about decompression affects in smaller aircraft like Stewarts Lear jet. (Since they have a smaller volume decompression happens faster and they are affected more severely than large jets.)

When Humans Fly High: What Pilots Should Know About High-Altitude Physiology, Hypoxia, and Rapid Decompression

"The most noticeable immediate effect of rapid cabin decompression will be the sudden rush of air from the lungs. As noted above, this can be a near fatal experience in explosive decompressions in small aircraft."

"The trapped gas disorder almost everyone who has ever flown is familiar with is one affecting the ears -- actually the middle ear. Usually, trapped gas in this area is a problem on descents, but discomfort and pain can be present during rapid decompressions."

"Explosive or Rapid Decompression -- This seems to be the most likely scenario."

No one will ever know for sure BUT it appears from an expert point of view that the pilots were immediately overwhelmed with pain and disorientation due to the explosive decompression. They would have been alerted to a slow decompression by the aircraft saftey system and could have avoided hypoxia had that been the case.

[Smitty901]

The 357 is going no where it will be around.
It is a good hunting weapon I have taken a few deer with one. It is flexible shoots all 357 rounds and 38's, You can even buy some with an extra cyl and can shoot 9mm with it.
While Auto seems to rule the day in movies Revolvers are still selling well. I have notice a swing to revolvers for CC creeping up. They are simple , and never fail.
A 357 with the right rounds will drop a man better than most. Even the 38 Sp are selling good right now. You may not hear much about them but they are selling.
I was not so long ago they were pronouncing the 9mm dead, the 40 was going to replace it. Glade I did not bet on that one. The 45 has been pronounced dead a few times still big seller.
Sales are the only factor in how long a weapon sticks around.

[AZ Hawk]

The 357 is going no where it will be around.
It is a good hunting weapon I have taken a few deer with one. It is flexible shoots all 357 rounds and 38's, You can even buy some with an extra cyl and can shoot 9mm with it.
While Auto seems to rule the day in movies Revolvers are still selling well. I have notice a swing to revolvers for CC creeping up. They are simple , and never fail.
A 357 with the right rounds will drop a man better than most. Even the 38 Sp are selling good right now. You may not hear much about them but they are selling.
I was not so long ago they were pronouncing the 9mm dead, the 40 was going to replace it. Glade I did not bet on that one. The 45 has been pronounced dead a few times still big seller.
Sales are the only factor in how long a weapon sticks around.

We're talking about .357 SIG, not .357 Magnum.

[Smitty901]

We're talking about .357 SIG, not .357 Magnum.

Sorry The 357 Sig IMO was never anything but a novelty gun I had forgot about it until you posted that.
Novelty Guns will stick around as long as people with money buy them.