Con: Limited range of loadings available, expensive new, commercial reloads scarce, more difficult to reload than straight-walled pistol cases, shouldn't use lead bullets for reloading
If money is not a serious contraint and you're willing to buy ammo in bulk to mitigate availability problems, go for it.
It's a dandy. My Glock 32 runs very well. Recoil is snappy, fast, but not uncomfortable at all. Only con is that ammo is spendy, not available like 9, 40, or 45. If you can afford to feed it and have an ammo source, snag one. My favorite cartridge.
And this couple paragraphs from the immediate link above,,
I’d like to discuss some excellent information from the www.ammolab.com forum group. This ammolab site specializes in testing ammo and is one of the top 9 firearms sites on the planet:
He has tested several thousand rounds of the usual 9, 40, 45, etc. When he tested the 357 Sig Winchester Ranger and Remington Golden Saber ammo, it did something only the 10mm Silvertip has been able to do. Both of these rounds cracked the top plate that holds the gelatin blocks in place during testing. It’s obvious that these 357 Sig rounds dump more energy into 12 – 14 inches of gelatin than most other rounds he has tested.
When he reinforced the top plates, the same two 357 Sig rounds mentioned above then cracked the lower plate. The best 9mm loads, such as the Ranger 127gr +P+ barely created a ripple in the gelatin in comparison.
bbls for a revolver and a semi are measured differently
the 125 grain 357 SIG from a 3" bbl will equal the velocity of a
125 grain 357 Magnum from a 3" revolver bbl.
only equal for 125 grain bullets, when fired from the same bbl length.
read into it whatever you want...
the recoil with my P239 sig and a S&W M60 3.2' has me liking the semi better.
sanppy and its over almost b4 you realize its happened and follow-up
shots happen faster ( for me, YMMV)
if not for over penetration in summertime, id carry it year round.
swap bbls making the p239 a 40 for the summer or when gaming
also a nickle more to re-load the 347sig cause i have to use jacketed;
at ~1450 fps its moving...
I carry .357sig much of the time. I alternate between that and .45. For me, a 147gr .355 bullet @ 1225fps or a 125 gr .355 @ 1450fps with 13 more before a 15 round reload ...... well, that along with all the info posted above does it for me. In my opinion, Awesome round!
Designed to duplicate the 125 grn .357 ballistics in a semi-auto round, it performs very well in that bullet weight--not so well in lighter/heavier, which accounts for the lack of variety in ammo selection.Iit's a proven round in LEO use, but has never caught on with the general public. Ammo has remained more expensive than the more common calibers, which only adds to its non-popularity.
While limited, my experience is that it's no more difficult to shoot accurately or harder to control recoil than any other of the more powerful calibers generally used for SD purposes. It is more difficult to reload--basicly because its bottleneck shape requires lubing--but isn't impossible by any means, just more involved compared to straight-walled cases. Bullet selection is limited.
12 rounds of 147 gr Hornady TAP moving out at 1,225 fps......357 snubby for the new age.
Impeccable accuracy, low recoil, and very fast followup shots. Practice with a 9mm, and carry the .357SIG if you're worried about ammo cost. The effectiveness of the .357SIG as a defensive round is well documented.
My brother has one, expensive to shoot and hard to find ammo for, gave him a 40 S&W barrel last Christmas for his SIG and he now shoots it all the time cause it is cheap to shoot and you can find ammo every where!!! I also bought him 100 rounds of 357SIG Ranger T's for Fathers Day today which he will keep for a while.
Pros and cons just like any other caliber IMO. I might give it one more for pro and that might be feeding reliability because of the case design......that's about it. Over the years I admit at being intrigued with the 357SIG, 45GAP and 10mm. I'm still an avid fan of shot placement and being able to do so with the basics. Marketing schemes sort of run off my back like a duck in the rain in the middle of a pond. I see little improvements in many ways. The only way to make up for a weakness is to work harder at being adept with what you have at the time. To want for something more than what you have only confuses the mind. Whatever works best for you should leave little doubts and little wants for something else. How far do you need to go? Can anything compensate for your weaknesses other than your own abilities?
Pros and cons just like any other caliber IMO. I might give it one more for pro and that might be feeding reliability because of the case design......that's about it. Over the years I admit at being intrigued with the 357SIG, 45GAP and 10mm. I'm still an avid fan of shot placement and being able to do so with the basics. Marketing schemes sort of run off my back like a duck in the rain in the middle of a pond. I see little improvements in many ways. The only way to make up for a weakness is to work harder at being adept with what you have at the time. To want for something more than what you have only confuses the mind. Whatever works best for you should leave little doubts and little wants for something else. How far do you need to go? Can anything compensate for your weaknesses other than your own abilities?
The .357sig round makes a 9mm bullet go faster than the 9mm round can make it go, therefore, in my mind it is not a marketing scheme. I have the ability to carry it ,so, in my opinion, me not carrying it would be my weakness.
Looks pretty awesome to me.
As for the cost of ammo, yes it does cost more and is not as easy to reload as a straight walled pistol case. BUT most .357 Sig guns can be converted to .40 caliber with only a barrel swap. The same goes for .40 to .357. You can use .40 for practice and .357 for carry. One real advantage of the bottleneck case is it has more reliable feeding since you aren't pushing the entire width of the round up the feed ramp from the magazine.
Lets just make it simple!! The .357sig was made to do one thing = the 125gr HP .357mag in a 4'' bl gun, that is does in a G32 & more in a G31. People gripe on so much but the 125gr .357mag is the only LE cal that has a 96% one shot stop record. This rd is growing fast in many states & LE, Mil, Gov use. The low end ammo = 480ftlb & high end = 550ftlb+ easy. The 9,40 & 45 can't but they all have their place because I have them all & they are great rds. The .357sig is the only one that comes close to the 10mm. It's a super high pro round & it's what I use with GDHP & it don't stop, glass, wall board, block, car doors, house walls & doors. If I ever have to use it on someone their is very little that they can hide behind that will stop this rd. That is what made the .357mag tha gun by witch all other hand guns are measured buy & the .357sig does it with more ammo in a faster gun.
One other thing about the Sig cartridge that hasn't yet been mentioned- boy oh boy, is it loud! I have personally never shot one but have been around when one was being fired and it's quite the attention-getter. I don't know if it has a harsh muzzle flash, but it sure is loud.
I'm a fan & shooter of the .357 sig. So is the U.S. Air Marshal Service. If I were you, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in my opinion. I would, however, give careful consideration to the opinion of the U.S. Air Marshals. They're quite serious about these sorts of things.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Defensive Carry
5.4M posts
117.5K members
Since 2004
A forum community dedicated to defensive firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about everyday carry, optics, holsters, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!