Experiences with .357 Sig?

[DustyBottoms]

Hello,

I was curious what were people's experiences with .357 Sig, and the pistols chambered for it? Just from reading about LE use with the round it is supposed to be a tremendous 'man stopper' with excellent feed reliability because it's a necked cartridge. I know it's kind of expensive but the chief gripe seems to be availability, and from checking around locally I've found that it is no problem to find here.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Grant48]

The availability problem is becoming less and less. A few years ago, you couldn't find it at Walmart or big box sporting goods stores; you had to go to a real gunshop or the internet. Nowadays, it's stocked just about anywhere that sells ammo... at least around here.

.357 Sig having been adopted as the standard issue of Texas DPS is probably a big reason why this cartridge has become very popular down here. In Texas, Rangers and State Troopers are generally regarded as the "gold standard" of peace officers.

[OPFOR]

I have really only shot it when training with other agencies (USSS, basically). They, of course, fire the round from the Sig P229 platform. I use the (nearly) identical platform in 9mm, so I have a pretty good base line for comparisons between the two.

The .357 Sig is LOUD, with significant muzzle flash, and you can definitely feel the difference in recoil impulse. That said, it hits hard, and has pretty impressive barrier penetration and (both tested and reported) terminal effectiveness. If I got the ammo for free and could train to overcome the increased (and all around) "oomph" of the round, I would consider it a top choice for duty/concealed carry.

[JohnLeVick]

I carried a Glock 32 with a Cominolli safety and a couple of other mods for about a year. It developed a propensity to self-engage the slide stop at random intervals, so I installed a heavier stop spring and sold it. It was the only Glock I ever owned that had the problem. While the 9x23 guns I usually now carry as primaries have pretty much identical ballistics, that was the only .357 Sig I've owned. .357 Sig is LOUD, but effective. I've shot it in Sig P226s like DPS issues, 229s, the Glock 32, Glock 33 and a couple of 1911-types.

The business of it being more reliable because of its bottleneck shape is a matter of "it depends." Sure, it always works in Sigs; so do .40 and 9x19 and .45 ACP. In a 1911 package, I've found it to be quite tricky to get one to run with it. DPS had some problems with some ammo in the early days after adopting the P-226 in .357. Some ammo would blow primers and flow primer material back into the firing pin channel, locking up the firing pin and causing misfires. Speer/CCI ammo solves the problem.

[Sig35seven]

M&P compact here. I find the 357Sig ammo easy to find here in Florida. I buy practice ammo at guns shows. 'Georgia Arms' factory reloads cost $16 for 50 rounds. That's only .50 cents more than 9 mm.

It is loud but the recoil is about the same as a 40cal or 9mm+p rounds.Very manageable. I feel it is slightly less recoil than a 45 acp.

For lots of 357Sig info go here....

http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/

[tracker 1]

i bought a glock 32 barrel for my 23 and i find the round to recoil not as bad as a .40 [i don't find the rcoil from the .40 a problem]. it seems i can shoot smaller groups and the noise to me is not much different than a hot 155grn. i always thought it would be a top performing defense round but haven't started carrying it. as far as the flash goes its not a problem with gold dots, not even at night. it really shoots great out uf my 23, and not that bad out of my 27.

[21bubba]

Sig P229,P239, and (gasp) Taurus 957. All of them are exceptionally accurate,reliable,and LOUD.

Just like a American Express card,"never leave home without one".

[OldVet]

I only shot the round on one ocassion, in a SIG something or other (belonged to the guy next to me at the range), and I didn't notice the round to be any noisier or recoil worse than my .45 ACP. I don't know that they were full-power loads, but I thought it shot and handled fine.

[TWO GUNS]

I had a G33 and a G32 but I sold them both because of the ammo shortage.I kinda wish I keept the 33.

[DustyBottoms]

Cool. I had my sights on a Sig p239 SAS model.

[Honus]

On duty, I've been carrying a Sig in 357 Sig for years but recently went back to a 1911. As a Detective I just like the slim 1911s, no other reason. Yes, the 357 Sig is louder than a 40 or 45. Recoil is slightly sharper than a 40, but a novice shooter wouldn't notice. 357 Sig downrange ballistics far surpasses a 40. 357 Sig ammo costs more, but if the agency is paying, that's not a factor. I've shot one Texas White Tail with the Speer Gold Dot and it did it's job.
357 advantage? The slightly longer bottleneck case "should" feed better in a marginal pistol. The 229s and Sig Pros in 357 have been very accurate.
Disadvantage? Ammo cost and in my opinion, I wouldn't shoot the 357 sig in an un-supported chamber such as a Glock or non-ramped 1911.

[Sgt Z Squad]

I carry the Sig P239 in .357 Sig. I am comfortable with the cartridge. Cost is a factor, but I reload the cartridge which provides a cost saving factor for me. Gunbroker has been a great resource for me in finding ammunition and reloading supplies, in particular .357 Sig brass.