.357Sig and the the Military?

Has any branch of the U.S. Military ever issued any sidearm chambered in .357Sig?


I was at my favorite LGS today. I was out for a ride and just stopped in to see if there was anything new(cool) on the shelf since my last stop. As I perused the inventory and asked the occasional question of the owner, a young man came in and asked for a quote on a "Glock 45 SF". He said that he wanted a concealed carry gun in .45acp or "357, like I carried in the service."

I asked what branch of service was issuing .357Sig as I didn't know that it was being used by the military. He said that he was "special Forces/ Green Berets" for the last 15 years until his "hummer took a mortar in Iraq" and he got shrapnel in his back.

This guy was a fairly big guy and looked like he may have been in fighting shape in the past. He didn't look to me like a disabled special forces soldier, more like a football player gone to seed. He may have been old enough to have 15 years service, but just barely.

I didn't say anything and the LGS owner didn't either but we gave each other the eyebrow and smirk. Now, I'm certainly not an "operator" of any kind but I have more than a few years in the Army and the AFR. I have a few acquaintances who are legitimate SF, bad dudes. Not a one of them would have talked the way this guy did. It's not so much what he said but the way he said it.

I could be wrong. He may be exactly what he claimed. But my question still stands.

Has any Branch or or special op ever issued .357Sig as a side arm?

Special forces use whatever they can get their hands on. No specific weapon is their "side arm" different weapons for different missions I would assume.

Standard issue? Not that I'm aware of.

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Originally Posted by PIMking

Special forces use whatever they can get their hands on.

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Not an accurate statement at all.

Never heard of SF using the 357 Sig round. The guys I worked with my last deployment either had 9mm or 45s depending on who I was talking to at the time. I know that some of the military investigative units use different calibers, Navy NCIS uses SIG P229 in .40.

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Originally Posted by NotMallNinja

Not an accurate statement at all.

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That was what I was told by a SF.

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Originally Posted by PIMking

That was what I was told by a SF.

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What you heard, or what you think you heard, is not an accurate reflection of reality for U.S. Army Special Forces.

Secret Service is the only "service" that comes to mind.

Federal Air Marshal's "Service"

But no, the guy was full of manure. Period.

Wellll, first clue is he just offered up the info he was an 18 in the first place. Not something you just throw out there. Nine times out of ten the only way you find out if someone is in the SPECOPS community is when another person tells you the guy is.
As for the .357 Sig, you don't just pick your sidearm hoping mom can mail you extra ammo for it. I'm not saying there aren't users out there, I'm saying it makes little logistical sense when it's gonna be pretty difficult to get your hands on more rounds. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting 9mm and if you make nice-nice with a good armorer you won't find yourself in short demand of 45ACP. But .357/.357SIG/10mm-- I gotta say not likely.
Think you and your buddy were right to be suspicious.

Well I went straight to the horses mouth so to speak.

Beretta's and Glocks in 9mm are what is used for the missions as they want as much ammo as they can in a single firearm. There are a couple of 1911 style pistols in the arms room if someone wanted to carry them. I would not doubt that there are a couple of .357 sigs or 10mm's in some teams armory just to try but I have never seen any issued to ODA or ODB team members since I have been around them. The SEAL team down the road carries SIG's in 9mm both 226 and 229 along with Berettas and Glocks.

.357 Sig is not a military round. Military units use either 9mm or .45. It has been this way for a long time.

Too bad being a wannabe isn't illegal sometimes.

I know U.S. Air Marshal Service has issued handguns chambered in .357 Sig. I know of no branch of military using the same. In fact, I know some 6th SF guys who simply don't/won't use a .45 acp. Seems the empty brass leaves a trail that's, according to them, "entirely too American". They want a handgun chambered in the most available, easiest caliber to beg, borrow or steal in the area they were working. That's 9mm. And, the ones that I know, prefer the Sig 226, the Beretta M9 & (a surprise to me) the GLOCK G19. The LGS commando is (IMHO) a popcorn fart.

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Originally Posted by luvmy40

Has any branch of the U.S. Military ever issued any sidearm chambered in .357Sig?


I was at my favorite LGS today. I was out for a ride and just stopped in to see if there was anything new(cool) on the shelf since my last stop. As I perused the inventory and asked the occasional question of the owner, a young man came in and asked for a quote on a "Glock 45 SF". He said that he wanted a concealed carry gun in .45acp or "357, like I carried in the service."

I asked what branch of service was issuing .357Sig as I didn't know that it was being used by the military. He said that he was "special Forces/ Green Berets" for the last 15 years until his "hummer took a mortar in Iraq" and he got shrapnel in his back.

This guy was a fairly big guy and looked like he may have been in fighting shape in the past. He didn't look to me like a disabled special forces soldier, more like a football player gone to seed. He may have been old enough to have 15 years service, but just barely.

I didn't say anything and the LGS owner didn't either but we gave each other the eyebrow and smirk. Now, I'm certainly not an "operator" of any kind but I have more than a few years in the Army and the AFR. I have a few acquaintances who are legitimate SF, bad dudes. Not a one of them would have talked the way this guy did. It's not so much what he said but the way he said it.

I could be wrong. He may be exactly what he claimed. But my question still stands.

Has any Branch or or special op ever issued .357Sig as a side arm?

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Its possible he was talking about .357S&W....not .357SIG. 9mm & .45ACP are in DoD inventory...not .357SIG

...or the guy was a complete poser. I vote poser. LGS worker + guns + B.S. story on being issued .357SIG + referring to his military past as "in the service" = suspect poser. If his hummer took a mortar, whoever dropped that mortar has great aim to hit a moving target...if he was hit with an IED, then he would refer to an IED.