.357 Sig

I have a sigpro SP2340 in 357 SIG.....I love the gun. It's a bit lighter than my duty SIGARMS P229. It's accurate and handles the cartridge very well.

I've seen many an on-line argument regarding this round. The argument generally revolves around the wisdom behind the introduction and "purpose in life" over this cartridge. Many feel that a hot 9mm, most if not all .40 S&W's and/or a .45 ACP will do better or as well as a 357 SIG ballistically and perhaps those folks are right. But, being a fan of the uncommon (hence my love of the 10mm, .38 Super, and this caliber), that's why I carry it and own one other 357 SIG-chambered gun (a Steyr M357).

The premise behind this caliber was to put ".357 Magnum power" into an autopistol cartridge....some feel that SIG and Federal succeeded; one gun rag I read within the past two months had Massad Ayoob say that the idea fell slightly short because some 357 SIG ammo produced by some companies was no hotter than some manufacturer's 9mm +P+. Whatever the case is, there are LE agencies that adopted them, such as Texas DPS, Federal Air Marshal Service and U.S. Secret Service and they left behind .45 ACP, 9mm (in +P format) and other calibers in doing so and they seem to like the caliber.

....so the bottom line is, whatever floats your boat. I like the caliber; my sigpro and M357 are more accurate than their .40 S&W counterparts and I don't find the ammo prices objectionable.

Pete's 357SIG page, if it still exists, is an excellent resource on the round, even though the information is dated. The 357SIG premium rounds are very consistent, usually within +/- 50fps mv. Accuracy is high. Trajectory is flat (and IIRC, rounds at 1450fps mv only fall off about 2" at 100 yds). One important difference between 357SIG and 9mm +P+ is that there is no standard for +P+. The 357SIG is a SAAMI spec standard load, which also means that your practice semi-wadcutters are going to give you very similar performance to your JHP's. Ayoob saying that the round falls short because some manufacturers load light ignores the capabilities of the round when loaded as intended: to push a 125gr bullet at 1450fps from the 4.4" barrel of a semi-automatic. If some manufacturers fail to do that, it's their problem, not the round. Also, there aren't a lot of 9mm pistols designed to eat +P+ ammo all day long. My 357SIG is designed to operate with its standard load all day long.

I shoot it from a P226ST. I think the size and weight of the pistol suit the round, very well. The VSP shoot it from a P229. I expect the P229ST would be a dream. Some of the Richmond PD shoot it from SigPro's, and love it. I do insist on premium ammo designed for optimal performance. I do not settle for underpowered ammo.

it is no surprise to me that the .357 auto has found such sweeping acceptance amongst law enforcement. the penetration of the .357 auto is amazing. the only automatic ive fired with comparable penetration (both using jhp bullets) is the 10mm.


fwiw, here are a few quotes from wiki:

"The .357 SIG offers a very flat trajectory like the 10 mm Auto. Combined with expanding bullets, it has very good stopping power. Its drawbacks are its harsh treatment of pistols that are chambered for the cartridge, which have the potential for accelerated wear if not of strong build, and its potential to overpenetrate. The .357 SIG, like the .357 Magnum, is well suited for the use of bullets that can defeat body armor.

This round is excellent when shooting through barricades may prove necessary. There has been a documented case where a police officer's .45 round did not penetrate a tractor's shell but a .357 SIG round from a backup officer's gun did (killing the suspect inside). The forementioned ability of this round to penetrate through barriers is the main reason behind its rapid and growing adoption by federal, state and local law enforcement.

Since the .357 SIG utilizes a standard 9 mm Luger bullet bottlenecked into a .40 S&W (10 mm) case, feeding problems are almost non-existent. This is because the bullet is channeled through the larger chamber before being seated entirely as the slide goes into full battery. Flat point bullets are seldom used with other autoloader platforms because of feeding problems; however, such bullets are commonly seen in the .357 SIG chambering and are quite reliable, as is the case with hollowpoint ammunition."


ive been a 1911 man for my entire life......right up until i bought my g31. both the weapon and the caliber are amazing, and it has become my daily carry. you can simply "feel the authority" of the caliber every time you shoot it and im not referencing a brutal recoil. the caliber simply has a feel all its own.