.357 SIG.....My New Favorite Round/Ammo

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I have the S&W FS M&P .40 1.0 & 2.0. I just recently bought a factory S&W .357 SIG barrel from EBAY to install in my M&P's. Let me tell you something, that .357 SIG is one bad round! I'm shooting SPEER TMJ 125gr. ammo for paper hole punching. For self defense, Federal LE 125 gr HST and Winchester PDX1 JHP 125gr.
I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of ANY of this ammo!
Does anyone else here like the .357 SIG round?
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It's a good round and I think the federal air marshals still use it for it's flat shooting characteristics.

I really like the recoil impulse.

My only gripe is that rounds named after companies tend to have really weak market support and distribution (45 GAP anyone?)
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
My only gripe is that rounds named after companies tend to have really weak market support and distribution (45 GAP anyone?)


45ACP is pretty popular.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
It's a good round and I think the federal air marshals still use it for it's flat shooting characteristics.

I really like the recoil impulse.

My only gripe is that rounds named after companies tend to have really weak market support and distribution (45 GAP anyone?)


Aren't all semi-auto pistol rounds named after a company that created the spec?
 
It is mine also. I have 4 Glock G4 pistols chambered in .357 SIG. I hand load all my target ammunition making it very cheap to shoot. I find it is the best of both worlds--the power of a .40S&W and the price of a 9MM to reload. 125gr Federal HST gets the nod for EDC ammunition. I also have some 147gr HST demilled bullets that I want to work a load up and shoot when time allows.
 
Almost every case I can find where a person is shot with a .357Sig hollowpoint center mass, is a one and done ordeal. Great round.

Its the ideal round for a highway patrol officer.
 
I’ve been carrying it for years. I tested all the major calibers and settled on it. I reload my own, so it costs me the same as 9mm for practice rounds. The Highway Patrol carries it here. One of them was at my range once, and gave me his spent brass.
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Originally Posted By: Reddy45
It's a good round and I think the federal air marshals still use it for it's flat shooting characteristics.

I really like the recoil impulse.

My only gripe is that rounds named after companies tend to have really weak market support and distribution (45 GAP anyone?)


And USSS
 
.357 SIG is an amazing round.

I carry the Underwood loading of the Gold Dot 125gr. in my G32. It's an honest 1500 FPS out of the 4" G32 barrel, as verified by ballistics testing by tnoutdoors9 YouTube channel - 600+ lbs. of muzzle energy out of a compact handgun with 23-round capacity (with the Glock extended 22-rounder; flush-fit mags hold 13).

I believe that matches the performance of a 4" .357 MAG revolver with 125g ammo. With much less recoil.

And, there's the thing about the bottleneck ammunition being pretty much impervious to feeding jams due to the shape.

And it's just fun to shoot with the blast. You really know you're shooting a powerful handgun.
 
Looks like it is a great round. There are two problems, though. I don't know where its availability is going for the future, and a limited selection of pistols chambered for it.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
Looks like it is a great round. There are two problems, though. I don't know where its availability is going for the future, and a limited selection of pistols chambered for it.
The same has been said for nearly every round that does not have a large following, but they are all still around and if you reload, availability will never be an issue. There are quite a few pistols chambered for it--SIG, Glock, HK, S&W, and even Beretta and Steyr (both no longer made new, but in the used pistol pipeline). There are even .357 SIG conversion barrels for .40S&W pistols since the SIG uses the same magazines, breech face, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
I have the S&W FS M&P .40 1.0 & 2.0. I just recently bought a factory S&W .357 SIG barrel from EBAY to install in my M&P's. Let me tell you something, that .357 SIG is one bad a** round! I'm shooting SPEER TMJ 125gr. ammo for paper hole punching. For self defense, Federal LE 125 gr HST and Winchester PDX1 JHP 125gr.
I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of ANY of this ammo!
Does anyone else here like the .357 SIG round?
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I didn't think I would get this many replies. There are more .357 SIG followers here than I thought and it's good to hear all the different opinions about this BEASTLY round.
This is why I like the HST & PDX1 rounds the best!
https://youtu.be/3kLkpIljrNA
https://youtu.be/w9tMqnNXaDY
 
I like the .357 Sig also but I only occasionally carry it. The high cost of ammo and increased recoil prevent it from being my favorite, but I do still enjoy it. That being said, I like bottle neck cartridges in general for their reliable feeding and efficient power delivery. Plus, I think they just look cool.

I have a .357 sig barrel for my Glock 22, basically turning it into a Glock 31. The recoil is snappy but not uncomfortable and watching the muzzle flash is fun at my poorly lit indoor range. I think .357 sig really needs at least a 4" barrel to make the most out of the cartridge and I wish more companies made a 5" or longer .357 sig. If I came into some spending cash anytime soon, I could see myself picking up the 5" Sig Tac Ops 1911 in .357 sig as a range blaster and winter carry piece.

I think the .357 sig is a horrible choice for the Air Marshalls but I agree that it is almost perfect for highway patrol units.
 
Originally Posted By: AMC
I think the .357 sig is a horrible choice for the Air Marshalls but I agree that it is almost perfect for highway patrol units.


I agree. Why would they want all that penetration capability on a thin skinned Aluminum aircraft, with people all lined up single file in front of each other? Think pressurized fuselage, belly and wing fuel tanks, hydraulic lines and electrical wiring running everywhere. Engine nacelles, turbine blades spinning at high RPM.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
It's a good round and I think the federal air marshals still use it for it's flat shooting characteristics.


Because there's a lot of bullet drop down the aisle of a typical air-liner??????




The .357Sig is yet another invention with no real pragmatic purpose. I've shot them; they're hot. (Not unlike my 10mm; yet another creation that falls by the wayside in terms of popularity and usefulness). Are they fun? Sure. Are they "needed" or practical? Nope. When you load a .357Sig or 10mm to their full potential, they are a handful and cannot be easily controlled by most. And the fear of over-penetration is real when loaded to full potential. So you can "download" them (less performance), but they you'd be right in same envelope of a good 9mm ... That was the initial story of the 10mm. Started out hot and wicked, but Agents could not handle them. So they tuned them down to a point where the longer case was not needed, and so S&W came out with the .40cal (short 10mm). The .357Sig is just a hot .40 with a smaller bullet; what's the point here? What is the goal?



- 9mm will always be the cheap way to go; apples to apples (purchased or hand-loaded) it cannot be beat for the price, and performs VERY well today with the advances in guns and ammo.
- .45ACP will always be a fav for the "bigger is better" crowd.
- Anything in between those two is just an answer to a question no one really needed to ask.
 
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