Why has S&W discontinued the M&P 357?
Have there been problems with it.
I have one and I like it.

It wasn't profitable to them to make.

Because they are Doo doos.
My SW MP357c is my favorite EDC. The only other IMHO .45

Lack of sales would be my guess....

From comments by the LE sales people, it was lack of demand for the caliber. They'll still make it for LE agency customers as a special order.

Yes, it's still harder on guns than even .40 S&W.

Why make normal production runs of a model, in a caliber, that isn't selling well, when you can devote your production time to the models in high demand?

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

That's pretty much always the answer when a product is discontinued.

Yep, .357 Sig is a great round, just ammo is very pricey
Even FMJ practice ammo.

Just ordered a S&W OEM .357 SIG barrel for my M&P .40 from Midway. Never shot the round before. Any tips on ammo brand for practice and carry?

^^^^^^^this guy!

FWIW, the last revision list I received for the M&P's shows that the neon green color recoil spring is good in the full-size gun for both .40 & .357.

Don't have any suggestions about ammunition, other than I always use something made by one of the major American makers who have acquired experience in providing LE/Gov ammunition.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I recently purchased a 357 sig barrel from Brownells for my M&P 40 . They had actual S&W barrels , not an after market barrel . I did find that for the S&W I have to use bullets .356 in diameter where as in my Sig P320 I converted to 357 sig bullets sized .355 are perfect . The sig shoots real tight groups , the smith with the same bullets shot a big pattern . I reload for it so that is no problem . People complain about how difficult it is to reload 357 sig .
I use the Lee dies with complete success . People talk about " shoulder set back " . With my Lee dies it's no problem . I even purchased a Wilson case gauge to verify all was fine . They fit it perfectly after going through the Lee resizing die . They are just steel dies so I use imperial sizing wax and wipe down afterward . Isn't this what we did years ago when all dies were steel?
I really enjoy the 357 sig caliber more than 9mm or 40S&W. I have found the accuracy is simply phenomenal .

So Cowboy4evr, did you ever get the .357 SIG barrel grouping better in your M&P? Did the .356 diameter bullets fix the problem? If so, is commercial ammo available with the .356" diameter bullets?

Ron Az , the larger bullets fixed my problem . As far as commercial ammo I could not answer that question as I have always used my own reloads . Berry's bullets are .356 , Raniers are .355 for the 9mm and 357 sig .
I see your in Az ? I spent 60 yrs , off and on in or near a small town in SE Az . I now reside in the Dallas area but really miss home . You are very lucky to be in Az . I open carried for years . It is legal here but a lot of places have a placard stating no open carry .

I only had used Underwood Sierra loaded JHP and their FMJ load

Both worked great for function & accuracy.

I was a little surprised they ever made it. The round isn't all that popular.

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K & N S&W revolvers

Cowboy, yeah, loving being in AZ. 6+ years for me now. Had daughter and her family move here. So when I retired, my wife and I plopped down here too. Really great to live in a free state!

Thanks Clarkz too.

I think it's a vastly underappreciated and widely misunderstood round. It's not a Jack-of-all-Trades round and it was never meant to be.

I think you have to have one and shoot it to appreciate it . I am still amazed at mine , the power , the penetration , the accuracy . It is THE most accurate semi I own . I reload and it is very easy to reload , contrary to what you might read .

Agreed on the ease of reloading aspect. It can take a little time to get the load, crimp and OAL length right but once your set, your set forever.
FWIW, While I do reload some full power 357 sig loads, I also down load range loads to perform like a 9mm. Add a 40 barrel and it makes for a very versatile gun to shoot at three levels.

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Dave

Those of you that put a 357 barrel in a 40 slide, how far off were the sights?
Just got my 357 barrel from Midway yesterday (After it was too late to get to the range).

This has been discussed elsewhere here on the S&W Forum.

It may be more than just a seeming lack of demand.

My son is a NC State Trooper. The NC Highway Patrol has been using .357 SIG weapons for a number of years. Several years ago they switched to the S&W M&P in .357 -- and soon after began to have problems with their weapons. They weren't widespread, but they happened often enough to concern some of the management team, including senior officers who experienced the problems when they periodically qualified.

I never heard all of the details... or if I did, don't remember them, but they seem related to some very aggravating and inconsistent feed issues. My son never personally experienced any issues.

S&W sent down their engineers and specialists, worked with the NCHP's weapon specialist, and even took some weapons back with them, but were unable to resolve the issues.

S&W took back the weapons and some time later S&W discontinued the .357 versions of the M&Ps. The NCHP switched to the SIG P229s in .357 SIG and there have been no problems with those weapons. This whole event got a good bit of coverage in local and state news.

We may see a S&W .357 SIG semi-auto again, one of these days -- but it'll probably be with a newer model or a subtly different M&P. LEOs like the .357 SIG round, feeling that it does a better job of penetrating windshields than other rounds. (Most NC State Troopers have also been issued M-16/ARs and I suspect THAT weapon would be the weapon of choice, if they know they may have to fire on a moving vehicle and have time to get the AR out of the trunk.)

I have yet to experience any , any feed issues with both of my firearms , Sig P320 and the MP 40 conversion . I have seen that when converting glocks from 40 to 357 that the mag for glock 40's had feed issues when using on 357sig . I saw several video's on that matter . Some taken right at the range .

One of the things I like about the 357 sig is feeding a 9mm bullet into a 10mm chamber.

10mm is a .40 bullet, you doing this? Serious question.

The .357 Sig is a .40 S&W necked down to 9mm
also know as a bottle neck round.

The 357 SIG uses a 9mm bullet. The chamber is 10mm (or 40 cal, if you prefer). So the 9mm bullet has that large, roomy 10mm chamber as it loads. I'm thinking it's pretty unlikely to jam.

OK, you're referring to the bottle neck design I mentioned.

The 10mm chamber is longer then a .40 which the .357
is based. The throat is still 9mm, where the case head seats.

A steal at this price! If you want full power (1475fps) then go with Underwood.
Speer Gold Dot .357 Sig - 125GR GDHP Hallow Point - 50RD Box

You mean where the case MOUTH seats.

For practice ammo I buy exclusively from Blacked Out Arms LLC, bulk quantities. The price is the best and quality 100%.
Blacked Out Arms LLC: Home

For self-defense I like Cor Bon and Hornady, and have found the Sig ammo to be the most accurate, not to mention full-power.

I gave up trying to reload 357Sig and just sell the brass back to Blacked Out Arms.

I've had Sig 229s since they were first available in the U.S., and then the P239. I've purchased 357Sig barrels for Berettas and Sig 226 guns. Basically, if I had a .40S&W gun I fitted a 357Sig barrel to it.

I bought three LEO turn-in M&P357Sigs to back up my original purchase.

I do think 9mm ammo has made significant advances in the past 20 years and may have obviated the advantage of 357Sig. However, I am long accustomed to the round and will likely shoot it until I can no more.
sdh