.357 Sig
- Thread starter Heymatt
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Wow, good deal. I just bought 500 on-line and the best price I found was $300 + shipping.
Great deal in today's market
357SIG is one of my favorite cartridges
I have been carrying my fullsize M&P 357 for about the last two weeks.
357SIG is one of my favorite cartridges
I have been carrying my fullsize M&P 357 for about the last two weeks.
sadly, 357SIG is now just a dirty lil secret amongst people of discretion... but nice snag...
I don't understand why this cartridge is playing dinosaur. It feeds perfectly with that small bottleneck. It nearly duplicates .357 Magnum ballistics. Case diameter is the same as .40 S&W. So is cartridge length. Any pistol that can handle .40 S&W can handle .357 SIG. In the 1990s, some law enforcement agencies adopted .357 SIG.
It is a little bit tricky to reload because of the very short neck and little surface on the bullet. The only time I ever developed a flinch was when I started carrying an H&K USP Compact in .357 SIG and did some serious training - it is LOUD.
I agree Tinman.. my Sig P250SC has quite a bark with the 357SIG barrel in... it's bite is much worse.... do not want to be on the receiving end of that one.
hkcavalier
US Veteran
It's because it's not a very good subcompact or compact round, not much gained over 9mm with a lot more blast and flash. And too many loadings are really at 9mm+P power levels (probably for this reason) making it redundant.
With actual .357 SIG full power loads, it starts to shine out of a full sized gun and really gets going with a Glock 35 or 24 sized auto. My G35 style gun has a 5.85" barrel. I've been procrastinating on working up a 90gr high velocity load, but 1800fps should be within reach from this platform.
One of my "to-dos" is to get a 10mm 1911 and put a 9x25 Dillon barrel in there...2000fps should be no problem with light bullets like described above.
My 90 grain JHP leave my SIG P229 at just over 1700 FPS
2100+ FPS from the same handgun is very easy to achieve with the lightweight Total Copper Hollow Point
I have several thousand of these .355" nickel plated hollow points. They weigh in at 50 grains
I have not yet tinkered with developing a load, but a nice charge of Ramshot Silhouette should do the trick
STORMINORMAN
Member
Underwood, with the 65gr Lehigh Xtreme Defender is rated at 2,100 fps...
With 90gr it is 1,700!
Cheers!
P.S. I have (in the past) reloaded their 65, 68, 90, 115 & 118gr .355" bullets in 357 SIG: there used to be much more Lehigh load data for this caliber...
Never really felt the need to load them to Underwood's levels.
With 90gr it is 1,700!Cheers!
P.S. I have (in the past) reloaded their 65, 68, 90, 115 & 118gr .355" bullets in 357 SIG: there used to be much more Lehigh load data for this caliber...
Never really felt the need to load them to Underwood's levels.SuperMan
Member
Probably the best Law Enforcement round ever marketed...
Only started shooting the round a few years ago when I bought a barrel for a G23. Since then I have added a barrel for the G35, G40 and Kimber Stainless Target II as well as getting a no longer made SIG 1911 Nightmare Carry.
Shot one of the SIG P229 Sport Models 25 years ago on a visit to SIG. Was very impressed but just no "need" for the gun at that time. Recently found one at a reasonable price and bought it...shoots like a laser with very little recoil due to the stainless frame and comp...
Sadly overlooked round...
Bob
Only started shooting the round a few years ago when I bought a barrel for a G23. Since then I have added a barrel for the G35, G40 and Kimber Stainless Target II as well as getting a no longer made SIG 1911 Nightmare Carry.
Shot one of the SIG P229 Sport Models 25 years ago on a visit to SIG. Was very impressed but just no "need" for the gun at that time. Recently found one at a reasonable price and bought it...shoots like a laser with very little recoil due to the stainless frame and comp...
Sadly overlooked round...
Bob
Underwood, with the 65gr Lehigh Xtreme Defender is rated at 2,100 fps...
Cheers!
P.S. I have (in the past) reloaded their 65, 68, 90, 115 & 118gr .355" bullets in 357 SIG: there used to be much more Lehigh load data for this caliber...
Hitting 1700fps with the 68 grain Lehigh in a 3.5" 6904 in 9mm.
I think I hit 2100 or so with the same bullet in the 9x25 Dillon.
Didn't try in the 357 sig, couldn't get it to seat and crimp properly to where I felt it was going to stay put.
I did find that using the lehigh, it was best to not use a case mouth expander, just load directly after resizing.
Rosewood
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Chowser
Member
Good score. I'm down to my last personal batch of 7k rounds.
We've been waiting on Winchester since 2018 for about 80k rounds (ordered 20k each year) and they have been unable to deliver.
Last year, I supplied work with 10k rounds from my personal stash expecting to be repaid by work. Well thanks to Winchester not being able to deliver, we canceled all our backordered 357 and switched to 9mm.
We've been waiting on Winchester since 2018 for about 80k rounds (ordered 20k each year) and they have been unable to deliver.
Last year, I supplied work with 10k rounds from my personal stash expecting to be repaid by work. Well thanks to Winchester not being able to deliver, we canceled all our backordered 357 and switched to 9mm.
A P239 in .357sig was my retirement gun after carrying duty P226 in 9mm for around 14 years (they had replaced our issue model 65s which we were allowed to buy for $100).
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Echo40
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Unless loadings have been substantially downloaded over the past few years, this information would appear to be demonstrably false, as I've seen ammo tests on YouTube out of a converted Glock 27 which were getting upwards of 1300fps and 550ft-lbs, which is well beyond the performance of any 9mm +P load I've ever seen.
Heck, just search "9mm +P vs .357 SIG" on YouTube and it will turn up a number of ammo tests in which .357 SIG consistently outperforms even 9mm +P+, regardless of barrel length.
I have a factory 357 barrel for my P229 that's way under utilized.guess I need to start using it.
If you do not already own a Lee Factory Crimp Die for the 357SIG you need to buy one
The FCD imparts a collet crimp to the cartridge and will make many projectiles viable that you would have previously passed on because of the poor neck tension caused by the 357SIG's short neck and the ogive of many projectiles originally intended for the 9MM Parabellum and 380ACP cartridges
The projectile does not need a crimp groove to use this style of crimp
The Lee Factory Crimp Die was a game changer for me
I hadn't thought about losing the cartridge's advantages in a short-barreled pistol. That makes sense.
It is not as great a loss as people expect.
Using the 125 grain Ranger SXT as an example, the projectile leaves my SIG X-5 Allround at 1,392 FPS while when fired from the short barreled SIG P239 the projectile only drops to 1,321 FPS. That is about a 5% drop in velocity with a 30% reduction in barrel length
That 1,321 FPS is still noticeably faster than a 124 grain 9MM+P Ranger SXT loading leaves the P239 (sorry I can not find my 9MM notes at the moment. Memory says it did not break 1,200)
This is pretty much the same argument that folks make when discussing the 357 Magnum and 38 Special from short barreled firearm. A faster cartridge is always faster no matter what the barrel length you are using
Chronographs
That is what I use. Works great with a truncated bullet or a XTP. Round nose bullets ain't worth a dang in a .357 Sig. Found Gold Dots don't crimp as well. And the Lehigh don't have enough bearing surface to get a good purchase on that short neck. Seems like to get a good crimp, the bullet has to be seated out too far on the 357 sig and it won't fit the magazine then.
Rosewood
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I haven't tried shorter barrels, but in my P229 with the 3.9" barrel, I am hitting 1430 FPS with Longshot powder and a 124 grain XTP. Can't touch that with a 9mm.
Rosewood
Using Bluedot powder and a 124 XTP, seems like max load of BD is hitting just over 1200 FPS from the 3.5" 6904 and 3913 barrels. Heck of a muzzle flash though. Fastest load I have found in the 9mm with a 124 grain. Still can't touch the Sig though.
Rosewood
Well, they had more available. Looks like they got a load from a LE dept. that was clearing out old stock. Box was spanky new, specs show 1300fps and 500ft/lb energy. Store showed $19.99 per 50 rd box, buy the case of 500 rds and get extra 10% discount. Works for me!
Echo40
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.357 SIG is a criminally underrated round with a fair amount of misinformation surrounding it, the most common being that it's really no better than 9mm +P or +P+, but the reality is that as long as it's not being downloaded, it not only leaves 9mm +P+ in the dust, but will rival anything but the hottest .357 Magnum factory loads.
Does it lose velocity out of shorter barrels? Of course, but between your typical 3.5" and .4.5" barrel the amount of velocity lost is negligible at best, maybe 50fps on average.
Granted, I've heard rumors that factory loaded .357 SIG has been loaded a bit weaker over the years, but I'm not convinced that it's accurate when the closest thing to "proof" I've seen is cheapskates on YouTube shooting a single round across the chronograph in the dead of Winter and comparing it to the results of an older video which was filmed over the Summer a year or two earlier using a completely different chronograph.
Not to go off on a tangent here, bit it annoys me to no end when folks decide to cheap out on ammo tests by only shooting a round or two at most, then calling it good enough. Make it a proper 5-shot average or don't bother. It's like, I know .357 SIG ammo is expensive, but it ain't THAT expensive.
Last but not least, I'd hate to go there, but... There are folks online who carry 9mm yet are evidently extremely insecure about it, so they feel the need to reassure themselves that it's not only perfectly adequate for self-defense, (which it certainly is) but the absolute best round available and that everything else is somehow inferior. These are the folks who seem the most apt to push the narrative that .357 SIG is no more powerful/effective than 9mm, yet somehow inexplicably manages to produce harsher recoil, concussion, and report. So these folks will happily cherry-pick any bit of information they can to push their narrative and therefore they'll jump all over the cheapskate YouTube single round ammo tests with underwhelming results.
Does it lose velocity out of shorter barrels? Of course, but between your typical 3.5" and .4.5" barrel the amount of velocity lost is negligible at best, maybe 50fps on average.
Granted, I've heard rumors that factory loaded .357 SIG has been loaded a bit weaker over the years, but I'm not convinced that it's accurate when the closest thing to "proof" I've seen is cheapskates on YouTube shooting a single round across the chronograph in the dead of Winter and comparing it to the results of an older video which was filmed over the Summer a year or two earlier using a completely different chronograph.
Not to go off on a tangent here, bit it annoys me to no end when folks decide to cheap out on ammo tests by only shooting a round or two at most, then calling it good enough. Make it a proper 5-shot average or don't bother. It's like, I know .357 SIG ammo is expensive, but it ain't THAT expensive.
Last but not least, I'd hate to go there, but... There are folks online who carry 9mm yet are evidently extremely insecure about it, so they feel the need to reassure themselves that it's not only perfectly adequate for self-defense, (which it certainly is) but the absolute best round available and that everything else is somehow inferior. These are the folks who seem the most apt to push the narrative that .357 SIG is no more powerful/effective than 9mm, yet somehow inexplicably manages to produce harsher recoil, concussion, and report. So these folks will happily cherry-pick any bit of information they can to push their narrative and therefore they'll jump all over the cheapskate YouTube single round ammo tests with underwhelming results.
I just picked up a whole bunch of these 124 gr. Montana Gold .355 JHP's really cheap…less than $.09 each…I'm going to try them out in .357 Sig and see how they work. I've had good results with a 124 gr. lead .355 TC bullet that I powder coat and these have a very similar profile.
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Well said!
STORMINORMAN
Member
I would suggest you compare those bullets side by side with the Hornady 124 (or 125) gr JHP bullets (XTP or HAP) or the SIG (Sierra) V-Crown 124 or 125 gr as far as bullet profile vs. length.
I'm pretty sure almost all 124-5 gr JHPs will work just fine with 357 SIG, but seeing how far the actual shoulder is from the base can avoid any serious concerns regarding OAL and proper crimping.
Please let us know: pehaps on the Reloading forum...?
Cheers!
I carried and shot a 357 Sig for about 12 years, Glock 32... it is better than 9mm in every way, except 1.... it is LOUD.
I'm carrying a 9 these days, but only because the M&P 2.0 isn't offered in 357 Sig.
When you start shooting through car doors and windshields, the 357 Sig leaves the wonder 9 in the dust, even 9mm +P+.... that extra 50 to 100 fps makes a difference on hard barrier penetration.
Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk
I'm carrying a 9 these days, but only because the M&P 2.0 isn't offered in 357 Sig.
When you start shooting through car doors and windshields, the 357 Sig leaves the wonder 9 in the dust, even 9mm +P+.... that extra 50 to 100 fps makes a difference on hard barrier penetration.
Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk
LVSteve
Member
Not surprised that stuff is loud running at ~40k psi. I do like the performance numbers, but I like my hearing too much to risk that as a self defense round.
New .357 Sig Revolver
Just saw the prototype. Looks just like the 9mm 2" 686 PC except it has an all steel cylinder instead of titanium. It also has a 2.5" barrel ( similar length to their newest 19 2.5 carry comp).
Tried to give them money for the prototype because on this one I am all in.
Plan is to release at 2024 shot show. If this one doesn't get the .357 Sig guys (of which I am one) nothing will.
Just saw the prototype. Looks just like the 9mm 2" 686 PC except it has an all steel cylinder instead of titanium. It also has a 2.5" barrel ( similar length to their newest 19 2.5 carry comp).
Tried to give them money for the prototype because on this one I am all in.
Plan is to release at 2024 shot show. If this one doesn't get the .357 Sig guys (of which I am one) nothing will.
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