Reloading 9mm vs .40 S&W vs .357 Sig

[Me239]

Hey, everyone! Haven't posted here in awhile, but I thought I'd like some wisdom shed on this problem. I recently bought a Gen 4 Glock 23 and love it! It's my first polymer pistol, and it's the funnest thing at the range and for wood walks. Little problem I've run into is the price of reloading and buying ammo. The price for .40 S&W is close to $20 a box of 50, cheapest! 9mm, however, somehow remains at an astonishing $11.99 (per 50) in some areas I see. Honestly, 9mm seems to rain on me as I've collected ~300 pieces of mint brass, without even having tried the caliber! Now I like .40 S&W as defensive cartridge, and it's not too stout for me (.44 magnum bear loads change the way you think), but the price to practice and plink is pretty high. I've looked up the alternatives and basically three cartridges appear: 9mm, .40 S&W, and .357 Sig. All of which the Glock 23 can be converted to fire with a quick barrel change, which also allows for cast lead bullets to be fired as well. Basically, the pros and cons, to me, are as follows:
9mm:
Pros: Cheap, available, reloading components readily available, enjoyable (so I've been told)
Cons: Considered the weaker cartridge, and not my defensive cartridge

.40 S&W
Pros: Glock are already has the correct barrel, fires the defensive cartridge I already have and prefer, new barrel allows cheaper lead loads
Cons: Costs more than 9mm, components are more expensive, considered by some to be a dangerous cartridge to reload cause of older Glock barrels and case life

.357 Sig
Pros: Considered to be a great cartridge as far as stopping power is concerned, and uses cheap 9mm (lead as well)
Cons: Even more expensive to buy new than .40! Only savings come with reloading, even higher pressure, necked cartridge (more troublesome to reload, or so I've heard)

What I'm leaning towards is getting an aftermarket barrel in .40 S&W so that I can stay with my caliber, but also practice cheaper. Then again, 9mm would allow even cheaper reloads and factory, but I abandon my cartridge for lots of practice. .357 Sig would be out of the picture entirely if it weren't for the fact it uses the 9mm bullet as well and I can make light reloads by necking down .40 S&W (Or so YouTube shows me), but nearly eliminates the possibility for buying factory ammo. Ironically enough, I chose the Glock 23 for its ability to switch between the three, but now I can't decide what to do! So, anything I've missed? Sorry for the long post, but this one has been bugging me and I've researched and researched each cartridge, but still can't come to a conclusion. Give me some of your knowledge!

P.S. Please no caliber war debates. This isn't a "my-cartridge-is-better-than-yours-cause-I-said-so" thread, just which is more cost effective in the end and provides the most/best practice. Thanks!

 

[Rule3]

Probably should be in the reloading section, but reloading 40 SW is no more or less than 9mm. So if you like 40 then load 40.

A few cents in bullets(projectiles) is not gonna matter. If you want to be real cheap like the rest of us, shoot lead, buy an after market barrel for the Block. Yes, people will say they shoot lead in the Block blah blah.

 

[Me239]

Hey, rule3! Thanks for the info! And I'll try to move this thread.

 

[carpriver]

I agree shoot what you like. if the 9 mm is cheap then shoot the nine, you said that you can get a 9mm barrel. You can stay proficient with the 9mm. and still carry the 40 cal for self defense.

 

[fredj338]

The 9 & 40, same same. The 357sig requires a bit more attention to bully's & die setup, but loads the same as others.

 

[Rule3]

Just for an example. One brand of plated bullets is $11 more per thousand for the 40 SW than the 9mm. (from one vendor)

$111 for 1000 40 SW
$100 for 1000 9mm

You can shoot those in a Block and not buy a new barrel. So the cost difference is next to nothing.

 

[just for fun]

I reload two of your three choices. The 9 and the 357. The only reason I continue to reload the 357 is for the challenge! Must be somewhere around 5K down range. And until I do the push check on EVERY I won't shoot it. Have had way too many bullets "slip" into the cases when push tested. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this. A few hundred will be fine and then 2-3 out of 50 will fail!
Normally it's at this point the "experts" will chime in to reassure themselves that it's my procedures and they have never encountered any such problems. I'm OK with that! I'm old and have learned to ignore idiots, it's that simple.
Over the years Bluedot and AA7 have worked out very well. I must admit that it is a fun round to shoot. But for ease of reloading, cost, time to reload (push test adds one more step) I'd vote for the 9.

 

[Alk8944]

If this is a "I can have only one gun, which should it be?" question then decide which one you prefer, for your own reasons, not someone else's, and go with it. As Rule3 showed there simply not that much difference in cost to load either.

Now, if all you are interested in is having a "bullet launcher" to shoot holes in cans and paper you are set. If you have an innate curiosity and desire to shoot different cartridges then buy them both, or more, and don't forget the .22!!!

 

[blujax01]

I reload two of your three choices. The 9 and the 357. The only reason I continue to reload the 357 is for the challenge! Must be somewhere around 5K down range. And until I do the push check on EVERY I won't shoot it. Have had way too many bullets "slip" into the cases when push tested. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this. A few hundred will be fine and then 2-3 out of 50 will fail!
....

I load .357 Sig with the RCBS 2-die set and had the same issue until I added a Dillon taper crimp die. Since then, even though I still check 100%, not one has pushed back (knock wood!).

And to the OP, unless and until you really, really know what you're doing, do not attempt to alter 40 cal cases to make .357 Sig. Get ahold of a couple hundred once-fired Sig cases (or shoot a few boxes of factory) and you can reuse them a couple dozen times.

Free advice, worth every penny...

 

[SMSgt]

Never understood "one caliber only" people. Reload and shoot however many calibers you enjoy shooting and reloading. If you can do it with one gun frame, all the better.

 

[Me239]

Hey, guys! Thanks for all the responses! I'm thinking about getting the .40 barrel so I can shoot cheap MBC bullets and not worry. The 9mm is very tempting, but I think I might like to maintain the ability to also reload my defensive cartridge as well (less die sets). Now, in the future, I can see myself buying barrels for all 3 Calibers! Keeps me from having to buy a G32 or G19!

 

[fredj338]

Hey, guys! Thanks for all the responses! I'm thinking about getting the .40 barrel so I can shoot cheap MBC bullets and not worry. The 9mm is very tempting, but I think I might like to maintain the ability to also reload my defensive cartridge as well (less die sets). Now, in the future, I can see myself buying barrels for all 3 Calibers! Keeps me from having to buy a G32 or G19!

If you plan on doing this extra bbls in a Glock, then start with a 40 or 357sig. All tht is needed to go to 9mm is a conversion bbl & 9mm mags.

 

[ronnie gore]

loading

I load all three shells, and shoot lead bullets, I was shooting lead in glock barrels in a 1st gen gun before they said not to, just clean well after shooting and don't shoot any high pressure rounds before you clean. if you keep them mild there won't be much leading.
as far as the .357 sig, now they make carbide dies for that caliber but you still have to lube the cases. I solved the problem by sizing the main case body in a 40 cal carbide die and then finish the neck and shoulder in the 357 sig die without lube, it ads one one step but better than cleaning lube off the cases, then I crimp with a lee factory crmip die, the collet style to prevent bullet set back.

 

[retired_diver]

I load 9, 40sw and 45 (+others). The only difference is the bullet costs, the powder diff is so little that doesn't matter IMO 4.1gr vs. 4.5gr vs. etc. Since I have a G23-2 I would recommend just shooting plated bullets they are hardly any more than lead at x-treme and shoot well. Then you don't have to spend the money on another barrel (unless you just want to ) If you want an after market barrel I recommend lone wolfe, I bought one just to have peace of mind shooting lead, plus i got it extended works great and is fully supported so I don't have to fight the "glock'd" brass which in the Gen 2 is a reality.

 

[hangnoose]

I CAN ONLY SPEAK FROM MY OWN EXP's & OPINIONS.

I'm an old revolver guy and shoot WAY more 38 specials than anything, but still load & shoot 9mm/ 40's/ and 45 acp and load cast, sorry no 357 sigs. From a strict $ standpoint the wt of the lead is what costs more so a 115 gr 9mm costs less than a 200-230 gr 45acp. Whichever caliber uses the least powder wins also (likely 9mm again). The 9mm's if using a single stage press are the smallest & easiest to fumble if you have hand issues. In steel challenge & bowling pin matches I can rehit a miss or double tap WAY faster with a 9mm, then 45, then 40. In a self defense situation at extreme close ranges (the norm), the shooters ability to hit accurately/ faster follow up shots/ mag capacity, a slimmer profile gun, for CC (single stack for me) far outweigh any difference in "stopping power". There is no such caliber that can guarantee a 1 shot stop/kill every time. SO the $ difference is not tremendous, and the rest is up to YOUR personal preference & how You shoot each caliber. I believe this is one of those ?'s ONLY you can answer for yourself.

 

[RussellD]

If you go with the Glock .40 you can always get a conversion barrel and shoot 9mm in it. No magic in loading either caliber. Lots of once fired brass available at bargain price for both.

 

[fredj338]

as far as the .357 sig, now they make carbide dies for that caliber but you still have to lube the cases. I solved the problem by sizing the main case body in a 40 cal carbide die and then finish the neck and shoulder in the 357 sig die without lube, it ads one one step but better than cleaning lube off the cases, then I crimp with a lee factory crmip die, the collet style to prevent bullet set back.

I have the Dillon carbide dies. No, they do NOT NEED case lube, runs just fine like any other carbide die. Case lube makes things smoother, just like any other caliber carbide dies.

 

[fullmetal1911]

I personally love shooting 357sig, but I dislike it for a carry gun. Too fast moving, I would really worry about over-penetration with that round.

My preference is to stick to 40S&W as my primary caliber. Except for one 9mm (Kahr CM9) all my pistols are 40. I can buy 9mm conversions (have them for all three of them) for cheaper practice, and I can get a factory 357sig barrel for them (have one for my G27) for fun at the range.

Being a bottleneck cartridge the 357 sig is a big PITA to reload in large numbers, can't really use a progressive press, since you need to lube the cases to resize them, then remove the lube for the rest of the process. I don't shoot enough of the round to justify the time. I just look for deals on ammo online. Last time I bought 357sig I paid $145 shipped for 500 rounds of 135gr FMJ. Considering how little I shoot that I dislike the idea of an additional step.

Of course this is coming from a guy that reloads 40S&W and therefore has to "de-glock" a lot of brass through a full length sizing die before reloading.

 

[NJM15]

I personally love shooting 357sig, but I dislike it for a carry gun. Too fast moving, I would really worry about over-penetration with that round.

My preference is to stick to 40S&W as my primary caliber. Except for one 9mm (Kahr CM9) all my pistols are 40. I can buy 9mm conversions (have them for all three of them) for cheaper practice, and I can get a factory 357sig barrel for them (have one for my G27) for fun at the range.

Being a bottleneck cartridge the 357 sig is a big PITA to reload in large numbers, can't really use a progressive press, since you need to lube the cases to resize them, then remove the lube for the rest of the process. I don't shoot enough of the round to justify the time. I just look for deals on ammo online. Last time I bought 357sig I paid $145 shipped for 500 rounds of 135gr FMJ. Considering how little I shoot that I dislike the idea of an additional step.

Of course this is coming from a guy that reloads 40S&W and therefore has to "de-glock" a lot of brass through a full length sizing die before reloading.

I recently started reloading Sig357 rounds , and thanks to a tip I received on this forum I run the brass through a 40 die (Lee) and then through the 357 die no lube required. Have done about 300 so far with good results

 

[Ceapea]

357 Sig would be out of the picture entirely if it weren't for the fact it uses the 9mm bullet as well and I can make light reloads by necking down .40 S&W (Or so YouTube shows me)Give me some of your knowledge!

Be careful of what you see and/or believe on you tube.
357 Sig cases are a form of necked down 40 S&W cases.
But you cannot neck down a 40 S&W case to make your own 357 Sig cases. The resulting case would be too short.

Now, 10mm brass? Maybe, I don't know.

EDIT:
NO 10mm cases!