Which do you prefer and why? Looking to get a 357 barrel for my Glock 27 or 23 mainly just because but kinda hate keeping up with another pistol caliber, but I know 357 sig has a following.
40 S&W vs 357 Sig?
- Thread starter Ridgeline66
- Start date
bryguy
Old Mossy Horns
Never shot the 357, but I know that the Feds and the Highway patrol went away from it because it was hard for the agents and troopers to train with and was rough on the pistols if shot much. Not sure how 357 would do in a glock frame as far as durability goes. 357 sig is also harder to find ammo for and when you do find it, it is generally more expensive.
Depends on what the "mission" is. If personal protection is the primary use, I'd consider the .357 SIG. If it's going to serve in a "general purpose" role, then I'd personally choose the .40 S&W.
Ammo prices for both cartridges have come down considerably over the last few years, but the .40 is a tad cheaper and certainly more widely available. As long as big end-users like Homeland Security are using it, the .40 S&W round will remain somewhat popular even though the general LE community has lost interest in the round in recent years.
Ammo prices for both cartridges have come down considerably over the last few years, but the .40 is a tad cheaper and certainly more widely available. As long as big end-users like Homeland Security are using it, the .40 S&W round will remain somewhat popular even though the general LE community has lost interest in the round in recent years.
I've owned and shot both. The 357 has a very snappy recoil.
357 sig is the only handgun round I have ever shot that has made my hand go numb. And it was outta a glock whatever number their subcompact version is.
It might be the way that gun fits in my hand but I have shot that same frame in 40 cal and 9mm and it has never done that to me.
It might be the way that gun fits in my hand but I have shot that same frame in 40 cal and 9mm and it has never done that to me.
I own an Sig P239 Scorpion Elite that shipped from the factory in .40 S&W. The .40 P239 is identical to the 357 Sig version and only needs a 357 barrel to swap calibers (and may or may not need 357 mags depending on the individual pistol). The 9mm P239 barrel is the identical dimension as the .40/357 barrels and drops right into a .40/357 slide but requires 9mm mags. A 9mm P239 won't take a .40 or 357 barrel though as the breech face is too narrow and the .40 and 357 mages won't fit the narrower magazine well.
My limited experience is that as a practical matter there is not much to choose from between .40 S&W and 357 Sig. The 357 is somewhat higher in velocity and energy (and muzzle flash) but I doubt that it means all that much to the vast majority of folks. After all, did you ever hear about a hunter or gun fight survivor saying stuff like "Gee, Bob! If only I had 35# more muzzle energy I'd have done a whole lot better!", or 55# more energy, or...... Yeah, me neither.....
My every day carry loads are pretty stout in all my pistols. Even though the P239 is an all metal compact pistol, I do notice more felt recoil and muzzle flip in either 40 or 357 than I get with hot .45 ACP +P loads in either an M1911 or a Sig P220 due to both the lower weight of the P239 and the shorter grip not giving me much leverage with the grip hand pinky. In low light conditions (twilight or deep shadow) there is noticeably more muzzle flash with the 357 than with .40 S&W, (perhaps aggravated by the 3.6" barrel)? I can't say that I really feel any significant difference between the .40 and the 357 in recoil and muzzle flip.
What is beyond doubt is that either .40 S&W or 357 Sig make great self defense choices with appropriate bullets and shot placement. The 357 ammo is more expensive though, sometimes a lot more expensive, and can be hard to find, especially in smaller stores or more rural areas or if you have a particular load in mind. Buying online when you find a deal can really narrow the price gap. And sales aimed at Black Friday, pre-Black Friday and Christmas spending can be real money savers. This last year I stocked up on Remington Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST ammo for all my EDC combinations for around half the local retail prices (or less in some cases),
I've had good results with outdoorlimited.com in High Point and with sgammo.com Outdoor Limited is generally online sales only but you can pick up your order if you order it online and give them some time ahead of showing up.
In retrospect and for me at least I suspect that all the scheming and thinking I did to find a swap barrel .40 S&W to 357 Sig pistol was a little like finding an ingenious solution to a nonexistent problem. Interesting and a little bit fun but not very productive.
I hope all this rambling helps.
Lance
My limited experience is that as a practical matter there is not much to choose from between .40 S&W and 357 Sig. The 357 is somewhat higher in velocity and energy (and muzzle flash) but I doubt that it means all that much to the vast majority of folks. After all, did you ever hear about a hunter or gun fight survivor saying stuff like "Gee, Bob! If only I had 35# more muzzle energy I'd have done a whole lot better!", or 55# more energy, or...... Yeah, me neither.....
My every day carry loads are pretty stout in all my pistols. Even though the P239 is an all metal compact pistol, I do notice more felt recoil and muzzle flip in either 40 or 357 than I get with hot .45 ACP +P loads in either an M1911 or a Sig P220 due to both the lower weight of the P239 and the shorter grip not giving me much leverage with the grip hand pinky. In low light conditions (twilight or deep shadow) there is noticeably more muzzle flash with the 357 than with .40 S&W, (perhaps aggravated by the 3.6" barrel)? I can't say that I really feel any significant difference between the .40 and the 357 in recoil and muzzle flip.
What is beyond doubt is that either .40 S&W or 357 Sig make great self defense choices with appropriate bullets and shot placement. The 357 ammo is more expensive though, sometimes a lot more expensive, and can be hard to find, especially in smaller stores or more rural areas or if you have a particular load in mind. Buying online when you find a deal can really narrow the price gap. And sales aimed at Black Friday, pre-Black Friday and Christmas spending can be real money savers. This last year I stocked up on Remington Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST ammo for all my EDC combinations for around half the local retail prices (or less in some cases),
I've had good results with outdoorlimited.com in High Point and with sgammo.com Outdoor Limited is generally online sales only but you can pick up your order if you order it online and give them some time ahead of showing up.
In retrospect and for me at least I suspect that all the scheming and thinking I did to find a swap barrel .40 S&W to 357 Sig pistol was a little like finding an ingenious solution to a nonexistent problem. Interesting and a little bit fun but not very productive.
I hope all this rambling helps.
Lance
FishHunt
Old Mossy Horns
Ditto.
With almost any pistol chambered in .40S&W you can just swap barrels and be shooting .357Sig in moments. Why not get a .40 and a .357 barrel is a better question?
Edit: If I had to pick one it would be the .40 because of the slightly larger caliber and the price/availability of ammo. And I've saw first hand what the .40 running using Gold Dot HP does to a bayed pig. It'd no 10mm but don't let the deer and pigs know that!
<>< Fish
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Inshore duck
Eight Pointer
357 sig is yet another attempted solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Ammo is expensive and does not offer a significant advantage over others. The state as well as numerous agencies finally came to their senses and changed calibers. Even at just one annual recert it was a significant issue in regards to their training budget.
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pinehunter
Eight Pointer
Bottleneck handgun round? No thank you, what a pain to reload.
TravisLH
Old Mossy Horns
My wife has a Sig P250 with a 40 and 357 sig barrels. After firing some +p ammo of both she liked the 357 sig better as far as felt recoil/muzzle flip.
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Where does one get +P ammo for the .40 S&W and 357 Sig?
I'm just curious since SAAMI doesn't recognize such a designation with either cartridge and I've never seen it offered from any reputable manufacturer.
FishHunt
Old Mossy Horns
Buffalo Bore is pretty reputable and their ammo runs at or above advertised speeds.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=115
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=25
<>< Fish
TravisLH
Old Mossy Horns
Let me clarify..... usually I buy +p ammo for our carry pistols so just stated that. I do not recall the specific mfg of the ammos she ran other than they were comparable hollow points.
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Thanks guys probably just forget messing with 357 sig, I have a 10mm if I want more in a semi, just for shooting paper the sig would be to costly.
"
In retrospect and for me at least I suspect that all the scheming and thinking I did to find a swap barrel .40 S&W to 357 Sig pistol was a little like finding an ingenious solution to a nonexistent problem. Interesting and a little bit fun but not very productive."
Probably right on with this, Thanks.
In retrospect and for me at least I suspect that all the scheming and thinking I did to find a swap barrel .40 S&W to 357 Sig pistol was a little like finding an ingenious solution to a nonexistent problem. Interesting and a little bit fun but not very productive."
Probably right on with this, Thanks.
BackCreek
Spike
.357 Sig in a Sig Sauer P229 is a pleasure to shoot, very accurate, very manageable. .357 in a Glock 32 is quite snappy, not as manageable in my opinion. .357 sig is a pricey round to shoot but it is a very effective round to say the least. Law Enforcement are moving away from the sig due to economics, good ballistics with 9mm rounds, and the fact that a lot of female agents were having a lot of difficulty qualifying with the .357sig especially when they went to the Glock.
apexhunter
Ten Pointer
Being a higher pressure round the 357 Sig round is well known to produce very snappy recoil and cause premature wear on the pistol (and the shooter). Several LEO friends of mine in the past few years have sold their 357 chambered pistols due to reliability/maintenance issues... and the fact they hate having to qualify with such a bruising round that doesn't provide enough terminal ballistic advantage over other calibers to make up for the punishment.