Un-Popular or not: 40S&W vs 357 Sig

[Rockrivr1]

It's no secret that the popularity of 40 S&W is not exactly very high here on NES. Conversely I don't hear much at all about the 357 Sig round in general conversation either. Got me wondering which round is less popular with shooters, 40 or 357 Sig. I have bbls to shoot both 40 and 357 Sig in a couple of my handguns and for me I'm not all that enamored with either round.

While I don't think it will happen anytime soon, but as with many firearm rounds some start to head toward obscurity at some point. Between the two rounds I'd think that 357 Sig might be heading towards oblivion quicker then the 40, though things change all the time. With the FBI moving away from 40 towards 9mm, I'm wondering how long before other agencies follow. If that happens it will be a big blow to the round, though the civilian market is still pretty big. Then again, I don't think any agencies use 357 Sig.

 

[teaser452]

It's no secret that the popularity of 40 S&W is not exactly very high here on NES. Conversely I don't hear much at all about the 357 Sig round in general conversation either. Got me wondering which round is less popular with shooters, 40 or 357 Sig. I have bbls to shoot both 40 and 357 Sig in a couple of my handguns and for me I'm not all that enamored with either round.

While I don't think it will happen anytime soon, but as with many firearm rounds some start to head toward obscurity at some point. Between the two rounds I'd think that 357 Sig might be heading towards oblivion quicker then the 40, though things change all the time. With the FBI moving away from 40 towards 9mm, I'm wondering how long before other agencies follow. If that happens it will be a big blow to the round, though the civilian market is still pretty big. Then again, I don't think any agencies use 357 Sig.

I am no expert, but here's what I have gleaned from the argument about 9 vs 40 vs 45.

45 has good stopping power with low velocity but the gun has less capacity.

9 has less stopping power but good velocity, and high capacity.

40 isn't as good as 45 in stopping power and isn't that much faster. It's slower than the 9 and lacks the capacity a 9 has.

I think the FBI summed it up as:

"Our guys can't shoot well, so we'd rather they carry a lot of bullets and spray and pray, rather than a 45 and put 'em down quick. That said, 40 is for wanna be gang bangers, and we can't be having that image in public."

 

[Ranger007]

Whats 357 Sig?? lol

 

[dustoff22]

.357 Sig has caught on a bit more than you suggest I believe. I think it's a great round albeit the bottle neck cartridge is a tiny bit more work for a reloader but the ballistics and accuracy as compared to a .40 S&W make it OK. I have the .357 Sig conversion barrel on a Glock 27 and was told by a Glock armorer friend that the increased velocity of the Sig round does play a bit of havoc on the Glock suggesting that the barrel spring be changed every couple thousand rounds or so. I like the accuracy and the punch of the round.

 

[weehooker]

I shoot both about equally and maybe 10-15% of my trigger time. That said, I reload for both to lower than standard performance. My 40's shoot with the Push of a 45 target load vs the crack of a full house 40. Likewise, I load my 357 sigs to shoot like 9mm factory loads vs full power magnums. Why? because the paper don't care and it was fun to figure out how to get there. Personally, I don't rely on either caliber in any loading for serious work.

 

[dcmdon]

weehooker,

(small prostitute?)

How much hassle is reloading .357 sig?

Do you just full length resize it like any other handgun cartridge? Do you have to lube the brass like a rifle?

 

[84ta406]

I shoot my G33 fairly regularly and enjoy it quite a bit. Im a big fan of powerful cartridges and was drawn to the G33 for the size and capability of the rounds. I use Underwood JHPs and they test over 1400fps. I consider it a step down from the 10mm which is on my wish list as well.

Less recoil than a .40 and more powerful. While it is smaller in diameter I feel its more than capable to get the job done if needed.

 

[Realtor MA]

Your assumption that .40 isn't popular because it gets bashed here on NES is probably not correct.

This quote is from another forum;

40 S&W is by far the most common cartridge amongst LEO's and with civilians carrying concealed. The Glock 22 in 40 S&W has an enormous share of the market.

I'm not saying it's true I'm just pointing out that your assumption could be very wrong.

 

[greencobra]

Do you just full length resize it like any other handgun cartridge? Do you have to lube the brass like a rifle?

I resize the case with my 40 carbide sizer die and have the .357 sig size die just doing the neck and case mouth. no big deal on a progressive press but of course an extra step if on a single stage.

 

[ochmude]

Then again, I don't think any agencies use 357 Sig.

Federal Air Marshals use Sig P229 DAK's in .357 Sig.

 

[StevensMarksman]

I can't afford .357 sig lol

StevensMarksman


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EJFudd]

Got me wondering which round is less popular with shooters, 40 or 357 Sig?

Borrowing from Bill "Slick Willie" Clinton, it all depends on what the meaning of "popular" is.

If you mean popular in terms of more recently praised and admired, then the .357 Sig wins and the .40 S&W loses.

If you mean popular in terms of quantity of ammunition consumed, then the .40 S&W wins and the .357 Sig loses.

Neither round will be going the way of the dinosaur during my lifetime... or yours.

 

[tk421991]

I owned a Glock 31 and .357 SIG was fun, but expensive, to shoot. I'd like to get another pistol in it some time in the future and reload for it. Kind of reminds me of 7.62x25 but with less muzzle flash and a bigger bullet and smaller case obviously.

 

[92G]

several agencies do use 357sig. if i recall the TN state troopers use 357sig as do multiple other agencies.

i like both calibers. problem is i like 9mm and 45acp too. The G32 Gen 4 (357 sig) is one bad-ass firearm, as is the P229 in 357 sig. both shoot great (as long as wearing ear protection!).

for barrier penetration, seems few handgun calibers can beat the 357sig. as much as i dig the 357 sig, the following 3 aspects keep it as a "hobby caliber" and not for SD:
1. risk of overpenetration
2. blast and noise in absence of ear protection = deaf
3. prohibitive cost = difficult to practice enough

if 357 sig were cheaper i would shoot it WAY more

 

[Hoon]

Neither one make much sense to me. Not that there's anything bad about them, but the advantages are slim.

You want a badass semi auto, buy a 10mm. Otherwise, 9 / 45 have all the standard handgun uses covered.

 

[robjax]

I think the .40 and the 9mm will stay popular as the street tuffs really like the nine and the for-tey...so they'll stay around for a while. Don't hear 357 sig getting much street cred. though so if I would make a guess as to what is least popular would be the 357 sig. But you never know. These things are cyclical. 9's used to be all the rage with the gangsta crews and I think the .40 cut into that to some degree...plus Glock is fun to say...and scary...lol

 

[drgrant]

I don't think either will die. I might buy a Glock 32 in my lifetime...

A true dying caliber is .45 GAP... total waste of time, lmao.

 

[wmass]

My 226 was a .357 sig. I sold the barrel and made it a .40

 

[jhblaze1]

I am no expert, but here's what I have gleaned from the argument about 9 vs 40 vs 45.

45 has good stopping power with low velocity but the gun has less capacity.

9 has less stopping power but good velocity, and high capacity.

40 isn't as good as 45 in stopping power and isn't that much faster. It's slower than the 9 and lacks the capacity a 9 has.

I think the FBI summed it up as:

"Our guys can't shoot well, so we'd rather they carry a lot of bullets and spray and pray, rather than a 45 and put 'em down quick. That said, 40 is for wanna be gang bangers, and we can't be having that image in public."

9/40/45 are all pretty much the same in "stopping power". If you look at the ballistics for all 3, they're very close. This caliber shit is all stupid nonsense.

The only reason people on NES hate 40 is because Eddie Coyle shits all over it and this forum is made up of a bunch of followers who can't think for themselves. EC's hatred of the cartridge is based on the fact that it's a bitched out version of 10mm and therefore a symbol of the pussification of America. Maybe true and a funny way to look at it but it has nothing to do with the performance of the cartridge.

A lot of people also see it as an in-between round between 9 and 45 which is a bridge that didn't need to be built.

The reality is .40 gives you more energy on target than 45 and allows you to more easily carry higher capacity.

I have guns in all 3 and gravitate towards 45 but for no real good or scientific reason.

 

[MachineHead]

I'll always be partial to .40S&W. The simple fact that you can carry a bunch of it and it "feels" (such a libby term, lol) like a bit of an asskicker of a round. I actually enjoy the recoil.

 

[kalash]

I don't know anyone that shoots 357sig or 45gap. How easy is it to find these in stores? How much do they typically cost?

I am no expert, but here's what I have gleaned from the argument about 9 vs 40 vs 45.

45 has good stopping power with low velocity but the gun has less capacity.

9 has less stopping power but good velocity, and high capacity.

40 isn't as good as 45 in stopping power and isn't that much faster. It's slower than the 9 and lacks the capacity a 9 has.

I think the FBI summed it up as:

"Our guys can't shoot well, so we'd rather they carry a lot of bullets and spray and pray, rather than a 45 and put 'em down quick. That said, 40 is for wanna be gang bangers, and we can't be having that image in public."

There is no handgun stopping power.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I don't know anyone that shoots 357sig or 45gap. How easy is it to find these in stores? How much do they typically cost?

357 Sig can be hit or miss depending on the store. I generally don't see it all that often at the LGS I go too. When they do have it in stock you can plan on paying around $35 a box for plinking ammo and $50-$60 a box for better quality carry ammo. I've seen a box earlier this year running at almost $70.

 

[Mr Weebles]

Whats 357 Sig?? lol

AKA "357 Hipster."

Each round is handcrafted by bearded artisans in a Brooklyn loft.

 

[browncoat]

There is no handgun stopping power.

qft

 

[drgrant]

The reality is .40 gives you more energy on target than 45

Typical .45 defense load at 230 gr going 900 fps = PF of 207
Typical .40 S&W defense load at 165 gr going 1200 fps = PF of 198.

It's also not harder to get .45 hotter than 900, either. On .40 you have no place to go, really.

Power factor isn't FPE but its useful in normalizing the energy levels of handgun cartridges into a measure of energy comprehensible by humans.

Then again the whole thing is kinda worthless... if you have something in 9mm with decent ammo as a baseline, everything at or above that is pretty much the same realm. I carried .40 for years and if I had to go back, I wouldn't care, 9mm, .40, .45... for wound ballistics, same ballparks. You might be able to make interesting arguments about 357 sig and 10mm, but even those are hard to qualify, although it's hard to argue that both of those are going to have better hard barrier penetration due to the velocities involved. .40 S&W and .45 are usually, but not always, ****ing terrible at this, but doesn't matter so much from the aspect of joe CCW whose odds of needing to shoot a BG through
something like auto glass is like, winning the inverse shitty powerball lottery.... TWICE.... on 2 consecutive days, on quick pick tickets.

One major difference is .45 works better at knocking over bowling pins... but that has mostly to do with the fact that .45 bullets have better surface bearing on a bowling pin because of the diameter, and the bullets are going slow enough that they don't just rip through the pin... it's like throwing rocks at the pins, vs throwing darts at them 30% faster.

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

I don't know anyone that shoots 357sig or 45gap. How easy is it to find these in stores? How much do they typically cost?
.

.357 Sig is about 10 times more available than .45 GAP is, it's difficult to even find gap anymore, I honestly think at this point Glock is just quietly hoping everyone will forget about it so they can make the guns disappear. You can sometimes find 357 Sig around $25-28 a box depending on brand, etc. Stick with 125 grain the S&B 140 grain stuff is pure shit.

-Mike

 

[kalash]

Then again the whole thing is kinda worthless... if you have something in 9mm with decent ammo as a baseline, everything at or above that is pretty much the same realm. I carried .40 for years and if I had to go back, I wouldn't care, 9mm, .40, .45... for wound ballistics, same ballparks. You might be able to make interesting arguments about 357 sig and 10mm, but even those are hard to qualify, although it's hard to argue that both of those are going to have better hard barrier penetration due to the velocities involved. .40 S&W and .45 are usually, but not always, ****ing terrible at this, but doesn't matter so much from the aspect of joe CCW whose odds of needing to shoot a BG through
something like auto glass is like, winning the inverse shitty powerball lottery.... TWICE.... on 2 consecutive days, on quick pick tickets.

All of this. Handgun rounds either don't penetrate enough, do reliably penetrate deep enough, or overpenetrate. 10mm falls into the 3rd category. Anything from the 2nd category is good for SD: 9mm, 40, 45, 38, etc.

 

[Mr Weebles]

9 has less stopping power but good velocity, and high capacity.

High capacity was my main reason for consolidating calibers and going with 9mm. Lord knows I don't want to get into a shootout but if it has to happen, I want more rounds.

My CCW carries 15 rounds and I always have a backup mag. If 30 rounds doesn't do it, I'm screwed.

 

[Win]

My carry gun is a sig p239 in 357 sig. Caliber is more expensive and elusive to find but I just buy 20 boxes or so when I find it so I never run out. That's never been an issue for me.

 

[Sig Sauer Shooter]

I owned a Glock 31 and .357 SIG was fun, but expensive, to shoot.

Same here, I had a Gen 3 Glock 31 that was fun to shoot. Finding ammo in stores was borderline scarce and very pricey, sort of like 10mm which I still have and won't get rid of. Doesn't the United States Secret Service use .357 Sig?