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357 Sig Slow Death

13K views 157 replies 70 participants last post by  Lee Elliott 
#1 ·
Let me say up front i love my Glock 31 and the 357 is a great round in my opinion. I was a little late to the game on the 357 Sig but i have one now kinda post hype i guess.

My question is do you guys think 357 sig is dying out? I read all over the place on the web its on the downhill. I believe it does exactly what it was design to do and delivers the ballistics as advertised out of reals guns not test barrels and not many guns can claim that.
 
#3 ·
It may be, and I say that as a recent discoveree as well, but also because I'm seeing a fair amount of 357 Sig ammo at a discount price, something I always thought as unheard of. I really, really like the round, and have managed to accumulate 2 50 cal. ammo cans full, but will continue to look for more, if I can get a deal on it. Damn it's loud though!
 
#8 ·
If you get a good boolit mold and reloading die set you will never run out of
ammo, and you will shoot for five to eight cents a shot.

You can go through some of these and find what you like,

https://www.google.com/search?q=bes...ome..69i57.20475j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I have used this boolit up to 1670 fps in the six inch LW
conversion barrel in a G20, mine falls from the mold at
131 grains. At the higher velocity it is a good killer.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690574/double-cavity-mould-358-125-rf

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690306/6-cavity-mold-358-125-rf

It also works great in a 9mm, 38 and 357 mag.
 
#4 ·
I shot a cqb class with a guy who is an air marshall. He had box after box of top qaulity 357 sig ammo. We burned through about 800 rounds that weekend. i assume he shot 95% of the 357 sig shot that weekend in FL. I don't think I have ever seen it at a match (idpa, uspsa, etc...)
 
#9 ·
If the price of .357 Sig ammo was the same as 9mm prices...
9mm would be the one to slow down in popularity.....
Money talks and that alone is what keeps 9mm in the limelight...
Some folks like less recoil and somewhat better control with the 9mm vs the .40...
But that's not the real reason....
The real reason is money money money....The overall cost to operate...
Bottom line....Law enforcement and general public want cheap 9mm ammo...
.357 Sig and .40 will be around a long time...You just have to pay the price to play...
 
#48 ·
I would guess that .357 Sig going to die like .470 NE is going to die. Except maybe slower as I am guessing there are more .357 Sig pistols than there are .470 NE rifles around.

.y....The overall cost to operate...
Bottom line....Law enforcement and general public want cheap 9mm ammo...
....
My guess is that by the time an agency gets to the point where ammunition is being delivered on pallets after it was purchased through a contract, and sometimes a regional or state wide contract, that the difference in cost between cases of 9 mm and .357 Sig is negligible. And even less important when some units up to an entire agency doe training with the same ammunition it carries.
 
#15 ·
If the 357 Sig had come out at the same time as the 40 I think police agencies wouldn't be switching back to 9mm. When we switched to 40 Glocks I thought great a more powerful round, however, on the street it didn't stop bad guys any better then the 9mm. Same performance with fewer rounds and more recoil. Now guys I know on another dept. swear buy the 357 Sig. It doesn't just hit harder it also has the penetration needed for vehicles. When you approach the 125gr. 357 mag loading that was well proven on the streets for many years what's not to love.
 
#17 ·
I doubt it'll ever completely fade away. Why would it? It's a semiauto caliber which can be chambered in the same frame size as 9/.40 pistols, which means it fits a lot of hands.

Granted, it's slowly losing ground when it comes to LE usage, but in the private sector it's an enthusiast-driven caliber.

Even if a couple of fed agencies eventually decide to transition away from it (to 9mm), as has been rumored (once their exhaustive stockpiles of ammo are about depleted), as long as the major ammo makers keep producing ammo, using the newest JHP's, it'll be a viable option for the private shooter's defensive choices. Not to mention the avid handloading enthusiasts.

I rather expect it'll remain a strong contender for 4th place among service caliber choices for some years to come.

Ought not this topic be better discussed in the Caliber sub-forum, though?
 
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#19 ·
It is dying, but these things take s long time.

Over time prices will creep up (more than other ammo) and availability will slowly drop off. But you'll be able to buy it, at an ever increasing price, for a long time to come.
That's generally true but it only applies to loaded ammo, not reloads. I have a 4 inch barreled Smith & Wesson model 58 M&P service revolver and a 6 1/2 incgh ruger Blackhawk both of which I truly love in 41 magnum caliber, which has long been considered "obsolete", so I know something about obsolete handgun cartridges .

41 mag brass is not any more costly than 44 magnum brass and I use the same powders to reload it with as I do the 44 and 357 magnum calibers and even the 10mm. The only loaded ammo that I buy is the HSM "cowboy" load which is excellent for a plinking load and is fairly reasonable priced.

It costs very little to afford to buy a basic reloading set-up. A lee hand press, a priming tool, an electronic scale, and a decent power measure plus a kinetic bullet puller, a micrometer, and a couple of 50 round loading blocks and a Loadbooks USA manual.

To a reloader, "Obsolete" is just a state of mind.

Once fired range brass for the 357 sig is available now for reasonable prices. buy a few thousand cases and you'll be set for life and with a G32 you can also get a 9mm barrel and shoot plentiful 9mm ammo in the same gun.

The 357 Sig is just too good a chambering to die. It produces as much raw power as a 357 magnum with 125 grain bullets in guns that recoil less, have better triggers, and hold more ammo.
 
#22 ·
It's an effective and serious round that will remain around for decades. Its just simply that the lower recoiling 9mm is the latest chosen flavor by the military and law enforcement for all personnel to be able to handle. That choice alone will always cause a mass exodus out of the last cartridges that were each in vogue at one time, like the 10mm, 40S&W, and 357Sig. But none of these 3 are going extinct anytime in your life.
 
#24 · (Edited)
History has proven gun calibers never really die and now that we have smaller companies such as Underwood that are willing to make ammo the big boys don't want to this will be even truer in the future. Add to the equation the fact that you only need to buy a barrel to have a 357 Sig and you have a caliber with a very long future. Of course being the best SD gun on the market doesn't hurt it either!
 
#87 ·
I had setback issues when I first started reloading this round. Tried everything from a Lee FCD to a Hornaday PTX in my powder drop. Now just use Lee dies in my AP and 13 grains of AA #9. This makes a slightly compressed load but has solved the setback issue. I also use Precision Delta 9mm 124g HP bullets. They feed nicely. And that load still makes 1400 fps.
 
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#32 ·
It's not going away any time soon. What's funny is, my LGS stocks a pretty good assortment of factory 357 Sig ammo, yet I almost never see 357 Sig brass on the ground at my local range.

Even if factory sales trail off, reloaders will keep it going for decades.
 
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#34 ·
I think its a great round..just too much $$$ for me to go to it from 9mm. That said id take one I almost got a Glock in it a few years back when I got the Glock23....Then I almost bought a Steyr in it when they were clearing them out in that caliber. I think if I had a gun that was made for .357 Sig but I could use a 9mm conversion barrel in for practice that would be something id love and purchase.....I just cant see buying .357 Sig practice ammo just too much $$$$...

other than Glocks that dont fit my hands is there a .357 Sig out there that has 9mm conversion for practice???
 
#40 ·
Those that think KE matters will pay a bit more $ for 357 Sig over 9mm, 40
My 5 shot chrono averages Glock 19/23/32
9mm: Federal HST 124 gr. +P @ 1,210 fps / 403# KE
357 Sig: Federal HST 125 gr. @ 1,358 fps / 512# KE
40 S&W: Federal HST 180 gr. @ 1003 fps / 402# KE
Some look at that and say, only 100# more KE (rounding down) - They ain't spending the $
Others look at that and say that is a 21% increase in KE over +P 9mm! - they spend the $
 
#49 ·
Yep more power same size gun is how i see it. Its like you want the v6 Camaro or the V8? Same platform mo power!!!
Heck i seen some guys Chrono some fmj 125s in the 1420s in Gen 4 31 stock barrel & cases and primers still looked good. Thats moving! Think he was using longshot.
 
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