.357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG - The Firearms Forum

gmcbroom · 12-31-2006, 02:38 PM

My twin brother recently purchased a .357 Magnum revolver & yesterday we went to the local range to shoot it. We used first 38 special shells to get used to firing the gun and then switched to the .357 Magnum rounds. The experience was INCREDIBLE! From the recoil to the sound it was a great experience. Not to mention the shooters on both sides of us looked over a few times they all had .22's and 9's so we were the loudest there. Then after it was all said and done I realized I'd like a 357 too. Problem. I hate revolvers. I'm more a fan of semi auto's, ever since my time in the military where that is what we used (Beretta 9 mm). I so I started lookingon the net and I believe the only semi auto that uses .357 Magnum is the Desert Eagle. They cost too much and I've heard they have problems so I'd rather not get that. The next thing I saw was the Smith & Wesson M&P 357 sig. I like the look but I was wondering if that round can compare to the .357 Magnum round Concerning recoil, sound, penetration? Any and all advice/experiences would be appreciated.

Pistolenschutze · 12-31-2006, 04:17 PM

Gmc, the .357 Sig is, in my opinion at least, a very excellent round. Indeed, I often carry a Glock 33 in that caliber. To equate it directly to the .357 Mag, however, is rather misleading. It is true that the original idea behind the development of the round was to create an auto cartridge that would compare favorably in performance with the .357 Mag revolver round. To a degree at least, they succeeded. Essentially, the .357 Sig is a .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge casing bottlenecked down to take a 9mm (.355) bullet. What you end up with is a sort of ".40 S&W on steroids," so to speak.

The bullet (usually a 115-125 grainer is used) will exit the muzzle at somewhere around 1350-1500 fps. Thus you have similar performance to the .357 Mag round. It is a most effective man-stopper. Here is a sight that will give you about all the info you will ever need on the round:

http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/

Swede · 01-05-2007, 09:39 AM

My brother has one and although he has never tried a penetration test I think it sounds good when it goes off. It's hard to tell about recoil because of the different grip shapes between a revolver & auto but I thought it was a nice pistol to shoot.

cdg · 02-16-2007, 12:58 AM

I'm a huge fan of the .357 sig cartrige. It's loud, it's powerful, and you have the advantage of a larger capacity compared to a wheelgun. It is less proven than the .357 magnum, but I wouldn't doubt that it is an extremely effective cartrige.

To reload, it's a royal pain in the a$$. Neck tension or lack of it makes it difficult to seat the bullets without pushing the bullet clean into the case. The slightest maladjustment on the taper crimping die and you get a cartrige that looks like an elephan stepped on it (shoulders crush really easily). It is difficult to find cheapo FMJ bullets for target practice. I plan on investigating if I get better luck with a Lee factory crimp die.

Popgunner · 02-16-2007, 11:22 AM

.357 mag wins.

cdg · 02-16-2007, 02:32 PM

If my memory serves, .357 sig and .357 mag were both in Street Stoppers, and according to this excellent publication, preliminary results yielded one shot stop percentages within a single point of each other. It runs in my mind that .357 magnum achieved a 96 percent one shot stop, where .357 sig achieved a 95 percent one shot stop.

Unfortunately my copy is sitting 300 miles back home and not in my dorm so I can't cite it for sure. Plus there might be a newer edition of Street Stoppers by now, but in any case, I suspect that ballistically, the race between .357 sig and .357 Magnum is not such a clear cut issue.

Duckboats · 02-17-2007, 10:41 AM

.357 mag in a revolver. .45ACP in a semi-auto.

358 winchester · 02-18-2007, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckboats

.357 mag in a revolver. .45ACP in a semi-auto.

Well said very well said

nothing more to say

Pistolenschutze · 02-19-2007, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 358 winchester

Well said very well said

nothing more to say

But Ron, if there were nothing more to say, TFF would get boring!

I must say, though, it's hard to beat either one of those calibers when the excretory material impacts the rotary impeller.

Duckboats · 02-20-2007, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

.......when the excretory material impacts the rotary impeller.

HAHAHAHAHAHA........dats funny!

Bruce FLinch · 02-20-2007, 10:26 PM

Was that impellar rotating or stationary?!

Pistolenschutze · 02-21-2007, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce FLinch

Was that impellar rotating or stationary?!

Therein lies the difference between single and multiple opponents, Bruce.

parris001 · 11-23-2008, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdg

To reload, it's a royal pain in the a$$. Neck tension or lack of it makes it difficult to seat the bullets without pushing the bullet clean into the case. The slightest maladjustment on the taper crimping die and you get a cartrige that looks like an elephan stepped on it (shoulders crush really easily). It is difficult to find cheapo FMJ bullets for target practice. I plan on investigating if I get better luck with a Lee factory crimp die.

I use a Lee die set. It's true that these rounds can be a pain to load. I seat the bullets and crimp the neck in two separate steps. This works well for me.

JLA · 11-24-2008, 09:08 AM

the .357 mag and the .357 sig with bullet weights from 115 to 125 gr. fired from similar barrel lengths (4 inches or so) are identical in performance from a ballistics standpoint, terminal, internal and external... Its when you load up some 158s or 180s in the .357 mag that it outperforms the .357 sig. in every category.

AngelDeville · 11-24-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckboats

.357 mag in a revolver. .45ACP in a semi-auto.

Why not .45 ACP in both?

Doug.38PR · 11-25-2008, 05:07 PM

To my understanding: The .357 Sig doesn't have quite the power of a .357 magnum...but it's penetration performance matches that of a LIGHT .357 magnum load (125 grain). Beyond that, the .357 Magnum comes out well on top especially with heavier loads like the 158 and 180 gr.

Some have said, I won't swear to this, that the 10mm semi auto has energy equal to that of the .357 magnum...but someone else smarter than me can comment ont his

CampingJosh · 11-25-2008, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug.38PR

Some have said, I won't swear to this, that the 10mm semi auto has energy equal to that of the .357 magnum...but someone else smarter than me can comment ont his

It's my understanding that the 10mm stacks up to the .41 mag about the same as the .357 SIG stacks up to the .357 mag.

younggun28 · 11-27-2008, 07:02 PM

mag all the way

12-31-2006, 02:38 PM	#1
gmcbroom Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1	.357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG My twin brother recently purchased a .357 Magnum revolver & yesterday we went to the local range to shoot it. We used first 38 special shells to get used to firing the gun and then switched to the .357 Magnum rounds. The experience was INCREDIBLE! From the recoil to the sound it was a great experience. Not to mention the shooters on both sides of us looked over a few times they all had .22's and 9's so we were the loudest there. Then after it was all said and done I realized I'd like a 357 too. Problem. I hate revolvers. I'm more a fan of semi auto's, ever since my time in the military where that is what we used (Beretta 9 mm). I so I started lookingon the net and I believe the only semi auto that uses .357 Magnum is the Desert Eagle. They cost too much and I've heard they have problems so I'd rather not get that. The next thing I saw was the Smith & Wesson M&P 357 sig. I like the look but I was wondering if that round can compare to the .357 Magnum round Concerning recoil, sound, penetration? Any and all advice/experiences would be appreciated. -->

12-31-2006, 04:17 PM	#2
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG Gmc, the .357 Sig is, in my opinion at least, a very excellent round. Indeed, I often carry a Glock 33 in that caliber. To equate it directly to the .357 Mag, however, is rather misleading. It is true that the original idea behind the development of the round was to create an auto cartridge that would compare favorably in performance with the .357 Mag revolver round. To a degree at least, they succeeded. Essentially, the .357 Sig is a .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge casing bottlenecked down to take a 9mm (.355) bullet. What you end up with is a sort of ".40 S&W on steroids," so to speak. The bullet (usually a 115-125 grainer is used) will exit the muzzle at somewhere around 1350-1500 fps. Thus you have similar performance to the .357 Mag round. It is a most effective man-stopper. Here is a sight that will give you about all the info you will ever need on the round: http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/ __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter)

01-05-2007, 09:39 AM	#3
Swede Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 20	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG My brother has one and although he has never tried a penetration test I think it sounds good when it goes off. It's hard to tell about recoil because of the different grip shapes between a revolver & auto but I thought it was a nice pistol to shoot.

02-16-2007, 12:58 AM	#4
cdg V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 54	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG I'm a huge fan of the .357 sig cartrige. It's loud, it's powerful, and you have the advantage of a larger capacity compared to a wheelgun. It is less proven than the .357 magnum, but I wouldn't doubt that it is an extremely effective cartrige. To reload, it's a royal pain in the a$$. Neck tension or lack of it makes it difficult to seat the bullets without pushing the bullet clean into the case. The slightest maladjustment on the taper crimping die and you get a cartrige that looks like an elephan stepped on it (shoulders crush really easily). It is difficult to find cheapo FMJ bullets for target practice. I plan on investigating if I get better luck with a Lee factory crimp die.

02-16-2007, 11:22 AM	#5
Popgunner Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Contributor Posts: 1,764	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG .357 mag wins.

02-16-2007, 02:32 PM	#6
cdg V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 54	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG If my memory serves, .357 sig and .357 mag were both in Street Stoppers, and according to this excellent publication, preliminary results yielded one shot stop percentages within a single point of each other. It runs in my mind that .357 magnum achieved a 96 percent one shot stop, where .357 sig achieved a 95 percent one shot stop. Unfortunately my copy is sitting 300 miles back home and not in my dorm so I can't cite it for sure. Plus there might be a newer edition of Street Stoppers by now, but in any case, I suspect that ballistically, the race between .357 sig and .357 Magnum is not such a clear cut issue.

02-17-2007, 10:41 AM	#7
Duckboats V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 51	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG .357 mag in a revolver. .45ACP in a semi-auto.

02-20-2007, 10:26 PM	#11
Bruce FLinch Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bay Point, Kali..aka Gun Point Posts: 5,016	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG Was that impellar rotating or stationary?! __________________ A bad day @ the Range, is better than a good day @ work.

11-24-2008, 09:08 AM	#14
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,407	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG the .357 mag and the .357 sig with bullet weights from 115 to 125 gr. fired from similar barrel lengths (4 inches or so) are identical in performance from a ballistics standpoint, terminal, internal and external... Its when you load up some 158s or 180s in the .357 mag that it outperforms the .357 sig. in every category. __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

11-25-2008, 05:07 PM	#16
Doug.38PR V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Louisiana Posts: 265	Re: .357 Magnum Versus 357 SIG To my understanding: The .357 Sig doesn't have quite the power of a .357 magnum...but it's penetration performance matches that of a LIGHT .357 magnum load (125 grain). Beyond that, the .357 Magnum comes out well on top especially with heavier loads like the 158 and 180 gr. Some have said, I won't swear to this, that the 10mm semi auto has energy equal to that of the .357 magnum...but someone else smarter than me can comment ont his

11-27-2008, 07:02 PM	#18
younggun28 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: michigan Posts: 73	mag all the way