Decided to reload .357 Sig. Any Gotcha's? - The Firearms Forum

dsv424 · 09-29-2009, 09:27 AM

I went ahead and bought a .357 Sig barrel for my Sig P226. Since the dies I got for this round are steel I guess I'll have to lube the cases. Do you have to check the trim length also? Is there anything else I need to be aware of reloading this caliber? Also is there a popular 9mm weight bullet for this round.

3ME · 09-29-2009, 10:16 AM

They seem to load fine. The carbide dies cost a fortune and they go through the sizing die more like a typical bottle-neck rifle case than a pistol case. As long as you spray a little lube on them, they will go through the dies fine. You really should lube any bottle-neck case, even when using carbide dies. I use the 115 grain XTP bullets with Reloader 7 and I am shooting them from Glocks and not a Sig. I do not trim the cases because I never seem to get a change to load them more than 2 to 3 times before they get lost by the Glocks tossing them off into the weeds. If you reload the same case very many times or if you are using a hot load, you will probably need to trim them eventually. Check the case lengths and see if they are becoming too long. Some guys trim everything, ever time. I can't argue with that because it is what you SHOULD do. I am just lazy and don't trim unless I really need to.

gdmoody · 09-29-2009, 11:13 AM

I have read somewhere that you can use a .40 die to resize the case, then run it through a 9mm size die (set way back) to get just the neck area. Then continue on with the rest of the reloading process. I cannot say for sure that it works because I do not reload .357 Sig (yet).

I bought a Springfield XD in .357 Sig but sold it pretty quickly when I discovered that I did not like it. I just don't like the XD pistols, not the round. I have been thinking of getting a .357 barrel for my Sig 229 and trying again.

If I do get that barrel, then I will reload for it!

BigJakeJ1s · 09-29-2009, 09:01 PM

Many 357sig loaders start with a 40sw carbide sizer, then finish with the 357sig steel sizer. Since the 40sw die takes care of the case body, the 357sig die is only working the shoulder and neck, and does not need lubrication.

I highly recommend the Lee collet type FCD for bottleneck pistol cartridges.

The Hornady seating die works very well on bottleneck pistol cartridges, and Redding's highly regarded Competition seater die is available in 357sig.

Andy

09-29-2009, 09:27 AM	#1
dsv424 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Garland, Tx. Posts: 279	Decided to reload .357 Sig. Any Gotcha's? I went ahead and bought a .357 Sig barrel for my Sig P226. Since the dies I got for this round are steel I guess I'll have to lube the cases. Do you have to check the trim length also? Is there anything else I need to be aware of reloading this caliber? Also is there a popular 9mm weight bullet for this round. -->

09-29-2009, 10:16 AM	#2
3ME V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 57	Re: Decided to reload .357 Sig. Any Gotcha's? They seem to load fine. The carbide dies cost a fortune and they go through the sizing die more like a typical bottle-neck rifle case than a pistol case. As long as you spray a little lube on them, they will go through the dies fine. You really should lube any bottle-neck case, even when using carbide dies. I use the 115 grain XTP bullets with Reloader 7 and I am shooting them from Glocks and not a Sig. I do not trim the cases because I never seem to get a change to load them more than 2 to 3 times before they get lost by the Glocks tossing them off into the weeds. If you reload the same case very many times or if you are using a hot load, you will probably need to trim them eventually. Check the case lengths and see if they are becoming too long. Some guys trim everything, ever time. I can't argue with that because it is what you SHOULD do. I am just lazy and don't trim unless I really need to. __________________ I have noticed that you don't see a lot of Obama stickers on cars that are headed to work. Last edited by 3ME; 09-29-2009 at 10:21 AM..

09-29-2009, 11:13 AM	#3
gdmoody Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Northeast Georgia Contributor Posts: 6,311	Re: Decided to reload .357 Sig. Any Gotcha's? I have read somewhere that you can use a .40 die to resize the case, then run it through a 9mm size die (set way back) to get just the neck area. Then continue on with the rest of the reloading process. I cannot say for sure that it works because I do not reload .357 Sig (yet). I bought a Springfield XD in .357 Sig but sold it pretty quickly when I discovered that I did not like it. I just don't like the XD pistols, not the round. I have been thinking of getting a .357 barrel for my Sig 229 and trying again. If I do get that barrel, then I will reload for it! __________________ NRA Endowment Member GeorgiaCarry.Org Member Retired US Army Postal Worker Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'.....author unknown (but obviously brilliant) Last edited by gdmoody; 09-29-2009 at 11:14 AM..

09-29-2009, 09:01 PM	#4
BigJakeJ1s V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 121	Re: Decided to reload .357 Sig. Any Gotcha's? Many 357sig loaders start with a 40sw carbide sizer, then finish with the 357sig steel sizer. Since the 40sw die takes care of the case body, the 357sig die is only working the shoulder and neck, and does not need lubrication. I highly recommend the Lee collet type FCD for bottleneck pistol cartridges. The Hornady seating die works very well on bottleneck pistol cartridges, and Redding's highly regarded Competition seater die is available in 357sig. Andy