[djv38]

Just went to FNH USA's website and saw that they have an FNP in 357 SIG now. Anyone have experience with this round?
I'm turning 21 in 2 days and would like to get myself a nice present and was looking at the FNP 40. However, I might be swayed to wait for the 357. Any thoughts on one over the other?

 

[Templar]

Virginia State Police and Richmond City PD have been using .357 SIG for a few years now.

Both departments have been very happy with the rounds performance in officer related shootings.

However.....

1) It's an expensive round to shoot, and availablity isn't all that great.

2) Increased blast and muzzle flash over 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP.

3) The better +P and +P+ 9mm defense loads will come extremely close to the .357 SIG in performance and they allow for the use of inexpensive target loads for practice.

If it were me, I'd look at the 9mm, or the .40 S&W, although I'm not a real fan of the .40.

 

[iCeMaN]

Im not the biggest fan of 40 either. I may get one just to add to the collection though

 

[ShipWreck]

New people always want to jump in on a large caliber - but there are 2 things to think about.

One, I see tons of people with a new gun, complaining about heavy recoil quite frequently on all the websites I am on.

And two - once you start seeing the cost of ammo (and the increases that have come about in the last 3-4 years) - you will barely afford to go practice with your gun.

I'd go buy a 9mm. U can always get +P to carry, and just use regular 9mm for target rounds if U want something stronger.

 

[djv38]

I probably won't be shooting a whole lot in the next few years as I'm planning on heading off to grad school next year. I know .40 ammo is more expensive than 9mm and the recoil doesn't bug me at all. I've never fired .357 before, and was wondering how it compared to .40. I guess I feel a little better with a little larger round for protection, but as long as shot placement is good it doesn't really matter. I think I might just rent a 9mm, .40 and maybe a .45 at the local shooting range and compare them to see what I like best.

Templar, thanks for the info about muzzle blast and flash on the .357 and the comparable +P 9mm. Also, why aren't you fans of the .40? is it the cost that deters you, or performance?

 

[Templar]

The .40 is a very high pressure round to start with, and if you get any bullet set back, pressure levels spike dramatically, which is not good.

.40's also don't tend to be as accurate as 9mm or .45ACP.

Given the choice of a bunch of 9mm +P 124 gr. Speer Gold Dots or +P+ 127 gr. Winchester Ranger SXT's, and slightly less in a .40, I'll take the lower recoil, lower muzzle flip of the 9mm to the .40 S&W.

I've been carrying for 20 years, started out with a .45 ACP and I still really like that caliber, but the 9mm, with proper ammo choice, is an excellent choice.

Don't overlook availablity and price either in your choice. If you're only going to have one pistol for a while, I'd recommend a 9mm.

If you're going to have several, then you can afford some diversity.

 

[djv38]

Once again Templar, thanks for the info and tips on some good carry ammo. I appreciate it.

 

[horse9640]

i used to get into the whole caliber thing and used to think the .357 sig was the cats meow, now i'd rather have a 9mm with premium ammo.

the reason: higher magazine capacity, low recoil, fast follow up shots, and cheaper ammo both hp and fmj.

bottom line is a hit with a peashooter is better than a miss with a cannon.

 

[Germanic]

I'm a fan of the .357SIG personally.

From my experience, the .357 is more accurate than most other calibers I've shot. My P226 has turned in some amazing groups. I think, due to the bottle necked design, it also feeds smoother than other rounds. When I put my .40 barrel in the .226, I can manually hand cycle the slide, and if I do it slowly enough, I can get the slide to hang-up on a .40 A-Zoom snap cap. That NEVER happens with the .357 barrel. The action just seems to cycle smoother with the bottle necked case.

Also, while the best +P+ ammo can approximate .357SIG performance, keep in mind, the average 9mm is build around +P ammo, NOT +P+ ammo which isn't SAMMI spec'd. Therefore, the average .357 will have a heavier slide and springs than most 9mm pistols. As a general rule, I just don't run +P+ ammo in any of my 9mms. Further, when you're pushing 9mm to +P+ pressure levels, the accuracy tends to diminish.

.357 can be had at reasonable cost when bought in bulk from a number of on-line vendors. I think it's ballistics are impressive and I also like the flexibility to switch between .357 and .40 with ease. If you have a P22x series pistol in .357, it can easily be switched to one of three different calibers with the addition of a Bar-Sto 9mm conversion barrel and the factory .40 barrel. Recoil wise, I think the .357 is actually more mild than most .40 loads I've shot. But that's a subjective call I imagine.

While the .357SIG may not be for everyone, I really like it. :?