Best platform for 357 sig?

[QuickStrike]

I've been toying with the idea of getting a pistol in .357 SIG.

Bad idea?

What's the best/most proven platform for this cartridge?

Right now I'm leaning to the sig 226.

[rathos]

I would say go with the Sig 226. I have one and its great. I also have the .40 barrel, but I enjoy the .357 much more.

I have also shot the XD tactical and the Glock 31 I think it is, the full size. The 226 is much easier to shoot with that hot of a round. Second choice would be the XD and last place goes to the Glock. Much more felt recoil with the Glock IMHO.

The only downside is ammo is spendy. I only buy it in lots of 500 or so because any less then that and it costs an arm and a leg. Good luck in your search!

[ToddG]

The most proven gun in that caliber right now is definitely the P229. In my experience, the P229 is a little easier to shoot at speed than the P226 in 357 SIG. The cartridge is very "whippy" in recoil, so having a slightly shorter sight radius actually helps. There have been some reliability issues related to chamber dimensions lately, but overall it's the gun which has proven most durable and easy to shoot in that caliber.

XD's, in general, are not known for their durability in calibers other than 9x19mm. While I'm sure there are people who've shot a bazillion rounds through their XD's in every caliber, the gun has never survived an independent (LE, mil, etc) durability test to the best of my knowledge.

As for Glock, not only are their 357's incredibly poor at controlling recoil/flip, but they are also substantially less durable and less reliable than their other models. Ask New Mexico State Police or NJ Fish & Wildlife, both of which tried for years to get their G31/G32/G33 guns to work adequately before abandoning them.

The only 357-cal gun to pass the DHS/ICE selection trials were the H&K USP Compact LEM, P2000, and P2000SK. The guns are made in very small quantities and in my experience are harder to shoot than the SIG.

The newcomer on the block is the M&P357, which was recently selected by the New Mexico State Police to replace their Glocks in the same caliber. However, other than NMSP, I'm not aware of any significant testing of this gun outside of S&W. Whether it will hold up for tens of thousands of rounds remains to be seen. (If the cost of 357 ammo were lower, I'd probably get one of these to wring it out. I've got 7k rounds of 357 in my basement, most of it 125gr Gold Dot LP, but once that was gone there's no way I'm paying 2X as much just to push my bullets 100-150fps faster.)

I personally think (as a complete layman when it comes to terminal ballistics) that the 357 is the most effective of the major LE cartridges on the market. Up until recently, it was the only caliber that could say "no agency has ever switched to something else." However, with the rising cost of ammo, some agencies are making the jump to .40 and rumors abound that some of the biggest supporters of the 357 are considering something similar.

In the right platform, the 357 is easier to shoot fast than a .40, substantially more accurate, much flatter shooting for long-range marksmanship, and unquestionably effective from a "making bad guys Fall Down Go Boom" standpoint. The downsides are considerably higher ammo cost compared to 9mm, substantially greater muzzle blast (which some shooters translate into "recoil" resulting in flinching habits), and overall less support from gun & ammo manufacturers.

[TOrrock]

VA State Police issue SIG P229's in .357 SIG and Richmond, VA PD issue the polymer SIG 2340 in .357 SIG. Neither have had any serious issues that I am aware of, and both departments have been very happy with the round's performance in the several shootings that they've been involved in.

Another vote for the P226.

[Abraxas]

XD's, in general, are not known for their durability in calibers other than 9x19mm. While I'm sure there are people who've shot a bazillion rounds through their XD's in every caliber, the gun has never survived an independent (LE, mil, etc) durability test to the best of my knowledge.

As for Glock, not only are their 357's incredibly poor at controlling recoil/flip, but they are also substantially less durable and less reliable than their other models. Ask New Mexico State Police or NJ Fish & Wildlife, both of which tried for years to get their G31/G32/G33 guns to work adequately before abandoning them.

The only 357-cal gun to pass the DHS/ICE selection trials were the H&K USP Compact LEM, P2000, and P2000SK. The guns are made in very small quantities and in my experience are harder to shoot than the SIG.




.

Where would I find the results of these tests?

[ToddG]

Where would I find the results of these tests?

I know for a fact the ICE results (except for the contract awards themselves) are not available to the public. As for the others, the only advice I could offer is to contact the agencies and see if they're willing to share.

[Abraxas]

I know for a fact the ICE results (except for the contract awards themselves) are not available to the public. As for the others, the only advice I could offer is to contact the agencies and see if they're willing to share.

Thanks much. Though I have to ask what the reasoning is to keeping the testing data so secret ?

[ToddG]

For ICE, it's a law. Vendors generally don't want test data released to the public becasue:

• All but one vendor will lose any given test, which makes everyone else look bad
• The public usually doesn't have a strong grasp of what the testing means or how to interpret it, creating headaches for vendors

From the agency/government standpoint, releasing the test data simply creates opportunities for protests, second-guessing, etc.

[SuicideHz]

I've got a G32 and it's fairly controllable, no real problems as far as I am concerned. My first handgun (that I bought for myself) was a P229 in 357SIG and it seemed the weight of that pistol really helped it's controllability.

[ST911]

I've acquired a few 357 SIGS. They all bear .40SW barrels, for the reasons Todd mentions.

I don't take 357 SIGs to events or classes anymore. No interest. Little positive feedback, except from those most given to the gunzine trends. I know of many folks who bought and traded them, mostly for G19s or others.

The best ammo I've found in the caliber has been the Black Hills offering(s), which are no longer catalogued. The Speer GDHP, Lawman TMJ, and Corbon 125 thereafter.