.357 Sig - is it worth it comparatively speaking?

[Vance]

So I'm going to look to retire the current handgun - as it is by definition something of a collectable these days - and upgrade to something new(er) this spring after I get the spousal her 2-3 shotguns she wants that she can handle (gods I love this woman! GO BUY A MOTORCYCLE!!!, get me some shotguns, we both work from home so let's have a nooner...)

.... errr... yeah... I digress...

Anyway - so here's my conundrum. When my dad and I had our FFL and business I knew all this shit - but unfortunately that was so many moons ago we were just getting out of the business when the .40 was starting to make headway into the market on a large enough scale to be considered more than just a curiosity round like the 10mm seemed to be...

So now I'm reading a little more about the .357 Sig - and how many are touting it as the greatest personal defense round available, with the .45 being the second best - of course, both being secondary to the effectiveness of a 12 gauge shotgun blast.

So first - how is it's true effectiveness for home defense purposes vs say a 9mm and a .40? I honestly never considered the .45 for home defense just because I've always been a bit bias against the round due to the craptastic accuracy of most 1911's I've had the displeasure to shoot. I know that's not entirely true anymore, especially in a non-1911 framed gun too - so - that could be game too.

Second - what are the options for a .357 SIG handgun? I noticed the one handgun I was particularly interested in - the Springfield XDm 5.25 isn't offered in the caliber, actually not in the XDm at all. I know it's not typical for someone to use a full size frame weapon for a CCW - but I have larger hands and can't stand the feel of tiny guns - so I would be looking for something in a full or almost full size frame with a preference of minimum 4" barrel, leaning more heavily towards longer always.

Thoughts, comments, opinions, options... all are welcome.

[TransNone13]

If I were going for .357 Sig and taking your priorities into account, my choice would be the Glock 32 (Compact, not Subcompact). It has a 4.01" barrel, win? 13 STD, 15-17 OPT.

http://us.glock.com/products/model/g32

I'm not here to debate anything, just offer my opinion.

[derekm]

A friend (and rabid gun nut) of mine carries a g32 & LOVES it.

[~Barn~]

For somebody who has such an elaborate and highly secretive "anti-zombie" manifesto, you sure do need a lot of help, picking out guns. :p

[Grant H.]

My opinion:

No, the .357 sig is not worth it. Ammo is expensive, and it just doesn't offer enough of an advantage ballistics-wise to be worth it.

Your experience with .45's in a 1911 sounds very uncharacteristic. Unless you were shooting bottom of the barrel $250 1911's that lived in saltwater for 100 years before you shot them, something was very wrong. Either that, or the 1911 frame does not fit your hand worth a damn, and makes shooting them accurately impossible for you. (my money is on option #2 - everyone has different hands, and what is comfortable for some is not for others. I cannot shoot a sig accurately. Yes, I can hit the paper, but grouping is a joke. Give me a glock or a 1911, and I can group extremely well, and shoot very quickly. I usually rank top 3 at local IDPA-ish matches shooting a 1911).

For accuracy, I would put either of the out of the box 1911s in my safe (my wifes, or mine) against any out of the box .45s you wish. I would also put them up against any out of the box 9mm you wish.

My choice on calibers revolves around cheap practice ammo, good stopping performance with quality ammo, and good ballistics. For handguns, I only shoot 9mm and .45.

Don't waste your time with .40.

[TFOGGuys]

.357 SIG gives near .357 Magnum ballistics in a semiauto. Basically, it is a .40 S&W necked down to 9mm, so many guns that are chambered in .40 can be converted to .357 SIG with literally nothing more than a barrel swap.

As to whether it offers enough performance advantage over 9mm to make a difference, against unarmored targes, I'd have to say no. Current self defense bullets in 9mm offer more than adequate penetration, with good expansion and weight retention. .357 SIG in a similar sized weapon will offer reduced capacity, with negligible difference in performance in a home defense scenario.

[Vance]

For somebody who has such an elaborate and highly secretive "anti-zombie" manifesto, you sure do need a lot of help, picking out guns. :p

That's because, in the case of a Zed pandemic - I think guns of any form - hand, long, shot, all should be used exclusively on any infringing living - not the undead - unless it is the last resort.

In this case, where everyone is living still (relatively speaking) having been out of the market for so long I do need a little infospeak to help me back in the game.

[Vance]

Sounds like the early input here is the caliber isn't worth it given the stopping power the 9mm with proper rounds carries and ammunition cost comparison.

I'll await more input obviously.

[TransNone13]

I like the .40. You can hold more than a .45 and I don't trust 9mm or .380 myself. To each his own. I wouldn't mind 10mm GAP, but it's not as available as 40S&W.

[Sport_Toorer]

I've shot USPSA matches for years and only seen a few 357 Sigs come through. What stood out was how freakin' loud they were, even compared to open guns with compensators. In a self-defense situation, I would imagine you'd have some ear damage shooting any gun indoor but that cartridge would leave your ears bleeding.

[rforsythe]

For somebody who has such an elaborate and highly secretive "anti-zombie" manifesto, you sure do need a lot of help, picking out guns. :p

:lol: Vance will die simply because, while he will likely have a plethora of weapons to choose from, he will spend 30 minutes doing research into *just* the right round for the situation.

Then again, he might be able to draw the zombies into a lengthy and heated political discussion on the rights of the undead and buy himself time.

[Vance]

:lol: Vance will die simply because, while he will likely have a plethora of weapons to choose from, he will spend 30 minutes doing research into *just* the right round for the situation.

Then again, he might be able to draw the zombies into a lengthy and heated political discussion on the rights of the undead and buy himself time.

Damn straight I will survive for JUST that reason!

That said ...

I think I'm going to stick with 9mm for cost effectiveness for the time being.

Now the question is --- what should a reasonable price be on a new XDm 9mm in the 5.25" variety?

[rforsythe]

Now the question is --- what should a reasonable price be on a new XDm 9mm in the 5.25" variety?

Given the hysteria currently, a "reasonable" price is whatever you can get it for. Call Casey at GP Guns and see what he can do, but retail is retail. There isn't a tremendous amount of wiggle room on price normally, and especially now anything with a trigger is going for a premium.

[Vance]

Given the hysteria currently, a "reasonable" price is whatever you can get it for. Call Casey at GP Guns and see what he can do, but retail is retail. There isn't a tremendous amount of wiggle room on price normally, and especially now anything with a trigger is going for a premium.

Yeah unfortunately my timing couldn't be worse could it?
I'll give them a buzz.

[Chris]

not worth it.