Who shoots .357 sig?

[Smith]

Got some yesterday and it was 22.60 per 50 WWB. I've discovered carry and plinking are about the same price in .357. The cheapest I've found is the Winchester Ranger. It runs about $13 per 50 for the carry stuff.

BTW I just got my EFK .357 SIG barrel for my Hi-Power and I can't wait to try it out.

[creeky]

I pay that much for 50rd of the ammo I carry... check out Georgia Arms, it's well worth buying a 500rd can or so at a time, you'll shoot almost twice as much for your money.

I plan on it and have that site bookmarked. Just right now I am a little stretched for cash. I have a few projects in the works and it's hard to juggle the funds right now.

A buddy gave me a 1000 rounds of once fired nickel brass, so I have been thinking of buying the dies and reloading as well.

[molonlabetn]

...A buddy gave me a 1000 rounds of once fired nickel brass, so I have been thinking of buying the dies and reloading as well.

That's smart. I have managed to keep some of my spent .357sig brass... hopefully I'll get a chance to set up to reload .380, 9mm, and .357sig this year... The nice thing is that I can buy the same bullets for all 3, for cheap plinking.

[creeky]

That's smart. I have managed to keep some of my spent .357sig brass... hopefully I'll get a chance to set up to reload .380, 9mm, and .357sig this year... The nice thing is that I can buy the same bullets for all 3, for cheap plinking.

I've got about another 600 (somewhere) of regular once fired brass as well.

I used to reload .308, .223, .45, .38/.357 magnum, and have the dies to reload .41 magnum for my Brother-in-Law's pistol.

[molonlabetn]

Keep in mind you can not simply use .355 (9mm) bullets for reloading the .357 SIG. The reason is you can't crimp or roll the .357. Manufactures carry specific .357 SIG bullets for reloading.

I've never heard that... and have seen lots of different 9mm bullets used in .357sig reloads. The 124gr FP is the most common, but 95gr bullets for the .380 and any 9mm hollowpoint can be loaded and used with the available taper-crimp dies.

It's the long ogive 115gr and 147gr FMJ bullets which can't be seated deeply enough to be useable in the sig cases.

[Smith]

That's smart. I have managed to keep some of my spent .357sig brass... hopefully I'll get a chance to set up to reload .380, 9mm, and .357sig this year... The nice thing is that I can buy the same bullets for all 3, for cheap plinking.

I don't think that's accurate. There is a difference between .357 and 9mm even though they are both .355. (keep in mind I am no reloader)

Sorry I was mixing info. Here is what I had read.

"The .357 SIG offers nothing comparable to reloaders. In fact, it is a somewhat unusual pistol cartridge to reload. Brass is available, but not particularly plentiful. Care must be taken during the resizing operation due to its bottleneck case form. Bullets may not be roll crimped because the case headspaces on the case mouth instead of the shoulder or rim. .40 S&W brass should not be reformed into .357 SIG brass; the resulting cases are too short to maintain proper headspace. Bullet diameter is the same as other 9mm pistol cartridges, but not all 9mm bullets are suitable for use in the .357 SIG. In particular, the NATO style 9x19 FMJ bullets may not be used. Their taper is such that not enough bearing surface contacts the short neck of the .357 SIG case. That is why Speer makes special 125 and 147 grain bullets specifically for the .357 SIG. As with any semi-automatic pistol cartridge, reloads must not vary far from factory load velocities or the gun may jam. And autoloading pistols throw their brass all over the place, making recovery difficult and time consuming."

Edited March 19, 2008 by Smith
Correction!

[Guest sling]

What that article is talking about is that you cannot use the standard round nosed FMJ that you find pretty much everywhere in a 9mm. The bullet has to be seated down into the neck so far to begin with, the bottle neck of the .357 sig doesnt have enough "grip" on the bullet to maintain its OAL. In other words, it'll fall into the case. Its best to use some sort of bullet with "flat sides" so to speak. Various hollow points and hornady's HAP bullet and the XTP come to mind.

Edited March 19, 2008 by sling
crappy spelling...

[molonlabetn]

Flat-point bullets work, as well. The 124gr and 95gr are most common

[Guest sling]

Aye, the 90 gr gold dots are pretty common as well. It reminds me of when i made that "hyper sonic" 9mm load with red dot and a 90 gr gold dot. Thats one fast bullet and it had some kick too!

[molonlabetn]

I'd be very interested to see something like that loaded up in a .357sig... I'd expect 1800fps would be easily attainable, since 115gr loads can hit 1600fps.

[cadillacdude1975]

wallyworld WWB .357 sig is 24.27 with tax for 50 rounds here in Chattanooga. and i carry a Glock 33 daily.

[Guest sling]

I'd be very interested to see something like that loaded up in a .357sig... I'd expect 1800fps would be easily attainable, since 115gr loads can hit 1600fps.

I'm sure its do-able. I dont remember the FPS on that load i spoke of. I've got it written down in my records somewhere. I'll have to find it and post it along with the load data...and of course, i hold no liability if one of you try it. What works fine in my gun might not do so hot in yours.

Though, i wonder if you were to push such a light bullet, for example a 90 gr gold dot, at that speed.... i highly doubt it'll stabilize correctly.

Though the round i loaded for my 9mm was fast it produced horrible groups at 20 yards. More than 4 1\2 inches with a rest. I'll hunt for the paper.

[molonlabetn]

I would expect that such a load would probably be a poor penetrator, since the 90gr Gold-Dot was intended for .380acp velocities... pushing it to effectively double that would likely result in spectacular fragmentation within 4-5" of gelatin. Perhaps a lightweight FMJ load would be better suited for SD, and would probably even have decent armor penetration abilities.

[Guest sling]

Well yeah it will fragment out the wazzoo. Take something that light and push it at that kind of speed i doubt its going to stay together. Bonded or not.

If a wad cutter was made at such a small weight that would probably do well for plinking. However, if penetration is a factor (something that .357 sig is reknown for) a light weight bullet (115 - 124) gr gold saber would do just fine. Its just too bad that you cant seat one of those puppies into the case. That damn band around the base causes problems if i understand it correctly. I still think the Hornady HAP flat tip's and the XTP's are going to work best in the department of reloading these. They provide enough area for the neck to squeeze.

[molonlabetn]

I wonder how well something like this might work: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=711744&t=11082005

...probably best with a reduced load.

[Guest sling]

Maybe. However, it would definitely lead up your bore quick. I hate cleaning lead out. However, it'll probably be difficult to find load data for 100 gr bullet. Unless i've just never paid attention. It looks like it has the surface area for the neck to grip. I dont know. Gold dots are just so cheap for me to pick up at the reloaders bench here in nashville it just doesnt make sense not to load those. 90 gr's are 10 \100 and 124 gr are 13\100 i think.

As for the 90 gr 9mm being a poor penetrator at that speed. It did fragement really bad when shot into water. The jacket and core seperated on most shots. Something not commonly heard of from a bonded bullet. However, it was more or less an experimentation to see how far velocities could be pushed while maintaining safe pressures. I'll post stats when i get off work.

Edited March 19, 2008 by sling
correction

[Guest sling]

Ok, found my charts and stuff last night but was too tired to post anything. Again, i hold no responsibility for any bad things that may happen if you use this already hot load.

The 9mm load was this:

90 gr Speer Gold Dot

5.1 gr Red Dot

OAL 1.014

Velocity - 1,350 fps

Bullet fragments in water.

Note: There are no tail tale pressure signs other than the harder kick. No bulging cases or flattened primers, etc. Its possible the powder could be increased but i dont know why you'd want to. The 90's dont stabilize right in your standard 9mm barrel and produce terrible accuracy past i'd say... 10 yards or more.

Its almost like that time i loaded a 9mm with one of Hornady's XTP bullets in a 90 gr as well with Vihtavuori 3n37 produced speeds excess of 1500 FPS!

Same thing for the .357 sig load with a 90 gr gold dot zipping along at post 1700 fps with power pistol.