Anyone Have An XD In 357 Sig???

[MadDogDan]

I have a safe full of 1911's in 45 ACP and was thinking of getting an XD. I don't want another 45 and 9mm is too puny for my taste. That only leaves the 40 and 357. The ballistics of the 357 Sig seems quite impressive but I have noticed that most poeple have 40's or 9mm. I would like to hear from those with 357's. Likes, dis-likes, etc.

MadDog

[Oni]

Most of my favorites start with .50 Cal .. though .357 is probably a much cheaper round and it's probably easier to zero in the .45 s because there are so many. but you want a .50! (sorry talking silly)

Fire 100 rounds of each including the .50 cal with an assortment of guns then see which cartridge you like by June lol

Maybe, if, nah that would be expensive, though it definitely be fun firing all those rounds,otherwise, you ould use that cash to purchase a boatload of cheap wwb,. hehe see you in the shooting lane.

Typing while eating here sorry ;d

[BJ]

I have had one for about 4 years guite happy with it had to add a set of True glows (60 year plus eyes) B.J.

[Ed Ely]

Yes I own and shoot the .357SIG XD.

At one time I owned, but only shot a mag
through it, one of the first to arrive in this
county. Only a handfull came - Mine was
designated the SA-357. I say that I owned
it, it is now in Ajames's collection.

Shortly thereafter, I bought another XD-357
service model. This happens to be my favorite
round, which I refer to as my 9mm Magnum.
It is a much more expensive round to shoot that
the 9mm and the .40s. For carry, the Speer GD
125 gr JHP is the best of the lot.

Probably why most people buy the 9mm and the
.40s is because of the price of ammo. The .40 ammo
can be bought in 155, 165 and 180 grain. Many
people perfer the heavier load.

The .357SIG is a more 'snappier' round when you
fire it vs. the .40. Some would say that it has more
perceived recoil, probably because it's report is at
a much higher level.

I come back on target much faster than with the .40
therefore getting more shots off a bit faster. I would
add, this round is not for everyone. Please try to shoot
one before you buy it. I do recommend the .357SIG
handgun from SA. I might add that I also own the same
round in the originally designed platform for launch,
the Sig P229, plus many more machines in the .357SIG
caliber.

Ed

[thebigruss]

I like the way the article here (scroll down the page) put it: "A Solution in Search of a Problem."

Sounds like you're better off sticking with the .40 cal since it's a bigger bullet and going .357 isn't going to gain you any extra rounds in the mag. Or if recoil is a concern just go with 9mm.

[MadDogDan]

thebigruss,

Recoil is not a problem for me and if you look at all the ballistics charts the 357 sig seems to have the edge over the 40 cal. I have quite a few 45ACP's and all the commercial rounds produce ft/lb energy in the mid 400's. The commercial 40's that are out now are in the high 400's but even the weakest 357 sig is in the mid to high 500's. Seems like an advantage to me. I can live with the high price of the ammo, after all it is costing me a fortune to keep my FN Five-seveN fed so the 357 XD shouldn't be a hardship. I think I will rent a 357 XD at my local range to see how I like it.

MadDog

[sbeasley]

I've only got about 200 rounds through my XD357 Service and I'm very happy with it so far. the recoil is not bat at all. as far as ammo costs I spend about $14 dollars per box of 50 at wall-mart.

[thebigruss]

Originally Posted by MadDogDan

thebigruss,

Recoil is not a problem for me and if you look at all the ballistics charts the 357 sig seems to have the edge over the 40 cal. I have quite a few 45ACP's and all the commercial rounds produce ft/lb energy in the mid 400's. The commercial 40's that are out now are in the high 400's but even the weakest 357 sig is in the mid to high 500's. Seems like an advantage to me. I can live with the high price of the ammo, after all it is costing me a fortune to keep my FN Five-seveN fed so the 357 XD shouldn't be a hardship. I think I will rent a 357 XD at my local range to see how I like it.

MadDog

With pretty much all handgun calibers the important factors in wounding potential is bore size and velocity, not ft/lb. Energy numbers are good for marketing and ad execs, but any reputable ballistics expert will tell you it's pretty useless for determining which caliber to go with.

What should really help you determine if the .357 Sig is right for you is callibrated ballistics gel testing. I think you'll find pretty quickly that all other things being equal, the .40 will out do the .357 Sig every time. With most handgun rounds, velocity numbers have to be leaps and bounds higher than the larger caliber bullets to make up for their lack of size and weight. The Sig cartridge just doesn't pump out that much juice.

Like I said, it's a solution looking for a problem. Don't get me wrong, I like having all kinds of variety in ammo calibers, but practicality beckons me to the .40 on this one.

[MadDogDan]

thebigruss,

I find it hard to believe the 357 sig is not an effective stopper since the 357 mag is undeniably STILL the number one man stopping round of all time. Every ballistition will tell you how effective the 357 mag is and the ballistics between the 357 sig and 357 mag are quit similar. Every corinor will tell you how effective the 357 mag round is. The world has pretty much changed over to auto loaders leaving the revolver in the dust, and the revolver has it's shortcummings but the round still remains an excellent man stopper.

MadDog

[thebigruss]

Originally Posted by MadDogDan

thebigruss,

I find it hard to believe the 357 sig is not an effective stopper since the 357 mag is undeniably STILL the number one man stopping round of all time. Every ballistition will tell you how effective the 357 mag is and the ballistics between the 357 sig and 357 mag are quit similar. Every corinor will tell you how effective the 357 mag round is. The world has pretty much changed over to auto loaders leaving the revolver in the dust, and the revolver has it's shortcummings but the round still remains an excellent man stopper.

MadDog

Whoa, Dog, I never said the .357 Sig isn't an effective stopper , but you can't put it in the same class as the .357 magnum; the magnum is usually at least 100 fps faster in a typical 125 gr loading. Another 100 fps makes for a good bit more damage. However, numbers I've seen put the .40 cal in the same ballpark as the .45 and .357 mag as far as terminal ballistics goes, but still ahead of the .357 Sig.

I think you've fallen prey to the marketing genius that was the whole idea behind the .357 Sig to begin with: people will buy the ammo if the name makes them think of a .357 magnum. I know because I thought the same thing when I was doing research into purchasing a new XD. All they did was take the existing .40 S&W cartridge, neck it down to seat a .357 bullet and presto: a .357 "magnum" in an automatic pistol. The general consumer will never know or question that they aren't just as effective as the real thing.

Considering the wider availability and selection of .40 cal versus .357 Sig, I think you'd be better served with the .40 S&W.

Also, I hate to correct you but the .357 magnum is not the most effective manstopper, it's just the most commonly used. .44 mag, .41 mag, .50 AE, maybe even .45 ACP... they are all probably more effective than the .357 due to their larger bore size.