For the simple sake of literary digression, I hereby offer a grand prize of one Dickel for anyone who can stuff the most crows into a standard stock sized Dickel, as observed below:

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Alright, I've been curious to know what people think and know about the .357 Sig? This has been quite interesting. Feel like a kid sitting in front of a campfire.

I had the chance to shoot one a couple weeks ago.

It's a very powerful round and tends to over-penetrate, which is why many police agencies are adopting them (shoot through windshields etc.).

I'm not a ballistics expert, but I'd say it's overkill for a personal protection gun.

See my earlier post. I like it, ammo costs a little more than the more common rounds. When my wife shoots it, she usually uses a 9mm or 45 and she comments on how it does have more of snap to it. Pinnacle would have better info on home reloading of them since early on in the 357sigs life there were a few issues with the bullet and how it wasn't seated properly in the casing but that has been fixed a long time ago.

Thanks for the good link!

I like guns and ammo!

AAAAH the old shooting through windshield deal... Another urban Myth we will go there another time.

The 357 Sig is NOT I repeat NOT the end all be all. Yes you get a small projo moving at warp speed and stuff happens - like bullets coming apart, bullets plowing through a lot of material if they are not properly constructed etc.. Overpenetration - very loud - very high pressure - very high slide speed - just abusive to shoot....

I know a guy that shot someone with a 357 SIG on Chicago Avenue some time ago - bullet hit the guy and went through him - through the storefront - through both windows of a jeep parked outside and as far as we can tell - is still traveling somewhere - NOT COOL.

That bullet might come back with those stickers from the old steamer chests - PARIS - LONDON - ISTAMBUL.... Etc... (that is what my cartoon bubble is looing like)

357 Sig is another one that I dont care for..... A lot of guys that bought those are looking for a 40 cal bbl for their guns

We have looked at this before -

I have a 9mm load - Winchester RA9TA 127 +P+ at 1350 FPS from my glock 17 - a comperable 357 Sig is about 50-75 fps faster - so tell me - is it worth it? NOPE.

You want a 357 - shoot a wheelgun IMHO...

There were problems with the early factory loads - I think that it had something to do with the headspace which makes sense to me- remember this is essentially a bottlenecked rifle cartridge and it headspaces on the shoulder which is harder to control than a pistol caliber that headspaces on the mouth and you only have to worry about case length - revolvers headspace on the rim.... and also depend on COAL... (case over all length)

If that shoulder is too far forward - the gun will not chamber properly and will not go into battery fully and you could have an out of battery detonation where the case is not entirely supported BAD NEWS FOLKS - if it is too far back (case shoulder) by as little as 0.005" you have an excessive headspace problem and a dangerous situation... KABOOM if the case is driven foreward off of the extractor - fires and is driven against the face of the breech....

I think that it took some time for SAAMI to adopt a uniform standard for the headspace control and shoulder angles on that one.... It is ok now - but ammo used to be inconsistent... (this is a guess)

As for handloading - Not me pally - I will not load that one... Sorry.... Something about loading little itty bitty rifle like cartridges that need to be lubed that does not thrill me.

they operate at pressures that run a little on the high side for a handgun....

If I run the crows through the Cuisinart - I WIN...

Nothing like "Sour Mash" even if it is Crow.

Tons of 5.7x28 info here: http://fivesevenforum.com/forums/index.php

Since I won the Five-seveN pistol at Bill's this Fall, I have been doing some research on it.

Many law enforcement agencies are using it - most notably the Secret Service. The SS190 and SS195 bullets yaw on impact and create a pretty ugly wound channel.

It was not designed replace the .223 rifle cartridge in an M4, but rather the MP5 using 9mm. However, the cartridge basically a .223 bullet with a smaller case. The Five-seveN pistol holds 20 rounds in each magazine and is very light. The P90 SMG can carry 50 rds and can be slung under your arm and concealed under the right outer garment.

It is a legal hunting cartridge in a some states. I have talked to guys (on the internet of course YRMV) who have taken deer with it and have shown me pictures. Whatever that is worth. I have a few hundered rounds loaded with 40gr Hornady Vmax bullets (SS197). I'm sure that would put a rabbit in the pot quite nicely and ruin a coyote's day.

Some guys are reloading this caliber using 55 gr Sierra Gamekings and 62 gr SS109's and some other Nosler BT loads.

It is frightfully expensive to buy at retail prices. It can be more economical in bulk. (Less than Walmart 45 acp if you buy enough qty.) Reloading looks tricky mainly because it's a pain to find those little spent casings on the ground which get shucked about 15 feet away. It's also a tiny little bottle necked case.

It's a new cartridge and only time will tell how successful it will be. I probably wouldn't have paid the retail price of what this pistol costs just for the cool factor.

I haven't stopped carrying my 45 acp or 9mm.

I do have access to once fired brass - BUCKETS of it....

Excellent... </best Monty Burns voice>

Yeah - and YOU get to reload that stuff - NOT ME PALLY

OK, back on topic (sort of). A question for those far more knowledgeable than I: between a 9mm and a .380, which would you pick for general carry purposes?

9mm.

Just bought my XD9SC on Saturday. Highly recommended!

Here's an article on the subject: http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast9mmv380a.htm

9mm vs .380

Both use the same diameter bullet, but the .380 is usually no more than 90 grains in weight and the case holds noticably less powder.

9mm loads usually start at 115gr and can be had in factory self-defense loads all the way up to 147gr.

9mm is a heavier bullet, moving faster. Simple physics will tell you that it hits with more force.

I do carry a .380 on occasion because it is the smallest gun I own. I don't think I would carry anything less powerful than a .380.

9mm. The only advantage to the .380 is that there are smaller platforms for it, but unless you need something smaller than, say, a Kahr P9, there's no reason to go with the .380.