Sig P229 - .357 vs .40 cal

[outobie]

Hello ammo experts. I recently ordered a new Sig P229 .40 cal. When the pistol arrived at my FFL I found out they shipped it with a .357 barrel. it took almost 2 months for it to arrive with the MD required spent casing. Dring the wait I bought $500 worth of .40 cal ammo. the dealer I bought the gun from offered to either replace the pistol or sell me the .40 cal barrel at his cost ($140).

I ended up keeping the .357 and ordering the .40 cal barrel. So here's my question...

besides cost; what are the differences I should expect between the two rounds? any thoughts on which is better and for what purpose? Does anyone have any metrics on the quantitative differences in energy, muzzle velocity, etc.

I'm very new to shooting so please forgive me if this is a dumb question.

thanks.
John

[Maverick0313]

If you do a search on the web site you will find everthing you have asked about.....:-).

[lx1x]

Originally Posted by Maverick0313

If you do a search on the web site you will find everthing you have asked about.....:-).

what he said.. or go to the ammo manufacturers website and most of them have the information on the rounds.

[iobidder]

Should have gotten 9mm ;-)

[outobie]

I've been reading through the search results I've found so far and most seem to state that ".40 cal Ghey"

I haven't really been able to locate a good comparison or slightly less biased information.

I've heasitated from the manufacturer's sites since their info will vary from load to load within the same caliber.

[Bikebreath]

The Wiki for .40 and .357Sig don't show a lot of difference to me. I'm sure there are fans of the .357 Sig, but I never got the point to the round. The .40 is a tamed down 10mm, somewhere between a 9mm and .45ACP. You are already in the thick of it now, so just go with it. In a SHTF .40 cal is used by LE, so you have similar ammo.

[jimbobborg]

The .357 Sig is basically a hot 9mm round. It just happens to be a bottle-necked and shortened 10mm case with a small pistol primer. It was originally conceived to mimic the ballistics of the 125gr .357 Magnum round in a semi-automatic pistol. If you were around back when it was developed and paid attention to what was going on, you'd know this, but since this seems to be your first pistol, I'll cut you some slack The .40 S&W was the result of the FBI's request for a downloaded 10mm cartridge. This cartridge offers 180gr JHPs that is supposed to offer good barrier penetration in a smaller framed pistol format. Since the .40 has been adopted by a LOT of state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies, ammo is a lot less expensive and selection is a lot greater than the Sig cartridge.

[Blaster229]

I would have given you my .40 barrel.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk

[Blaster229]

The trajectory of the sig .357 is flatter at a greater distance.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk

[lx1x]

Originally Posted by outobie

I've been reading through the search results I've found so far and most seem to state that ".40 cal Ghey"

I haven't really been able to locate a good comparison or slightly less biased information.

I've heasitated from the manufacturer's sites since their info will vary from load to load within the same caliber.

Search outside mds. Lol

[outobie]

there is a 9mm barrel available as well so... the same question from a newbie now becomes which one is better and why?

9mm?
.40 S&W?
.357?

[lx1x]

Originally Posted by outobie

there is a 9mm barrel available as well so... the same question from a newbie now becomes which one is better and why?

9mm?
.40 S&W?
.357?

depends on what you want out of it..

9mm.. cheaper for practice shooting.

[outobie]

maybe a little more about my intended uses will allow a good recommendation
the overall purpose is twofold...home defense and target shooting.

the reason I bought the P229 is because I went to the Dulles gun show in VA several weeks ago and at the recommendations of some friends who shoot on a regular basis I picked up just about every pistol in the show and picked the P229 because it seemed to fit my hand best (I have rather small hands) I didn't really consider the caliber. since this is my first pistol, i assumed I'd be learning on it and at some point would buy something else once I could make a more educated decision about what my needs/wants are.
I've still not taken posession of the pistol so haven't fired a single round.

so should I also get a 9mm barrel? is that better than the .40 or .357?

[MauiWowie]

Originally Posted by outobie

there is a 9mm barrel available as well so... the same question from a newbie now becomes which one is better and why?

9mm?
.40 S&W?
.357?

Sig does not make a 9mm barrel that will fit a .40/357 slide
You must buy a "conversion" barrel to convert your pistol to 9mm
Bar-Sto makes a good one. Also if not for carry your .40/357 mags will work fine with 9mm

[lx1x]

Originally Posted by outobie

maybe a little more about my intended uses will allow a good recommendation
the overall purpose is twofold...home defense and target shooting.

the reason I bought the P229 is because I went to the Dulles gun show in VA several weeks ago and at the recommendations of some friends who shoot on a regular basis I picked up just about every pistol in the show and picked the P229 because it seemed to fit my hand best (I have rather small hands) I didn't really consider the caliber. since this is my first pistol, i assumed I'd be learning on it and at some point would buy something else once I could make a more educated decision about what my needs/wants are.
I've still not taken posession of the pistol so haven't fired a single round.

so should I also get a 9mm barrel? is that better than the .40 or .357?

Have you shot any of the three rounds? 9mm is a good all around round. Less recoil=better second target acquisition. But its all about how much you shoot and which is better for you. Instead of biying other part. Go to a range that rents gun and try all three caliber.

im personally more worried about you having 3 barrels for the same gun and going to the range and have the wrong ammo.. or better yet.. in HD situation.

[MauiWowie]

If price was no option 357 Sig is my favorite

With that said I like 9mm the most

[outobie]

it's been 15 years since I've shot a pistol and can't recall any real pertinent info other than I've shot a 357 revolver, 9mm semi auto of some sort, and a heavily smithed Colt 45semi auto. I don't believe I've ever fired a 40 cal.

I'm trying to decide now how into shooting I'll become. so far cost doesn't seem to be an issue... up to a point...I may have to rethink that if it gets too expensive though

accuracy at the range will probably be my decision point...since I now own (but still don't posses) both a 357 and 40 cal barrel would it be recommended to also get the 9mm barrel (and slide, with clips)?

[Bikebreath]

You are asking a lot of that guns ejector to extract 3 different caliber cases. I think if you get into 9mm, just get another gun.

[Joseph]

I would hold off on buying any more barrels for your pistol, and wait till you go shoot what you already have before choosing what is best for you.

If you had gone and bought something in 10mm auto from the beginning you wouldn't have to worry about silly questions like which is the best calliber

[MauiWowie]

Be careful
It's not as easy as buying a slide and barrel depending on the year of your pistol some .40/357 frames won't fit a 9mm slide

Did you not read my post?
Buy a barsto conversion barrel to 9mm and use the same mags

I've don this for years on both my 229 and 226 with only one issue in my 226 and a aluminum case.
Otherwise no issues