.357 vs. .40

[JTROKS]

I bet you a 115 grain at 1600 fps will make a big difference. But no one is making 357Sig+P+.

[AngelDecoys]

Easy....

Gotcha. So you're suggesting the Force Science Institute might conduct shoddy research. Fair enough, never heard that before but its a valid point. Usually its Sanow's work that is considered questionable.

To the OP. I'm not going to say penetration isn't important. It is, but its only part of the story. I would think .357 would work just fine for you SO long as the weapon is 100% reliable.

Not that you asked for it, but I thought you might like the reading.
Here's another link where you'll find various articles on wound ballistics.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm

And the FBI's own data.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf

[SJgunguy24]

I know a few agencys that use the 357sig only because the of penetration capability through auto glass. In a home defence situation i'll stick with my 147gn 9mm.

[AJD]

Gotcha. So you're suggesting the Force Science Institute might conduct shoddy research. Fair enough, never heard that before but its a valid point. Usually its Sanow's work that is considered questionable.

To the OP. I'm not going to say penetration isn't important. It is, but its only part of the story. I would think .357 would work just fine for you SO long as the weapon is 100% reliable.

Not that you asked for it, but I thought you might like the reading.
Here's another link where you'll find various articles on wound ballistics.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm

And the FBI's own data.
http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf

Actually, I was really referring to Marshall and Sanow's work which are really the same thing. Marshall actually started it, and then he met Sanow and they started working together and publishing the one-shot stop books.

Firearms tactical has some really good stuff. They have always had a good grasp of the wound ballistics field as well as the IWBA. Most LE agencies are on the same page as them, as well as the FBI when considering ammo choices. The tacticalforums.com are another good place with many IWBA members posting there.

All in all, as mentioned, shot placement is the key and if you feel comfortable with the .357 sig and can shoot it well, then you're good to go as long as you realize none of the handgun calibers are wonder stoppers to begin with.

[JDoe]

The 357 SIG
- has superior barrier penetration over 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 ACP but has similar penetration in ballistic gelatin to those rounds.
- "can pump more destructive energy into that 12-15 inches of penetration (see below regarding breaking gelatin plates and even knocking gelatin blocks off the table), than other duty calibers, except for the 10mm caliber."
- has a louder report than 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 ACP and this might help with psychologically incapacitating a bad guy. About half of people shot and incapacitated with a hand gun are incapacitated by psychological factors.
- can have a brighter muzzle flash but that can be nearly eliminated by selecting the right ammo.

Here's an informal comparison of 357 SIG penetrating steel barriers vs. 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, .45 Auto, 12 gauge 00 buckshot, 12 Gauge slug. Guess which handgun round wins?

Pete's 357 SIG Caliber Page

Best Choices For Self Defense Ammo

[J-cat]

I really wouldn't recommend using a conversion barrel for home defense. If you ever actually have to use your weapon against another person, you might not be seen as a good guy with your "modified" firearm. Same idea as using reloads for self defense.

Just my advice

A Sig conversion barrel is not a modification.

[Bryan16]

Sure.

[bwiese]

I really wouldn't recommend using a conversion barrel for home defense. If you ever actually have to use your weapon against another person, you might not be seen as a good guy with your "modified" firearm. Same idea as using reloads for self defense.

Urban legend.

The main criteria is if it's a good/legit shoot in the first place. Someone saying, "It was an accident, I was holding the gun on him but it went off" is sure to go to jail.

Someone stating - backed by reasonable amount of evidence (armed dead perp in front of broken patio door) - "I felt in imminent fear of life/limb for myself and my family, he was armed and advancing on us, I had no choice but to stop the threat" will be found OK.

If the shoot is good, minor details of who's barrel is in the gun, or whether or not the round is a reload, will not matter.

If the shoot is bad, minor details of who's barrel is in the gun, or whether or not the round is a reload, will not matter either.

[Bryan16]

It's more ammo for the lawyers to use against you, especially if they can't find anything else.

[J-cat]

Maybe you should go and read our penal code, specifically section 198.5

[Packy14]

that .357 metal plate test was pretty sweet... very intriguing. Has anyone tested .357 on body armor? If it cuts steal like that, i wonder if its more potent to body armor too... i haven't heard of military spec ops using it though.

[-hanko]

I really wouldn't recommend using a conversion barrel for home defense. If you ever actually have to use your weapon against another person, you might not be seen as a good guy with your "modified" firearm. Same idea as using reloads for self defense.

Just my advice

Internet rumor, posted here on a weekly basis...

Care to cite a case about either a modified gun and/or reloaded ammo?? A little research before posting might be nice.

-hanko

[gun toting monkeyboy]

While the .357 SiG is a good round, I have this personal thing about bottlenecked cartridges in autoloaders. I'll take straight case walls every time.

Why? Bottlenecked cartridges feed more reliably than their straight walled bretheren. And they normally move a bit faster than the straight cased parent cartridge due to a smaller, lighter bullet. Admittedly there are only a few bottlenecked rounds that meet my criteria for home defense, but they are good rounds. Namely the .357 Sig and .400 Corbon. I love 7.62x25 and 7.63 Mauser, but they are more noted for moving fast and making holes than stopping power. And 8mm Nambu is cute, and makes an ok self defense round in a pinch, but I want more than a hot .32 ACP round if there is going to be shooting. But on a whole, I see bottlenecked rounds as a very reliable option.

-Mb

[SDgarrick]

Why? Bottlenecked cartridges feed more reliably than their straight walled bretheren. And they normally move a bit faster than the straight cased parent cartridge due to a smaller, lighter bullet. Admittedly there are only a few bottlenecked rounds that meet my criteria for home defense, but they are good rounds. Namely the .357 Sig and .400 Corbon. I love 7.62x25 and 7.63 Mauser, but they are more noted for moving fast and making holes than stopping power. And 8mm Nambu is cute, and makes an ok self defense round in a pinch, but I want more than a hot .32 ACP round if there is going to be shooting. But on a whole, I see bottlenecked rounds as a very reliable option.

-Mb

GT Monkeyboy- I'm considering getting a .400 corbon conversion. I've read your brief posts on it, but what else can you tell me about it? It seems like a really exciting option for guys that already reload.