.357 sig "glock bulge"

[SixPointEight]

I bought a g27 and am determined to get a .357 barrel for it. Been looking at KKM, Storm Lake, and Glock factory. I was leaning towards the factory barrel since I may occasionally carry it, but I'm 100% going to reload for it. Does the factory .357 Sig barrel bulge brass the same way the .40 cal does? If so I'll probably lean towards one of the two aftermarket options.

Any opinions on the quality/reliability/fit and finish of KKM vs Storm Lake barrels?

[Corbin Dallas]

I bought a g27 and am determined to get a .357 barrel for it. Been looking at KKM, Storm Lake, and Glock factory. I was leaning towards the factory barrel since I may occasionally carry it, but I'm 100% going to reload for it. Does the factory .357 Sig barrel bulge brass the same way the .40 cal does? If so I'll probably lean towards one of the two aftermarket options.

Any opinions on the quality/reliability/fit and finish of KKM vs Storm Lake barrels?

I've had this exact setup and I hated it.

There are some considerations for the G27 with a G33 barrel or conversion barrel.

First, I highly suggest renting a G33 and running some rounds down the pipe. You may find this combo is just too punishing on the gun and your hands.

Second, reloading the 357SIG is no joke. If you mis-calculate or have a bullet setback there is a HUGE potential for the famous Glock kB. At nearly 60,000cup there is little room for error. Recommended powders are slow burning, light and fluffy. I have successfully used Unique in the past but if I were to do it again, I'd probably go with AA#9 or bluedot.

Lastly, to answer your questions:

Glock factory is your best bet, but if you want a good quality barrel outside of the factory, the KKM is an excellent choice.

Does the case buldge? Not like the 40S&W, however, glock does have a more accepting chamber over it's counterparts. This means when you reload, make sure you use a full length resizing die.

I personally use the dillion carbide die set for reloading 357sig. Another good idea is to make sure you use full metal jacket bullets and not plated ones.

IF montana gold has them in stock, their .356 125GR. SIG FMJ is perfect for reloading the 357SIG. Just make sure OAL and crimp are spot on.

[SixPointEight]

I have heard that .357 is one of those cartridges that isn't for the novice reloader, like 5.7x28. I don't plan on hot-rodding the reloads much. I currently load unique and power pistol for 9mm and 40, so I'd probably stick with those in .357 sig. And i understand the velocities are high enough to warrant fmj or jhp bullets, and that flat nose bullets are essentially a requirement. I hear there are some issues with properly setting the shoulder back, as in, don't just set the die all the way to the shellholder. What's the deal with that?

As for renting first, I haven't found a range that rents any .357 sig pistols, much less a subcompact. Recoil can't be that much different than full house .40 hp ammo can it?

[Corbin Dallas]

I have heard that .357 is one of those cartridges that isn't for the novice reloader, like 5.7x28. I don't plan on hot-rodding the reloads much. I currently load unique and power pistol for 9mm and 40, so I'd probably stick with those in .357 sig. And i understand the velocities are high enough to warrant fmj or jhp bullets, and that flat nose bullets are essentially a requirement. I hear there are some issues with properly setting the shoulder back, as in, don't just set the die all the way to the shellholder. What's the deal with that?

As for renting first, I haven't found a range that rents any .357 sig pistols, much less a subcompact. Recoil can't be that much different than full house .40 hp ammo can it?

Yes, you are correct. Not a cartridge to learn on.

Unique is still listed on the alliantpowder website as usable at 8gr of powder for the speer gold dot HP 125g.

I think I loaded my last round at 7.2g of unique using PMC 125g FPTC .356 but I'd have to go check my data.

Flat point are preferred. I have heard of people using TC and RN with good results.

As far as setting the die IIRC there are 2 settings for the dillon dies. Full length and the shoulder. These "both" need to be set properly in order to get the round right.

[SixPointEight]

From what I see the lee dies are only set to the shoulder. I may use a two die setup to increase the functionality. FL size in a 40s&w die, then bump the shoulder in the .357 die. For now I'm collecting brass and debating barrels. Seems like not many people are loading the .357

[richrmi]

No bulges in nickel plated, Speer cases using a factory G33 barrel in a G27 frame. The chamber seems a bit tighter and the case is nearly fully supported. Even then, I would not expect brass to last anywhere near as long due to the high pressure and stress.

I have loaded several hundred 357 Sig rounds in the past two years and will concur it's not so easy. I use the two die method to keep from lubing the cases; first with a Lee .40 S&W carbide die, size and decap then with a Lee 357 Sig die to take care of the shoulder. The Speer cases have small flash holes that frequently yank out the decapping pin. Getting the 357 Sig sizing die set up is not so easy. A few buckled cases later, I modified the procedure so it works.

Initially experimented with Remington Bulk TMJ (heavy plated) 9mm bullets from Midway but they didn't hold up on the range. Fired from the G27/33 combination, many bullets were tumbling through the IDPA cardboard even at close range, 5-7 yards. The tight crimp required to hold the bullet in place was nearly cutting through the plating. I had more success with the heavier built Hornady XTP 9mm bullets, 124 Grain, except when seated properly the rim of the case is at or just above where the bullet starts to taper to the cone point. I had a couple of them setback but caught in the test phase. Then switched to Speer #4362 bullets made for the high-velocity, .355" diameter platforms. These aren't cheap but they work very well and can be crimped tight enough to work properly. I hear the #4360 (?) Gold Dot bullets also work well but haven't received them from a Midway order in over 10 months. I can't seem to find them anywhere.

I've used varying amounts of both Power Pistol and Blue Dot with great success and use CCI #500 primers. The fireball produced by Blue Dot in bright, noontime summer sun is amazing. I like the fact that a solid charge of Blue Dot results in a full case and slightly compressed load. I like to think it helps support the bullet from the rear with the very thin crimping area. Last year, I successfully competed in another IDPA event with the G27/33 using the Speer bullet reloads.

The G27/33 conversion rates in the "hand cannon" category. While the stock G27 in .40 S&W is definitely snappy, the 357 Sig round is truly a blast.

Rich

[Gowking]

I use a Redding GRX carbide 40 S&W push through die on my 357 Sig brass and then size the shoulder back with a Dillon 357 Sig die. As for bullets I just got some of the new Zero Bullets #158 125 gr FPFMJ 357 Sig bullet to try out.

-G