I am going to buy a Sig in either the P229 or P239 variant and am either going to buy it in .357 Sig or .40 S&W. I would appreciate your feedback on which gun and caliber you prefer. It will be used mainly for conceiled carry and as a car gun. I do reload, so that is a major consideration as well. I just can't stand paying the factory ammo prices when I shoot about 200-300 rounds a week. I have heard that the .357 Sig is much more difficult to reload for than the .40 S&W, but I have also heard that it is inherently more accurate and more powerful than the .40 S&W. Thanks!

I know this is not the best forum for this question, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Am also considering a choice between these two calibers, Mule Skinner, and have also heard rumors the .357 Sig is not real friendly to reloaders (due to the bottlenecked pistol case). However, I'm more than intrigued by the power that cartridge generates.

i like 40 cal and up always.40 is easier to reload also bigger bullet good velocity.the 357 sig is fast but bullets are to light,i heard they tried to copy 357 mag performance,fbi stats say most encounters are 7 ft or less i want a big bullet decent weight 135-165gr @1100-1300fps,you can load 180-200gr if you want to.imo

[ 03-06-2003, 00:53: Message edited by: 475/480 ]

If it's light and fast you are after, the 40 can easily achieve over 1400fps with a 135gr bullet on Hodgdon Longshot.

357sig has the setback problem to deal with too.

Well - given that I couldn't wait any longer, I went out this afternoon and bought the Sig P239 in .40 S&W. I thought for conceiled carry the 239 was the way to go versus the 229. Also, I had .40 dies, brass and bullets on hand so I figured that was the wise choice in caliber. If I ever feel the need to go to the .357, I can buy the replacement barrel and magazine, and then worry about buying the Dillon $100 carbide dies, brass and bullets. Thanks to those that replied. I'd still be interested in hearing other opinions, if only to confirm my purchase. Thanks again guys!

Good choice. I also picked a glock with a .357sig barrel and 40S&W barrel. I have had a heck of a time getting the sig rounds to cycle properly due to the bottleneck. I have to crimp almost to the point of buckling the case. And they don't make a Lee factory crimp die. And still even with this crimp, If I take the bullet and cycle it 5 or 6 times without shooting into the chamber, it moves the bullet back about 4/1000" each time. next step is to have the feed ramp smoothed out to lesser of an angle and try 147gr XTP's. I heard others had good luck out of them. Another bad thing about the sig round. Got to use steel dies for the most part. That means you got to lube.

MuleSkinner - You won't go wrong with the 40 s&w. It's a great caliber. I have a Glock M32 in 357 Sig that shoots and functions perfectly, my first Glock and I like it a lot. Reloading on the 40 will be tons easier. The bottleneck 357 can be a bear to reload. It sure tested my patience for a while. Some sites on the internet dedicated to this caliber are helpful in reloading it. Because of the smallness of the 357 Sig case, has anybody tried resizing with steel dies and no lube? Just a thought...