Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .357 SIG in long barrel?

Thinking about buying a standard or even 6-in. barrel in .357 SIG to pep up my good ol' Glock 35.

Wondering if any of y'all have used this round in barrel over 4.5-in. and bothered chronographing loads.

I'm thinking factory or handloads in 100-115 grain could easily exceed 1,700 fps. Kind of a new age .30 Luger.

Might be a fun woodswalking gun for varmints/small deer.

ColdCase, I just got off the phone with a man who has carried a GLOCK in the .357-Sig caliber ever since it came available to the public. He also told me it out performed the 10mm when it came to cars and glass...I'll discuss that tomorrow with him at the shop.

Nonetheless, I am impressed with the kinetic energy it puts out according to GLOCK'S Booklet. Now in the GLOCK model-31, it produces 765-lbs of energy. Slide length 7.32 inches. The GLOCK model-20 produces 750-lbs of energy, slide length is 7.59.

The .357-Sig caliber has a flatter trajectory, making it easier to hit targets down range with far less hold over.

I would guess you would be better off to gain some bullet weight and lose a little speed. Not sure if you could jump all the way to 140s or not.

It would be fun to handload for, but 1,700 fps - I dunno. The .357 Sig is an efficient, high pressure cartridge that has a very gradual velocity increase as the barrel length increases. Even the 115-grain Cor-Bon stuff doesn't break 1,600 from a 6-inch.

I agree with Louis. The benefit of a longer barrel would probably show more with heavier bullets and slower powder, and certainly be a better choice for even small deer.

The deer would be under very narrow conditions; I've got a lot of rifles and handguns better suited to deer.

I'm just digging the idea of a high velocity 9mm zapper that shoots flat and hits hard in the field.

Could drop to 88-90 grain .380 projectiles to really pump up the sizzle. By the same token, 147s are already available loaded in this caliber and probably could be bought as components.

I've been impressed with performance of our 180 Golden Sabre .40 loads on crippled deer. The 124 grain GS out of a .357 SIG could be devastating. Don't know if they GS are available as components off the top of my head.

ColdCase;

Check out the 9x25 Dillon. You'll need a G20 and aftermarket barrel, but if a flat trajectory 9mm is what you want, there it is.

ColdCase,

The trouble with ramping up a .357 Sig for deer might be getting a bullet to hold together. Especially with the lighter bullets. Some manufacturers list a 'useful range' of velocity for a given bullet and .355's usually top out at 1,200-1,300 fps. The trick has always been to get reliable expansion with modest velocity, which can make the bullet iffy at extreme speed.

1,600-fps is out there, and you might need to go with a cast bullet with a wide meplat to get the terminal effect you want.

I messed around with light bullets in .357 Mag from a 10-inch Contender with miserable results. Those bullets were really screamin', but mostly useless unless I was interested critters SBR. I wouldn't use them on deer.

"1,600-fps is out there, and you might need to go with a cast bullet with a wide meplat to get the terminal effect you want."

Lyman says that the .357 Sig will not work well with cast bullets due to the short neck. I've tried it and accuracy is just not there. And I cast and shoot a LOT of calibers. Also 1600 fps with a cast bullet is tough to keep from leading in a pistol caliber.

That all makes sense. I suppose a guy could gas check the bullets, but that's way more screwing around than I would be up for.

Mostly just wanting to mess around with a high velocity auto pistol round, and thought a .357 SIG barrel in my G35 would be the cheapest way to do so.

I've been trembling on the edge of a G20SF for some time, but am still unsure. It's hard enough finding 9mm, .40 and .357 SIG ammo right now.

I know the Dillon 9X25 is pretty hot, too, but cases are more readily available to the SIG round.

I DO have access to a 10-in. .357 Mag and the the temptation is there to hotrod it or perhaps even send it off to Belm for Max chamber, but it is still a single shot...

Thanks for the input, however, fellers.

A G35 with a .357 tube would make a fine Coyote calling rig,if your shots come close enough that you would usually use a shotgun. I would think that it would make a fine groundhog pistol too.

I been looking into getting one for my .35 as well.

Many years ago Jeff Cooper wrote an article called the 9mm Super. The round was based on shortening .223 brass to the same length as the .38 Super and then firing them in a 6.5" barreled Colt Commander. Brass that is today basically the 9x23 Winchester.

About 10 years ago I outfitted a Colt Super Elite with a ROTO 4M 7" barrel from SARCO. The chamber will accept both .38 Super and 9x23 Winchester. I am not home right now and can't remember the velocity gain but as I recall depending on the load it was over 100 fps...closing in on 1600 fps with a 115 grain JHP from the Super. I have not chronoed the 9x23 from the 7" barrel but from a 5" the Winchester ST is running 1430 and the flat tip White box 1460.

If I was going to shoot deer with the gun I would probably run the 125 Speer Gold Dot HP or maybe a 140-147 grain bullet in the 1250-1300 fps range. Stephen Camp has shot several Texas whitetails with just a 9mm as has a friend of mine and lack of penetration never seemed to be an issue.

Not a great pic but the only one I have access to right now...



Bob

Yep, JC has done done it, and that mention in Cooper on Handguns along with an article I think Seyfried or somebody did about a decade ago about the .30 Luger as an outdoorsman round is what got this idea percolating.

That and boredom.

And in the meantime, I've read up on the 9x25 Dillon and it is a smokin' hot round that would easily eclipse the .357 SIG long tube.

Have long wanted a G20 or G29, but the .357 SIG solution is a $100 conversion v. G20SF + conversion barrel...plus Lone Wolf Long Slide conversion, dies, etc. etc.

But still, 2,100 fps with a 90 grain JHP...Yikes!

Must be the coffee, but this thought just danced across my brain:

G20SF OD

Lone Wolf G20L conversion unit Cerakoted FDE

Have slide milled for the Trijicon Mini Red Dot

6-in. 9x25 Dillon barrel

Milt Sparks Summer Special

Cargo shorts one waist size bigger than normal

The look on a BG's face when I present that Buck Rogers blaster in an off-duty arrest...PRICELESS

..have you sought psychiatric help for this "problem"...

Also you may want to look at the price of dies and brass...very very expensive. I love the .38 Super case as it is straight walled and can take any .355-.356-.357 diameter bullet from 90-180 grains...

You want fast...$150.00 CZ52 with S&B 7.62x25mm ammo is 1630 from my guns...that is smokin'. Very acurate, never had a malfunction and turns body armor into Swiss cheese... I've reloaded 90 grain Hornady XTP bullets and it turns water filled things into vapor..

Bob

Ballistic "trips" occupy much of my off duty time...

That CZ sounds fun, but aren't they kind of small with crappy sights? Sounds much hotter than a .30 Luger.

But 1630 ain't 2100 fps.

I saw something about dies being in the $125 range. Wonder if Lee makes a set?

The .357 SIG long tube sounds like the easiest way to scratch the hi-vel/varmint splashing itch, but might just go with the standard G35-length tube so I can still conceal it off duty.

A handloaded 88-90 grain JHP out of a .357 should go as fast or faster than your CZ does.

But that OD G20SF is calling to me...

And, since I use a Micro T1 on my issued carbine, I'm used to MRDs. I hit 50 on the Autumnal Equinox and the idea of an MRD mounted on a lightweight autopistol (with BUIS, of course) is very appealing.

I would get my G35 milled for MRD, but don't want to change it because it has a sentimental value from an incident almost eight years ago.

The sights are small on the CZ52 but had an excellent gunsmith put a set of S&W adjustable sights on the back of one of the guns I have... Will try and post a pic next week but he did such a fine job they look like they were factory original. The front is hand made dovetailed to the slide.

To be truthful I have also looked at building a 9x25 on a Delta Elite slide and just mate it to that Super Elite frame... Fusion I believe even has 6" slides with a 10mm breechfase... Cost vs. how much I would use the gun is the problem...

Yes, boredome is a very bad thing...Bob

Got a mini fix going.

Put a G32 barrel in my G23, then had a brainstorm and installed that barrel in my G27.

So a compact, 10 shot .357 SIG with a 4-in. barrel might be useful. And it looks kinda nasty with that extra bit of barrel hanging out the front...wouldn't compromise concealability or comfort a bit either.

Makes me wonder if anyone makes a 5-6 in. barrel for G29s in 10mm or 9x25. That could be awfully handy and powerful as well.

May have to break out the chrono and see what the G32 barrel clocks out of the G27. I know that barrel is longer than the standard SIG P229 barrel which is supposed to kick 125s out fast a a Federal 125 .357 Magnum from a four-inch revolver.

Cold-Case, if you want to do high velocity give me a ring or send the PM bro! My new pistol will do 2200fps with 200 grainers I am told, don't know but it sounds cool. Barrel is just right and you could not want a flatter shooting rig. One shot per animal is all that is needed.

Don't be shy, Tonk. Whatcha got? Sounds like a short-barreled rifle.

If you're talking about a .460 Smith, tried my brother's. It's too heavy for a belt gun for me. That's why I'm talking Glock and Glock conversions.