SherlockWV Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I have a young friend who has purchased a Glock in .357 Sig cal & he wants to start shooting IPSEC. I have been "out of the Loop" for a number of months because of a heart condition & have no knowledge of this caliber except that it is "hot" & usually provides considerable muzzle flip. Dillon told my friend that he had to shoot jacketed FPs in the gun & absolutly no lead. I did some searches, abeit limited and found it hard to find load data for this caliber. My friend thinks that he can load 9mm JRNs in the cases but I think the diameters are different. Would appriecate any and all advice/comments about this matter. Good & Safe Shooting To All - JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 SherlockVW, The 357 SIG is indeed designed to be a "hot" round. But, there is not reason you can not load the round to pleasant shooting, with the right spring rates to function properly with the selected load. The 357 SIG is commonly defined as a 40SW case necked down to a 9mm bullet, but 357 SIG brass is actually slightly longer than necked down 40 brass. I run .355s (Zero 9mm 125gr JHP) in mine. The main issue with bullet selection, and the reason FPs are popular, is that they have flat sides and can be crimped well. Bullet setback can be an issue with 357 SIG. You can find reloading data in most newer manuals, like those available on the power manufacturers websites. Most recommend a powder that takes up the case so that bullet setbacks are stopped. One item to be aware of ... Speer 357 SIG brass. It seems that a lot amount of Speer brass was produced with undersized flash holes. When you decap once-fired Speer brass, you actually end up widening the flash hole. This makes the down stroke on the reloading press very hard and leaves a lip around the flash hole protruding into the primer pocket. I have taken to depriming Speer brash, setting it aside, and then cleaning up the primer pockets. I am currently working up loads, trying to determine the load that most efficently runs my 357 SIG open gun (a long story in itself). I am experimenting with a wide variety of powders, so let me know if you want to discuss this any. You can email me at jameslflowers@earthlink.net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I reload 357 SIG for my Glock 31 which I run use from time to time in production class. Do NOT try to use 9mm RN bullets in the 357 SIG. While the right diameter, you cannot get the OAL length to work. (guess how I know ). You either need to use 9mm Flat Points (aka Truncated Cone) or JHP. My load for my Glock is 4.9 gr of VV N340, behind a Rainer 124 gr plated bullet. I load to 1.140 OAL. This gives me 1035 to 1045 fps or about 128 to 129 power factor...perfect for production. I would suggest trying a small batch of plated bullets before buying batch, as some guns will strip the jacket off at high velocities, but this works well in my Glock. Good Luck. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew B Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Glocks have polygonal rifling. You aren't supposed to shoot lead as it may cause rapid leading of the barrel due to the way the barrel is rifled. Some people still do and get away with it. You will not be able to make major with this gun. .40 caliber is the minimum bullet diameter that you can use for major. If your friend is going to shoot production, then it does not matter, as all guns are scored minor. Also, he will be able to download the ammo as long as it still makes minor (feet per second times bullet weight/1000 = at least 125). This will negate some of the recoil. .357 Sig is a .355 9mm bullet. Sig named it .357 to compete with the .357 magnum. There are several manufactors who make bullets specifically for the .357 sig that have long sides. Case neck tension is an issue when reloading these as there is only about 1/8 inch of case neck. Bullet setback when feeding can be an issue. Look for the M.D. Anderson page for reloading data. Search on google using ".357 sig reload" and you will find some data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 SherlockWV, Andrew is right about the major/minor issue. I can make major with the 357 SIG because I am shooting an Open gun and 9mm Major is allowed. I had assumed that your friend would be shooting production where he would download the rounds to minor where they would be pleasant to shoot and where he would be using 10rd magazines, rather than competing in Limited where he could not be classed as Major whether he could make it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Your friend might consider changing out the barrel and shooting .40 s&w instead. Everything will be much simpler this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveConner Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Thanks for Posting this sherlock lot of info in a short amount of time. Got some hodgdon hs-6 and universal to experiment with in the next couple days. as for going .40 i dont think its an option, good round but not really a fan of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Dave, I might have some load data for Universal but it has been a while since I loaded that, and don't have it in my memory banks. I will check my reloading log when I get home and post what I find. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I looked back in my reload book, and found I was using 5.4 gr of Universal Clays under a 124gr Flat Point Rainer Plated bullet. I never did chrono this load, but it was comfortable to shoot. I had a couple of other loads that were lighter, but I had noted that they would not reliably cycle with the factory recoil spring that was installed then. This was all in a Glock 31. I hope that helps some. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Buy a reloading manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveConner Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Sherlock has the newest Hodgdon manual and there is absolutely no info for the 357 sig anywhere in it. So online resources are much more helpfull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
short_round Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Is there any particular reason why you prefer the .357 sig over the .40 s&w? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherlockWV Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 Thanks for all of the great info folks. I have copied and sent same to my young friend. Dave is right in that I do have a reloading manual i.e. Lyman's latest that I got from Dillon and an older Hodgen edition. Neither list the .357 Sig and the Powder Manufactuer info that I was able to glean only referenced one particular load for each weight bullet. No, repeat no starting or max load. So.... the info that you folks have provided has been invaluable. My friend is thinking of doing what I did to my Glocks, dropping in a stainless match barrel. Although the suggestion to convert to a .40 is interesting. Thanks again !! Good & Safe Shooting - JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I would bet that around 5.0 gr of Universal would be a good starting point for working up a load with a 124 gr bullet. I would expect that to be in the neighborhood of 1050 fps in a full size Glock. Chrono and adjust accordingly. With a load that light, you will most likely need to to drop to a lighter recoil spring for it to function reliably. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherlockWV Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 Thanks Tman. I will pass that along. We talked yesterday about the need to reduce the recoil spring. Personally, I load exclusivly for the .45 ACP & the 9mm. Good & Safe Shooting - JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 The 5th ed of Sierra has a listing for 357 sig 125 grain JHP Sierra bullet - C.O.A.L. 1.135" - WSP primer HS-6 - 7.0 gr @ 1000 fps to 8.9 max @ 1300 fps Uni Clays 5.5 gr @ 1100 fps to 7.0 gr MAX @ 1300 fps FYI - Manual lists Viht 3N37 7.8 gr @ 1200 fps as the acuracy load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gino_aki Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 handloads.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Your friend might consider changing out the barrel and shooting .40 s&w instead. Everything will be much simpler this way. I guess that would be OK for a club match where it wouldnt be checked, but at a big match that would put you in open...cant chance the caliber. Simple fix, sell the .357, buy a 9mm....or just buy a 9mm anyway. harmon also, accurate arms number 7 is the shizzle for the sig... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayman Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I reloaded some .357sig for a friend, and found out a few things.... 1. Unless you swap recoil springs, 5.2gr (or less) of Universal Clays is too light, it just won't cycle reliably and many times the gun wouldn't lock back on last round. I'd START with 5.4gr in that particular loading and see how it behaves. I'm putting 5.8gr behind 124gr Berry's flat point bullets for him and it seems a good compromise between factory loadings (blasty!) and the poofy 5.2gr loadings I made (not hot enough.) 2. I have found this cartridge to be darn finicky, a lot harder to reload than straight walled cases. Things you must watch out for: -get a good resize. Get the resize/decap die as low to the shellplate as you can. -don't bell the case mouth too much. very little is the trick, any more and you'll pop the bullet down into the case. -crimp is crucial. too little or too much and you will experience setback issues. Once everything is dialed in, the cartridges seem harder to set back than 9mm reloads, in my experience. But getting there required a good bit of T&E, and the ones that didn't work, you could push down on and the bullet would pop back into the case. (Not a good thing.) Also, I ran into some of the Speer brass with undersized flash holes. A couple of times it has pulled the decap pin clean out of my die, forcing me to go get the hammer and punch to get the pin back out. (RCBS die.) I would chuck all my Speer brass, but sadly that is like 99% of the brass I have running around, so that option is out. Overall it has been fun reloading this cartridge, but I'm very glad it wasn't my first reloading experience. 9mm and .45acp were MUCH easier to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraigster414 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Need to keep the .357 Sig discussion fresh and alive. I just started reloading this caliber and though it was a bit of a challenge at first, things are starting to gel. Biggest problem I have had so far and it's already been mentioned. are those Speer flash holes. I have had the decapping pin in my Redding sizer actually disengage and get stuck in the hole. What a PITA! That and a lousy set of Lee dies that I started out with - the sizer in particular - it didn't re-size the brass tight enough. Once I switched to the Redding, that problem went away. Looking for loading data using Win 231 and the 124 gr. Rainier or Berry bullet. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKJ Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I have some loading data for Vihtavuori N105 and 3N38 powders in open gun/ major power factor, if anybody is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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