Well guys I'm still up in the air about a concealed carry pistol....

Should I go semi, revolver or what.....
The cartridges in debate are these.....

.38 - revolver
.357magnum - revolver

If I go semi auto it will be
.40 S&W - glock
.357 Sig - glock


How does the .357 sig compare to the .357magnum in power wise? I really like my 4" .357 revolver so would it be similar just in an auto-loader?
Or does the .40S&W have more "punch" than the .357 sig..

Could someone kinda give me a cross comparison between all 4 cartridges?
Thanks its greatly appreciated!

Power wise, the .357 SIG (125 gr. bullet) was designed to duplicate very closely the performance of the .357 Magnum with 125 gr. bullets. Howver, the SIG shoots a 9mm bullet (.355 daimeter vs. the .357 Magnum .357 diameter) slightly smaller in diameter than the .357 bullet. The .38 revolver is considerably less powerful than either the .357 SIG or the .357 Magnum, being a shorter case than the .357 Magnum, otherwise the same (the .357 Magnum was made by lengthening the .38 Special case). However, the .38 is still a very useful round especially if the recoil of the .357 magnum is a bit too much, as it is for some new shooters.
The .40 S&W gives roughly .45 ACP performance in a smaller caliber and lighter bullet traveling considerabley faster than the .45 ACP. And yes, it does have a little more punch than the .357 SIG. The best way to get a comparison of the cartridges is to go to Remington or Winchester ammo web page and look for yourself, comparing different loads between the calibers. While energy is not an absolute, it will give you a very good idea as to how one cartridge stacks up against the others.

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okay maybe I'm ignorant on this one, but having shot .38's and .357's through my revolver..
I was under the assumption that the .357 was packed to the brim with powder... well its not....

So take a .38 and a.357 load them with the same primer and type/amount of powder......
will the .357 still have more power? (because the case is larger and has more time to build pressure?)

I think I'm going to get a baby glock....
Which would you all reccomend .40S&W or .357 sig?
Thanks!

From looking at www.winchester.com it seems that bullets of similar weights (not exact because .40 is heavier bullets) that the .357sig has higher velocitys and more energy?

Im no expert on these calibers, I like a 45 the best, but I think 357sig is actually a 40 cal necked down to shoot a 9mm bullet. I think the 357 sig does get higher velocities but at a price of shooting a smaller bullet. Im not sure but I think the 40 has better factory bullet selection since it is more popular. Both are excelent calibers, I think I would pick the one that I could most readily find ammo for.

A .357 with the same amount of the same powder and the same bullet as a .38 will actually have less velocity/energy! The additional capacity of the casing with the same amount of power will have less pressure/velocity than the .38! The answer to that questions will do you no favors, so lets elaborate. Shoot a .357 or .38+P+ in a snub, a hot .40 S&W, or a .45ACP defensive load. A revolver of any quality NEVER balks, a GOOD .45 ACP (my fave an sometimes pricey) will balk every 4-6K rounds fired with ammo that is made for it, and the .40 S&W is a good cartridge when housed in a pistol that meets the above performance standards. Those would be NO failures in 4-6K rounds, or never, whichever comes first.

If you wish to reload, shoot frequently, inexpensivley, and efficiently,.. do yourself a favor and forget the .357 Sig exists. Not a bad round by any definition as far as performance, but it sucks to reload and will not utilize a lead buller over 125grs to any good end.

I'v been back and forth over this, and I think I like the .357 still, the only concern I have over it is fear of being "blinded" by they flash at night if need be to shoot.

Why not just practice enough to reliably kill the scumbag with the first shot? I guess I'd just as soon be blind to a dead arsehole laying in my living room. I also realize that all of us, me included, might be a little rattled by formerly mentioned criminal in our house. Practice, practice, practice. I know I can hit the perp at 100yards with a decent pistola, that's why every handgun I own gets it's first shots at 7 yards. That's where it really matters.

A 2" .357 is a wicked tool. If you don't hit the perp, you migh just light them on fire. I would practice, practice, and practice some more. I shoot my .38 snub and my .45 more than anything. If you can place either of those with any accuracy, you're gonna win, provided you have the will to win in a nasty situation. I've never done it, but I'd imagine it takes a great amount of will to take the life of another human, scumbag or otherwise. Shoot your pistol until you can hit a body target at 7 yards with your eyes shut!!! Make sure you're ready to get done what needs to be done, without thinking about it, once you see it's not someone who belongs in your house.

You're going to get a fair amount of flash off ANY pistol in pure darkenss. The ported models will give you more flash, and the possibilty of permanent injury. I guess if I'm going to survive a gunfight with a scumbag, I'd just as well be able to hear/see for the remainder of my days.

The .357 SIG is so close to the .40 S&W that they are pretty much equal when it comes to energy figures. A few ft-lbs is not going to make much difference, but IMO what does make a difference, that is not accounted for in energy figures, is bullet diameter. I have not compared the paper ballistics of the .357 SIG and 40 for a while, so I may have been bass ackwards on which one has more paper energy, but IMO the .40 is certainly better due to its larger diameter even though they might have the same, or near the same paper energy. My personal favorite is the .45 ACP, and if you want an autoloader that will likely never balk no matter what you feed it, look at an HK. I have over a dozen of them, and the four that we shoot regularly have over 7,000 rounds through them without that first malfunction of any kind. My personal carry weapon, a USPC .45 ACP has almost half that amount through it by itself and never a hicup. Match loads to +P+, FMJ to ash-tray sized hollow points, a HK will feed anything right of the box. No need to polish feed ramps, feed it special ammo, or in despirate need of a trigger job. They cost a bit more compared to a SIG or Glock, but you don't need to send it off to have it tweeked to make it work like it should. A defensive gun needs to be 100% reliable 100% of the time, not just when fed a special diet; you will find that in an HK.
I carried a revolver for over 20 years because I had never run across an semi that wouldn't let you down from time to time, and I've either owned or shot most all of them. Then we ran across the HK line. As I said, 7000+ rounds and no failures of any kind. That was why I switched to the semi and the revolvers are safe-queens now.

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I see alot of bullet manufacture post velocitys and bullet weight but no energy...
Anyone have a formula for getting energy numbers?
Say if a bullet is 110 gr and has a velocity of 1500fps what would but its energy?
THanks!

Energy = Velocity X Velocity X Weight / 450240

so 1500 X 1500 X 110 / 450240 = 550 ft. lb.

Your average 4 function pocket calculator overflows if you do it in the above order so do it in this order.
Velocity X Velocity /450240 X Weight.

Some times you see 450400 used as the constant. The constant = 7000 grain in a pound X 2 X the acceleration of gravity, which was set at 32.16 ft per second squared, but is now set at 32.174.

Bye
Jack

If you are set on a glock for concealed carry I would seriously suggest you look into the 9mm instead. It may not be the biggest round, but for us homo sapiens and any other animal likely to attack you in the middle of the street or in your home (dog, racoon, rhesus monkey...) it is more than ample. Seeing as if you are ever attacked you won't have time to take up a proper stance, and more than likely may have to fire one handed the 9mm is a good choice. I can shoot one handed for extended periods of time with pretty good accuracy with a 9mm. I can even shoot it accurately enough left handed, I can not say the same with a .40 or a .45...just my advice.

Must agree there, one of the guys up at the range had a 9mm, .40, .45 and a .357 sig, tried firing them all with one hand, no way! the 9mm was fine, the .40 was ok, the .45 was alittle bothersome and i personally think that the .357 sig was going rip my hand off! YOUCH!

I would go with the .40. Ammo is a little bit cheaper, easier to find. If you buy a Glock, you can always buy a conversion barrel and a 9 mm magazine and shoot 9's in it later down the road. And if you do reload, 40's are a little easier to load and there are a zillion cases that you can pick up at the range for nothing.

Grand
I personally think you already own all the gun you will ever need. I am carrying a three inch .357 Rossi concealed, and the holster I am using will easily accommodate the extra inch.
You are already familiar with your gun, which is already half the battle, and the gun you have, if loaded with 125 grain hollow points ranks 96 % one shot stops and was the leading practical carry handgun in these ratings last time I looked.

I know you were considering inside the waist band, but I would recommend going for a holster which rides on the belt, with not much of the holster protruding below the belt (max of about three inches - this allows you to conceal with just a shirt hanging out in warm weather, or a short jacket or even sweater in cooler weather. I would recommend carrying on the hip bone, as this avoids discomfort while driving or sitting.

I too am concerned about low light muzzle flash, but I am hoping for answers in my post today. Lets hope.

Please accpt that I am not trying to dissuade you from getting another gun, I am merely saying that you don't need anything more than you have got.

Please accept that in my previos post in this thread that I used the word need in the sense that need = neccesity (you do not need another gun), not need = want (every body needs more guns), Like I really really really need a .454 Casull Magnum.

Grand, I'm sure you're doing what I did years ago, poring over ballistics charts, memorizing which has the best velocity, or energy, or whatever. Just bear in mind a few things. Any decent caliber, 38 and up, will do a decent job if you can hit the bad guy in the right place. Energy figures are heavily slanted toward the faster rounds, since the velocity is squared.
Personally, I think momentum is a better indicator of performance, but that's just me. Whatever you choose, make sure it's affordable, so you can practice a lot. I've been packing on and off duty for quite awhile, and there is no substitute for lead downrange. Dry-firing at the TV is okay, as is practicing the draw from concealment, and working on your speedloads, and all that. Put several hundred rounds a month downrange, and you WILL become more competant. Then when you get to be an old fart like me, you'll still have to practice, likely more than ever, just to retain the same skill level. Age is a cruel mistress, but not getting a chance to age is worse!
By the way, my number one priority in choosing a carry gun is how it fits in my hand. If it snuggles down and purrs, it comes home with me. If the hand and the grip aren't happy together, it will never get any better, only worse. Imagine how those small irritations will feel after 200 full power rounds. That's why my revolvers all wear rubber or smooth wood, and my pistol of choice is an EAA Witness. Pick one up and you'll see what I mean about it snuggling down and purring. I bought the first one I ever found in 40SW, and 47,000 rounds later, it still perks just fine. There isn't much finish left, but beauty is as beauty does.
This was supposed to be my two cents' worth, I guess I owe you a dollar. Oh well, I hope it does somebody some good!
PJ

Very well said PJ.

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MikeG

Papa John.........Truer words where never spoken!

The only other thing I might add is what another Old Fart told me years ago...........If your gonna bet your life on a handgun, make sure it is a wheel gun!

Practice is something 90% of handgun owners don't do enough of on the range. They buy a new pistol and fire it a lot perhaps for the first several weeks and then it starts to fade back out of sight. It is better to practice once a week for the entire year, shooting 200 or 300 rounds a session than, to shoot 3 or 4 times a week for a couple of months and then come to a halt.