M&P357 feedback?

[LockedBreech]

I liked the 9mm PX4 Compact I had, sold it to fund something else I wanted to try. I know where a full size .40 PX4 is (or at least was before the boogaloo flu hit) that I find tempting. They've had it for a while and might be willing to deal if it was odd enough to escape the panic buyers.

Just to be a mild enabler, my PX4 .40 is at 15,000 rounds with 1 stoppage and no breakages I can recall. They're good guns for the .40

[UNM1136]

Several state police agencies (NM, NC etc) adopted and quickly found they had durability issues not seen in the .40 versions.

NM switched to M&P's in 9mm. NC went from SIG P229s in 357 to M&Ps in 357 then switched back to SIG P226s in .357. I hear they may go to the P320 in 357. NCHP loves them some 357.

A couple members here bought them during the surplus sales and converted them to 9mm.

The only platforms that have proven durable with .357 were the SIG P226/229/239 and the HK USP Compact/P2000.

Most significant and prolific LE users of .357 SIG, including USSS, FAMS (USSS jr) and most of the state agencies like TX DPS and VA SP ran SIG P226s or SIG P229s.

You could likely get a conversion barrel for a USP 40 or a gen 4 G22/35. Gen 3 Glocks also had durability issues in .357 but the gen 4's double recoil system should hold up better.

I was in the Armorer's course with a buddy from NMSP who I also did my FIC with in 2007. They really, really wanted to like the round, and Smith was basically giving the guns away. Those guys and gals are issued a case of duty ammo a year, plus more for specific schools and such. Those guns were shooting themselves apart very, very quickly. The M&P9s are less maintenance, easier to shoot, and cheaper to feed.

I ran a P229 in .40 and then .357Sig for the first third of my career. Liked that platform.

pat

[TheNewbie]

10 years ago I had a P2000 V2 LEM in .357 Sig. Probably the worst gun purchase I have ever made.

[HCM]

Was recently listening to Kyle Lamb's podcast with Vickers and Lamb he mentions how he doesn't like the round.

Seemed like the two highest profile users were USSS and FAMS. Secret Service recently dumped it for 9mm which would leave FAMS as the last hope.

http://kylelamb.libsyn.com/episode-7...-the-gun-world

The FAMS adopted .357 because the managers who oversaw the post 9/11 expansion were all USSS. They, like most of the prolific state police users ran the round in SIG classic P series guns.

All DOJ and DHS agencies will be going 9mm.

[HCM]

10 years ago I had a P2000 V2 LEM in .357 Sig. Probably the worst gun purchase I have ever made.

Because it was expensive to shoot and hard to shoot well or because it had durability / issues?

When DHS was formed in 2003 the legacy agencies had guns in 9/40357 so the first DHS wide pistol tests required all submissions to be in all 3 calibers.

TLDR - the only guns to pass the 10k round testing in all three calibers were the SIG P226/229/239 and the HK USPC and P2000. The only other pass was gen 3 Glocks but only in 9mm.

[HCM]

I wonder how a .357 SIG would be with a red dot and Comp ?

Normally the hotter the ammo, the better the comp works.

[MattyD380]

Just picked up a P239 in .357 with a DAK trigger. LEO trade in really great shape for less than $400, shipped and transferred. I suppose there's a chance it's a secret service or homeland security gun, if they've recently dumped theirs. Not sure if either agency used DAK.

I've amassed about 400 rounds of the requisite artillery shells, but my local ranges are all closed. I have zero experience with .357 Sig and I'm... intrigued.

Also... the slide on the .357 P239--holy shit. It's like they just threw an entire steel billet on there and called it a day. Noticeably beefier than my 9mm P239. But I like the heft of it. And the chunkier lines seem to suit the P239 better, for some reason. Apparently Sig knew what they were doing when it came to .357.

[CCT125US]

...... thinking about calibers that appeared to be readily available and still reasonably priced and 357 SIG seemed to fit the bill.

I've been meaning to pick some up, as I only have 73 rounds. Where did you find a reasonable price?

Thought about getting dies, as that is all I would need, in addition to brass. Then I remember the gun was bought for it's rarity and don't really intend to shoot it much.

[TheNewbie]

Because it was expensive to shoot and hard to shoot well or because it had durability / issues?

When DHS was formed in 2003 the legacy agencies had guns in 9/40357 so the first DHS wide pistol tests required all submissions to be in all 3 calibers.

TLDR - the only guns to pass the 10k round testing in all three calibers were the SIG P226/229/239 and the HK USPC and P2000. The only other pass was gen 3 Glocks but only in 9mm.

The combination of the LEM and .357 SIG was difficult for me to shoot well. There are shooters who could make it work, but I was not one of them. What made it so bad was that I should have known that and spent $800 more productively. Looking back my reasoning for buying it was silly and immature, but I guess that's one way you learn.

I have no doubt that they are durable guns and of the highest quality, it was just a terrible combo for me. The DAK P226 I was issued was easier for me to shoot, though my personal DAK P226 .357 had to go back to Sig for failures to feed.


What other guns were included besides the HKs, Sigs and Glocks?

[Spartan1980]

The video below is the EXACT issue I have with my M&P FS. I too bought the S&W factory new .357 barrel online. With mine I can fix it by removing the barrel and cleaning the chamber. Then it's back to running just fine for about 4 to 6 mags then starts getting feed malfs and progressing into a full extraction failure as I shoot more rounds. Oddly enough this Sig barrel is uber accurate, easily among the most accurate handguns in my safe. I'm convinced the problem is due to the extractor not having enough tension on it. I contacted APEX and they wouldn't state that their extractor would solve or even improve the problem since it's basically a duplicate only made from tool steel. I have no issues whatsoever shooting 100s of rounds of .40 without cleaning so I think it has to be the higher chamber pressure of the Sig round. The chamber is smooth and well machined and finished. Extractor is not broken or chipped. I hypothesise that S&W just decided to drop the caliber rather than fix the problem since none of the other calibers seem plagued by this.

My Sig 229DAK has no issues at all. Love the caliber for the accuracy and flat trajectory.