There are reports of Texas DPS switching from .357 Sig to 9mm. Anyone have all the facts relative to this? It seems as if quite a few LEA's are going 9mm or looking at switching to 9mm this year.
There are reports of Texas DPS switching from .357 Sig to 9mm. Anyone have all the facts relative to this? It seems as if quite a few LEA's are going 9mm or looking at switching to 9mm this year.
Copy of post on another forum.
posted October 10, 2013 11:01 PM
I was in Austin for Sig Armorer re-certification and learned DPS is in the process of switching from 357sig to 9mm. The plan currently is for all new recruits to be issued 9mm Sig 226s or 9mm Smith and Wesson M&P's their choice starting next year. Current Troopers in the field will have the choice of switching over to the 9mm or keeping their current P226 or P229 in 357. The 9mm load will either be Gold Dot 147gr or Winchester Bonded 147gr. The reasons given were ammo costs, ease in training non shooters given lighter recoil of the 9mm and better performance of current 9mm loads. As for me I haven't decided whether I will make the switch or not. But I am betting all Troopers will be forced over to the 9mm the way we were all forced to give up our P220s or P226 9mms in the late 1990s for a P226 in 357 after DPS got tired of having to stock three different calibers.
If true, I'm surprised at the caliber switch though I was aware the DPS had tested the M&P in 357 with favorable results. The Texas state fiscal year starts September 1so this would be the right time of year for such an announcement.
Several highway patrols have had issues with the various .357Sig service pistols.
While I would be surprised to see this happen, it would be a smart move on their part.
The troopers I knew at my old job c. six years ago were quite happy with the .357 SIG, specifically citing its superior penetration into vehicles. All normal disclaimers about hearsay apply.
We've been really happy at my job with the ability of the 124gr +P Gold Dot to get into cars when needed.
I'm just passing on what I thought was an interested tidbit. Remember this was six years ago and my buddies' information was probably based on TX DPS's initial testing of the .357 SIG, which was longer ago than that. One of them talked about a test of various rounds into a semi's cab which only the .357 passed. The newer 9mm loadings may do as well, or being easier to shoot may be more important these days, or it's cheaper, or...etc.
Shooting actual cars in testing and not doing some serious looking at what the bullets hit through various parts of the car, like mechanisms inside the doors, etc., can easily lead one to make false conclusions.
For a test to be completely valid one would need the same make/model/year cars and hit them at the same angle and point of impact with each of the rounds being tested. I know of no one who has done this.
Just shooting up cars to see what generally happens is really educational, but hard conclusions are often wrong in my experience.
During the transition period, Mas Ayoob wrote about a shooting incident where an older trooper with a P220 .45 and a new guy with a new .357 engaged a guy in a semi, with the .357 rounds penetrating the cab and ending the encounter. I don't recall hearing of any testing against semi cab bodies.