Sig choices

[jon]

So, as a little graduation present to myself I plan on picking up a Sig in .40/.357

Looking at 2 specific ones.

#1) Sig Pro 2340. Used. comes with both the .40 and .357sig barrels. $569

#2) Sig P229 CPO comes with both the .40 and .357sig barrels. 2 mags $649

personally I am thinking go with the 229 for the extra $80.

also gonna pick up a buckmark while still a citizen of CT but may go with a ruger MK.

 

[adweisbe]

The 2340 will have a slightly nicer trigger and the price on that looks high, do you really want the .357 Sig barrel? .357 Sig is a great caliber, but it is difficult to reload, ammo is not as common, and it is more expensive.

The 229 is priced right. If I were going to carry the gun I would go with the 2340.

 

[TY43215]

Jon,

The 2340 is a fine firearm. I owned one in 357SIG and regret selling it. Mine was DA only and made for me by Sig after I won a certificate at the NH State IDPA Championship one year. Problem is, they are blocky for carry and holsters that are well made are not readily available.

The 229 never fit my hand for some unknown reason. My all around favorite Sigs are the 226 and the 239.

As for the 357SIG cartridge, people telling you it is not easy to reload have not reloaded it. I have reloaded thousands of rounds and it is as easy to reload as any other caliber. I currently have about 10,000 pieces of brass and as soon as I can get a barrel for my M&P40, I will be back to loading 357SIG.

If the 229 fits you, I feel it is the better of the two you listed. Either way, you can not go wrong with most Sigs. (That comes from a very loyal S&W customer )

Regards,

 

[adweisbe]

Jon,
As for the 357SIG cartridge, people telling you it is not easy to reload have not reloaded it. I have reloaded thousands of rounds and it is as easy to reload as any other caliber. I currently have about 10,000 pieces of brass and as soon as I can get a barrel for my M&P40, I will be back to loading 357SIG.

Odds are he is not a reloader so this is academic, but a bottleneck cartridge as easy to reload as a straight wall pistol cartridge? No personal experience with the cartridge, but I have heard complaints about case neck tension and seating difficulty in addition to the need to use either case lube (no big deal unless you don't put on enough) or two separate dies for sizing.

The next problem with .357 Sig is brass. You can't exactly pick it up off the ground in most places unless you were the one putting it there.

The only problem after that is bullets.

 

[TY43215]

Odds are he is not a reloader so this is academic, but a bottleneck cartridge as easy to reload as a straight wall pistol cartridge? No personal experience with the cartridge, but I have heard complaints about case neck tension and seating difficulty in addition to the need to use either case lube (no big deal unless you don't put on enough) or two separate dies for sizing.

None of the above is true. I use the standard three die carbide set from Dillon. Once I got it set up on my 550, I never had a problem. The set up was no more complicated than any other caliber I have loaded.

The next problem with .357 Sig is brass. You can't exactly pick it up off the ground in most places unless you were the one putting it there.

Again untrue, most of my brass is once fired range brass from a local USPSA range.

The only problem after that is bullets.

Another myth. Bullets are 9MM. Many manufacturers make a 9MM .355 bullet that is just a tad longer for better bearing surface on the 357SIG. Montana Gold, Zero, Sinterfire, and others make bullets for 357SIG that are readily available.

There are a lot of myths about 357SIG. Don't believe all you read on the Internet. Ask GeeTen about my reloads. He likes them.

Regards,

 

[adweisbe]

I stand corrected on 2 out of 3, but I shoot around enough to know where .357 Sig brass is at and I have seen it exactly once. It doesn't do the rest of us any good if you hog all the .357 brass ;-)

Dillon is also the only company making carbide dies for .357 Sig and is really the exception to the rule.

 

[TY43215]

It doesn't do the rest of us any good if you hog all the .357 brass ;-)

I have always had issues with sharing I have all the brass I will need for a while but I also have three outlets for it so I am set I guess. (LEO brass is the easiest to get)

BTW, I have also resized 40S&W brass and used it successfully

 

[jhrosier]

...
#2) Sig P229 CPO comes with both the .40 and .357sig barrels. 2 mags $649

personally I am thinking go with the 229 for the extra $80.
...

+many on the P229/.40 . It is a great gun and I can recommend it without reservation.
If it comes with the older style factory grips, blow $15 and get the latest ones. They are as thin as you can get for concealment and the enhanced texture makes for a secure grip. MA-legal pre-ban 12 round mags are available, but I wouldn't feel too hadicapped with 10 rounds of .40S&W.
Mine eats either WWB 165s or Speer Lawman 180s without a complaint.
Do wander over to the Sig Forum and look up the discussions on lubing the Sig.
It is very important to keep it lubed properly for long life.

 

[matt]

Have you shot both of those SIG's?

They are both great guns, but you should try them both if you can.

I love my Buckmark (target model). It's a great gun. Can't go wrong with the Ruger either.

Matt

 

[drgrant]

P229... you can get preban "normal mags" (12 rounders) for it.

Although in .40/.357 it's not that awful, because even with the Sig Pro you're
only down to 10 plus one in the pipe.

In any event.. they're both good firearms. I'd almost say to go with
whatever one fits your hand better, even if it is the Pro.

-Mike

 

[Rockrivr1]

Go with the 229. Having a choice between calibers is always a plus. An added plus is that you can get a drop in 9mm bbl that will fit your 229 and make it a three caliber handgun. I have a 229 with bbls for all three calibers. The 9mm is from BarSto and the 40 and 357 bbls are from Sig. All three calibers shoot great through the 229 and the 357/40 mags easily hold the 9mm rounds so there is no need to get different mags when shooting this caliber. Can't go wrong with that.

 

[outofbattery]

He could also get a 9mm barrel for the Pro.

I have a .357 2340 and it's a great shooting gun.IMO it has the best trigger of any SIG (I also have 2 226's, a 239 and a 230- formerly have had a 220 and 225) and is as accurate as any.I tell anyone that if the grip works well on the Pro for them,to seriously think about getting one.That said,I reckon the price is high but SIG values have climbed in the past couple years and it's been a while since I've seen one come up in the $375 range they seemed to have bottomed at and a barrel is worth ~ $125.

 

[Lugnut]

Like others have said, the P229 .40 is a great gun. I'd recommend it for sure.

 

[jon]

No I have not had a chance to shoot either.

I have handled the sigs and like the way they fit in my hand. The 229 is a friends duty and he is a big fan of it and quite knowledgeable.

The fact that I can get a 9mm conversion barrel for the .40 is awesome because I was torn between the .40 and 9mm. I want the .40 as I can occasionally come into cheap ammo in it and multiple friends shoot the 40. want th 9mm for the $$ reason as well.

if I can chamber it in all three thats great.

Other than the obvious polymer difference any other big changes?

Jon

 

[firtree]

Get thee over to sigforum and
all of thine questions shall be answered.

 

[matt]

I don't know where you live, but you can shoot the entire family of SIG's at Manchester Firing Line in Manchester NH (http://www.gunsnh.com/).


Matt

No I have not had a chance to shoot either.

I have handled the sigs and like the way they fit in my hand. The 229 is a friends duty and he is a big fan of it and quite knowledgeable.

The fact that I can get a 9mm conversion barrel for the .40 is awesome because I was torn between the .40 and 9mm. I want the .40 as I can occasionally come into cheap ammo in it and multiple friends shoot the 40. want th 9mm for the $$ reason as well.

if I can chamber it in all three thats great.

Other than the obvious polymer difference any other big changes?

Jon

 

[Rockrivr1]

Jon,

Not sure where you live, but if your close to the Worcester area we can meet in Hopkinton and if you provide the ammo, you can shoot my 229 with each of the three bbls to see how it works for you.

 

[jon]

"Live" in CT. Currently attending school in Boston. moving to mass when I graduate for work.

I can probably do that. Will be in CT this weekend though.

 

[jon]

Well. Picked up a CPO 229 in .40 no second barrel but out the door for under $550. put a 100 rounds through the pipe today as well. man I love this firearm.

fits my hand like a glove.