Why The 357 SIG?

Good marketting. And a persuasive pusher in Massad Ayoob. But the 357 Sig doesn't do anything the 40 S&W cannot do, as is evidenced by Double-Tap's offerings:

Ballistics : 135gr. @ 1375fps / 567 ft/lbs/4.0"bbl 40 S&W
Ballistics : 125 gr. @ 1450fps / 584 ft. lbs. 4"bbl 357 sig

Ballistics : 147 gr. @ 1250fps / 510 ft. lbs. 4"bbl 357 sig
Ballistics : 155gr. @ 1275fps / 560 ft/lbs- 4.0"bbl 40 S&W

As you can see, all the 357 sig does is make a lighter bullet whiz along in 40 S&W fashion, so all law enforcement had to do if they truly wanted a lighter/faster bullet was to ask the ammunition manufacturers for one in 40 caliber. This way they could employ heavier and slower or lighter and faster from the same platform depending upon their needs, but no. They fell for the Mas Ayoob fairytale...Ayoob was a distributor for Cor-Bon during the early days of the 357 sig...and a tarnished star was born.

If you like the platform then by all means, indulge. But the 40 S&W is far more flexible, the ammo is a lot less expensive, and over 75% of ALL law enforcement already employs the 40. Ayoob would praise the Cor-Bon 357 offering night and day, right up to the time Cor-Bon sued him and his wife. Since then, not a peep about their ammo.

Again, if you like the Sig, then go for it. Just understand that it is a niche round and doesn't offer superior terminal ballistics over the 40 S&W.

Visions of 357 magnum performance danced in their heads, but the only magnum the Sig is is a 9 mm Luger one. And sure, you can get a 115 grain 357 spanking along at 1550 or so from a 4" barrel, but so would the same weight from a 40.

They was had. Bigtime. It IS cool dropping a 357 conversion barrel into a Glock 22, 23, or 27 and deafeaning the other guys at the range, but it doesn't crank up the whoa-nelly factor any more than a hot 40 so we're back to square one.