Why..?

It's not that I dislike .357 Sig or .45 GAP, it's that I personally have no use for them. The .357 Sig mimics .357 Magnum, trouble is...I like .357 Magnum in wheel guns more than .357 Sig in any autoloader! So, why would I personally need a gun in .357 Sig, when I can just pack a sixgun? Now, .45 GAP, this is the same thing, in .45 ACP I like 1911s and Thompson sub machine guns. That's it. I'm not really fond of H&Ks or Sigs, XDs, or Glocks. So, I don't have much use for it, personally.

Does this mean I don't like the rounds? No, I like the rounds fine, their great engineering achievments in their own right and I respect them. For me though, because I'm not a big fan of most of the pistols these rounds are chambered in, it just becomes a mute point. This is also kind of my problem with .40 S&W, it's chambered in many pistols that I'm just not fond of. Pistols I would rather have in 9mm or .45 ACP. It's a personal preference thing.

That said, if someone could get a Hi-Power to run right using .357Sig I would be all over that like it's going out of style.

-Rob

Does this mean I don't like the rounds? No, I like the rounds fine, their great engineering achievments in their own right and I respect them.
-Rob

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I have to agree. It's not that I don't like these calibers, but I don't have the time (or the money) to spend on every caliber out there. I started reloading ammo for .308 Win, then .380 ACP, then 9mm, then .38 Special, then .223 Rem, etc, etc, etc... Most of the caliber/gun combinations I have chosen over the years have been carefully selected after a lot of research and consideration about where they will fit and what they will do for me.

Some people I know have to have the latest caliber/gun no matter what. They'll fire a few hundred rounds through it, maybe like it, maybe not. Sometimes they'll sell it, but more often than not these guys will have one gun in every caliber they own. I'm the opposite. If I buy a gun in a specific caliber, I'll tend to buy several more guns chambered for the same cartridge.

At this point I have several guns in the calibers I have sort of fallen into, and it represents a big cost to me to buy into another caliber. For example, I recently purchased a Winchester Model 70 chambered in 270 WSM. Rifle, scope and rings set me back a good bit, but that's just the start. Then I had to buy a couple of boxes of several brands of factory ammo to start seeking the potential of this rifle/cartridge, which at $30/box is not cheap. Once I'd found the level of performance I could strive for, I bought reloading dies, an assortment of likely bullets, and of course I had to buy 3 different powders over and above my current inventory. I'll be working up test loads and chronographing them to the tune of 5 to 10 hours per week for the next month or so, at which point I will hopefully have several satisfactory loads chosen, which I will then have to reload in quantity. Investment in components & caliber-specific equipment probably has run me $300 or so, and that doesn't even begin to cover my time. Good thing I enjoy this process so much!

Same process applies to handgun calibers. I tend to stick with 9mm (which I no longer reload for, since factory ball ammo is so cheap and so good), .45 ACP, and to a lesser extent .40 S&W. In revolvers, I've got my hands full with .38 Spl/.357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt. Oh, and .32 H&R Mag now, since my daughter started shooting cowboy action.

I need a new handgun caliber like I need a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

RandomMan, it is not attitudes like yours and Josh's that bother me. It is rather people that say the rounds are no good (NG)and do not logically say why they feel a perfectly good round is NG that irritate me. I read a lot and everything I have read about the 357Sig and 45GAP has been positive. Either the authors I have read are nuts or the nay sayers are oracles. Regards to both Josh and you, Richard

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Richard, I think some people just like to complain! For all practical reasons there is nothing wrong with .357 SIG or .45 GAP. Some might suggest that the .357 Sig is a "fad" and will fade and they may point to other bottlenecked cartridges to enforce this thought. That said, the Texas DPS would probably disagree as they love their .357 Sigs. Truth be told if I had to carry a Sig or a Glock, I'd rather have it in .357 that 9mm or .40!

Others will probably look at the .45 GAP and think of it as useless. I think of it is as sort of a niche cartridge. For many, .45 ACP will work just fine, but for some who want .45 power and absolutely MUST have a small handgun, the .45 GAP makes perfect sense. The trouble with this round at this point in time is that it hasn't been chambered in many guns and it's full potential hasn't come to fruition. To me this cartridge doesn't make sense to be chambered in a 1911 size handgun, .45 ACP can do that job and probably for less money. However, I remember a while back someone said CZ was considering building a Rami in .45 GAP...now THAT would be a very interesting handgun. The Rami is already compacy and quite concealable, adding .45 caliber power just improves on it.

To answer you question though Richard, some folks just like to complain! They'd whine if you gave 'em $100 and it wasn't in 20s!

-Rob

Hello. Speaking only for myself, I'd say that it's similar to the this-brand-handgun-is-better-than-that and the endless and mindless caliber "discussions" that are frequently seen. Because my "needs", be they real or just perceived, are met with the calibers I currently use, I just don't desire starting up with another caliber for many of the same reasons given by DocRocket earlier.

I've shot a bit of the .357 SIG and personally find it a viable caliber that's potent and offered in some quality handguns. While at DPS Austin during my last CHL instructor recertifications, I got no indications from any of the range staff that DPS was going away from it. It is doing what they need and well...from what I gathered.

With the .45 GAP, my experiences are extremely limited...as in one magazine-full.

For me, I'm pretty well satisfied with the handgun calibers I do have, though I wish I had another gun or two in some of them.

As for the heated exchanges in which someone says X-caliber is better than Y-caliber, when either may be the ballistic twin of the other, I don't know. Perhaps, ego is somehow tied into some folks' choices and they see any new comer's claim of equivalence as some sort of indignity against them. I really don't know. It seems to me that no one is holding a gun to anyone and making them use X if they really prefer Y.

I'd say go with what one's individual preference is and not worry about the sometimes silly condemnations cast by some on sometimes ballistically-equal or at least similar calibers/loads.

Best.