Help identifying a cartridge

[Todor]

I laid eyes on a strange cartridge at a crime scene yesterday. It was branded 40 S&W but it was bottlenecked - gut feel says .357SIG but I can't really be sure as I've never seen one of of those in person and apparently weapons of this calibre are rare to non-existent in SA.

Is it possible to crimp down a .40SW cartridge and re-load it as .357SIG?

[KK20]

in 2001 i bought about a 1000 speer 40SW marked cases but relaoded for 357SIG
i myself did that until 357SIG cases became available to me in larger numbers

[Todor]

Thanks KK20. Impressed and worried at the same time. The round went through a windshield and a level 3a BPV. Some questions will be raised with the vest manufacturer no doubt...

[BigT]

Yup lots of guys neck down 40 brass to 357 Sig. You shouldn't. But guys do.

That's impressive penetration.

[KK20]

i think it was NGA that loaded those at that time.

[wrm]

Well, the 357 SIG is pretty much the 40 S&W necked down to 357 caliber. OK, the real brass is a bit longer, but if you can't get it, nothing wrong with making it from the 40.

And it does pretty much equal the 125gr 357 Magnum load. A IIIA should stop that, but if you load a brass monolithic in there all bets are off.

[BigT]

Proper 357 Sig brass is thicker in the head region and therefore stronger.

The shorter case of a necked down 40 equals shorter neck which equals greater chance of set back which equals greater pressure which could equal greater chance of an ouchie to you or your gun. So it isn't a good idea to neck down 40.

[ikor]

Thanks KK20. Impressed and worried at the same time. The round went through a windshield and a level 3a BPV. Some questions will be raised with the vest manufacturer no doubt...

That is VERY impressive penetration, even if the level IIIA BP was actually a level II, which is not impossible if the manufacturer is unscrupulous, or the vest has been badly taken care of and is old (5+years minimum).

Since it seems to have been a reloaded case, it might, indeed, have been loaded with something like a brass monolith or a THV type bullet.

[Scuba Steve]

I know you probably can't talk about it, but was this a good guy crime or a bad guy crime? Ie. A defensive situation or a murder etc.

Just curious to know if bad guys are now dabbeling in reloading??

[Todor]

It was fired by the perp. Only spent cartridges were found at the scene so I can't really speculate on the ammo origin.