Glock 31: Why 1 Expert Says You Will Really Like This Gun
Kyle Mizokami
Security,
For many reasons.
In the early 1990s, a handful of calibers emerged to challenge the nine-millimeter as the dominant semi-automatic handgun round. One of these, the .357 Sig, is the caliber of choice for the Glock 31 pistol. The Glock 31 is the company’s offering for those into high velocity or long distance handgun shooting. The G31 also comes with a large magazine capacity, making it an excellent self-defense or duty sidearm.
The now infamous 1986 FBI Miami shootout was a watershed moment in the history of law enforcement. Eight FBI agents armed with pistols and shotguns engaged two bank robbers armed with superior weapons. Over the course of the gun battle, which saw the federal agents pinned down by suppressive fire from a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, two agents were killed and another five wounded. The two bank robbers were hit multiple times by incoming fire but were both able to continue shooting, contributing to the very high law enforcement casualty rate.
In the aftermath of the shootout, the FBI and other government agencies began the search for a new, more powerful handgun round. Nine-millimeter and .38 Special proved ineffective at stopping the robbers, while .357 Magnum was a revolver cartridge that limited the user’s carrying capacity to six rounds at a time. Law enforcement wanted a powerful round that could be carried in large quantities.
An attempt by Sig Sauer and Federal Ammunition to duplicate the .357 Magnum round in a pistol cartridge resulted in the new .357 Sig. Federal’s .357 Magnum 125 grain jacketed hollow point round generates 575 foot-pounds at the muzzle, with a velocity of 1440 feet per second—well above the speed of sound. Federal’s new .357 Sig 125 grain jacketed hollow point round, on the other hand, generates 506 foot-pounds with a velocity of 1350 feet per second. The higher velocity of .357 Sig not only translates into more energy delivered on-target but gives it a flatter shooting trajectory over nine-millimeter and .38 Special.
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