Difference between revisions of ".356 TSW"
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The '''.356 TSW''' (.356 Team Smith & Wesson) is a centerfire handgun cartridge that was designed by [[Smith & Wesson]] in 1994, and released commercially in 1995. The .356 TSW is very similar in size to a [[9mm Luger]], or a [[9x21mm]]. It was designed to be used in IPSC shooting events, but rule changes addressing the use of the new cartridge made it obsolete almost immediately. As a result, it's mostly an obscurity, though ammo appears to still made (as of early 2021) by CorBon and Underwood. | The '''.356 TSW''' (.356 Team Smith & Wesson) is a centerfire handgun cartridge that was designed by [[Smith & Wesson]] in 1994, and released commercially in 1995. The .356 TSW is very similar in size to a [[9mm Luger]], or a [[9x21mm]]. It was designed to be used in IPSC shooting events, but rule changes addressing the use of the new cartridge made it obsolete almost immediately. As a result, it's mostly an obscurity, though ammo appears to still made (as of early 2021) by CorBon and Underwood. | ||
+ | == Design & Origins == | ||
+ | The .356 Team Smith & Wesson cartridge appears to have been largely developed for Major power IPSC competition. Essentially it allowed for the higher capacity of a 9mm handgun, while qualifying among more powerful higher-caliber handguns, offering a competitive advantage, mostly in magazine capacity. From Frank Barnes' Cartridges of the World, 14th Edition: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The centerfire pistol cartridge was designed by Smith & Wesson in 1994 as an IPSC round. The .356 TSW fit in a 9mm magazine, and S&W convinced Federal to load it and submit it for SAAMI-spec approval, where it saw promise as a Limited-class competition round. However, because of a rules change, USPSA didn’t approve it for that class, and there were other rounds that were better choices for Open guns. S&W scrapped the project, effectively killing the .356 TSW. Federal case heads and the box were marked “356 TSW.” The load was a 147-grain FMJ Match product number GM356SW." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Additional comments by Frank Barnes: | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The TSW is simply a slightly longer 9mm case (9x21.5mm), and it uses ordinary 9mm bullets for reloading purposes. To meet IPSC’s major power factor back then, the TSW had to send a 124-grain 9mm bullet at about 1,450 fps. A .356 TSW performs on par with hot 9x21 IPSC loads or full-house .357 SIG loads, but it has an advantage over the .357 SIG. The SIG cartridge is a bottleneck round, a .40 S&W casing necked down to 9mm. The .356 TSW is a straight walled 9mm casing, thus, more .356 rounds can fit into a magazine. The .356 TSW was mainly chambered in 150 [[Smith & Wesson Model 3566]] Performance Center .356 TSW pistols." | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Ballistic Performance == | ||
Revision as of 06:12, 3 April 2021
The .356 TSW (.356 Team Smith & Wesson) is a centerfire handgun cartridge that was designed by Smith & Wesson in 1994, and released commercially in 1995. The .356 TSW is very similar in size to a 9mm Luger, or a 9x21mm. It was designed to be used in IPSC shooting events, but rule changes addressing the use of the new cartridge made it obsolete almost immediately. As a result, it's mostly an obscurity, though ammo appears to still made (as of early 2021) by CorBon and Underwood.
Contents
Design & Origins
The .356 Team Smith & Wesson cartridge appears to have been largely developed for Major power IPSC competition. Essentially it allowed for the higher capacity of a 9mm handgun, while qualifying among more powerful higher-caliber handguns, offering a competitive advantage, mostly in magazine capacity. From Frank Barnes' Cartridges of the World, 14th Edition:
"The centerfire pistol cartridge was designed by Smith & Wesson in 1994 as an IPSC round. The .356 TSW fit in a 9mm magazine, and S&W convinced Federal to load it and submit it for SAAMI-spec approval, where it saw promise as a Limited-class competition round. However, because of a rules change, USPSA didn’t approve it for that class, and there were other rounds that were better choices for Open guns. S&W scrapped the project, effectively killing the .356 TSW. Federal case heads and the box were marked “356 TSW.” The load was a 147-grain FMJ Match product number GM356SW."
Additional comments by Frank Barnes:
"The TSW is simply a slightly longer 9mm case (9x21.5mm), and it uses ordinary 9mm bullets for reloading purposes. To meet IPSC’s major power factor back then, the TSW had to send a 124-grain 9mm bullet at about 1,450 fps. A .356 TSW performs on par with hot 9x21 IPSC loads or full-house .357 SIG loads, but it has an advantage over the .357 SIG. The SIG cartridge is a bottleneck round, a .40 S&W casing necked down to 9mm. The .356 TSW is a straight walled 9mm casing, thus, more .356 rounds can fit into a magazine. The .356 TSW was mainly chambered in 150 Smith & Wesson Model 3566 Performance Center .356 TSW pistols."
Ballistic Performance
Specifications
- Bullet diameter: .355 in (9.0 mm)
- Neck diameter: .380 in (9.7 mm)
- Shoulder diameter: .3804 in (9.66 mm)
- Base diameter: .3907 in (9.92 mm)
- Rim diameter: .394 in (10.0 mm)
- Case length: .850 in (21.6 mm)
- Overall length: 1.160 in (29.5 mm)
- Rifling twist: 1-10"
Ammunition Availability
Despite mostly being an obscurity, it appears that a number of ammunition manufacturers still produce .356 TSW ammo. Including:
Other Resources
".356 Team Smith & Wesson" SAAMI Specs (Archived) - Official SAAMI specs for the .356 TSW cartridge, archived on WayBackMachine.
.356 TSW (by Wiley Clapp) - A very brief article from American Rifleman, written by Wiley Clapp, discussing the .356 Team Smith & Wesson cartridge.