SIG SAUER continues to expand the company’s line of self defense ammunition. This time the company added three calibers in time for the SHOT Show. The new calibers are: .38 Special, .44 Special and 45 Colt.

The .38 Special load is a +P rated round that uses a 125 grain V-Crown hollow point. SIG SAUER states the velocity as 965 feet per second (fps). That works out to be about 258 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of energy. As a point of comparison, the Speer Gold Dot 125 grain +P load is rated at 945 fps (248 ft-lbs). The company also offers a .38 Special FMJ round for training and target shooting.

The .44 Special Load uses a beefy 240 grain V-Crown bullet and is loaded to 800 fps. This works out to be about 341 ft-lbs of energy.

For the .45 Colt, SIG uses a 230 grain V-Crown bullet. This load pushes the bullet to 850 fps for about 369 ft-lbs of energy.

The addition of these loads to the line makes a lot of sense for SIG. The .38 Special remains very popular with concealed carry holders while the .45 Colt experienced a resurgence of interest because of the Taurus Judge. Of the three, I’m most glad to see the .44 Special. Good .44 Special ammunition choices are somewhat limited when compared to what’s available for the 9mm or .40 S&W. While the V-Crown bullet design has not been around for a long time, at least having it in .44 gives shooters a chance to try something new.

Earlier this year, SIG added 300 BLK and .38 Super to the ammunition line up.