To +P or not to +P
Time to rotate out my carry ammo. And by rotate out, I mean shoot it all up. Been pondering getting some +P as the next batch. Ballistics seem a bit better and the internet tells me that M&P9s and Glocks handle them just fine but not to go shooting it all the time at the range.
What say you?
November 6th, 2014 at 8:08 pm
I’m starting to lean toward the idea that +P is too much gimmick and leaning away from it myself. I think the added velocity isn’t enough to be significant and I prefer normal pressure ammo to alleviate any reliability issues.
November 6th, 2014 at 8:13 pm
I used to carry +p or +p+ because I didn’t trust 9mm. Then I got married and my wife didn’t like the recoil and blast, so I switched to normal ammo. These days, I’d say that standard self defense ammo works better than the Federal 9BPHP I used to carry, and is a whole lot kinder on the ears and my wife’s RSI’d wrists.
November 6th, 2014 at 8:46 pm
I vote for playing on Gameday with the kids who practiced all week. Pick a standard pressure load with good terminal ballistics and never look back.
Solid hits still trump all other factors.
All that said, you could talk me into +P 38 Special but I doubt that is your huckleberry.
-Joe
November 6th, 2014 at 9:21 pm
I use Cor Bon 115gr DPX in my 9. Its +P rated but doesn’t seem to have that much recoil and they use low flash powder.
November 6th, 2014 at 9:39 pm
Take a look at this guy.
youtube.com/user/ShootingTheBull410
Standard pressure 124gr HST looks like a great choice.
November 6th, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Hornaday critical defense. Does the best against gel and I use similar bullets hunting. That little plastic thingy does a number on what ever you hit.
+p and +p+ will scare the shit out of anything you miss, which gains possibility when you are shooting a cannon load.
November 6th, 2014 at 10:02 pm
Loud
November 6th, 2014 at 10:10 pm
Whut?
November 6th, 2014 at 10:12 pm
Put me down as another vote for the Hornady rounds – Critical Defense is the newest and best version. They’re an evolution of their hunting rounds and are made to put things down.
November 6th, 2014 at 10:33 pm
+3 on Hornady.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:07 pm
What Eaton Rapids Joe said. Stay as close as possible to the round around which your gun was designed.
And I also used +P (LSWC) in a steel-frame .38 snubbie. Why? Happy I never found out.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:25 pm
Really? I’d have thought a Glock can digest 9mm+P all day long. Have never considered that an issue.
I really like the accuracy of 124 gr +P Gold Dots. That is a sweet load in the G19.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:42 pm
I use the standard pressure 124gr Gold Dots. Out of a 4 inch barrel (G19)they don’t give up much to the +p rounds and I believe they are on DocGKR’s approved list.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:43 pm
My department shoots Federal HST 147gr which are +P. Our Glocks love them. They perform excellently against people and barricades. The extra velocity does help maximize expansion.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:49 pm
Standard pressure works fine for me. Less blast and recoil leads to more holes in the 10-ring.
November 7th, 2014 at 12:42 am
I’ve shot 1.000’s of +p 9mm full auto in my glock and it loves it
November 7th, 2014 at 4:47 am
Been using Cor-Bon 125 gr +P for years in 9 (G17) and 230 gr +P in 45 (HK USP). When I carried a 45 AMT Backup as, well, a backup, I used CB 165 gr +P, and now use CB 125 gr +P in a 340PD for backup (you have my spreadsheet from several years ago on that). Neither is fun to shoot, but I’m not carrying those for fun. Bi-monthly the carry ammo gets cycled out, regular practice is generic standard pressure ammo, easier on the hand and the guns. Using Hornady 115 gr Critical Defense in the LC9, don’t know how it performs in real life, but reports are good, it’s accurate and the gun likes it.
November 7th, 2014 at 10:23 am
I think I use a +P load, but maybe not.
And that’s the core of my advice: don’t worry about it. Get a decent load (I use Federal HST, Fiocchi HP or Federal HydraShok depending on the gun) and then blam a few hundred rounds of it to see how much you and your gun like it.
“Pew, pew, pew” is the only way to know.
November 7th, 2014 at 10:48 am
115 G Cor-bon DPX.
Speed is good, but bullet performance is more important.
November 7th, 2014 at 11:04 am
Best reason to use +p ammo is for the extra energy to operate the slide and ensure functioning.
November 7th, 2014 at 12:01 pm
Started carrying Remington 125 grain semi jacketed HP, 38 spec.+p over 35 years ago in my S&W model 15 combat masterpiece. From there, went to rem 115 gr.hp, 9mm+p in a Taurus PT 92. Finally went to rem 185 gr.hp 45ACP+p in a colt 1911. These loads were very accurate, burned cleanly, functioned perfectly and in guns of substantial mass were not overbearing, recoil-wise. Now with the demise of this round, I have switched to Golden Saber +P with no noticeable difference. Recently bought an xds-45ACP, 3.3″. At 22 oz, +P…no way.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:06 pm
I went with the load that was the most accurate in that gun.
That ranges from regular 124gr Gold Dots to 127 Win RangerT +p+ to 147gr Win PDX.
I let the gun choose then override only as needed.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:08 pm
Forgot to add, a couple of 9s shoot the HSTs as well as the others so it comes down to price and availability.
November 7th, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Gold Dot 124gr +P here.
November 7th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
I’ve got Winchester Ranger T 127gr +P+ in mine.
Why?
It was on sale.
November 7th, 2014 at 5:13 pm
I have been using Buffalo Bore lately in my Glock 26 and 19. It works great I typically use the 115GR +P+ which is around 1400 FPS when shooting water jugs and such you can definitely tell the difference I think it’s around 560 ft lbs.
November 7th, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Someone noted that they shoot standard pressure at the range, but carry +P. Some police depts quit doing this due to pitiful results (hits) on the two-way range.
One of the problems inherent in this is timing between shots. You get used to how quickly you can get the muzzle back on target. Throw heavy recoiling ammo into a gunfight, and your (mental) training programming will have you pulling the trigger too soon. Combine this with an increased rise of the muzzle due to added recoil, and the somewhat common torquing (twisting in your hand) from that hot ammo, and you get high and wide misses.
Remember the adage: you will default to your training when the SHTF.
The lighter the gun, the greater the reaction from hotter ammo. Practice ammo should therefore have the same power characteristics.
November 7th, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Here is a suggestion. Next time you load your gun with expensive ‘carry ammo’ get a similar quantity, loaded in say, two magazines, and leave it in the car trunk, summer, fall, winter, and spring. Then in THREE YEARS, open the trunk and fire of the mags at the range. Then THREE YEARS later, do the second mag.
I bet both times the gun and ammo works perfectly and shoots just about the same.
November 7th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
I’m still new to this + jazz, so I will just say don’t fire anything through that gun that the chamber is not rated for.
November 8th, 2014 at 12:12 pm
And remember, when rotating your carry ammo, you should also change the batteries in your smoke detectors on the 4th of July and Christmas Eve.
Or any other 2 holidays 6 months apart.
Safety first!
November 8th, 2014 at 3:18 pm
@Will – RE: carry +P, practice with generic stuff. That was me. If I could find powder and primers I’d load practice ammo to almost +P. (I shoot 45 ACP in ICORE and IPSC, and it’s 230 grain hardball loaded to GI specs – 875 fps, which is power factor 201). I’m a firm believer in “you play like you practice” but that’s been kinda tough lately. I’ve had a lot better luck turning up enough (relatively) inexpensive white box kind of stuff to shoot with than components. If, however, you’d like to buy me enough Cor-Bon +P in 9 and 45 to use for matches and practice, I’ll send you my ship-to address……
November 8th, 2014 at 6:14 pm
Yes
November 9th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Do either, as long as you stand up!
š
November 10th, 2014 at 8:39 am
My daily carry load is Federal HST 230 Grain +P .45.
I trust 230 grain .45 at standard pressure, but honestly back-to-back shooting of standard (but a little hot) standard pressure handloads, and the +P stuff is a nominal difference in recoil, with slightly better muzzle energy, so why not?
Really in the end it doesn’t matter, but as PDB says “I don’t carry a gun because I’m an optimist”.
November 10th, 2014 at 7:35 pm
Oh man I use +p+ 127gr Winchester 9mm ammo all the time in my Glock 26 and it shoots them fine.
Chronos out at 1240 fps from that short 26 barrel.
See guns like .38s and 9mm NEED that +p or +p+ to make them fairly effective. Rounds like .357 Sig, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W need just some help. And rounds like .45 ACP don’t need no +p at all.