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Old April 26, 2011, 12:31 PM   #1
Rage88
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New gun owner - S&W M&P 9c

My dad got 2 of these pistols new at auction at a good price and gave me one. The only gun I've ever owned was a very cheap muzzleloader and I didn't have it very long. I know next to nothing about guns, other than what I've just recently read on the internet.
My dad told me that any 9mm Luger ammo will work, but I don't know anything about specific types. He said to only use non-corrosive ammo. I keep coming across p and +p and +p+, but don't know what it, or most abbreviations mean (ex. Local walmart sells 9mm Luger 115 grain FMJ RN). I know FMJ, but not RN. Also, how do I know what grain to use? I read that you should vary your ammo when the gun is new. Why? And does this mean just different brands, or alternate between hollow point and regular ammo? He sent me this link to show me what to buy: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=631075
I assume this is good for the range, but is it at all good for self defense?
If anyone can clarify any o this for me, or offer any other advice, I would appreciate it!
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Old April 26, 2011, 12:37 PM   #2
Rob228
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That is a great pistol you've gotten your hands on. As far as using non-corrosive ammo, if you are using anything manufactured (someone has the exact date somewhere on here) in the past twenty years you will be fine.

The FMJ RN means that it is full metal jacket, round nose.

The +P and +P+ deals with the pressure the cartidge is generating. You will have to check your owners manual for the specifics regarding what your pistol will tolerate.

The only reason I can think of for varying the grain bullet you are shooting with a new pistol would be to find out which works best for you in your specific pistol. I think you are pretty much limited to 115 and 124 grain. There are guys on this board that will be able to tell you some of the better loads in each of those grains.

Have fun with your new pistol, like I said it is a great little gun. I bought the same one for my wife about two years ago and she absolutely loves it.
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Old April 26, 2011, 12:46 PM   #3
wyogunaholic
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One thing I didn't know about bullets was what exactly is 115 grain etc. I wasn't sure if it was the weight of the bullet or how many grains of powder. Incase you are wondering too, it is the weight of the bullet.

I recently picked up a M&P 45c. So far it has treated me good.
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Old April 26, 2011, 02:44 PM   #4
Rage88
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Thanks for the replies; I appreciate the info! If anyone knows of a good website with beginner information, please pass it on!
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Old April 26, 2011, 02:47 PM   #5
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http://corneredcat.com Don't let the fact that it's geared toward females turn you off; it's a good read for new shooters of both sexes.

With any pistol, you want to try to find ammo that shoots well, IE groups well and hits at or very close to point of aim.

With semi-autos, you also want to make sure that whatever round you use will reliably feed from the magazine, and generate enough recoil impulse to reliably cycle the slide.

Have fun.
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Old April 27, 2011, 07:53 AM   #6
bitttorrrent
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Like you, rage88, my Dad started giving me guns recently and aquired one from my wifes side.

Anyway, I am glad you asked these questions, because I did not know either and asked the guy at Cabelas. He said he runs the cheapest he can find as long as it is not the not-brass russian stuff.

So I just picked up some pmc 9mm luger 115grs. fmj,
so that means the wieght is 115 grams and full metal jacket?

Have not run anything thru my new px4 storm - but this weekend will break it in.

Good luck with your new gun, I do like the M&P and the scale serrations on the slide.
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Old April 27, 2011, 08:03 AM   #7
moose_nukelz
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I shot a full sized 9mm a few weeks ago and the grip is by far the best I have ever felt. As far as ammo, just stick with a known manufacturer and you should be fine. Anything in FMJ should work fine and I know Wal-Mart (out here) sells Remington UMC 250 round jumbo boxes for a little over $50. I use it all the time in .40 for the range and it works fine.
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Old April 27, 2011, 08:04 AM   #8
Rob228
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Bitttorrant,

The weight is measured in grains, not grams. To give an idea of the actual weight, there are 7000 grains in a pound.
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Old April 27, 2011, 10:24 AM   #9
carguychris
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Quote:
The +P and +P+ deals with the pressure the cartidge is generating. You will have to check your owners manual for the specifics regarding what your pistol will tolerate.
IIRC the S&W M&P manual warns that +P may cause premature wear, but does not specifically recommend against using it; however, there is a specific warning against using +P+.

Here are my thoughts about 9mm ammo, winnowed down to the basics:
  • Regarding bullet weight, most FMJ practice ammo is either 115gr or 124gr, while most defensive ammo is 115gr, 124gr, or 147gr.
  • You may find some defensive loads with bullets lighter than 115gr, but these are essentially specialty items and aren't very popular. The 9mm case will not normally accommodate bullets heavier than 147gr.
  • There's a lot of debate on the Interwebz and the gun store counters about which bullet weight and load is best for self-defense. Some of the arguments are useful and based on facts, but many others aren't, and many debates break down into intractable and useless Ford vs. Chevy, Dog vs. Cat, iPhone vs. Blackberry vs. Droid, or Mac vs. PC-type bickering.
  • THAT SAID: Most modern, premium 115gr-147gr JHP loads from name-brand manufacturers should get the job done. OTOH I recommend against frangible loads like Extreme Shock, Air Freedom, MagSafe, and others; most experts regard these loads as marketing gimmicks.
  • You may find some ammo labeled "9mm NATO"; this is normally a +P load with a 124gr FMJ bullet, and is perfectly acceptable for practice use in your M&P. The headstamp will look unusual but should incorporate a "+" symbol inside a circle (this is the NATO military mark).
  • 9x19mm and 9mm Parabellum are alternate names for 9mm Luger and are safe to use in your pistol. These names are more commonly used on European-made ammunition.
  • Other 9mm ammunition (9mm Makarov, 9x17mm, 9mm Browning Short, etc.) is NOT the same and should not be used in your pistol. It is NOT SAFE, regardless of what the occasional numbskull behind the store counter may tell you.
  • I recommend against using cheap Russian ammo, but not necessarily because of the steel cases; I don't like it because some of this ammo uses copper-washed steel jackets (which may cause premature barrel wear) and/or steel cores (which have an increased tendency to ricochet and/or penetrate shooting-range backstops; many public ranges ban this ammo for this reason).
  • Unlike the Russian stuff, IMHO there is absolutely nothing wrong with inexpensive brass-cased and copper-jacketed ammo from Eastern Europe (namely S&B and Prvi Partizan; FYI the "Monarch" brand ammo at Academy is relabeled Prvi Partizan).
  • There's no reason to purposefully alternate different loads in a modern pistol. Figure out what shoots well and stick with it. In my experience, M&Ps will feed and shoot almost anything well.
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Old April 27, 2011, 10:38 AM   #10
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Problem with +P+ is that there are no SAAMI definitions for it, so you don't really know what peak pressure is for the load.
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Old April 28, 2011, 01:31 PM   #11
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My bad. I posted grains instead of grams Rob228, thanks for correcting me.
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Old April 28, 2011, 01:36 PM   #12
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Not a problem, some people new to the game (Not insinuating you) do think in grams instead of grains.
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