+p ammo

[Swampman1]

I have a Colt Gov't model 45 ACP 1911 circa 1984, and a Springfield XDm-45 1 yr old. I'm curious if it's OK to fire +P factory ammo in either one. I have a box of Hornady Critical Duty. Thanks.

[TunnelRat]

I would think the XDm would be fine, but I can't answer for the Colt. However we have a number of 1911 aficionados here that will likely sound off. As a note there is often a page in the manual that will mention +p ammunition, assuming you have the manual.

[Bowdog]

Have never found a need for +P in .45 ACP. Shot placement is all you need. Extra recoil is not.

[Mike38]

Have never found a need for +P in .45 ACP. Shot placement is all you need. Extra recoil is not.

Agree. A well controlled double tap to COM with 230 grain pills would be much more effective than spray and pray with +P and it's recoil.

[Will Beararms]

The only need for +P ammo is with the 9mm. This is why my every day carry pistol is the .40 S&W.

[jmr40]

Any time you run hotter ammo in your gun it will speed up wear. If you were to shoot a steady diet of +p in any gun it might wear out after 100,000 rounds whereas you might get 150,000 rounds with standard pressure ammo. For occasional use I doubt if you'll see any problems with either gun.


If faster ammo didn't matter we wouldn't have most any cartridge developed after the 1800's. I do casual plinking with standard ammo, but use hotter loads for serious work.

[g.willikers]

Does the designation of +P mean anything in particular?
Is there an actual standard that +P has to meet?

[Cheapshooter]

Does the designation of +P mean anything in particular?
Is there an actual standard that +P has to meet?

Look up SAAMI. Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute.
http://www.saami.org
If you don't want to go through the entire SAAMI download, here is a simpler explanation.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_P_ammo.htm
(Any use of +P for ammunition other than 9MM Luger, 38 Special, 38 Super, or 45 acp is nothing but advertising hype from boutique ammo makers)

[kenny53]

+P is fine for SD. I use it some times in 9 mm for my carry guns. I will shoot it at the range once in a while. For the most part I use standard 115 gr ball ammo at the range . But would not worry if I used standard pressure 9 mm hollow points or any other non +P defense round.

[Model12Win]

I'm not expert, but I don't believe the .45 ACP earned its flawless record as a devastating manstopper with +P ammo, or even hollow points for that matter.

[marine6680]

+P is a recognized standard by SAAMI... But only for certain calibers. 9mm, 45acp, 38spl... Maybe others as well, but those are the most common ones. I know 40sw does not.


+P+ is not a recognized standard.


After all the gel tests I have seen published online... I have come to the conclusion that if you are using modern hollow point designs from the last ten years or so, from respected brands, that +P is not needed.

Pretty much all of the different brands got better penetration from standard pressure ammo, at only a slight loss in expansion.

This was with 9mm that I focused on, and I did not pay as close attention to other calibers. I suggest looking at the data yourself. There are several YouTube channels that do a good job with testing. TNoutdoors9 has a lot of tests and even does some +P to standard comparisons. (Remember, when comparing differences between standard and +P, you can only compare bullet type to the same type... 124gr HST to 124gr HST... Not 124gr HST to 147gr HST or 124gr HST to 124gr Gold Dot... You can then look between brands to find the one that performs how you like)


Op:

As far as if it is safe to use in your pistols... The XD is most likely fine, the manual is available online if you want to look it up. The Colt may or may not be recommended. It's probably safe to do occasionally though, it is a modern manufacture.

[T. O'Heir]

"...designation of +P mean anything..." Given on the SAAMI site under 'SAAMI/ANSI Standards'. Higher than standard pressure. Difference between a standard .45 load of both 185 and 230 grain bullets and a +P is a whopping 20 PSI. 35 PSI for 9mm.
No need for +P in 9mm either.

[Swampman1]

OK guys, I think almost everyone missed my question. It wasn't wether I needed it or whatever . I happened to have a box of them and wondered if it was ok to use +P in my guns.

[marine6680]

Subjects can drift a bit on this forum... But many like myself answered your question.

I also suggested checking the Springfield website for the manual, as it will tell you an official answer.

I was also replying to several people's posts.

[Will Beararms]

Don't use it in older guns. The XDM will be fine.

[JohnKSa]

Given on the SAAMI site under 'SAAMI/ANSI Standards'. Higher than standard pressure. Difference between a standard .45 load of both 185 and 230 grain bullets and a +P is a whopping 20 PSI. 35 PSI for 9mm.

Those numbers are low by a factor of 100.

Going from standard pressure to +P is usually roughly a 10% increase in pressure.

The increase in 45ACP is from 21,000psi to 23,000psi, an increase of about 9.5%-- 2,000psi.

The increase in 9mm is from 35,000psi to 38,500psi, an increase of 10%-- 3,500psi.

[michael t]

A box of +P not going to hurt your Colt I shot in in my 1972 Commander with no problems. . I like other don't suggest a daily diet . I use +P 185 gr in my Defender yr2005 and my Colt Officer yr 1995 . Because of short barrels. Some times if all I have I will load in my Commanders.

In 45 I don't find the recoil that much over standard 45acp.

[CDW4ME]

I have a box of Hornady Critical Duty

After you shoot that whole 20 rounds to see if it functions reliably you''l need to buy more ammo to carry (if not Critical Duty, then function check as well).
I prefer to function check with 50 rounds or more in an already proven pistol, but I'm picky.
In Luck Gunner testing, Critical Duty 45 performed okay from a short barrel, you could do better or worse.
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self...llistic-tests/

[Swampman1]

OK thanks guys, should have mentioned, this will be for home defense only. Although I'll probably fire off a few just to get the feel of it.
Also, the barrel on the XDm is 4.5"...not sure I'd consider that a short barrel when compared to CC weapons.

[75218ron]

Agree. A well controlled double tap to COM with 230 grain pills would be much more effective than spray and pray with +P and it's recoil.

I agree

[Cheapshooter]

this will be for home defense only. Although I'll probably fire off a few just to get the feel of it.

Read post #18
Ammo can act differently in various guns, and "a few" may not be enough to guarantee reliability.

[JohnKSa]

Agree. I'd rather go with a decent round that is cheap enough that I can afford to and am willing to put 3 or 4 boxes downrange to insure reliability in my SD gun than with one that is awesome but is so expensive that I can't bring myself to really shoot enough to verify that it's reliable.

[cougar gt-e]

I would NOT use +p for indoor use. All you get is louder than loud, bigger blinding flash and more recoil. Typically, shots 2 on up are all pulled WAY off target.

For home defense, get high quality hollow point ammo that has flash reduced powders. Hitting the target is important...get a good flashlight too.

[reynolds357]

I only shoot +p in the 9mm. A .40 S&W +p kind of defeats the purpose of why the cartridge was created in the first place.

[DA/SA Fan]

Yeh. Yeh. It's shot placement. No need for plus P. If everybody would just petition Glock to make a 36 round .32 we would only need one gun on the market and whimpy ammo would be just fine.

Use the +P but if you intend to use it for SD you need to go through a hundred rounds or so to make sure:

A. You can handle the recoil without substantially decreasing the accuracy or speed of your follow up shots.
B. The gun/guns that you're going to use them in feed absolutely reliably.

If you don't want to prove them in your hands and guns then just use them up as practice ammo at the range. Self defense is too important to risk on unproven ammo selection.