9mm question.

jeffg333

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I recently purchased the M&P 9c for concealed carry. I purchased the Federal JHP hydra-shok for EDC it's 124 grain.

I was wondering to stay consistent in my shooting how much should I vary in FMJ and JHP when at the range practicing. Is there a huge difference and should I try to stay in the same range or grain? Any thoughts would be helpful. Thank you. -jg
 
This. The difference isn't enough to throw you off. More practice with cheap ammo is better than less with expensive.
 
Here's what I've been told and tried to employ:

For most people it isn't financially viable to practice a ton with carry ammo. Make sure you are familiar with your gun and how you shoot it. Know your sight picture, POA, POI, etc.. As far as your defense ammo is concerned, shoot it enough to know how it performs in your firearm and how you shoot it. Beyond that it's really still the basics, and economics will win. To practice as much as you should, you'll be using FMJs or something similarly affordable.
 
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I try to stick to something close in weight and buy a box to see if it shoot close to the same point of impact. If it is not off by more than a couple inches then I stock up as much as I can afford for practice. With different weights you can end up with a lot of change vertically sometimes. Again, depends not just on weight but on the specific brand etc. But if you defensive round is a 125 grain, I would not use 147 grain for practice. Unless of course you found one that did shoot close to your carry ammo.
 
Thanks guys I actually bought box of federal FMJ 124 grain to practice with. So I will test them out and see what I like.
 
Thanks guys I actually bought box of federal FMJ 124 grain to practice with. So I will test them out and see what I like.

It's a good idea to shoot your carry ammo now and again just to make sure it feeds in your gun. The M&P series isn't too finiky about what it eats so you shouldn't have too many problems.
 
In 9mm the difference in POI from 115 to 124 gr won't matter at any typical self defense distances. I carry 124s and 127s but I reload with 115 gr for practice.

You should always test your JHPs for function in your gun, and to experience the recoil/etc of full power defense ammo.

-Mike
 
+1 on the recoil difference in practice vs defense ammo. Some handloads I have run in my 1911 are very light recoil compared to even moderate defense loads from Remington. Shoot enough high power stuff to be aware of the recoil, and site picture recovery after the first shot. Even pratice the double tap if in your training and or ability.
Tank
 
I've had nothing but problems with JHP ammo in my m&p 9mmc.
It just doesn't want to feed right and keeps jamming.

Any particular brand or JHP's in general? Sounds like an issue with the particular gun to me, it shouldn't do that. My full sized ate HST's, Hydrashoks and Gold Dot without a hiccup.
 
i practice shoot with wal mart federal 115gr but carry winchester pdx 147gr. at close range they shoot very similarly. no noticeable difference to me until out to 25' but even then it isnt big. never had a feed or jamming problem either. think i'll try & stagger a few in mag to see if i notice something when shooting them back to back. that sounds like a good enough excuse to shoot a few rounds...
oh, my 9mm is a kahr pm9
 
I carry Remington JHP and don't notice a significant difference in shooting characteristics between it and any of the FMJ I shoot. I always fire the JHP already in the chamber as the first round in a range session and don't notice a round out of group.
Recoil may be different but again, it shouldn't be enough to keep you from making good self defense shots. It's not like you're shooting P++
 
FWIW, if Speer Gold-Dot runs in your gun (carry ammo), Speer Lawman is designed specifically as training ammo for Gold Dot.
 
good luck finding a definitive answer to that. every leo i know have switched to the winchester pdx rounds & fbi has chosen it as well. winchester rep told me for self defense in a subcompact 9mm use the 147gr. Thats what ive been carrying in my pm9. me & some friends did a homemade test with them and were very impressed. also have never had a feed issue
 
good luck finding a definitive answer to that. every leo i know have switched to the winchester pdx rounds & fbi has chosen it as well. winchester rep told me for self defense in a subcompact 9mm use the 147gr. Thats what ive been carrying in my pm9. me & some friends did a homemade test with them and were very impressed. also have never had a feed issue

I refuse to even look at the PDX line until they sell it in 50 round boxes. They probably do but it's not readily available. This 20 round box stuff is crap, all it does is allow the gun shops and mid level distributors to gouge the piss out of the consumers. Many of them are charging upwards of a dollar a round, and even at the expensive places, I can get Win Ranger T-series in a 50 round box for less than that. The whole thing is especially stupid given that with things like an XD or a G17, the box only fills one mag, and maybe gives you a few extra. At least Remington sells GS in 25 round boxes, which is slightly less insulting... and sometimes you can find 50s, too.

-Mike
 
I've had nothing but problems with JHP ammo in my m&p 9mmc.
It just doesn't want to feed right and keeps jamming.

I just bought an M&P 9c. I'm using Federal Premium Hydra Shok 135 grain JHP. It has been 100% reliable- no problems at all.
 
Thanks guys I actually bought box of federal FMJ 124 grain to practice with. So I will test them out and see what I like.

Keep it the same if you can - shoot and learn the poa/poi for your gun with your ammo - run a box of your carry ammo to verify it is the same as your practice ammo - then you'll KNOW what performance to expect - every time. The only variable becomes your ability.
 
I refuse to even look at the PDX line until they sell it in 50 round boxes. They probably do but it's not readily available. This 20 round box stuff is crap, all it does is allow the gun shops and mid level distributors to gouge the piss out of the consumers. Many of them are charging upwards of a dollar a round, and even at the expensive places, I can get Win Ranger T-series in a 50 round box for less than that. The whole thing is especially stupid given that with things like an XD or a G17, the box only fills one mag, and maybe gives you a few extra. At least Remington sells GS in 25 round boxes, which is slightly less insulting... and sometimes you can find 50s, too.

-Mike

pdx's are starting to sell in 50 round boxes now. have seen the .40 for $25/box in gun shops. they are packed in white boxes but are labeled pdx. i agree its a rip but not intended as a plinking round. its a similar round to the ranger t's but bonded with new tech that improves performance. i've only bought enough to test & carry. not a round i'll stockpile, but what i will carry until something better comes out. yeah, pdx's are expensive, but you get what you pay for + a little extra for that new car smell.. lol
 
My Sig P226 shoots about 2 inches higher at 75 ft with 147Gr Corbon 9mm +p (very hot) that it does with cheapo federal 115gr 9mm (puff-puff loads)
 
pdx's are starting to sell in 50 round boxes now.

have seen the .40 for $25/box in gun shops. they are packed in white boxes but are labeled pdx. i agree its a rip but not intended as a plinking round.

I haven't seen any in circulation, anywhere with the exception of the Q4369 .40 S+W 180gr load you're talking about.

I know it's not a plinking load but I think paying a over $1/shot for defense ammo is dumb, even for premium grade stuff. With PDX you're virtually forced into doing that, outside of Q4369. Problem is I don't even own a .40 anymore. [laugh]

its a similar round to the ranger t's but bonded with new tech that improves performance.

The testing I've seen doesn't show it being any "better" just different. PDX should be better with intermediate barrier penetration (eg, auto glass) but that's about it. Even if you -needed- a bonded core bullet, you could get Speer GDHP in 50 round boxes, which is still cheaper, and has a decent street rep in most of its loadings.

-Mike
 
Silly question: Does anybody use FMJ for "carry" ammunition? Kind of removes the whole argument.
 
Silly question: Does anybody use FMJ for "carry" ammunition? Kind of removes the whole argument.
I don't.

Have you tried Federal HST? That's what I use in my M&P compact.
I love HST, but it is almost impossible to find, now that Federal is imposing its "law enforcement only" restriction on distributors.
 
My Sig P226 shoots about 2 inches higher at 75 ft with 147Gr Corbon 9mm +p (very hot) that it does with cheapo federal 115gr 9mm (puff-puff loads)
That's powder loading not bullet weight. So, 2 inches at 25yds. You aim center mass and your still hitting the BG. You want to train with
Corbon everytime go for it. Most of us can't afford that. Btw, Sig doesn't recommend +P all the time, they say 'occasionally' won't hurt the gun. That's with respect to the milled slide Sigs, not sure about the older folded ones.
 
I haven't seen any in circulation, anywhere with the exception of the Q4369 .40 S+W 180gr load you're talking about.

I know it's not a plinking load but I think paying a over $1/shot for defense ammo is dumb, even for premium grade stuff. With PDX you're virtually forced into doing that, outside of Q4369. Problem is I don't even own a .40 anymore. [laugh]

The testing I've seen doesn't show it being any "better" just different. PDX should be better with intermediate barrier penetration (eg, auto glass) but that's about it. Even if you -needed- a bonded core bullet, you could get Speer GDHP in 50 round boxes, which is still cheaper, and has a decent street rep in most of its loadings.

-Mike


i'll pay $1 a shot for what many consider is the best in self defense. hate to have to say "maybe it wouldve stopped em but i saved 50 cents instead." but thats just me, to each his own. no, i havent seen 9mm 50rd box yet but i'm sure they'll show up.

the bonding just makes the jacket less likely to separate from the core. test results i've seen show considerable improvement of lead expansion with the jacket instead of just the jacket expanding. i havent tried the speer's but i have always had good luck with winchester ammo.
 
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