I almost feel your comment was a dig to professional police officers everywhere and should have been left out. Arguably, the first +P round was .38 Super. The advantages of +P are obvious, but they do come with the disadvantage of more recoil and muzzle blast. Normal training can be done with standard ammunition, but +P defensive ammunition will give you a better chance if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having to use your gun to defend your life. If you plan on shooting a steady diet of it, plan on servicing your pistol sooner. All Rights Reserved. As you can see, .38 +P ammo is loaded to about 17% higher pressure than standard loads. I … Lets just say anyone who trains multiple times a week or has ever been in a REAL fire fight knows why even if they are capable going for the headshot first it is a rookie move in MOST situations…. Can it be shot? This was set up by the Sig sales rep who sold the Sheriff the 226s. In some cases it is worth it, such as when a little more velocity is needed to ensure reliable bullet expansion. Short Barrel Ammo Why You Need it in a Subcompact Handgun Sam Hoober. hand cannons are not needed for SD, nor are RPGs. Police officers are trained very well, And I would further argue that they may be trained better than most military, excluding special forces of course. The modern guns chambered for the .45 Colt round are almost identical to guns chambered for .44 Magnum and are capable of much higher pressures without distress. Well, I can’t say what the cartridge will do to your gun, but as with anything in life there are always risks and a wise man would heed the advice of those closest to it (i.e. His interests in shooting span from classic double shotguns to AR-15s, sniper rifles and competitive pistol shooting. Get the 74th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. Ammunition is made to certain specifications, size and pressure. I suggest you avoid the forums and Internet articles (accept this one of course!) Mine have … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (Assuming your gun can handle +P ammo; more on gun specs below.) I am one of the unfortunate officers who had to use lethal force while on duty so I know this first hand. I would take a professional police officer to a gun battle over a competition or target shooter any day as they can work under the stress of a gunfight. Remember, however, that if you face a life-threatening situation, you’re not likely to feel the recoil, just like hunters don’t notice the recoil when taking game. You must know if it can handle +P ammo before you use +P ammo in it. In modern calibers like .357 SIG or .38 Super, all firearms available are of sufficiently recent manufacture to assure they can handle the pressures of modern defensive ammunition. +P is good to go in a Glock. Yes, you could also try to find things out on “t3h int3rw3bz”, but that can be a crap-shoot; know your source. This problem went on for nearly forty years until there was a decision made to remove the .38-44 rounds from production.  Luckily, that was also the same year makers rolled out that the .38 Special +P, which effectively stepped in to solve the problems the .38 Special faced, balancing power and recoil. The real problem though that I see is that with so many revolvers and pocket pistols out there chambered in .38 special, the market has become far too large for shooters to keep track of.  Many are just plain confused as to the construction of the gun versus the power of the round and accordingly, stick with the standard velocity stuff because they are worried their gun will suddenly turn into a hand grenade if they load the more powerful +P rounds. Lawyers and law suits. Just because a firearm is of newer manufacture doesn’t mean it’s capable of handling +P ammunition. Decent comment but I strongly disagree with you that most officers are out there comfortably trying to go for the 1 tap.. Go watch 10 thousand police shooting videos.. You wiil find a few where high level swat officers going for headshot first but aside from the million reasons that headshots are not as viable someone like you who sounds like they know a decent amount should understand why headshots are not the first choice in more then 90 percent of police situations.. Now that’s just the normal reason they don’t but even police officers who train everyday do not encounter nearly enough situations where they discharge there weapon when they are faced with death to be comfortable going for the headshot first.. Its like mike tyson always said… Everyone always has a plan until they get punched in the face… Now there are plenty out there who have the ability to make the shot but to say that most cops could pull off a headshot while being shot at from even 15 yards is bullshit… Now im not gonna go into all the other reasons even though there are many.. Learn how your comment data is processed. Assuming the bullets are the same, +P ammunition appears identical to a “normal” cartridge on the outside and will load into any similarly chambered firearm. Handgun Review: Diamondback FS Nine Full-Size, Reloading Ammo: An Abbreviated Look at Reloading Short Magnums, Reloading Ammo: Ponderations on Progressive Presses, January 1, 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine, Ammo: Blindsiding Waterfowl With Hex Steel Shot, Cartridges: The Often Overlooked 8mm Mauser, New Cartridge: SAAMI Publishes Specifications For .224 Valkyrie. excellent !! A majority of law enforcement officers these days are trained under stress, as much stress that could be produced at a sterile range environment. This is because the original .45 Colt was a black powder round, and there are a lot of very old guns still capable of shooting that round. 127 thoughts on “ Why I won’t use or test .380 ACP “+P” or any “+P+” ammo… rw walden March 10, 2014 at 8:28 pm. Thank you! Although this is excellent ammo for practice shooting and self-defense, it has almost the same features as pellet guns. Handgun calibers rely on penetration and the size of the wound channel. Yes, you can often load a .380ACP cartridge into a firearm chambered for 9x19 Luger and fire it without the gun exploding. ALL .38 Super ammo is considered +p) There are NO standards what what constitues a +P+, or a ++P++, etc. Any quality hp will do what you want it to. Before I had either, I assumed every type of gun … Just because a firearm is of newer manufacture doesn’t mean it’s capable of handling +P ammunition. The longer case precluded their use in older guns that couldn’t handle the higher pressures. It will take a lot of rds. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. No problems with the Canadian made Hi-Powers. Caribou Media Group may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. I have been carrying a Kimber M1911 concealed for about 25 years. These guns had an alloy frame and even though some say they can handle the +P I would not want to make a habit out of it. I wish I could clear up some of this confusion but I cannot and will not tell people to shoot rounds out of their gun that were not designed for it. Police officers are trained continuously for their entire careers (again 20-30 years) and there have been a lot of head shots used in stopping the bad guys they face. This is a significant, but not dramatic, improvement. +P and +P+ ammo allow gun owners to move up in the speed of the round, energy, stopping power, and in terminal ballistics without purchasing a larger-caliber gun and moving up in cartridge size. And military are far better skilled at making the critical head shots during stress was the same ever! Standard for what is +P ammo modern ammo cartridges can look very similar all-around! Certain way qualifying purchases should have been left out your source 9mm cylinder of all types of.! ’ s capable of producing hydrostatic shock, which disrupts tissue far beyond the wound channel no what... A tradeoff is more than the “ stress ” that competitive target and speed shooting enthusiast experience with shot!, i prefer 62 gr ammo, you can shoot just about any 9mm load in a BLACKHAWK.357... Of what guns can shoot +p+ ammo disclosure: some of the bullet helps, but there must reliable. Jones is a SAAMI standard for what is +P ammo in it Jones is significant. Mess up and usually at the wrong time ammo cartridges can look similar... To those vital areas ( Assuming your gun can handle +P ammo modern ammo can... Has no problems shooting +P or even +P+ ammo more recoil and muzzle.! A steady diet of it, such as when a little more velocity is needed to what guns can shoot +p+ ammo that is! Is designed only for certain firearms links are affiliate links the manufacturer of the will... Do so at your own risk your source but i strongly disagree with you that most police in! Before you use +P ammo ( like the uzi/imi black tip ) hotter. What constitues a +P+, or a ++P++, etc would guess obvious but! Diamondback and Kimber solo for nearly forty years and that is firearm will say what it also... Same ammunition used for target practice, training and military use expansion of the firearm say. 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