[tabor]

I have a little blue card that came with me that says not to fire any ammo hotter than SAAMI or CIP specifications. However, to the best of my knowledge a SAAMI 9mm +P has a slightly lower pressure than the CIP spec.

I have a couple hundred rounds of Winchester Ranger SXT RA9T witch they label as a 9mm +P+. I would like to use this ammunition when I am carrying my P99. A lot of people say that it is fine to fire +P+ ammunition in any modern firearm and that the warning is really against accelerated wear, not a kb. I also know of at least one person who has fired at least 1,250 rounds of RA9T through their P99 with no ill effects (and a couple more who carry RA9T in their P99's).

So, what do you guys think? Do any of you cary your P99 in 9mm with +P or +P+ ammunition? Do any of you regularly fire +P or +P+ ammunition through your P99?

 

[P88]

I don't regularly fire +p or +p+ ammo, but I have no reservations about using it in my 9mm P99's.

I carry my .40 P99 and use my 9mm mainly for sporting purposes, but I do have +p+ 9mm ammo in case I ever decide to carry the 9mm.

 

[sniper350]

I am from the "Old school" but I am learning new tricks.......

We always fired the weaker ( and many times the cheaper) rounds for practice. It would give the gun a "break" on stress and wear and tear.

But I since have been converted by the United States Secret Service......"to train like you fight". So NO more "weaker" practice ammo for me, I buy the same ammo for Range Practice as I carry in my Gun. It does make a difference........to start firing hotter loads and keeping them all in the kill zone.

Companies like www.ammoman.com make it possible to buy quality ammo marked as "practice" ammo for a reasonable price. As an example--- I buy .40 Cal Speer Gold Dot 180gr. JHP's for $199 a case ( 1,000 rds. ) free shipping. And the ammo arrives at my doorstep 3 days later. ( I do live only 3 states away from the company). Three cases later and I have not had one miss fire or miss crimped shell casing. Ammoman has e-mailed me that he has sold over 11 million rds of this Gold Dot without a single complaint ! I inquired why the ammo was marked for practice only ?

So if your weapon is going to be used for self-defense: practice with your carry ammo whenever possible! If this causes premature wearing--then so be it. Buy another gun if necessary. If you ever need the gun to save your life---you want its functioning to feel like second nature to you. It might seem silly, but I even "occasionally" switch to a cheaper set of hearing protectors to get a "feel" for the noise level of the weapon on the indoor range. You don't want the noise of the weapon discharging in your home ( or bedroom) to catch you by surprise and cause a startle response that prevents you from performing accurate follow-up shots. I always smile when someone points to his 44 Magnum and claims this is his home defense weapon he keeps in his bedroom. I lost 20% hearing in one ear from just such a discharge during a training exercise. The pain was very distracting....... I can't imagine having to fire 3 or 4 - 44 Magnum. rds inside a small room--Wow! The other day a guy was firing one at the indoor range and everyone stopped shooting when this canon went off. I was three stalls down from him and the muzzle flash was still very distracting to me. Imagine this taking place in a darkened bedroom at night.

Train like you fight.........and you will have a better chance of coming out the winner----in this "game" there are NO prizes for second place!

JF

 

[eeni]

Agreed and ammoman is usually good for gold dots, they had a great deal on cast offs a while back. I load 124gr+P GDHP in my P99, and trained with them in my Beretta before I switched fairly often. For years Beretta said not to use +P either but I shot Ranger +P+ and Corbon +P (really +P+), and Gold dot +P through it all the time. Never hurt it, were talking thousands of rounds. My dad says it's still running great. Point is they all say that, just have to ask yourself how much you trust the gun. I would not be carring it if I did not have alot of faith in the design.

 

[Nocturnal]

Good post Sniper. The .44 thing caused a good chuckle. I'd love to have a .44 but there's no way I'd use it in my house unless it was the last thing I had to fend of the hordes with. I've had a guy shoot a .44 at an outdoor range a few stalls away and even that was distracting.

I like your points on shooting as you plan to use the gun. I noticed a significant difference in recoil between Federal JHP Classic rounds and S&B FMJs. This was a bit of a surprise as the FMJs were a lot heavier. Far less powder I guess. I still think that firing practice ammo is good for target practice (the grip, stance, sigh allignment, trigger control part of it) and not just for economical reasons. But shooting defensive drills with 'real' ammo sounds like a good idea.

 

[P88]

While I don't shoot the rounds I carry in IDPA or some other such "competition", I do reload with rounds that are similar in bullet size/shape and load them up to the same velocities as Gold Dots or whatever the new trendy bullet is. I can reload for almost half of what you'd pay for newly manufactured, at least when dealing with the larger calibers, and that's even beating ammoman and other distributers. The 9mm is a little different story, probably because its used by the military. I can find military ball cheaper. The same is true with the .223. I buy .223 ammo because its cheap in bulk.

When I do shoot my carry ammo regularly is during night competition/training shoots. I like to know that the ammo I'm carrying isn't going to let out this big fireball and blind me.

 

[blueiron]

I use the same Winchester +P+ rounds in my P99 for carry and monthly training. The P99 is the most concealable "wondernine" I have tried and I prefer it, even more than my .45s. The P99 doesn't scream "cop gun" [may not be an issue with you, but it is to my profession] and it eats everything I feed it.

The Ranger SXT +P+ round is a darn good one and I don't feel undergunned with it. If I am going out to blast a thousand rounds on a Saturday, I use the WWB 9mm round.