+P vs Hollow Point

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Teamless
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+P vs Hollow Point

#1

Post by Teamless »

I did not see a different thread on this, so I hope I am not asking again what has been asked before:
What is your preference, +p or hollow point, and why?
in my case, I am talking specifically about 9mm.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by The Annoyed Man »

As far as I know, most +P ammo is hollowpoint.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

#3

Post by shortysboy09 »

Here's the definition of what +P ammunition is. In this case you're asking about things that aren't related. +P has to do with the pressure at which the cartridge was loaded and hollow point is a type of projectile.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpressure_ammunition
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by SQLGeek »

You're talking about two different things. Hollow points are the type of bullet in the cartridge. +P is a cartridge variant that has a higher pressure, giving the bullet a higher velocity.

Edit: The others beat me to it.
Last edited by SQLGeek on Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by shortysboy09 »

SQLGeek wrote:You're talking about two different things. Hollow points are the type of bullet in the cartridge. +P is cartridge variant that has a higher pressure, giving the bullet a high velocity.

Edit: The others beat me to it.
What he said! Haha
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by SQLGeek »

Yeah but your post had less typos (if any). :tiphat:
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

#7

Post by The Annoyed Man »

shortysboy09 wrote:Here's the definition of what +P ammunition is. In this case you're asking about things that aren't related. +P has to do with the pressure at which the cartridge was loaded and hollow point is a type of projectile.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpressure_ammunition
Understood, but I've never seen an FMJ loaded to +P pressures because +P ammo is generally used as self-defense ammo and FMJs are primarily (but not always) used for practice ammo. +P ammo tends to beat up guns, even guns that are rated for +P pressures. Over time, shooting a steady diet of +P ammo and nothing else will decrease the life of your gun. That's why most people never practice with it, except to run an occasional magazine of it through a gun to familiarize themselves with how it feels to shoot it.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by shortysboy09 »

The Annoyed Man wrote:
shortysboy09 wrote:Here's the definition of what +P ammunition is. In this case you're asking about things that aren't related. +P has to do with the pressure at which the cartridge was loaded and hollow point is a type of projectile.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpressure_ammunition
Understood, but I've never seen an FMJ loaded to +P pressures because +P ammo is generally used as self-defense ammo and FMJs are primarily (but not always) used for practice ammo. +P ammo tends to beat up guns, even guns that are rated for +P pressures. Over time, shooting a steady diet of +P ammo and nothing else will decrease the life of your gun. That's why most people never practice with it, except to run an occasional magazine of it through a gun to familiarize themselves with how it feels to shoot it.
You got that right Annoyed Man! My carry gun has only had 15 +P rounds put through it for this same reason. Loaded at higher pressure means accelerated wear and tear.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by cougartex »

The use of +P or +P+ ammunition does accelerate wear and reduces the service life on the component parts on any pistol.

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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by Teamless »

So what I am hearing so far, is that Hollow Points are the way to go.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by shortysboy09 »

Teamless wrote:So what I am hearing so far, is that Hollow Points are the way to go.
Hollow Point and +P aren't in the same category. The +P designation is how the cartridge was loaded, hollow point is what type of projectile was loaded. See what I'm saying? +P is HOW, Hollow point is WHAT two different things. For instance...

You can get just JHP which is a Jacketed Hollow Point or you can get JHP +P which is a Jacketed Hollow Point that was loaded at a higher pressure than a the regular JHP. So, If you wanted to practice with JHP I would recommend using a non +P round to do so for the benefit of your firearm. I for one use FMJ due to them being cheaper than any of the above mentioned.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by Teamless »

Shorty, thanks,
I am asking about the +P and Hollow point for defensive only, not range time.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

#13

Post by shortysboy09 »

Teamless wrote:Shorty, thanks,
I am asking about the +P and Hollow point for defensive only, not range time.
Yes, you are correct on that. Problem with FMJ rounds is they like to pass through obstacles and keep going increasing your chances of hitting an innocent bystander. As with the Hollow Point, when it hits it expands and slows down decreasing the chance of the bullet passing through your target to someone else.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by threoh8 »

Understood, but I've never seen an FMJ loaded to +P pressures because +P ammo is generally used as self-defense ammo and FMJs are primarily (but not always) used for practice ammo.
FYI - There's a lot of .38 Super +P FMJ ammunition on the market. There are much better bullets for defense, if your pistol will feed them.
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Re: +P vs Hollow Point

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Post by ELB »

As noted above, it is not "hollowpoint OR +P." That's like saying do you like blue eyes or brown hair? You can have both, like me. Well, ok, blue eyes and gray hair. :grumble

A specific example:

Speer makes two 124 grain hollowpoint cartridges in 9mm. One is is a +P loading, the other is not. I suspect the bullet in each is identical. Muzzle velocity for the +P version is 1220, for the non-+P 1150. The +P version shoots a little flatter, but not enough to make a difference at close combat distances. Both are hollowpoints. You can find them here:

http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics/ammo.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All other things being equal, I would prefer the +P version to the regular -- handgun rounds are puny enough as it is, a little more velocity can't hurt, but this is not a deal breaker. As for wearing out the gun faster? As a practical matter, this is a non-issue for a self-defense gun, i.e. something I am betting my life on. I don't intend for it to be an heirloom. Reliability, capacity, and effectiveness/stopping power far outweigh durability, and +P might give a small, perhaps tiny, advantage. Change the springs more often press on. If it wears out, buy a new pistol. Perhaps more important is to see what you can find about "street results" of various 9mm loadings, and buy one with good results. I doubt that you can go far wrong buying any of the major manufacturers' self-defense ammo. My personal top picks are Corbon DPX, Winchester Ranger, and Speer Gold Dots.

I will note that +P is not a guarantee of greater velocity. I have chronographed various rounds out of my Hi Power and found that some manfacturer's non-plus-P loadings have higher velocities than other's +P loadings.

I carry Winchester 9mm 127gr +P+ Ranger hollowpoints, not because they are +P+, but because they have a good reputation and I can afford them. I think Corbon's DPX ammo is probably superior, but it would cost me several hundred dollars to reliability test all my 9mm pistols to my satisfaction, and I just can't swing that right now. I also think the Gold Dot offerings are excellent as well, many police departments have used them with good results, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them -- but I got a good deal on several hundred rounds of the Ranger, so I went with that.
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