Ok...I'm pretty much a novice, but I currently have a full size M&P 9mm and I LOVE IT!

I'd like some clarification on the type of 9mm rounds I can use in it.

I've basically been stocking up on the 9mm Luger rounds, but could I also use 9mm Makarov or 9mm Browning rounds?

What's the difference or benefits of each type?

Any help would be appreciated!

Just the 9mm Luger, 115g, 124g, 147g, +P is ok too. I'm fairly new to S&W's myself so I'm not sure if the +P+ ammo is ok in the M&P's.

Definitely NOT. 9mm Luger needs 9mm Luger (also known as 9mm Parabellum). 9mm Luger is 9x19 whereas the Makarov is 9x18 and the Makarov is slightly bigger in width than the 9mm Luger. And just to note that you may also see 9x17 (known in Europe as 9mm Kurtz but in the U.S. as .380).

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G21C,Shield.40,LCP

Your M&P is chambered for 9mm Parabellum, sometimes called 9mm Luger.
DO NOT shoot 9mm Makarov and 9mm Browning in your M&P.
They are completely different calibers.

The 9mm Browning (Kurtz) is also known as the .380 acp. A less powerful round then 9mm Luger.
9mm Makarov is a similar round to the .380 acp and chambered in European weapons.

Others will chime in with more information.

wyo-man

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Live free or die

9mm parabellum or luger only! okay well you could try the 9mm euro aka 9x17 but when you chamber it it will only fly out of the barrel and clink off the floor :-p

The S&W manual recommends to not shoot +p+ ammo and I don't, in my M&P. I've shot limited amounts of P+ without a hitch and that what it's loaded with for business, but for target you'll want to save the money and wear and just go with the cheap non p+ stuff.

walmart has Winchester white box 115g 9mm parabellum for like $23 per 100 or $12 per 50 for quality ammo. if you want junk, Tull-ammo at walmart is $9.54 for 50 haha

Had a 9mm Mak get mixed in one time it chambered fine but the firing pin only dented the primer and it didnt go off, hard to tell the Mak brass apart.

I believe S&W says you can fire any SAAMI spec ammo in the M&P9. There are SAAMI specs for +P but not for +P+.

Quoted directly from the M&P manual (highlighted a specific line):

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G21C,Shield.40,LCP

Welcome aboard! As others have said, your pistol is chambered for 9mm (9x19) also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum, 9mm NATO.

9mm Makarov is 9x18, typically used in Russian firearms.
9mm Browning is .380 ACP or 9mm Short, etc...

The different rounds available in 9mm Luger (9X19) can be overwhelming at first. I remember trying to sort it all out as a new shooter.

The general basics of 9mm (9x19)...(and if I'm wrong my fellow forum members will correct me).

The common projectile weights are:

• 115gr
• 124gr
• 147gr

The lighter the projectile weight, the faster it will travel given a standard charge. The lower the projectile weight, the slower it will travel given a standard charge.

Kinetic energy is dependent on speed and mass, so you're going to have to determine for yourself which projectile weight is compatible with your shooting preferences and intended use.

The projectile types I commonly encounter are:

• FMJ - Full Metal Jacket: round nose, flat nose.
• JHP - Jacketed Hollow Point
• LRN - Lead Round Nose
• HP - Hollow Point (may or may not be jacketed)
• TNJ - Total Nylon Jacket a.k.a. Nylock

LRN/FMJ are the least expensive. JHP's are more expensive.

The commonly found case types I encounter are:

• Brass
• Aluminum
• Steel Case (usually polymer coated)

Brass is reloadable. The other two are not.

Powder charges:

• Standard SAAMI range
• +P = ~10% increase over the top end SAAMI range
• +P+ = No set SAAMI standard

SAAMI | Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute

As power level increases, ammo cost increases.

Intellectually, I understand how the different combinations of projectile weight & charge affect felt recoil and affect handling of the firearm. I really didn't know until I fired the different bullet weights and charge levels out of the same gun. I suggest sampling a few different 9mm (9x19) types to find out which one works best for you.

For example, I use 115gr, steel case, FMJ's for range practice because it is the least expensive ammo for punching holes in paper.

From experimenting with different bullet weights & charges, I've settled on 147 GR JHP for defensive rounds. It works for me.
It's more expensive. I fire a few rounds of this ammo every 3 months just to make sure the POA/POI settings in my head are right.

If I can't get a hold of 147gr JHP defensive ammo, my secondary choice is 124gr JHP +P ammo.

Now you would think that a 124gr +P rounds will perform the same across manufacturers, and brands within manufacturers, but they don't. There is a nice chart at the end of the 9x19 Wikipedia entry that illustrates this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9%C3%9719mm_Parabellum

Tnoutdoors 9's Youtube Channel provides good visuals of the different 9mm rounds. I enjoy the newer series of tests where he uses Sim-Test media as opposed to gallon wet-pack jugs.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...F&feature=plcp

Again, welcome to the addiction.

Just to confuse matters, this comes from the S&W FAQ's on their web site

"What kind of ammunition should I use in my S&W handgun?

Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with internal ballistic pressures which are in strict accordance with the specifications of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI).

Be certain all ammunition you use complies with the SAAMI specifications. If you are uncertain, contact your ammunition supplier for verification.

If you would like any further information on specific ammunition, you may contact one of the major ammunition manufacturers from the link listed below: "

I carry +P but see no need to abuse a handgun with jigh pressure ammunition for practice, a practice I've use ever since I bought my first pistol.

What I posted also came from the S&W website, but it was from the actual model-specific manual.

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G21C,Shield.40,LCP

i dont use any +p at all. i love my guns , dont wanna have any chance of making them "splode" haha

I had some of the same doubts on ammo so I e-mailed S&W tech support and asked if I could safely shoot the Speer lawman 124 as range ammo and either the Speer Gold Dot 124 +P or the Hornady Critical Duty 135 +P as carry ammo and he answered back that all of those were fine. No problems shooting +P.

This is with an M&P9c.

nice i use speer 165 gold dots in my 40c . eats em up like cake :-)

I am a new user of this forum and I need help to identify right ammo for my Smith and Wesson M&P full size threaded gun. Any recommendations, what bullets I need to use for practice and for the house defence?

If a 9mmx19/Luger/Parabellum then see above. If 40 S&W, then you need 40 S&W, if 45 ACP then you need 45 ACP.

mckenny99 has covered the basics. For practice, the least expensive ammunition will suffice, although I recommend you avoid steel cases such as the Tula brand. Practice ammo normally comes in a box of 50 rounds and maybe labeled FMJ (Full Metal Jacket). You can often get a box of 50 9mm FMJ for under $15.00. Defensive ammunition is often available in boxes of 20 or 25 and probably costs close to $1 per round.

Be sure that you get the correct ammunition for your handgun. If it is a 9mm, there are several different 9mm cartridges. What you want may be called 9mm Nato, 9mm Parabellum, or 9x19. All the same.

.45 caliber is easier because there are two common types of .45 ammunition. 45 ACP is usually for semi automatic handguns. .45 Colt is for revolvers.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask a lot of questions here. Lots of experienced shooting and instructors will be more than happy to assist you in any way we can.

And welcome to the Forum.

Something else to consider. Slight windage corrections can be made by drifting the rear sight left or right as needed.
Your sight is fixed as far as elevation, but you can try different bullet weights to remedy that.

Lighter weight, faster ammo will impact lower on the target, heavier and slower rounds will hit higher.
If 115 grain are grouping low, try some 124 grain or 147 grain.
If you are grouping high with a heavier bullet, try some 115 grain.

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U. S. Army Veteran

They say a picture is worth a thousands words so here you can see the difference in the rounds.

Attached Images

images.jpg (8.6 KB, 197 views)

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SWHF #595

The OP in this thread seems to have gone from a novice by his own admission (8 years ago) to helping a vendor test ammo in ballistic gel (as of his last post 5 years ago). Hope he is bearing up under the current ammo shortage...

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

If Protestant was on LuckyGunners ammo testing Team 4.5 years ago how could he not know the difference between 9mm ammo OR have the common sense needed to look each one up for him self OR ask LuckyGunner to explain it to him ?

This post was in 2012

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

I’m another new M&P owner and just wanted to say thanks, I found this post very helpful.