Is there any issues with shooting 9mm+p through my shield and compact? I've heard that +p ammo is not recommended.

Owner's manual says +P is OK, but with more frequent service needed.

There are no issues whatsoever. That said, the new RA9B and RA9T from Winchester (147 grain) has gotten a great street reputation and it is not +P.

I carry 147g Federal HSTs in my Shield, but have shot a lot of the same round in +P with no problems.

+p is fine in the shield.+p+ is not recommended in any S&W firearm. Speer gold dot 124g +p is what i carry and recommend. Between all my m&ps,i've ran thousands of rounds of gold dots with zero malfunctions. Always run at least a couple hundred rds of whatever you decide on for your defense rounds to make sure your firearm agrees with you,+p or not.

I am required to use +P+ in my 9c and have fired several magazines full of them and they function flawlessly. With the +P+ I would not recommend shooting matches with them, but I think that in the limited use they will see in a self-defense situation, they should be fine. I would not worry too much about your +Ps.

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Don

+P+ is over powered and does not meet SAAMI specs. If it is from a commercial ammunition manufacturer, it should at least be consistent, but +P+ will subdue the gun to much more chance to premature wear and possible failure. Even +P will cause more wear and earlier fatigue than standard pressure ammunition. I have seen some departments that require the +P+ ammo, which is hanging on to old school thinking. It was much more effective many years ago. But the new modern ammunition is much more improved, and more capable of inflicting one shot stopping power.

I carry with CorBon, which is the most powerful of any commercial manufactured ammunition. I always shoot a few rounds at the range, to keep me aware of the difference in recoil and flip, as compared to target ammunition.


As you can see, as the bullet weight goes up, the energy goes up, as long as the speed stays similar. Lose the speed and the energy drops off fast. CorBon specs as follows, at the muzzle:


9mm+P . 115gr JHP 1350 fps 466 foot pounds energy

40 S&W . 135gr JHP 1325 fps 526 foot pounds energy

45ACP+P 165gr JHP 1250 fps 573 foot pounds energy


Bob

What exactly does "More frequent service" actually mean? More cleaning? Parts wearing out or gun breaking down? Little help here please.

+P ammo is a higher powered ammunition, and subjects the gun to faster wear. However unless you plan on shooting a lot of +P, the extra wear is minimal, and not an issue to worry about. The cost of +P is prohibitive for range/practice use. I use +P for carry, and when I go to the range, I always shoot a few rounds of this ammunition, to train my brain to expect the extra recoil and muzzle jump. It is easily controllable, but is much more than standard pressure range ammo. +P does not require any extra cleaning or maintenance to the gun. +P causes higher slide recoil speed, and this along with the stopping of the slide recoil, causes minimal extra stress to the gun.

Bob

You should be fine with +p ammunition per the manual.



You will know right away if you have a problem...

I use standard pressure ammo in my Shield. These gun rag morons and internet commandos that tell you that you need an overpressure load in 9mm are delusional at best and immersed in their own ideology at worst. There's nothing wrong with a standard pressure 9mm round - the two best are the 124gr Gold Dot (good luck finding it) and the Federal 9BP (easier to find). The latter is what I carry. Give up on the overpressure stuff and focus on bullet placement...

This thread reminded me that I owe someone an answer on the +p issue. In one of these previous threads, I mentioned that my RO had over 7,000 rds of +p thru his Shield (9mm). The question was asked about the recoil springs and if they had been replaced. I promised to check and report back. The answer is yes, he has recently changed out the recoil spring assembly. I asked if this had anything to do with his Shield having a steady diet of +P and he said No. Just like changing the oil in your car at regular intervals, he changes recoil springs.

I have run 100 rds of Buffalo Bore +P+ thru mine with no discernible negative effects (except to the detriment of my flinch reflex ) . However, I subscribe to the heavier slug/better penetration and shot placement theories. Got a smoking deal on 1000 rds of RA9T a few weeks ago and have been loving life ever since.

Thanks for getting back on that. 7,000 rounds of +P is pretty good for a recoil spring. I guess since the Shield was designed as a .40 the 9mm+P isn't a problem. I'll keep using the 124 grain +P Gold Dots but I think I'll pass on the +P+.

FL J, thanks for the reply. I couldn't remember who asked the question and my search skillz are weak at best. I'm glad you let me know it was you that asked.

Exactly! Have you EVER turned on the news & heard a reporter interviewing a cop & the cop said, "Well, I pumped 4 rd.s into the bg's chest & he just got up & ran away. I guess I should have used my +p+ rd.s on him instead"

No, what I usually hear on the news is that police shot 45 or 50 rounds or more of their 9mm ammo at a suspect and didn't hit the suspect at all. Or, if anyone was hit, it was a bystander.

Well said. I load for my 45 ACP, 40 S&W, and 9MM. All of my rounds are loaded on the low end of power and all functions without issue. The 40 S&W is my carry gun and when not practicing on the range, I use plain Hornady 165g HP Critical Defense. I fail to see the reasoning behind using +p or +p+ other than ego or make a lot of noise.

Loading for the big bores, that is another story.

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State of Jefferson
Jim

Thanks for the explanation. I figured that's what it meant. I don't really plan on shooting much +P ammo. What peaked my interest was the new Nosler Defense ammo that only comes in +P for the 9MM. And was just wondering about using it in the shield. I bought some Hornady critical defense for around the house if God forbid I ever needed to use it. Anybody have any experience with the Hornady or the Nosler defense ammo. The reviews on the Hornady seemed positive but I'm a Nosler fan as well especially their bonded rifle hunting bullets. Those pack a punch and stay together!

Never had to use the Critical Defense in a self defense situatio (Praise God). I have put about 50 rounds of this ammo through my 9MM Shield and it functioned perfectly.

Jeff