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Does S&W advise against Critical Duty ammo?

T

Trooper Joe

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Hello gang,

Been a while since I posted, but I just heard that S&W advises against using Hornady Critical Duty ammo, specifically in the 9mm Shield.

My 9mm Shield is one of the first ones available, purchased about May of 2012. I did send it back to S&W early on to correct a feeding problem with Critical Duty +P ammo. It came back in a few days and fed Critical Duty as well as any other type of ammo I fed it, reliably.

Critical Duty (I just discovered it is available in both +P and Standard Pressure loadings) is somewhat longer than conventional rounds. I thought that that was the issue with the feeding problems in my Shield.

Recently, I found out that Critical Duty, 9mm, was available in Standard Pressure loadings. It really works well in my Shield and is very accurate. I sort of thought that maybe it was the cost of correcting the feeding system in all the Shields that prompted the alleged warning from S&W. This caution/warning does not seem to appear on their web site however.

Oh, by the way, my Shield passes the owner administered safety test/inspection regarding the trigger.

My Shield was sort of semi-retired since I was trying out some other carry guns. Got it back out the other day after receiving the Critical Duty Standard Loading and am now putting it back in service as my EDC with that loading.

Great forum as always,

Trooper Joe
 
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I have not seen any warning specifically about Critical Duty, only against using +P ammo in general. Mine is also one of the early ones. I have not used Critical Duty.
 
I EDC and train with Critical Duty standard pressure in my shield and it fires it just fine. Feeds well with no problems

Michael
 
Several things here.

1. There is no S&W warning.

2. It's another of the internet forum "issues." In other words, hype.

3. The complaints are on .40 S&W, not 9mm.
 
I have not come across any info regarding ammo related warnings.
 
I wouldn't use the ammo, mostly because it costs a lot and won't realistically improve your ability to hit what you're shooting at:

Use cheap ammo

Practice with lots of it

Forget the balistic table numbers ( great for 'throne' reading but immaterial for the real world)

Use the cheapest ammo that works in your pistol every time!
 
I think that if I knew...

If I knew that my gun would reliably handle whatever defensive ammo I chose I would save that ammo for actual carry if it was not recommended for my pistol. If Smith and Wesson doesn't recommend ammunition for a particular gun, it usually doesn't mean that the gun will 'blow up', but will wear faster and reduce its life span.
 
Rpg said:
I wouldn't use the ammo, mostly because it costs a lot and won't realistically improve your ability to hit what you're shooting at:

Use cheap ammo

Practice with lots of it

Forget the balistic table numbers ( great for 'throne' reading but immaterial for the real world)

Use the cheapest ammo that works in your pistol every time!
Click to expand...

Totally agree. Prior to the current shortages, I stocked up with last generation ammo, like the WW Ranger and Federal 9bp, for around $15/50 vs. the $25/25 for current generation self defense ammo. This is what I carry because tens of thousands LEO's relied on it and it was cheap enough that I could fire 200+ round in each pistol to be certain the gun worked 100% of the time.

I practice with handloads and WW white box.
 
I have shot 2-3 mags of the Critical Duty +P though mine for testing. Shoots good and feeds without any issues. Hopefully I never have to shot any more of it.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bp231986
nothing wrong with asking, maybe he dint have the time and was looking for a sure but quick answer.

Then again, maybe he did look just couldn't find anything which would prompt asking. I guess some of us may not come up to others standard as internet gurus...
__________________
Then again again, there's nothing wrong with at least saying where you heard it, either.
 
Gyrene6891 said:
Then again, maybe he did look just couldn't find anything which would prompt asking. I guess some of us may not come up to others standard as internet gurus...
Click to expand...

I agree Gunny.

My original post indicated that I just heard about this (actually it was from two local LEO trainers who admitted they were not sure). I then took the time to check the S&W web site in addition to calling S&W leaving a message which was not returned.

Sort of funny that some self appointed forum experts need to exert their feelings in this manner. Oh well, there were many experts on my old LE agency who really needed to get a life also.

This is still a great forum and I have learned a lot from it. By the way, I was able to pick up some 50 round boxes of both +P and standard pressure, 9mm Critical Duty for about $26 a box. This is a pretty good price for defense ammo and both are very accurate in several of my 9mm guns.

Thanks again for the comments,

Trooper Joe
 
Never heard of such a warning, but IMO it's not one of the top rounds available. Adequate? Perhaps, but not ideal. I'm bias as I only run Federal HST's in heavy grain (147, 180 & 230), but Gold Dot's & Ranger T's are excellent as well. I don't see anything the Critical Duty does that the bonded Golden Sabers don't do.
 
OP, given the Shield's short 3.1" barrel, you might want to consider Speer's specific ammo for short barrel guns. In 9MM it is product number 23611. It has been rather hard to find during the past 9 months. I recently purchased it from Gander Mountain's website ($$ expensive) since it was unavailable everywhere else.

The design of the Hornady Critical Duty excels at minimizing bullet setback during the feeding process, which can become a problem when loading and unloading the same bullet(s) repeatedly (e.g. loading the chamber at the beginning of each shift). So stick with that round if that is your routine.
 
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From S&W Manual:

“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of the
pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures
may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the margin of safety.
Use of “Plus-P” ammunition may result in the need for more
frequent service.

“Plus-P-Plus” (+P+) ammunition must not be used in Smith &
Wesson firearms. This marking on the ammunition designates that
it exceeds established industry standards, but the designation
does not represent defined pressure limits and therefore such
ammunition may vary significantly as to the pressures generated
and could be DANGEROUS.

I use +P in my CC and HD, there is a reason. Do your research for what works for you.
 
Last edited:
For carry/SD ammo I look at 2 things

1) Does it meet FBI minimum criteria and is a proven load (Federal HST, Winchester Ranger T, and Speer Gold Dots to name a few that seem to perform across multiple calibers)

2) This is the big one, does it function reliably in my firearm? Every gun is fitted a little different so it's important to test it and if my ammo doesn't work, I might as well be armed with a rock.
 
Rpg said:
I wouldn't use the ammo, mostly because it costs a lot and won't realistically improve your ability to hit what you're shooting at:

Use cheap ammo

Practice with lots of it

Forget the balistic table numbers ( great for 'throne' reading but immaterial for the real world)

Use the cheapest ammo that works in your pistol every time!
Click to expand...

I have to disagree, from a self defense position. As this post is worded, it's wrong. This is good advice for plinking, but not self defense.

In the BARE MINIMUM, you NEED to be using hollow points for self defense use. As for +p vs not +p, light vs heavy bullets, etc there are only opinions on what's best.

There is certain wisdom in trying several different HP self defense rounds to find what gives you the most consistency, tightest groups, best reliability, etc. Settle on the round that does the best in those test (giving the most attention to reliability), not the cheapest one. Once you've settled on a round, shoot at least a mag or two of it each time at the range - as much as budget and availability allow.

Tulammo and wolf have never failed in my M&P9c, but that sure as hell isn't what I load the mags with for self defense. When it's your life and the likely the life of your target in question, there is something to be said for quality over quantity.
 
If I have to spend a buck a round to defend myself, I'm going to just carry a sword.

Swings are free. ;)

.
 
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