Hornady Critical Duty

[SavageSmoker]

Hi All,

I accidentally grabbed a box of Hornady Critcal Duty instead of Critcal defense last week. I was hoping to use in both my .40 Shield and .40 FS M&P. Since I can't return it I did a bit of research. The duty ammo is designed for FS firearms and does not feed well in my Shield, feeds fine in me FS .40. It is 175 grain grain vs. the 165 I am used to shooting. I'm trying to wrap my head around the whole +P vs. +P+ thing, and from what I can understand is that +P tends to be loaded at 10% higher grain weight then regular load? +P+ exceeds this 10%. Am I getting this right?

Onto the question...I generally like to shoot the HD rounds I use a few times a year just to keep myself familiar with how it shoots. My FS M&P .40 mannual says to use +P with caution and to not use the +P+ at all. Is the Hornady Critcal Duty good to go in my FS .40? Please help me demystify this whole issue.

I think it's Federal Premium Personal Defense from now on...tried and true. I'm done trying new stuff for a while.

Thx...Brian

 

[APS]

+P means loaded to higher "P"ressure and there is no set percentage. They can increase the pressure by using more/different powder or a heavier bullet. Usually it's the powder that is changed or increased.

There is no +P standard in the .40 S&W.

 

[nn]

.40 S&W is .40 S&W; there is no +P

 

[WR Moore]

I got the Hornaday brochure when they introduced Critical Duty. I don't recall, nor does the website currently list, a +P or +P+ version of Critical Duty ammunition in .40 S&W. Nor, is there any SAAMI specification for any such ammunition.

Don't assume that anything related to duty ammunition is automatically +P or +P+. BTW, SAAMI does have approved pressure limitations for +P ammunition in certain calibers (.38 Special and 9mm), but the amount of overpressure from standard versions varies by caliber. It isn't a straight percentage. It's also a mistake to assume that manufacturers load to the maximum pressure. They typically load to a specific velocity, the pressures will vary by powder lot, but be below max.

And yes, +P+ is about +P and there is no standard for maximum pressure, which is why most weapons manufacturers won't warrant their products for use of such ammo.

 

[SWAT Lt.]

Between the two, I would rather have the Critical Duty over the Critical Defense. Neither of them in .40 S&W is +P, as there is no SAAMI spec for a +P round in .40 and Hornady loads to SAAMI specifications.