johnt671
US Veteran
I have an SD40 and at least at this point I don't want to fire + ammo. I'm new to this term and always shot what the military gave me. I guess it must be marked on the box if it's +P but I want to be sure. Thanks
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How can I tell if ammo is +P ?
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Usually, but not always, marked on both the box.....and the headstamp on the cartridge case.
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There is no SAAMI +P spec for .40 S&W ammunition. Your SD40VE fires .40 S&W ammunition, and I recommend using only SAAMI spec ammunition in it. There some loaders using a bogus (+P) designation and all that tells me is that it exceeds SAAMI limits.
SAAMI only lists 4 cartridges for the +P designation.
9mm Luger,38 Special,38 Super Automatic,& 45 Automatic.
9mm Luger,38 Special,38 Super Automatic,& 45 Automatic.
DWalt
Member
And in the case of .38 Super, I think all of it is considered +P, mainly just to distinguish it from the older .38 Automatic cartridge which is dimensionally identical, but loaded to a somewhat lower power level for use in older pistols.
Unless you need +P for serious self-defense purposes, it is a waste of money to use anything other than standard non-+P loads for routine recreational shooting or practice. There are also some +P+ loads, best avoided by most. +P+ loads are loaded beyond any SAAMI pressure limits.
Unless you need +P for serious self-defense purposes, it is a waste of money to use anything other than standard non-+P loads for routine recreational shooting or practice. There are also some +P+ loads, best avoided by most. +P+ loads are loaded beyond any SAAMI pressure limits.
If it is factory ammo marked, and marked +p on box, I would not use it. There is no SAAMI spec for 40 SW +p. If it is marked +P it is either over pressure, or a scam and I would not use it. There is no way to determine if a cartridge is +p by looking at it, you would need to do pressure testing and that would only tell you about that one cartridge. Avoid it. Be Safe,
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The only caveat to identifying + P rounds would be for reloaded ammo; it may be reloaded into standard stamped cases. Standard pressure .40 S & W already operates at 35K psi and has been shown to be plenty effective for social situations (not to mention punching holes in paper) so avoiding + P is a good idea, as noted above.
On one ammo site I read where Buffalo Bore was short on cases and was using mixed +P and +P+ cases for their hot loads.
Just a heads up.
Just a heads up.
