Looking for more education. All this can be confusing to a rookie like me.
115
124
147
standard
+P
+P+
So many choices, are the +P and +P+ cartridges carrying more powder in order to achieve the higher pressure?
@@@ +P ammo does have a heavier charge of powder. +P+ ammo is heavier still but +P+ is not a standard designation and you don't know what you are getting and my be harmful to your pistol.
Do the +P loads have a higher FPS rating?
@@@ Yes, but in shorter barrels there is not as much gain in velocity as with longer barrels.
Does S&W recommend the +P versions?
@@@ If it has +P stamped on the barrel it is rated for +P. Older guns may or may not be specified. For example, my early 1980s model 10 wasn't marked +P but was rated for +P ammo. It is usually the Airweight type guns that aren't rated for +P. Most S&W guns are made well enough and heavy enough to take +P. I THINK (I'm open to correction) that in the mid 1990s it was required for manufacturers to stamp +P on their barrels if they were so rated.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. I am looking at Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 9mm 124 +P.
@@@ That would be a good SD load, but for me it would be too costly to shoot very many of them at the range, only enough to keep me familiar. Even reloading my own cartridges, the bullets themselves are pretty expensive to shoot for fun.
