larryofcc
Absent Comrade
Will a M39-2 take +P or P+P ammo safely? Not a steady diet, just for concealed carry. Big Larry
M39-2
- Thread starter larryofcc
- Start date
Certainly will, but it's a poor idea. Consider that ANY ammo you would employ for personal defense or carry should be heavily vetted for function. Furthermore, you just aren't gaining much by going to a +P round over a standard 9mm defense round.
The 39-2 is a great pistol but you're also talking about a gun out of production since 1982 or 1983. This gun was built long before modern ammo. I would really, really want to hard test such a pistol with modern JHP ammo.
On top of that, as much as I love the 39-2, this is not a drop-safe pistol and though it is historic and loved (I own three myself), there's a gujillion better models suited to this role these days.
The 39-2 is a great pistol but you're also talking about a gun out of production since 1982 or 1983. This gun was built long before modern ammo. I would really, really want to hard test such a pistol with modern JHP ammo.
On top of that, as much as I love the 39-2, this is not a drop-safe pistol and though it is historic and loved (I own three myself), there's a gujillion better models suited to this role these days.
Totally agree with Sevens. No sense rattling that alloy frame silly. and yes, they do crack.
stansdds
Member
You can fire +P and +P+ ammo through a 39-2. Given that it has a 4 inch barrel and modern 9mm JHP ammo like Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golden Saber, and Winchester Ranger T jacketed hollow point, standard pressure loads will expand reliably, why beat a classic pistol with hot ammo? +P and +P+ were needed back in the last bit of the 20th century, but not today.
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Yea, what the guys above said!
Green Frog
Member
IMHO, the Model 39-2 had reached the height of development and improvement for its basic design.. OTOH, it was intended as a service weapon, likely to be carried much and fired little. Would I feel safe firing a round or two of +P ammo in it for SD purposes? Yes, but not as a steady diet. I went ahead and added a second generation 39 series gun with stainless frame for routine use and have given my 39-2 the place of honor it deserves. Even my 639 gets mostly target level ammo for routine use.
Froggie.
Froggie.
ispcapt
US Veteran
When my dept issued the 39 I don't recall if we were carrying any +P ammo at that time. We were issued the 115 Fed BPLE about the time we went to the 439. Could have been carrying the BPLE in the 39 as it was in that time frame.
I know when we issued the 439 we issued the BPLE and ran a lot of that thru those guns. I know I ran several thousand rds of BPLE a year thru the 439 and the 459 and then we went to the W-W 115 JHP+P+.
+P or +P+ are not going to blow up your 39. We had a couple of thousands of the 39 and 439 in service and don't recall any of them coming apart in all the years they were issued.
What I would do, as I do with almost every used gun I guy, is swap out the springs for new. A 39-2 is going to be 40+ years old. No way to know how many rounds have been run thru it particularly if it was a dept issued gun. People say LE trade ins are "carried a lot, shot little". Actually compared to non-LE guns that is not at all true. VMost non-LE guns are shot very little. People buy them, maybe run a box or 2 thru them and that's all they're ever fired. That is the norm for non-LE guns. I have lost count of the number of guns I've bought or took in on trade where the owner comes in with the gun and a partial box of ammo claiming they only ran a mag or 2 thru it. That's is the norm.
I know when we issued the 439 we issued the BPLE and ran a lot of that thru those guns. I know I ran several thousand rds of BPLE a year thru the 439 and the 459 and then we went to the W-W 115 JHP+P+.
+P or +P+ are not going to blow up your 39. We had a couple of thousands of the 39 and 439 in service and don't recall any of them coming apart in all the years they were issued.
What I would do, as I do with almost every used gun I guy, is swap out the springs for new. A 39-2 is going to be 40+ years old. No way to know how many rounds have been run thru it particularly if it was a dept issued gun. People say LE trade ins are "carried a lot, shot little". Actually compared to non-LE guns that is not at all true. VMost non-LE guns are shot very little. People buy them, maybe run a box or 2 thru them and that's all they're ever fired. That is the norm for non-LE guns. I have lost count of the number of guns I've bought or took in on trade where the owner comes in with the gun and a partial box of ammo claiming they only ran a mag or 2 thru it. That's is the norm.
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