New to shooting and new to M&P

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KateB76

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I came across this site a while back and decided to join in the fun. It is nice to have this place to come for information and moral support.

My husband and I have been wanting to learn to shoot for years, but never seemed to have the time. Early this year we finally took a class, and after much research I bought an M&P 22 compact. It was easy for me to control so I could shoot accurately, but it is also a lot of fun! Now we also have 2 9mms: a full size and a Shield. I can't decide which I like more, but they both serve their purposes. I am surprised at how accurate I can be with the Shield since I am such a rookie. I am just sorry I waited so long to learn to shoot!

Any recommendations on 9mm defensive ammunition? Our gun dealer sold me some Hornady Critical Defense, but there are so many out there I wondered what else is good.
 
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KateB76 said:
I came across this site a while back and decided to join in the fun. It is nice to have this place to come for information and moral support.

My husband and I have been wanting to learn to shoot for years, but never seemed to have the time. Early this year we finally took a class, and after much research I bought an M&P 22 compact. It was easy for me to control so I could shoot accurately, but it is also a lot of fun! Now we also have 2 9mms: a full size and a Shield. I can't decide which I like more, but they both serve their purposes. I am surprised at how accurate I can be with the Shield since I am such a rookie. I am just sorry I waited so long to learn to shoot!

Any recommendations on 9mm defensive ammunition? Our gun dealer sold me some Hornady Critical Defense, but there are so many out there I wondered what else is good.
Click to expand...

You will get a lot of answers regarding self defense ammo.

If Critical Defense is working for you then stick with it. Other proven loads include Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Corbon DPX, and a few others.

Pick one. Make sure it is reliable and accurate. Once you've done that, don't worry about it again. Move on with more training and practice. ;)
 
Welcome! Same here for me and my hubby!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Welcome from SW Ohio. I also use the Critical Defense ammo and like it.
 
Welcome to the world of shooting you keep shooting and enjoy that and this forum. I carry speer gold dots. Glad you chose the m&p and found us.
 
KateB76,

Don't worry about waiting so long to learn to shot. I didn't even pick up a handgun until shortly before I retired. I carry Federal 9mm 147g Jacketed Hollow Point in my Shield and have Hornady Critical Defense 110g for my 38 snub nose.
Why don't you find out what ammunition your local law enforcement agency is using and then verify whether their ammunition is legal for civilians to use?
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome! I visited several forums over the past months and the people here seemed to be the most well informed and pleasant.

Thanks also for the tips on ammo. The Critical Defense is accurate for me, but since it is made for shorter barrels should I use something else for my full size gun? One of us occasionally carries it, but the full size M&P will primarily be kept for home defense and range use.

Saudade, thanks for the helpful link; I previously did internet searches but somehow missed that article.

I look forward to interacting more with all of you going forward. Now, I am off to the range!
 
Over the past 3 years I have shot several thousand rounds thru my 3 MP's (compact, full size, and now including a Shield PC model; all 9's). Up to recently though all has been 115fmj ammo for range time.
Started mixing in some Critical Defense in the Shield, using that as it carried the same 115 grain as my range ammo (thought that's a good place to start for consistency). And so far both ammo types have held similar groups and locations for me in the Shield so at this stage if it works i'll stick with it.
Still have to try it in the full size some time, though again at range distances (less than 10 yards) i don't except much difference for what I do and how I shoot.
 
KateB76 said:
My husband and I have been wanting to learn to shoot for years, but never seemed to have the time. Early this year we finally took a class, and after much research I bought an M&P 22 compact. It was easy for me to control so I could shoot accurately
Click to expand...

Hello Ms. Kate,

Shooting is a lot a fun ain't it. It's not all about CCW and all that, it's a sport, a hobby and just plain relaxing sometimes ya know.
If I could afford it I'd shoot at least once a week.

I try to go every month and blow off a few hundred rounds (before the blisters start :) if I can make it that long but I always feel good afterwards as I'm sitting there cleaning the gun up, a smile inside.

Just relax enjoy yourself and be safe about it. Sounds to me like your husband is a lucky guy.
 
Welcome to the world of firearms.

Defensive ammo wise there are 3 I can recommend

If you like the Critical defense, the 135 grain is rated best.

I use Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P in my Full Size M&P9

Also Federal HST 147 grain standard pressure is good.
 
I run Federal 147gr HST (P9HST2) in all my 9mm's. It flawlessly feeds through all of them, and point-of-aim is point-of-impact at the 7 yard distance I practice for self-defense.

It's reputation is excellent.

Something you've probably noticed is that self-defense ammo is often packaged in small boxes. If you mail-order, you can acquire 50 round boxes for the cost of the small boxes available at retail.

50 Round Box - 9mm Luger Federal HST 147 Grain Hollow Point LE Ammo P9HST2 | SGAmmo.com

Similar savings can be realized buying 1000 round case lots of plinking ammo through mail order.

If you want to see some testing video of SD rounds in ballistic gel, there is an extensive group of tests at ShootingTheBull410.

9mm Ammo Quest
- YouTube
 
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Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Anything recommended by DocGKR would be great in your self defense guns!


When comparing well designed duty handgun ammunition, there are minimal differences in penetration depths and temporary cavity effects, as noted below in the gel shots by Doug Carr:







As you increase bullet size and mass from 9 mm/357 Sig, to .40 S&W, to .45 ACP, more tissue is crushed, resulting in a larger permanent cavity. In addition, the larger bullets often offer better performance through intermediate barriers. For some, the incremental advantages of the larger calibers are offset by weapon platform characteristics. As is quite obvious from the photo above, NONE of the common service pistol calibers generate temporary cavities of sufficient magnitude to cause significant tissue damage. Anyone interested in this topic should read and periodically re-read, "Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness" by Urey Patrick of the FBI FTU, as this remains the single best discussion of the wound ballistic requirements of handguns used for self-defense -- it is available at: http://www.firearmstactical.com/hwfe.htm .







Keeping in mind that handguns generally offer poor incapacitation potential, bullets with effective terminal performance are available in all of the most commonly used duty pistol calibers—pick the one that you shoot most accurately, that is most reliable in the type of pistol you choose, and best suits you likely engagement scenarios.



The following loads all demonstrate outstanding terminal performance and can be considered acceptable for duty/self-defense use:



9 mm:

Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)

Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)

Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP

Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)

Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)

Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)

Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)

Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)

Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)

Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP

Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)

Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (Q4364)
 
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