Shield Ammo Restrictions?

[Jnks2010]

I went to the range this weekend and this is what I used just to get a feel for how the shield 9mm shoots

WWB 115 gr fmj. Nice and smooth.

Hornady critical duty JHP 124 gr. a little kick but not bad at all. my preference so far.

124 gr FMJ reloads. Shot good with 1 FTE out of about 100 rounds.

Remington 124 gr +P. I found it to be snappier then most with A 3.1 inch barrel. Harder to get back on target.

All in all Hornady was the best. Total rounds for the day 200 with 1 FTE


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[RockyMtnM&P]

I have a friend who's dept issues Winchester ranger 127 +p+ in their m&p 9mm's he has a Shield for backup and says it handles the +p+ fine dispute S&W saying no to +p+. NATO rounds should be fine.

 

[offensive]

I have a friend who's dept issues Winchester ranger 127 +p+ in their m&p 9mm's he has a Shield for backup and says it handles the +p+ fine dispute S&W saying no to +p+. NATO rounds should be fine.

That is my carry ammo as well, Ranger T +p+ 127gr, works just fine in my Shield

 

[Rastoff]

If you are ever forced to fire your gun in anger, which few of us outside law enforcement ever will, any sort of 9mm hollow point that will reliably function in your pistol will likely do the job. The recipient will not know what brand ammo you are using. If you can put a couple of rounds through the boiler room, he won't care. Higher velocity=greater internet bragging rights.

Hopefully, no one, including LE, ever fires their gun in anger. Necessity, yes, but anger never.

 

[Ed911]

I have a friend who's dept issues Winchester ranger 127 +p+ in their m&p 9mm's he has a Shield for backup and says it handles the +p+ fine dispute S&W saying no to +p+. NATO rounds should be fine.

When your friend says no problem with +P+ loads, it's anecdotal. Without scientific evidence to support his findings, he has no way of measuring the stress results from using +P+ ammo in a gun not designed for it's use. Sure, you might get away with pumping up the chamber pressure for a while...but sooner or later...if your gun isn't designed for it, you will find that you have damaged your weapon. If Smith and Wesson says don't use it, then don't.

I'd rather defend myself with a .22 and put ten rounds on target than spray big bangers all over. Most bad guys aren't going to stand around and trade rounds if they are taking hits. As we all know, every round is potentially lethal...one shot one kill.

Two hits with standard JHP's is better than one hit with +P+. Sure you can put ten on target at the range, but how about during a gun fight?

So, if you're carrying a compact or less CCH, I don't recommend +P+ loads, even if you don't see any apparent immediate damage at the range.

Just my two cents.

 

[dfaretra]

Great comments on what ammo is ok in the 9mm Shield. Love the gun . Have fired about 700 rounds and like it even more. Good advice about sticking with S&W's recommendations. No need for +P+.

 

[Four T5]

Take a look at pages 9-11 of your manual - Should answer your questions on ammo selection...

Ding Ding Ding! When all else fails, read the directions! Asking your "friends" on the Internet is like asking a pimp if you need to wear a rubber when you buy his hoe.

 

[ghoffman]

S&M recommends ammo that meets SAAMI specs (SAAMI | Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute). In short, SAAMI avg energy recommendations for 9mm 124 grain =350psi. +P is 385psi and Winchester Nato 9mm is 358psi. The website lists lots of other data including velocity. Not much difference beteen SAAMI and NATO. NATO is within the range, high, but in there. Certainly its not +P. I like it and shoot it in my Shield regularly.

 

[epj]

At 350 psi, the bullet won't make it out the barrel and the slide won't cycle. Did you leave off some zeros?

 

[OpsMgr]

S&M recommends ammo that meets SAAMI specs (SAAMI | Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute). In short, SAAMI avg energy recommendations for 9mm 124 grain =350psi. +P is 385psi and Winchester Nato 9mm is 358psi. The website lists lots of other data including velocity. Not much difference beteen SAAMI and NATO. NATO is within the range, high, but in there. Certainly its not +P. I like it and shoot it in my Shield regularly.

I would use Winchester NATO 124 for punching paper only as it is FMJ...

 

[ghoffman]

Yes, I left off two zeros!!! Thanks for the catch!!

 

[M&Pduck]

If you are ever forced to fire your gun in anger, which few of us outside law enforcement ever will, any sort of 9mm hollow point that will reliably function in your pistol will likely do the job. The recipient will not know what brand ammo you are using. If you can put a couple of rounds through the boiler room, he won't care. Higher velocity=greater internet bragging rights.

And more risk in court. I am by no means an expert on firearms or legal proceedings but I did a lot of research/reading on CC when I recently purchased a Shield 9 and was trying to decide what ammo to carry.

Of course no sane person ever wants to shoot someone but in the event you do there is some likelihood that you may end up in court, either on the whim of a local prosecutor or the target/target's family in civil court. As part of that process, one item that will most certainly come under scrutiny is your choice of ammo for personal defense. If you're carrying +P ammo or whatever badass round then that can be used against you in court by an opposing attorney to make it look as though you wanted to shoot/kill someone.

For that reason, along with favorable reviews, I chose to carry Federal "Personal Defense" 124 JHP in my Shield. I'd rather cover my *** in court than have Internet bragging rights.