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M&P9 Ammo

old_me, are you saying Speer ammo isn't premium stuff?
i'm saying it just doesn't run at all in some of my 45's....

so any caliber, i stay away from it.

if i sweep up 45 ACP brass, and it's Speer?

it gets tossed along with Federal in the salvage yard bucket, due to small primers.

that's all Speer is worth to me...and SPP Federal.

but Federal runs like a champ, in any caliber gun i have, from .22 LR, and up..!!!!
 
i'm saying it just doesn't run at all in some of my 45's....

so any caliber, i stay away from it.

if i sweep up 45 ACP brass, and it's Speer?

it gets tossed along with Federal in the salvage yard bucket, due to small primers.

that's all Speer is worth to me...and SPP Federal.

but Federal runs like a champ, in any caliber gun i have, from .22 LR, and up..!!!!
OK
 
So 115gr is perfectly fine for defense? Does the grain affect accuracy or is it just the power behind it?
So, I’m going to answer your first post, probably not in a way you want to hear:

What runs in other peoples guns, or offers the best accuracy for them, may not run in your gun or offer you the best accuracy when you shoot it (and the converse is true as well—what doesn’t work for someone else may very well be an excellent choice for you). You’re going to have to find what works for you, in your gun, when you shoot it.

The good news is: more range time! Heck yeah!

On the quoted post:

All the ammo you listed in your first post are decent choices…but I personally don’t care for critical defense in autos (I’ve seen too many failures with it) and the S&B may not be a great JHP either…usually the Euro JHP’s are first generation style JHP’s, and aren’t going to be very reliable in expansion. Punch looks promising on paper, but I haven’t heard much about actual use to make a call.

115gr, in order to get good penetration & expansion, usually needs to be driven really, really fast, which is why the Federal 9BPLE load—a 115gr+P+—is legendary at getting fast stops. However, driving the bullet that fast gives a fair amount of recoil, which you may find slows down and/or decreases accuracy of your follow-ups—and rapid, accurate follow ups tend to be a LOT more successful in getting a stop than a single round.

So…all I can say is there us no one, single “best” defensive load or weight for everyone…if there is, there’s be no need for the vast choices we have.

Personal recommendation, though? Try some 147gr Federal HST. It’s an excellent performer in both service pistols, compacts, and subcompacts…even carbines.
 
Bella,
When I had an M&P 2.0 compact (and wish I’d kept it! 🫤 ) , I ran S&B both 115 and 124 and NEVER had a problem. Also ran Federal - no issues.
I very much like Federal Punch, in both 9 and for my .45s.

I avoid Wolf, Tul, Blazer and a couple others I can’t remember right now. Also pass on Winchester white box after a funny experience with it a year ago this past summer.

Tried Fiocchi a couple years ago. Don’t recall any problems but there was nothing spectacular either. Thing is, I don’t much see it around here.
Far as burning cleanly, Sig Elite Performance (or whatever) is the best I’ve used.
 
So, I’m going to answer your first post, probably not in a way you want to hear:

What runs in other peoples guns, or offers the best accuracy for them, may not run in your gun or offer you the best accuracy when you shoot it (and the converse is true as well—what doesn’t work for someone else may very well be an excellent choice for you). You’re going to have to find what works for you, in your gun, when you shoot it.

The good news is: more range time! Heck yeah!

On the quoted post:

All the ammo you listed in your first post are decent choices…but I personally don’t care for critical defense in autos (I’ve seen too many failures with it) and the S&B may not be a great JHP either…usually the Euro JHP’s are first generation style JHP’s, and aren’t going to be very reliable in expansion. Punch looks promising on paper, but I haven’t heard much about actual use to make a call.

115gr, in order to get good penetration & expansion, usually needs to be driven really, really fast, which is why the Federal 9BPLE load—a 115gr+P+—is legendary at getting fast stops. However, driving the bullet that fast gives a fair amount of recoil, which you may find slows down and/or decreases accuracy of your follow-ups—and rapid, accurate follow ups tend to be a LOT more successful in getting a stop than a single round.

So…all I can say is there us no one, single “best” defensive load or weight for everyone…if there is, there’s be no need for the vast choices we have.

Personal recommendation, though? Try some 147gr Federal HST. It’s an excellent performer in both service pistols, compacts, and subcompacts…even carbines.
I appreciate your honesty and, to be honest, I figured that I would hear that guns are all individual. I was hoping for information based on experience and you guys came through. I appreciate it. And yes...RANGE TIME!!
 
Bella,
When I had an M&P 2.0 compact (and wish I’d kept it! 🫤 ) , I ran S&B both 115 and 124 and NEVER had a problem. Also ran Federal - no issues.
I very much like Federal Punch, in both 9 and for my .45s.

I avoid Wolf, Tul, Blazer and a couple others I can’t remember right now. Also pass on Winchester white box after a funny experience with it a year ago this past summer.

Tried Fiocchi a couple years ago. Don’t recall any problems but there was nothing spectacular either. Thing is, I don’t much see it around here.
Far as burning cleanly, Sig Elite Performance (or whatever) is the best I’ve used.
I have a buttload of the Winchester white (and green) box. Got it on sale at my FFL. I guess I'll run it until it's gone. I had a couple of fail to feeds, but not sure from which ammo. Thanks!
 
Okay, I'm gonna ask the question because I'm not afraid of appearing uneducated (I won't call myself stupid unless I deserve it, lol). I have been mixing up different brands of ammo, and different grains (FMJ and JHP) to see what runs best, and maybe it's me and I'm not as in tune with my guns yet, but I don't feel much difference except when I run the higher grain.

You guys who shoot M&P9, what do you shoot? What do your pistols seem to prefer? I buy ammo on sale, but I am also careful and do my research into what the pistol is tested with. So far I have been running:

Magtech 115gr FMJ
Federal American Eagle 115 and 124gr FMJ
Remington Range 115gr FMJ (Got lots of this...they had a big sale)
Federal Punch 124gr JHP
Hornady Critical Defense 115gr JHP
Sellier & Bellot 115gr JHP (This is new - haven't shot this brand yet)

So, what do you run? Thank you in advance for your input and advice! :)
Fenix or AngleFire 147 gr subsonic for practice. Speer GD 124 gr. for carry
 
All good ammo on your list. I like the S&B ball ammo 115 grain. I shy away from Tula- just don't like commie ammo.
S&B ball is probably one of the best, low(er) cost training rounds out there.

I’ve run 10s of thousands of rounds of it, likely, and never had in issue…in fact, I don’t think I’ve even had a dud primer with it, and I can’t say that about most US made blaster ammo…
 
S&B ball is probably one of the best, low(er) cost training rounds out there.

I’ve run 10s of thousands of rounds of it, likely, and never had in issue…in fact, I don’t think I’ve even had a dud primer with it, and I can’t say that about most US made blaster ammo…
I still use it for 9's. I had some in a few other cartridges, but depleted stock.
 
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I recently tested 124gr HSTs that I reloaded in my M&P Shield 9mm 1.0 with Power Pistol, they grouped well out of the pistol as well as the convertible cylinder in my Blackhawk from 20 yards out (the flyers were ALL me).

BHawk-M-P-9mm-124gr-100923-Pwr-Pistol-1-120-OAL.jpg
 
My 'Belle, train with whatever FMJ factory fresh ammunition is cost effective, is easily attainable, and runs reliably. For self defense/carry, you definitely need an expanding round, vetted of course for absolute reliability. For what it's worth, I carry only Federal Premium HST, 147 grain, or 150 grain Micro for subcompact 9mm handguns.
 
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