+p ammo

[backtrail540]

What exactly does +p mean? I have shot it in 45 and notice alot of 38 special with +p attached. I have heard some say it is not good for some guns, i believe someone at the shop talked of they're revolver being messed up by it but figured it was just another shop story.

 

[WhitleyStu]

+P means the ammunition is loaded to a higher pressure than regular ammo in that caliber. A firearm should be rated for +P ammunition if you are going to use it. My Smith & Wesson 242 has ".38 S&W SPL. +P" etched on the side of the barrel indicating it is OK to use +P ammunition in it safely. In .38 the +P is rated at 20,000 psi and regular .38 is rated at 17,000. Prior to the +P stamp "HV" and "HS" were used to show the ammunition was loaded to a higher pressure. The industry adopted the +P headstamp in 1974.

 

[AFA1CY]

+1 for WhitleyStu

You only want to use +P in modern handguns that are rated for it. I have a 50 year old S&W model 10 that I would not even consider using +P in.

 

[mospeada]

1911s shouldn't be a problem with +P, you might want to beef up the recoil spring a bit if you're gonna shoot a lot out of it. Alloy frames might be different.

I'm not sure +P in .45 is really worth it, the round isn't traveling that much faster than a standard pressure round.

 

[backtrail540]

Thanks for the information. I have shot it in my para when it was all they had in but usually just get regular fmj.