plus P plus ammo

[Broadside]

+P ammo runs about 50 feet per second faster then a standard non + round. Which translates to about 35 miles an hour faster then a standard round.

I haven't been much of a +P fan until I did some testing on my own an research on the net. All of my compact firearms get fed +P either Speer GD 124 +P or Federal HST 124 +P and just picked up 500 Federal 147 +P.

The three forces out side of shot placement are; velocity, energy and penetration.

If you shoot a shorter barrel you loose some velocity, energy and penetration. +P makes some of that back up. Another factor to consider is the bullet weight. A 115 gr bullet is light and fast, light being the key. The 115 grain bullet is what has given the 9MM a bad rap. It's fast but not enough weight / mass to penetrate very far and is prone to glancing off of objects like ribs or fragmenting.

IMO for 9MM you want to carry at least a 124 gr round and in the short barrels like a sub compact or Kahr carry +P. I would also consider +P's a must for a short barrel .45. I'm going to be testing the Federal 147 +P HST's when I get back from vacation and will give everyone a report on it.