[R.E.Lee]

I am looking at ammo online awaiting the arrival of my new xd9 (as I cant look at the gun auctions anymore..and im pretty damn excited) and I started to wonder how important grain becomes when choosing a practice ammo. I understand that I will need to buy a few boxes of my CCW/home defense rounds to shoot at the range and get used to, but should I try and also match the grain of the range ammo I buy to that of the CCW ammo?

I havent decided on a CCW ammo yet (its still up in the air between Gold Dots, Rangers, Corbon, etc..) but wanted to know if I buy something like a Blazer 115FMJ should I then not be exceeding 115 for my CCW ammo? not exceeding 127? Does it even really matter that much?

I appreciate any responses you can give me..

 

[ampleworks]

Ya know, everyone says different things about ammo weight, but it doesn't mean jack **** on your first shot. That bullet is well beyond your barrel and already in flight before your slide even begins to move. Everything you feel is after the fact.

That said, using a wimpy 115gr practice load isn't going to help if you're carrying 127 +P+ Rangers. Its all about the trigger control because in a SHTF situation, I doubt you'll be shooting with a perfect stance, grip, or trigger stroke.

More rounds down range ... of any weight is going to be better than none at all. I figure you probably already know that though.

 

[40SWXDSHOOTER]

Buy the cheapest ammo that will work in your gun for at the range, and shoot alot of it. For carry ammo the most important thing is reliablity, and having it shoot to where the sights are lined up on the target.

 

[R.E.Lee]

For carry ammo the most important thing is reliablity, and having it shoot to where the sights are lined up on the target.

Thats kind of what I was getting at with my question. I want to know if a +p 124 Ranger (for example) is going to be totally different in terms of feel compared to a 124 Blazer Brass? Or a 127+p Ranger is going to be much different than a 124 WWB?

I am looking at this thread and am getting kind of antsy to buy some:
http://www.hs2000talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=15965&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
But am wondering between the 124+p and the 127+p+...any insight? I read in another thread about the fear of a round that goes supersonic having its shock wave catch up to it in travel and alter its course a little...

Is the 127+p+ going to be too hard on my XD9?

Sorry for all the questions, and I really do appreciate the great feedback I have been getting to all of my new-guy questions.

 

[baa]

Different wieght ammo is going to "feel" different. Ammo of the same weight, from different manufacturers, is going to "feel" different.

Hence, I would not worry a whole lot about your target and defense ammo "feeling" the same. Shoot as much as you can with the most inexpensive (and reliable) ammo can get. Winchester White Box (WWB) 100 round value packs from Walmart are the best bet, short of buying bulk online (and it's rare that the online ammo is cheaper after shipping etc.)

That said, pick defensive ammo and be sure to shoot it from time to time to a- make sure it feeds reliably in your pistol and b- so you know what it feels like and if it's POI is significately different from your target loads.

I would not get too hung up on this though. Shoot as much as you possibly can, period.

As to 127g +P+ (Winchester Ranger??) I use that in my XD-9 Service with Don's Guide Rod and a 19lb spring and I have had no problems. I have had zero problems with it and it feeds flawlessly. That said, I would not shoot too much +P+ through any pistol or any caliber and I do not put it in my sub-compacts as I am paranoid about breaking the captive spring assembly (Speer Gold dots for them) Many people consider the Winchester Ranger SXT 127grain 9mm as the ultimate 9mm defensive round.

 

[R.E.Lee]

Thanks very much for the response. That makes sense that a given grain between manufacturers might have a noticeable difference. I will probably fire Blazer Brass 115gr at the range..but Im not positive.

I decided to order 2 boxes (100) of the 124 +P Rangers.

 

[R.E.Lee]

Many people consider the Winchester Ranger SXT 127grain 9mm as the ultimate 9mm defensive round.

Do you think I should get one box of the 127 +P+ and (1) of the 124 +P ??(he has both available for the same price..)

 

[baa]

Keep in mind that the differences are the amount and type of propellent used in a cartridge.

I think your good to go with any Winchester Ranger round. I personally like 9mm defense ammo in the 120ish range, vs the light (115 and below) and heavy (147) 9mm ammo, but that's personal biased opinion. 120ish grain ammo from the major defense ammo companies seems to have the best mix of expansion and depth of wounding.

 

[Majk]

I've shot the 147g ranger ammo and love it. Not much difference from shooting lighter grain practice ammo. I shoot a few rounds after my practice rounds.