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Alright, So, newbie here. Just got my license and have some ammo questions.

Lord forbid that I ever have to open fire, but if I ever have to could the choice of ammunition be used against me, legally? For instance, I just purchased some Gold Dot 124 +p 9mm, would I be better, Legally, by not having +P? If I were carrying 'normal' ammo, could my legal team make the argument that I was not trying to 'kill'? I feel that if I carry +p that the person I shots' legal team could say bad things about me carrying +P. Should this be a concern?

Also, What is the exact definition and purpose of a +P round? It's just more powerful, right?

Any help for this newbie would be greatly appreciated :)


Merry Christmas!

This round is what I carry and I use in all my pistols for self-defense. Said round is widely used with LEO and PD officers all across the country. If the Police use it, why can't you? It is faster bullet to make sure the expansion of said bullet is consistent and over penetration does not happen.

Other members here would explain that what type of rd your using to defend yourself does not matter when you were justified in using deadly force.

A good rule of thumb, although not the ONLY rule of thumb, is to carry whatever ammo your local police department uses. Many police agencies insist on +P ammo. There is no legal liability for choosing +P ammunition, which expands more reliably and it could therefore be argued it is less likely to overpenetrate.

Don't worry about it.

+P means "plus pressure". In addition to the above stated over penetration issue, the round is faster. The extra pressure means the round travels faster, which means that it is not affected by gravity and wind as quickly after leaving your barrel. This extra speed ultimately means that the round is more accurate in a self defense situation where you don't have time to correct for wind and drop.

GWE Chally wrote:+P means "plus pressure". In addition to the above stated over penetration issue, the round is faster. The extra pressure means the round travels faster, which means that it is not affected by gravity and wind as quickly after leaving your barrel. This extra speed ultimately means that the round is more accurate in a self defense situation where you don't have time to correct for wind and drop.

This too. I meant to mention accuracy, but I have halfheimers.

New to CHL and this forum. I have recently purcchased a SCCY CPX-2 for CCW and the manual states NOT to use +P. Can someone give me an idea why this would be?

Some guns can't handle the increased pressure in +p loads. I'm not familiar with the SCCY brand, so I can't say for sure whether it's the mechanism that can't handle it (somewhat bad) or the barrel itself (catastrophic). If it's the mechanism, there may be some after-market alterations that can be done to make the +p workable. If it's the barrel that won't stand up, you'd have to look into replacing it with something rated for +p if possible.

Don't recommend +P for polymer framed small handguns or alloy framed handguns. A good quality steel gun handgun, while heavier, should be able to consume a steady diet of +P loads with no damage to the handgun.

Cobaltblue wrote:New to CHL and this forum. I have recently purcchased a SCCY CPX-2 for CCW and the manual states NOT to use +P. Can someone give me an idea why this would be?

Generally speaking, if the barrel is not stamped with +P, or if it does not explicitly state it in the owner's manual, then do NOT shoot +P ammo in your gun.

Cobaltblue wrote:New to CHL and this forum. I have recently purcchased a SCCY CPX-2 for CCW and the manual states NOT to use +P. Can someone give me an idea why this would be?

Because the high pressures of +P could cause the barrel to rupture, then you'd have yourself a one-shot gun and the damage may be all to your hand. That wouldn't be fun at all.

Don't even think of using +P ammo unless you're certain it's ok with the manufacturer's design. I know some folks that just swap out barrels, but handling +P is more than just whether the breech can handle the pressures.

OldCannon wrote:

Cobaltblue wrote:New to CHL and this forum. I have recently purcchased a SCCY CPX-2 for CCW and the manual states NOT to use +P. Can someone give me an idea why this would be?

Because the high pressures of +P could cause the barrel to rupture, then you'd have yourself a one-shot gun and the damage may be all to your hand. That wouldn't be fun at all.

Don't even think of using +P ammo unless you're certain it's ok with the manufacturer's design. I know some folks that just swap out barrels, but handling +P is more than just whether the breech can handle the pressures.

Yep. The SCCY has a bar-stock machined barrel, but the receiver is 7075-T6 aluminum in a Zytel polymer frame. That's why the owner's manual says it isn't suitable for use with +P ammunition.

FYI, from what I've heard the Gen1 guns from SCCY (a company started by some former Kel-Tec employees; originally SKKY, but forced to change the name over trademark conflict by vodka producer SKYY) were a near disaster. They fired the original CEO and started sourcing better quality materials for the Gen 2 models, which yours is. But you still get what you pay for. I hear better things about the Gen 2s, but still hear of issues with the magazines.

You're not "under-gunned" by not using +P 9mm, but when finances permit I'd consider trading up to a more widely-used and reliability-proven pistol.

The greatest danger of using +P ammo is accelerated wear on gun parts.

Blowing up your gun, bursting your barrel, and all the other "bad" things that are commonly associated with the use of +P ammo are urban legends. A heavy diet of +P ammunition will result in shorter service life of your gun. In most cases, a limited use of +P is OK in any gun.

The proof ammunition that the manufacturers test fire the gun with before shipping the gun from the factory are at least double the pressure of standard pressure ammo. +P is about 10-15% higher pressure.

To answer the question of why there is +P ammunition - - - It's not for improved accuracy, it's not for greater lethality, it's for better terminal performance. Handgun ammunition is, in the big picture, rather weak in it's performance especially when compared to rifle and shotgun ammunition. Plus P is an attempt to even the playing field. There is also a benifit to users of semi auto handguns the +P ammo will make up for a less than ideal grip or, dirt when you are fighting for your life.

I carry +P in all my guns that +P ammo is available for but, I practice with standard pressure ammo and only fire a limited amount of +P just to assure myself I can hit with it.

+P is a SAMMI standard, +P+ is not. The use of +P+ ammunition is risky in any alloy framed gun or any light polymer framed gun.

Silent Professional wrote:Don't recommend +P for polymer framed small handguns or alloy framed handguns. A good quality steel gun handgun, while heavier, should be able to consume a steady diet of +P loads with no damage to the handgun.

So, wait wait wait, Some of y'all above said that +P ammo is not good for small, polymer frame guns. I have a 9mm, springfield XD Subcompact (obviously poly). Would ya'll suggest to not use +P ammo in it? I just bought some and was going to go the range today or tomorrow to shoot it and, potentially, carry it. Should I not? I'm about to go pull out the manuel now

Millionhorns wrote:

Silent Professional wrote:Don't recommend +P for polymer framed small handguns or alloy framed handguns. A good quality steel gun handgun, while heavier, should be able to consume a steady diet of +P loads with no damage to the handgun.

So, wait wait wait, Some of y'all above said that +P ammo is not good for small, polymer frame guns. I have a 9mm, springfield XD Subcompact (obviously poly). Would ya'll suggest to not use +P ammo in it? I just bought some and was going to go the range today or tomorrow to shoot it and, potentially, carry it. Should I not? I'm about to go pull out the manuel now

Your XDsc should be just fine with +P ammo. The small poly handguns mentioned are guns like the KelTec P3AT and PF9, or Ruger's LC9 or LCP, etc. Most of these guns will wear out very fast with use of +P ammo.

Springfield says it is ok to use +P in the XDs, just not a steady diet of it...
From what I read though, it significantly increases the already appreciable recoil, making it difficult to maintain a good shot group in a rapid fire situation.
(These are not my statements, just stuff I gleaned from the XD Forum while trying to answer the +P question for myself.)