Posted: 4/25/2003 5:34:09 AM EDT
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I recently purchased some +P ammo for my Browning High Power 9mm and Browning BDA .380. I purchased it without really doing the research on weather or not the gun can handle it. Does anyone have any input on these guns. Any info would be Appreciated. |
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The short answer is yes, you can use the +P ammo in the Brownings. But not a lot of it. The High Power was designed to work around weakling 9mm ball ammo that is very mild. The +P stuff puts out more pressure than the standard ammo. The gun won't explode from dropping the hammer on a round of +P (unless it is really old and in bad shape, in which case it might...) but a steady diet of +P ammo will cause greater wear to the slide, frame, barrel locking lugs, etc. I try not to keep defensive loads (+P hollowpoints) in service for more than 3-6 months. Then I relegate them into my range ammo and shoot them up a little at a time. This keeps my defensive ammo fresh, and my use of high pressure ammo to a minumum to prolong the life of my guns. If you are going to carry +P ammo though, you need to function test it in your gun and do some training with it (Draw + Fire, Bill Drills, etc..) to ensure you will be able to use it properly. This should take no more than 2 or 300 rounds and will not do any damage to the gun. Most modern firearms are built well enough to live longer than we will, so you shouldn't worry too much unless your guns are really old. (More than 10 years...) If they are, have them looked at by a competent smith to make sure they are servicable. So the long answer is that if you shoot 50 rounds of +P a week for an extended period of time, you will wear out your gun out more quickly than if you fired 100 rounds a week of ball ammo. Clear as mud, right? |
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As long as: A. your pistol is of recent manufacture. B. you are shooting +p and not subgun +p+ You should be okay with LIMITED shooting of +p ammo. DO NOT SHOOT +P+ SUBGUN AMMO. It is too hot for pistols (except maybe a glock) Older HP's are made of 'softer' steel and shooting +P is dangerous and will cause excessive strain and wear -- DONT DO IT in an older pistol. Even in a newer HP the +P will put more wear on your pistol than standard velocity loadings - so dont shoot it all the time. |