+P Ammo in a CM40... Can it take it ?

[bigdave622]

Does anyone use +P as carry ammo ? If so, what do you recommend ?

[wyntrout]

Dang! That would be quite a handful! I have two .40's... the Mag-na-ported P40 and compensated Glock 23C. I find regular full-power ammo to be quite enough. I prefer the Speer 180-grain Short Barrel Gold Dots... kind of the .40 equivalent of the "flying ashtrays", or the Bonded Remington 180-grain Golden Sabers. The boxes have a golden "Bonded" scroll emblem and are bonded bullets, not the BJHP regular Sabers which some mistake for bonded. The BJHP stands for Brass-Jacketed Hollow Points.

http://www.kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7140&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1356728788

I cut the Bonded box to make smaller 25-round boxes for the 50-round boxes that the Bonded Remington comes in.

My pix and explanation:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16416&highlight=Bonded+Remington

I found my pix from that shipment received... below.



I would save .40 +P for carbine use! Underwood makes a lot, but they don't usually have any in stock these days.

Wynn:)

[jocko]

IMO ur gonna get a better selection of great defense ammo in just 40 cal. U dn't see alot of +P 40 out there, as the damn caliber is a pocket cannon anyhow.

[TheTman]

I've never seen +P ammo in .40. It's pretty hot already. I use Winchester Ranger 155gr. I picked up a case back when it could be had pretty cheap at the gun shows.
They aren't the T series, but I think they should do the job. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the premium loads for it, HST, Hydra Shok, Gold Dot, Golden Sabre, Rangers, I like the bullets in the 155-165 range. They seem to have the most muzzle energy, over the 180gr, but the 180gr, will penetrate barriers better. I'd use whatever performed best from my gun.

[wyntrout]

I just went to the range yesterday... first time in maybe two months! I took the .40's... Mag-na-ported P40 and compensated Glock 23C. I'm still trying to figure out how to shoot those danged Big Dot NS! I may wind up taking those suckers off! I shot my G23C with the orange FS Trijicon HD NS and it was a dream... with double taps, too. The P40 not so much. This was my third trip to the range with the Big Dots and I used a rest for comparisons. I still shoot way low with the Big Dots and even taking my time and squeezing the trigger I hit low most often. I have no confidence with it and have been carrying my P9 with the ported barrel and the fading Novak NS. (I may get those re-lamped at Trijicon soon.) I wish that the G23C were a smidgen easier to CC for me! I like the ported .40's for carry.

I know the theory and how to aim with the BD's, but application and snap shooting just aren't working for me! It's just not instinctual. I'll try the LaserLyte LT-40 some more and maybe one more try at the range for the BD's. I want to carry the P40 and the sights just don't give me any good feelings!

Wynn:)

[jocko]

TMan. no doubt some maker offers as +P 40 cal. there are just some who think +++ is the way to go. I can't imagine it in a polymer kahr or for that matter any polymer semi. There ai't alot of +P in 40 offered though, ur right on that mark.

Wyn. maybe ur expecting to muych for the xs sights. they are what they are a very close up faster acquisistion sight. Could be that P40 as light as it is and even ported is just a hand cannon. I have no doubt u can keep allshots at 7 yards in the FBI style silhouette, so for me I would say BG is in deep ****. I am not good with doubletaps. I think I have to be fast and when I rush it that second shot could go damn near anywhere. I tell myselff slow down make the second shot at least in that FBI silohouette somewhere. Fastis good if u can do it, slow is better if u cannot. I realy don't loose alot of sleep over that one way or the utter either. I don 't realy work at it alot either or I might get better and faster but I carry 24/7 and I try not to tget to ovber paranoid other than that..

semper vulgare.

[VBVAGUY]

I do not think that SAAMI has a specification for +P .40S&W ammo, however as others have mentioned there are some companies that make it. I know in the Glocks and some other firearms that chamber in .40S&W that they do not have fully supported chambers so they are more prone to KABOOMS, so I would definately not recommend +P in these guns. As for the Kahrs does anyone know if they are fully supported in the chamber or if they are not ?? If not then definately also do not use +P. God Bless :)

[scosgt]

A CM40 already eats your hand if you don't have a rubber slip grip installed. Why tempt fate? In a personal defense situation there are not too many people in the world who would not be stopped by a facefull of 6 rounds of ANY .40, even FMJ.

[Bawanna]

I do not think that SAAMI has a specification for +P .40S&W ammo, however as others have mentioned there are some companies that make it. I know in the Glocks and some other firearms that chamber in .40S&W that they do not have fully supported chambers so they are more prone to KABOOMS, so I would definately not recommend +P in these guns. As for the Kahrs does anyone know if they are fully supported in the chamber or if they are not ?? If not then definately also do not use +P. God Bless :)

I think SAAMI has specs for +P, it's the +P+ that's no mans land. I know that's the case on most other calibers, fairly certain it's the same with 40.

I'd have no use for it myself. Standard 40 is plenty.

[wyntrout]

I was shooting some Prvi Partizan... Serbian ammo... PPU 180-gr TMJ mainly... 200 rounds and 42 rounds of Blazer Aluminum-cased 165-gr FMJ... and then a box of AAA 180-gr TCJ in the .40's.

I started with the PPU since it was the weakest stuff I've found for .40. When I started shooting the Blazer and later the AAA, it was like going to magnum loads... BIG difference! I still have half a case of PPU left and it's okay for the range, but definitely not what I would call full powered.

I will stay away from +P .40, but Underwood makes a bunch of loads... all of their .40 seems to be +P, but good luck finding it in stock. If'n I get a Mech Tech CCU I might try that. I wonder how it would perform in a 16" or so barrel. Most handgun ammo runs out of steam and actually slows down in the last few inches of the 16" barrels. You can see this at Ballistics by the Inch:

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/40sw.html

Wynn:)

[sharpetop]

I'm hoping for a .357 Sig drop in barrel for my K40! I recently purchase one for my Glock 23 and I kinda like that round.

[jocko]

would be nice but I don't see that happening. Even an aftermarket maker probalby would shy away,as the marketfor it would be very limited and therefore making a very expensive accessory.

[sigtrovert]

Could PM handle a few, sure: but a regular diet will, at the least, prematurely wear the frame! I sold some PM40's to a Florida Dept as
authorized back up gun" to their duty 40 Sig's and same ammo used. There were a few major failures and Kahr's were no long authorized.

Don't know if you realize this; but reason Kahr's, Glocks don't have full length frame rails, is gun is designed to flex a little when fired? A standard pressure Speer Gold Dot or other premium round is all you need!

[hardluk1]

The +P in a 40sw is a advertising ploy. Nothing more thanks to buffalo bore doing this a few years back. These few not really+P rounds are just loaded close to max pressure with newer powders that will also add a few feet per second. They don't allways work as well planed in the shortest barrels. I have run some of underwoods ammo thru my kahrs. The 40sw 155gr xtp +P does perform as advertised in the 4" barreled tp and matchs the 1300fps but normal there 9mm 124gr gd+P is no better than other premium same weight ammo in my cm9 at 1154fps. Speers +P 124gr is a few fps quicker. Both with 10 shot averages.

sigtrovet Come on know , tell us what these "major failures" were. What "florida dept" Was it the same to lite a trigger pull perhaps like NY had??

The glock 9mm and 45 are fine with +P. Its the 40 and 10mm that had the issues with not fully supported chambers and they have improved the glock chambers on those to give closer to a fully supported chamber.


Sig also found major issues with the 40sw handguns with there mandrel bent sheet metal slides with 4 models, the 220, 225, 226 and 228. When they went to the 229 design with a machine steel SS slide they no longer had there issue. So even the sig had major issues to deal with in regards to the 40sw.

[sigtrovert]

customer relations prevents me from elaborating on Fl dept issues!

Yes, Sig did have to change design of 226 and 228 from rolled steel to milled stainless slides to handle 40 and 357 Sig: but some handling and balance had to be compromised......which is reason the 228 handles better than 229, for instance!