There is no auto I would shoot a +P+ out of.
Based on what?
I have shot the Ranger 127gn +P+ load out of Glocks, the Browning HiPower, and the Beretta 92FS with no difficulty at all, and with excellent accuracy. In fact, it is in the G26 in my belt right now.
Except for the Beretta, me too. In guns in good condition and maintained, +P+ is a non issue.
A 357 is a good and versatile round, but only in long barreled guns and with heavy bullets. Otherwise 9mm is a much better choice
I agree, and especially for use a a daily carry gun.
I would not worry so much about safety as in blowing something out as just ruining your firearm which it will and at some point you may cause enough damage to make it unsafe.
Again, based on what?
Here we go again. I got a X but I want to use over pressure ammo to make it shoot like a Y.
If I wanted it to be like "Y", Id carry a "Y", but "Y", more often than not, doesn't offer what I want out of "X" in most other respects, so I take advantage of the strides made in ammo development and use ammo that can increase the effectiveness of "X", which happens to bring it into the realm of "Y".
Doing the above, I can retain the smaller, high capacity gun, thats usually easier to shoot well with, and I can also have near equivalent power to things that dont allow what I want/need. For me, thats a winner.
not many 9mm's can stand up to a steady diet of 9mm +p+ loads, therefore the edge goes to the .357 magnum. If you want more power than a 9mm, step up in caliber.
Again, based on what?
As far as the last part, stepping up may not be the best choice. Ill touch on that later.
.357 is way more gun. Why even go there?
.357 can be way more gun, in the right instances. In the cases of guns normally carried, its way to much from the standpoint of what you normally get in the package, and in usability. So youre right, why even go there?
If you're looking for a stout 9mm+P+ gun, the ultimate is to start with a Glock in 40 and convert it to 9mm with a Lone Wolf or similar barrel, which is 9mm on the inside, 40 spec on the outside. Won't cost all THAT much, the gun will be double-caliber and it will live nearly forever with 9mm+P+ monsters.
I had a Glock 31 (357SIG), and I currently have a number of Glocks in 9mm. From personal experience, the 9mm's hold up better to +P+ and hot reload use, than the 357SIG did to factory spec ammo (just as a note here, Speer considers 357SIG and +P+ 9mm to be in the same pressure range, 40000psi, and when using the same or similar bullets, offer similar performance). From what Ive been told, the same wear that the 357SIG exhibited, applies to the .40s as well, although I was told it stops after awhile in the .40s. It didnt appear to be stopping in my 31. From day one, using factory spec'd ammo, the 357SIG was beating itself to death.
Two of my 9mm's, a 17 and 26 to be specific, get shot weekly, and at this point each have at least a couple of cases of Winchester 127 grain +P+ through them. Along with that, they both have more rounds of my hot reloads through them, than many people probably ever put though their guns in a lifetime, 40000+ for the 17, and somewhere over 15000 for the 26. Both these guns show only minor finish wear on the underside of the slide, where the 357SIG was heavily peening the same spot. Other than that slight finish wear, Ive had no other indication that using hot ammo in my 9mm's as been detrimental to them.
I have a bunch of guns in both calibers. Over the years, Ive carried both, and adjusted what I carried as things changed and improved. The smaller 357MAGs, are not easy to shoot with, especially if your not used to them. They certainly are not pleasant to shoot with, nor do they encourage practice. If you want to stay on top of them, you need to practice with them, and with what you intend to shoot. Personally, I dont shoot small, lightweight 357MAG's anymore. They just arent worth the effort. I barely shoot my Airweight .38's anymore either, although I do just to stay of top of them. I get more out of my Glock 26's loaded with hot ammo, and I can shoot them til the cows come home, more effectively and without discomfort.