What ammo do you guys reccomend for an M&P?
- Thread starter Ballenxj
- Start date
What is your goal?
Also, every gun must be tested with the ammunition. So, you may get recommendations that work well for 1 M&P but not the other - not likely but possible.
SD/HD - Stick with known brands, Hornady, Speer, Federal.
Plinking - any round nose like WWB, CCI Blazer, etc.
----
Also, I think older M&Ps have a different barrel twist than new ones. So, it may help to know what barrel twist you have if trying to get real accurate. I think the new ones have 1:10 and the older has 1:18.
Also, every gun must be tested with the ammunition. So, you may get recommendations that work well for 1 M&P but not the other - not likely but possible.
SD/HD - Stick with known brands, Hornady, Speer, Federal.
Plinking - any round nose like WWB, CCI Blazer, etc.
----
Also, I think older M&Ps have a different barrel twist than new ones. So, it may help to know what barrel twist you have if trying to get real accurate. I think the new ones have 1:10 and the older has 1:18.
Last edited:
My M&P has functioned flawlessly with everything I've tried in it...be it brass, aluminum, or steel cased...any and all manufacturers.
For range practice, I don't think you can go wrong with anything. I get whatever is cheapest at the time that I'm buying. I personally, however, avoid remanufacturer ammo or any reloads that I didn't do myself. My only suggestion for range work, otherwise, is to buy in a small quantities and check function before spending hundreds of dollars on bulk purchasing.
Also, I agree that you should stick with premium JHP rounds for self defense purposes. Same principles apply though...test it in your gun before carrying it.
For range practice, I don't think you can go wrong with anything. I get whatever is cheapest at the time that I'm buying. I personally, however, avoid remanufacturer ammo or any reloads that I didn't do myself. My only suggestion for range work, otherwise, is to buy in a small quantities and check function before spending hundreds of dollars on bulk purchasing.
Also, I agree that you should stick with premium JHP rounds for self defense purposes. Same principles apply though...test it in your gun before carrying it.
Federal 180 grain HST in 40 S+W
Federal 124 grain HST in 9mm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAxmCixySeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfel8uMpMCw
Federal 124 grain HST in 9mm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAxmCixySeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfel8uMpMCw
Last edited:
First, to pick you folks brains that are familiar with the gun just to find a starting point for buying ammo.pilpens said:
My ultimate goal is to become proficient with the gun first, probably starting with ball ammo, then switch to a round that lends itself better to self defense.
I see Winchester has ammo in 147 grn loads, but the most common ammo seems to be around 124 grns? This is why I'm asking you guys for preference.
I didn't know they had different rates of twist from older to newer. I will have to look into that, but mine is almost new, so I'm pretty sure it falls into the latter category. Is there a way to check this out by serial number break off point?
@ jmhyer, that is very encouraging to hear that your gun eats them all.
Thanks for your input guys, and please keep it coming. I'm trying to learn what I can here.
Independent George
New member
For range practice? Just shoot whatever's available.
Maybe you can test a few boxes before paying for an entire brick, just on the off-chance that it doesn't cycle properly, but most modern guns will feed pretty much any factory FMJ at any of the standard weights.
JHPs can be finicky because the cavity is shaped differently, but even then most guns are reliable enough to feed and cycle.
Maybe you can test a few boxes before paying for an entire brick, just on the off-chance that it doesn't cycle properly, but most modern guns will feed pretty much any factory FMJ at any of the standard weights.
JHPs can be finicky because the cavity is shaped differently, but even then most guns are reliable enough to feed and cycle.
Evil Monkey
New member
I have 4,000rds in my M&P40.
It'll handle it all. Just don't fire brass/aluminum cased ammo after firing steel cased ammo. Clean the chamber first.
It'll handle it all. Just don't fire brass/aluminum cased ammo after firing steel cased ammo. Clean the chamber first.
Independent George
New member
TunnelRat said:
Drat. I don't have a Luger, but I've been using Luger ammo all this time; who knows what kind of damage I've been doing? I guess this means I have to go out and buy a Luger now to use up all this extra ammo I've got.
If its stamped in metric like mm then its not the caliber is it ?
But to the question train with ball ammo like Winchester white box or Remington green and white . Then decide on a quality defence ammo carry with that . I like Federal HST but any expanding or bullet designed to tranfer energy will do as long as it cycles in your firearm .
But to the question train with ball ammo like Winchester white box or Remington green and white . Then decide on a quality defence ammo carry with that . I like Federal HST but any expanding or bullet designed to tranfer energy will do as long as it cycles in your firearm .
Lol, some people can't handle sarcasm I take it.
What I said though is surprisingly true. Typically match the bullet dimensions of the barrel to the ammunition and there you go. I'm not trying to be harsh, but we get these questions constantly from people asking, "What's a good brand of range ammo?" Or, "What's a good brand of defensive ammo?" You can Google these question and get more results than you can read in a lifetime.
Most modern production pistols will run most factory ammunition out there. Unless you're running some type of boutique bullet design it should feed. Next the primer needs to detonate. Some cartridge makers use harder primers than others, but I've found failures to fire to more often be a symptom of light strikes and something wrong with the gun. Then the case needs to be extracted from the chamber and hit the ejector with the requisite force to eject strongly. Most issues you'll see with ammunition occur in the extraction and ejection process. Sometimes steel or aluminum cased ammunition won't be grabbed as easily by the extractor. Sometimes very cheap ammunition is loaded to the bare minimum amount of powder required to cycle the slide. Given that the weights of slides and stiffness of springs vary, this can cause weak or erratic ejection with certain pistol and ammunition combinations (though that can be a function of the firearm too).
The truth is a lot of it is trial and error. Buying factory ammunition gives you generally better QC than reloaded ammunition and there is also the benefit of a manufacturer behind that ammunition that might compensate you should the round be overloaded and cause a catastrophic failure. And many manufacturers have explicit notes in their manuals saying not to use reloaded ammunition as a way of removing their liability should a failure with such ammo occur.
The thing is you're going to get differing opinions based on personal experience. For a long time I stopped buying Winchester White Box because I received a number of boxes with filthy, tarnished cases and very inconsistent loading. A few months back I tried it again and the quality was dramatically improved. Was my previous experience a bad lot, a period of equipment transition, etc? I really don't know. All I know is it seems to work now as well as anything else.
Even guys running the same ammo in supposedly the same gun models might have differing opinions on performance and function. I know you're basically looking for a good starting point, but given the variances in ammo and in pistols not to mention I don't know what distance you're shooting at, how skilled you are, etc. I don't want to recommend something more expensive when something cheaper might be just as good for the range. Really just about any factory ammunition should be fine. If you might reload it is probably worth it to get brass cased for later. Brass cased ammo typically functions a bit more reliably in a number of pistols as well. If you're not going to reload though steel cased should be fine. You'll read comments about wearing out barrels or extractors, but the money you should save could buy you multiple replacements as opposed to using brass cased (though around me lately the difference in cost between steel and brass cased ammunition has been very small). Then find something cheap enough that you can get the most practice possible.
It's not as simple a question as it might seem and any advice you get may or may not be applicable to you, so keep that in mind.
Last edited:
BigMikey76
New member
Pretty much anything will do for practice. I usually use Perfecta or Tula - they are both $11 a box at my local Wal Mart. If you get some bad stuff that your gun doesn't cycle well, you get to practice your malfunction drills - always look on the bright side 
.
For carry, try a few different brands of JHPs and make sure you settle on one that works reliably in your gun. Finding a few different brands means you can have a reliable back up brand if your preferred brand is out of stock.
. For carry, try a few different brands of JHPs and make sure you settle on one that works reliably in your gun. Finding a few different brands means you can have a reliable back up brand if your preferred brand is out of stock.
marine6680
New member
Yeah, all my m&p pistols have worked with everything I put through them. Factory fmj is pretty sorted out so you will most likely get reliable function with any brand. I just stick with 115gr stuff as its most common.
Just to head off your questions for when you are ready for hollow point ammo.
For HP ammo I like federal hst 124gr standard pressure.
With 9mm, you usually you want heavier than 115gr for HP ammo. You don't need higher than standard pressure stuff either, if you stick with the better brands.
Federal hst
Speer gold dot
Winchester pdx1
Hornady critical lines
All good stuff.
Some boutique brands make loads using gold dots or Hornady bullets. Usually this stuff is +p rated or more. It's good quality, but I don't think you need to spend extra for it.
Just to head off your questions for when you are ready for hollow point ammo.
For HP ammo I like federal hst 124gr standard pressure.
With 9mm, you usually you want heavier than 115gr for HP ammo. You don't need higher than standard pressure stuff either, if you stick with the better brands.
Federal hst
Speer gold dot
Winchester pdx1
Hornady critical lines
All good stuff.
Some boutique brands make loads using gold dots or Hornady bullets. Usually this stuff is +p rated or more. It's good quality, but I don't think you need to spend extra for it.
Guys that I know that are shooting M&P's don't have any ammo issues at the range...they seem to eat most anything in terms of the better quality target ammo...( Federal white box is the most common they shoot )...in 115 or 124gr...
Personally in a 9mm defensive round...I like the Remington Golden Sabre in 124gr ....or the Federal Hydra Shok in 147gr..../ I expect the M&P will run both equally well...( all of my 9mm guns ....4" and 5" 1911's, Sig 239's and Sig 226's run both equally well.
Personally in a 9mm defensive round...I like the Remington Golden Sabre in 124gr ....or the Federal Hydra Shok in 147gr..../ I expect the M&P will run both equally well...( all of my 9mm guns ....4" and 5" 1911's, Sig 239's and Sig 226's run both equally well.