9mm SP?

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  • lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,680
    Out of curiosity anyone know how well 9mm soft point works? My dilemma is this. Wife isn’t happy with the collection I have and isn’t aware of my G17, which feeds JHP just fine.

    She is aware of my Colt OP .38sp and my Walther P1. So far I’ve found no JHP that will reliably feed in it. I haven’t tried any of the “jhp simulators” like Hornady critical defense or federal bulldog yet.

    I found a box of Magtech 9SD (I think that is the model) 124gr soft point for cheap so I picked it up to try out. I did read mixed and mostly bad reviews of Federal 90gr soft point 9mm where it tends to shed the jacket and also not expand much at all, but all those tests seem to be on water jugs and buckets.

    I kind of suspect 124gr SP isn’t going to expand much unless it hits something hard, but I figure it had a better chance of some expansion, especially if it hits bone, than FMJ will and likely is no worse than FMJ.

    No idea if my P1 will feed it, but I suspect yes and I’ll find out.

    Anyway, I’ve got an AR (that wife knows about) setup as an HD gun, but I’d like to have a handgun ready to go also. 8 of 9mm and possibility of a fast reload makes me somewhat more confident than 6 and a slow reload of the revolver (P1 hasn’t had a single malfunction in the maybe 200 rounds of ball I’ve feed it since I got it. It has had FTF maybe 8 or 9 times in about 50 rounds of different types of JHP I’ve tried in it. All standard pressure JHP and FMJ 115gr. Not a mag issue as the mags have new Wolff springs in them and the rounds are getting hung on the feed ramp).

    Thoughts? SP worth at all considering over FMJ? Any experience with soft points in 9mm? Should I try critical defense and/or guard dog if you have experience with them (especially if you have experience with them in feed sensitive guns that don’t like JHP. I don’t want to drop $50-80 on 75 or 100 rounds of critical defense or whatever so I can run enough rounds to be confident it’ll feed...only to find out it won’t. My G17 likes golden Sabre 124gr +P, but I won’t run +P in my P1 and I doubt it would feed anyway).
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Paging K31:popcorn:


    Takes more power than 9mm has to expand the exposed lead, even in faster calibers a soft point is used to limit expansion and increase penetration for hunting, not for defense.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I only use Critical Defense in my pocket handguns. Never had a problem with feeding in the semiautomatic pistols. Obviously not a problem in my revolvers.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    Speak with K31 .


    Find a box of Old School R-P green & white ( formerly green & yellow ) JHP . Way back at the dawn of the JHP era , they were designed for feeding in guns designed around Ball .

    Other than that , try either CorBon PowerBall , or the Hornaday knockoff . Honorable mention to Federal EFMJ .
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,680
    Speak with K31 .


    Find a box of Old School R-P green & white ( formerly green & yellow ) JHP . Way back at the dawn of the JHP era , they were designed for feeding in guns designed around Ball .

    Other than that , try either CorBon PowerBall , or the Hornaday knockoff . Honorable mention to Federal EFMJ .

    Green and white R-P? You mean Remington UMC stuff? If so I’ve read it has a smaller cavity opening and tends to feed better in problem guns.

    Sigh. I’ll also maybe take the plunge on some critical defense on my next ammo order.
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    Walther P1: So far I’ve found no JHP that will reliably feed in it.
    Hmmm...have you tried polishing the ramp? Many times, using a Dremel with a cotton polishing wheel and a good grade polish like Flitz will take care of the problem. In some barrels, especially stainless ones, you can get it to a mirror finish. Even though my Browning Hi-Power and my S&W 9mm guns don't have any problems with JHPs, I still polish the ramps. (In a pinch, I can use it to signal small aircraft in the event my plane goes down in the Amazon! Well...if I had a plane...and if I flew it over the Amazon.)

    Sometimes on older guns, there's just teeny piece of raised steel at the top of the top of the ramp (it's just a machining facsimile during the production process). Many times you can't see it, but you can just feel it with your finger. If you don't have a Dremel, a q-tip with some polish on it should work.

    The P1 has a very steep ramp, so polishing may work. Only trying it will tell whether it can be fixed or not.

    WaltherCreed-5-300x164.jpg
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,712
    Hmmm...have you tried polishing the ramp? Many times, using a Dremel with a cotton polishing wheel and a good grade polish like Flitz will take care of the problem. In some barrels, especially stainless ones, you can get it to a mirror finish. Even though my Browning Hi-Power and my S&W 9mm guns don't have any problems with JHPs, I still polish the ramps. (In a pinch, I can use it to signal small aircraft in the event my plane goes down in the Amazon! Well...if I had a plane...and if I flew it over the Amazon.)

    Sometimes on older guns, there's just teeny piece of raised steel at the top of the top of the ramp (it's just a machining facsimile during the production process). Many times you can't see it, but you can just feel it with your finger. If you don't have a Dremel, a q-tip with some polish on it should work.

    The P1 has a very steep ramp, so polishing may work. Only trying it will tell whether it can be fixed or not.

    WaltherCreed-5-300x164.jpg

    That's not a P1 barrel :)
    The feed ramp on a P1 is in the (aluminum) frame, and the barrel has a chamfered rim... maybe you could do some polishing and blending there but I wouldn't mess with it, as you'd remove the anodized layer on the frame.
    There is still a mechanical gap/interface between the feed ramp and the barrel that you really can't do much about either.
    A P1 isn't what I'd choose as a self-defense pistol anyway, as much as I love 'em.
    It can be finicky with ammo and unless you have the heavy slide and forged block, "hot" self-defense ammo will damage it.
    Even then, the frame isn't really designed for hot stuff - the hex pin isn't for strength, it's for longevity.
    The heel-mounted mag catch isn't optimal either.
     

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