Is +P+ safe for my Sig Sauer 226 9mm?

[Doug.38PR]

I have a Sig Sauer P226 9mm that, from what I understand, was made in 1991. It's serial # is U427 3##. It has a few symbols and KA under the front of the muzzel on the bottom of the slide.

Is 9mm +P+ safe for use in this gun?

[SigM4]

+P+ ammo shouldn't be a problem in the gun, though I'd try to keep the amount you shoot to a minimum as it will wear gun parts faster than will normal loads.

On a second note the KA under the barrel is the date code of the gun (A=0, B=1, C=2, etc...) thus, looks like you have a 1990 226, always a great sig platform.

[Jungle Work]

The agency I worked for issued 9mm +P+ Federal HydraShok for those who carried P226s. I've seen thousands of rounds of +P+ shot through them with no problem.

Jungle Work

[Doug.38PR]

Hmmm.....except for Buffalo Bore, I don't find any standard 9mm factory ammo in +P+ out there (unless it's sold off Gunbroker for a jillion dollars)

[Xander]

Hmmm.....except for Buffalo Bore, I don't find any standard 9mm factory ammo in +P+ out there (unless it's sold off Gunbroker for a jillion dollars)

Federal makes some.

Edited to add: As I now see Jungle Work already mentioned.

[Doug.38PR]

Yes, I just found it on Cheaperthandirt.com. Bought a box of 50 124gr However, Federal's own website doesn't admit to having such a high pressure round on their inventory.

[Xander]

Yes, I just found it on Cheaperthandirt.com. Bought a box of 50 124gr However, Federal's own website doesn't admit to having such a high pressure round on their inventory.

It's listed on their LE site. 4th row down on this chart. http://www.le.atk.com/Interior.asp?sect ... _hydra.asp

[Xander]

As a side-note, Winchester also offers a 115gr +P+ 9mm load...The famous ISP load, and it's also only found in their LE catalog.

[Doug.38PR]

Yet non-Law Enforcement can buy it? (not that I'm complaining)

SHEESH! Am I reading their ballistics (Federal LE webstie) correctly? There is almost NO difference between standard 9mm ammo and 9mm+P+ Look at the velocities between standard 124gr and 124+P+


Shoot, their .38Spl. +P+ is about the same as 158 gr LHP Remington +P with it's 890ft per second velocity.

I always thought of +P+ was being dangerously close to .357 magnum velocities that could, if you found the wrong king of +P+ ammo, blow up a .38 Spl service revolver (which is why Colt suggests "use in .357 magnum only")

[Xander]

Yet non-Law Enforcement can buy it? (not that I'm complaining)

Yup. The restriction is a manufacturers "suggestion", essentially. There's nothing legally that prevents anyone from buying or possessing it...It's just a bit harder to find since most civilian dealers don't stock it.

SHEESH! Am I reading their ballistics (Federal LE webstie) correctly? There is almost NO difference between standard 9mm ammo and 9mm+P+ Look at the velocities between standard 124gr and 124+P+


Shoot, their .38Spl. +P+ is about the same as 158 gr LHP Remington +P with it's 890ft per second velocity.

Yeah...It doesn't look particularly special, from that chart.

I always thought of +P+ was being dangerously close to .357 magnum velocities that could, if you found the wrong king of +P+ ammo, blow up a .38 Spl service revolver (which is why Colt suggests "use in .357 magnum only")

Well, of course you have to remember that there are no SAAMI specs for +P+, so its potential is pretty much unlimited. A .38 with a case stuffed full of a fast-burning powder could potentially be called a ".38 +P+" and still blow up any .357 Magnum revolver you tried to shoot it out of like it was a small bomb. +P has an upper pressure limit, so the *only* think you can really know about a +P+ is that it's loaded to pressures higher than the maximum SAAMI allows for +P. It may be just barely higher, or it may be way ka-boom higher.

[Liberty]

Yet non-Law Enforcement can buy it? (not that I'm complaining)

SHEESH! Am I reading their ballistics (Federal LE webstie) correctly? There is almost NO difference between standard 9mm ammo and 9mm+P+ Look at the velocities between standard 124gr and 124+P+

They are also firing it out of a 4 inch barrel, I suspect that there would be somewhat more of a difference in a longer barrel.

[flb_78]

You can get 1000 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 grn +P for 250 bux shipped off of GunBroker.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=90304618

[Xander]

You can get 1000 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 grn +P for 250 bux shipped off of GunBroker.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=90304618

And interestingly enough, the Speer GDHP 124gr +P is loaded significantly hotter than the Federal 124gr +P+.

[HankB]

Hmmm.....except for Buffalo Bore, I don't find any standard 9mm factory ammo in +P+ out there (unless it's sold off Gunbroker for a jillion dollars)

At this moment, I have several boxes of 9mm 115 grain +P+ ammo from Speer and Remington in my ammo can, as well as some Winchester 127 +P+ . . . I mostly found this at gun shows. (Federal 9BP-LE is also rather common; the Speer is getting hard to find.)

Some of the boxes carry stickers advising that they're loaded up to 40,000 CUP . . . SAAMI specifies maximum average pressure of 35,000 PSI for standard 9mm, and 38,500 PSI for +P; there's NO SAAMI standard for +P+. CUP and PSI are not directly comparable - there's no accurate and universal conversion formula - but I would guess that 40,000 CUP is probably around 42,000 PSI.

[Doug.38PR]

Just a little addition to this thread (doing a little research on the subject of P226 and +P+ tonight and came across my old thread here on google), Sig Sauer does NOT recommend +P+ in any of their guns (???) http://www.sigsauer.com/CustomerService/Faq.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (see "can I use +P and +P+")

Also I have found Ranger 127 gr +P+ online available on a few websites....but if this is not recommended or safe, for use any gun (Beretta and Browning frames apparently can't even handle the .357 Sig)....then why would Law Enforcement even buy it? I mean a badge doesn't make your sidearm magically indestructable Same gun designed by same companies.

I do know +P+ Federal Hydrashoks are safe as said above in the thread. I've put around 20 of them through my 226.

Also, does anybody know anything about 9mm Nato? Academy sells them off the shelf at like $24. Used by military, box says 10% increase. I've put 30 rounds through my gun with no problems. Figured it was safe since the US military had the Sig as a serious competitor with the Beretta and must have used this round and militaries all over the world use the 226 in 9mm (Nato)