98z28
10-16-08, 20:16
OK, so I am trying to make a decision and I thought I might appeal to some folks who have probably tried, or are doing this. I know there other threads regarding practicing with one caliber and carrying another, but I wanted to address this specific situation.
I currently carry a M&P 40S&W as a duty weapon. I no longer work for a large agency that will supply all of the ammo I can shoot, so I have to buy pretty much all of my practice ammo. I purchased and had planned on switching to a 9mm M&P for duty just so I can afford to practice a bit more. As luck would have it, I actually convinced my mother to go to the range with me and she wound up taking my 9mm M&P home with her. I have convinced her to get some formal training and actually keep a weapon at home for defense. I am pretty excited about that, but it is another story.
My dilemma is this: Should I stick with the 40 for duty use and just get a 9mm conversion barrel to practice with (this was not an option when I first got the 9mm M&P), or switch to 9mm altogether? I owned both the 40S&W and 9mm for a little while and shot them back to back a number of times. The 9mm feels significantly different than the 40S&W, so it would not be matter of simply practicing with 9mm and then loading up with 40S&W to hit the street. I would have to finish off each session with 100 rounds or so of 40S&W to make sure I was back in the saddle.
I guess the question boils down to this: Is the 40S&W enough of an improvement in ballistics over the 9mm to justify sticking with the 40 rather than moving completely to 9mm? Remember that this is for a duty weapon and performance after passing through intermediate barriers (especially auto glass) is a big concern. My gut tells me to roll with the 9mm as a duty weapon and stop worrying about it. I just wanted to check in with those with more experience and knowledge to get some outside opinions. Thanks.
Current duty load: Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
The 9mm load would be whichever choice from DocGKR 's list I could get the cheapest:
Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
I currently carry a M&P 40S&W as a duty weapon. I no longer work for a large agency that will supply all of the ammo I can shoot, so I have to buy pretty much all of my practice ammo. I purchased and had planned on switching to a 9mm M&P for duty just so I can afford to practice a bit more. As luck would have it, I actually convinced my mother to go to the range with me and she wound up taking my 9mm M&P home with her. I have convinced her to get some formal training and actually keep a weapon at home for defense. I am pretty excited about that, but it is another story.
My dilemma is this: Should I stick with the 40 for duty use and just get a 9mm conversion barrel to practice with (this was not an option when I first got the 9mm M&P), or switch to 9mm altogether? I owned both the 40S&W and 9mm for a little while and shot them back to back a number of times. The 9mm feels significantly different than the 40S&W, so it would not be matter of simply practicing with 9mm and then loading up with 40S&W to hit the street. I would have to finish off each session with 100 rounds or so of 40S&W to make sure I was back in the saddle.
I guess the question boils down to this: Is the 40S&W enough of an improvement in ballistics over the 9mm to justify sticking with the 40 rather than moving completely to 9mm? Remember that this is for a duty weapon and performance after passing through intermediate barriers (especially auto glass) is a big concern. My gut tells me to roll with the 9mm as a duty weapon and stop worrying about it. I just wanted to check in with those with more experience and knowledge to get some outside opinions. Thanks.
Current duty load: Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
The 9mm load would be whichever choice from DocGKR 's list I could get the cheapest:
Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)