[BTR11584]

Just got a deal on my first nine, a Browning Hi-Power Mk.3. However many folks have warned me to not shoot +P ammo out of it due to wear. Is this true or just gunshop rumors? Also what is the difference in recoil between standard 9mm and +P loads? Is it as great as the difference between .38 and .357 Mag?

[Armedleprechaun]

Hope this helps, Happy shooting! http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/BHPandHighPressureAmmo.htm :)

[The Lone Haranguer]

Also what is the difference in recoil between standard 9mm and +P loads? Is it as great as the difference between .38 and .357 Mag?
Not nearly. Standard 9mm Luger is ~35,000 psi, +P ~38,500, a difference of less than 10%. This seems, subjectively, about right, based on 9mm "NATO" (roughly the same ballistics as +P) that I have shot.

Whether a steady "diet" of +P will harm the gun, I will leave to those more familiar with it. It does seem to have a pretty slender slide, though. Certainly, occasional use won't harm it, unless it is very old (pre-WWII) or built during the war under virtual slave labor conditions. Realistically, you may not be able to afford enough +P to actually wear it out.