HP vs FMJ in training

[Saakee]

I try to shoot a mag or so of my sd carry at least once a month. A friend of mine turned me on to some FMJs that are the same grain as my sd rounds and using the same powder as the winchester ranger ammo I have.

I've been shooting Blazer fmjs in 115gr to round out my round count and wondered if these 127gr fmjs will behave as close as possible to my 127gr +p+ hp round will? I can get the fmjs in +p+ as well i've been told (can't link to the round since i can't remember the name of them and friend is out of town for a few weeks) but since Glock says not to shoot +p+ all the time, i figure a proof level round is fine for sd but not for target work.

Sorry if it's a bit wieldy, I'm kinda sicker than normal atm.

 

[firesky101]

The point of impact change at self defense ranges is negligible. When the adrenaline is pumping I don't think you will notice the recoil. I always practice on the cheap, and only shoot premium to verify function.

 

[mortablunt]

At SD ranges, different bullet designs do not really change anything meaningful in terms of accuracy. Terminal performance will be affected by what you shoot in those dire moments, but your point of impact will not change by any noticeable or significant degree.

 

[bigfatdave]

don't overdo the "train with what you'd defend yourself with"

you won't be wearing hearing protection when you defend yourself
you won't be planning an afternoon shooting when you defend yourself
you won't have 15 minutes to set up your gear and target when you defend yourself
you will be in the middle of an extreme adrenaline dump when you defend yourself

so who cares about a 1/2" change in POI and a bit more recoil? Test your carry ammo for function and shoot up a magazine full once in a while and don't worry about it.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

If the loads have the same recoil characteristics, point of impact and reasonably close accuracy, there is no real need to do your range practice with the $$$ ammo, only test enough of it to establish reliability.

 

[TNboy]

I practice with my carry loads when they turn green. Other than that they do not get used.

 

[Flopsweat]

don't overdo the "train with what you'd defend yourself with"

you won't be wearing hearing protection when you defend yourself
you won't be planning an afternoon shooting when you defend yourself
you won't have 15 minutes to set up your gear and target when you defend yourself
you will be in the middle of an extreme adrenaline dump when you defend yourself

so who cares about a 1/2" change in POI and a bit more recoil? Test your carry ammo for function and shoot up a magazine full once in a while and don't worry about it.

Well put, Dave. I have a regular regimen for practicing with defense ammo. Eventually the top round gets too many extractor marks on it from unloading/loading, so I shoot it 'cause there's no way I'm throwing it out. OK, really every couple of months I shoot 5 or 10 of them so I'm still familiar. Nice link in the sig line BTW.

 

[bigfatdave]

Eventually the top round gets too many extractor marks on it from unloading/loading, so I shoot it 'cause there's no way I'm throwing it out. OK, really every couple of months I shoot 5 or 10 of them so I'm still familiar.

top two for me, I keep a box of "miscellaneous pistol ammo" in with defensive ammo, and that's where beat-up, corroded, scratched, dinged-nose or just plain old ammo goes. I also toss whatever's in the magazines in there when I do the 2-3 times per year ammo change-out.
I shoot that stuff up when there's enough of a particular caliber to fill a few magazines, about once a year for 9x19 and .45acp ... I run them in a dirty gun as a reliability test at the end of a range trip, and blow up some water jugs on the berm while I'm at it.

A thought:
When you start buying your defensive ammo in 50x boxes instead of the 20-25x chump boxes, you save a lot of money per round and it gets a lot easier to just shoot up some of your defensive ammo. Also when you have ammo cans full of the stuff, blowing a few magazines isn't a large percentage of your stash.
So, not only do I not pucker up at the thought of using a bit of my defensive ammo for practice once in a while, but I'm also entirely disinclined to try to find an in-between option, there's cheap range ammo and there's not-so-cheap defensive stuff, I don't need a moderately expensive simulated load.

Of course, it is hard to simulate a gun breaking due to +P+ loads, I wonder if the OP has his own armorer or a preventative maintenance program in place to make sure nothing is about to fail in there. What is the real pressure on those +P+ Ranger loads, anyway? Is it just barely over the +P max pressure, or is it way out there?