MacD wrote:

Thanks for all the sage advice. I was looking at the S&W M&P last night in either 9mm or .40. I need to find one to heft etc. They sell it in a range kit with holster, 2 extra mags in a belt holder and a speed loader

Hi Mac, I have the S&W M&P 9mm and I like it. Being as 9mm is the round that we all use (gov't), you would have access to a LOT of brass to reload and it is really straight forward to reload. It is better than it getting thrown out. You will find with the MP9 that when you are using 147gr bullets that you more than likely will consistently throw them high. The solution is to drop to 115gr as the recoil on this light pistol is throwing them high and with the 115gr they will be coming out faster. That was the advice that I took from S&W armourer I spoke with. They only use 4-5grains of powder which will give you well over a thousand rounds per pound of powder. Cheap, cheap cheap shooting. Bullets can be gotten quite cheap also from Frontier Bullets out of south africa's Canadian distributor in Ottawa. PM me and I can call you or send you the info.

Thanks ITD I never thought of the brass supply :-)

MacD, Bottom line ....... get something your comfortable shooting and feels good in the hands !!!

If you plan on re-loading you can tame any of them to your comfort level.
9's are great for casual shooting and are definitely cheaper to feed but I prefer a .40 or .45 for carry............best solution is you need more than one gun !!!

Thanks all. As Carrying is strictly verboten for most Canucks I am still on the 9mm side although many here have .40's. Is either better for reloading than the other?

MacD,
Reloading the 9mm verses the 40 is like comparing the 38 special to the 45. The larger the volume of the cartridge the more versatility is built in. Part of the versatility is absorbed by the fact that autos work best within a small range of velocity and pressure. Less and trhey are unreliable and too much more and you beat the gun to death - especially if it is a light alloy or composite gun. You can tune the gun for a load by using custom springs and snubbers but no matter how you modify the gun you still need to match the ammo to the gun for proper functioning.
If the 40 cases are available that is what I would choose. The larger cases allow you to select different powders to give different velocity / pressure curves to get different loads that all operate the gun well. The 9mm isn't as finicky as the 380 but it is more sensitive than the 40.

I agree with Paul that 9's can be sensitive !!!
Don't let that discourage you though.... it's just a matter of understanding and knowledge.
Small adjustments can change things quickly so it's imperative to go slow and work up. Even an increase in crimp can increase pressure more than you would think. Seating the bullet deeper will also increase pressure quickly.
This is due to the fact that the smaller the case the more sensitive they become to change.
For this reason I stay away from max loads in the 9 and set seating depth and crimp before working the load up to my needs.

As for the .40cal........ I strongly recommend buying a gun with a fully supported barrel if you plan to reload for it.
If your going to be using range brass you need to pay attention to the brass that you pick up. Brass that is continuously shot through an unsupported barrel will eventually fail.
Again....don't be discouraged just get the knowledge you need.
As for loading.....it's pretty straight forth. Get some 180gr flat nose and load them up.

Chambered, just that I get it right: can you explain 'supported' and 'unsupported' barrels?

Thanks.

Aloy

Click this link to get a full explanation with pictures for supported and unsupported barrels. 38super.net/Pages/supported.html

I get the message. But when a round headspaces on the mouth of the case, isn't it normal then that some part of the case is left unsupported?

Depends on manufacture but most seem to support the entire body of the case, also remember what little may be showing will be the web of the case which is stronger.

Glock is a prime example of an "unsupported" chamber. Colt and most 1911's are a good example of "supported" chambers

Bushy, correct me if I'm wrong.

Don't mil spec Colts and some 70's series have non-ramped unsupported barrels ???

Standard production of most 1911 patterns (Colt included) have ramps built into the receiver and the barrel/chamber leaves a small amount of the case "unsupported". One of the features that custom gun builders generally offer are ramped barrels. These require that specialized milling be made in the receivers to accommodate the barrel ramp.

Thanks SingleShotLover.That should answer some of Chambered221's question.

OOPS

Chambered. I stand corrected. You are right. The Colt .45 ACP's barrels are not ramped. The frame has the ramp. My Kimber UCC II has the ramp as part of the barrel.

I can recommend the M&P in either 9 or 40, or the XD 40 or the Sig 9 or the Kimber 45... I haven't met a pistol I didn't like.

If you really want a Hi Power... buy once-cry once