Carry vs. Practice Bullet Weight

[LittleRedToyota]

i generally practice with UMC 115gr FMJ ammo (glock 17, 9mm). it's cheap, easy to get, reliable, accurate, etc.

i've always been a believer that you should carry a round that is at least close to what you practice with. but i want +p and JHP for my carry rounds. so, i've always carried magtech guardian gold 115gr +p. i find it is quite reliable and shoots exactly like the UMC 115gr...same POI and i don't really notice any difference in recoil despite the +p. however, i can't find any ballistics test done with it, so i don't really know how it performs. (i chose magtech simply because it is the 115gr +p JHP that the nearest gun store to me stocks.)

so, lately, i've been thinking i might want to start carrying something like winchester ranger-t or speer gold dots in 127gr +p. (basically, time to start choosing my carry ammo based on some other criteria than "the store near me carries it" )

but, i still want to practice with 115gr UMC...since i can't readily come by any cheap 127gr practice ammo.

do any of you guys practice with 115gr, but carry 127gr +p? do you find that there is much difference when it comes to POI, recoil, etc.?

i prolly would just go with ranger-t or gold dot in 115gr +p, but i can't find any--don't think they make it. corbon does offer a +p 115gr 9mm load, but from doing some research, i'm starting to think 127gr is a better choice anyway.

but, i've just got this nagging voice in the back of my head saying i should not practice with one bullet weight and carry another. can someone please make that voice go away?

[Thekatar]

One question - about how many total rounds of your preferred carry ammo have you shot through your pistol?

[LittleRedToyota]

One question - about how many total rounds of your preferred carry ammo have you shot through your pistol?

about 500.

and, i'll put at least 100 rounds of whatever i switch to through it before switching. but, i'd like to get some input before spending the money to do that.

[Thekatar]

about 500.

and, i'll put at least 100 rounds of whatever i switch to through it before switching. but, i'd like to get some input before spending the money to do that.

500 is pretty good and a lot more than what a lot of guys do. I see it all of the time - guys carry a certain kind of ammo but practice with another. The ammo that they stake their life on is virtually unproven in their carry pistol.

Sorry this is a bit OT but I think it's important to mention. I have almost 1,000 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P through my Glock 19 at this point and I KNOW that my gun likes it. I also know what the muzzle flash looks like at night.

[LittleRedToyota]

Sorry this is a bit OT

no problem. i agree that it is a very important point.

I have almost 1,000 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P through my Glock 19 at this point and I KNOW that my gun likes it. I also know what the muzzle flash looks like at night.

what do you practice with, though? (or does that 1000 rounds include practice).

i would just practice with what i carry, but it would be prohibitively expensive (though i sometimes go for a month without shooting at all, other times i'll go through 1,000 rounds or more in a month.)

[TonyF]

I also carry 124gr +P gold dots but practice with Blazer 115gr fmc.

LRT, looks like you've come down with a case of PII.

[Carnes]

Good question LRT. I've had the exact same concerns myself, as I have been taught and fully agree with the, "train as you fight" concept.

Ideally, I would like to find a really good Self Defense round that has matching ballistic characteristics with an inexpensive training round. I have been looking around and have not been able to find a close match.

So, I have had all the same questions as you, and in addition, I wonder where the balance lies between "Train as you fight" and "The More Training the Better."

A firearm instructor once explained to me that the old phrase, "Practice makes perfect," is not as accurate as the statement, "Practice makes PERMANENT, and perfect practice, makes perfect."

Based on the idea that Practice makes Permanent, I would think that it is better to shoot 20 rounds a month of the actual carry ammo than to shoot hundreds of rounds of different ammo. However, I have to wonder if there is a big enough difference between the ammo types to overcome the lesser amount of training time?

To further complicate the question:

If I used an Airsoft pistol for a good bit of my practice, I could shoot thousands of rounds from any number of tactical scenarios and situations... Because shooting at a range under ideal conditions is not necessarily representative of a 'field' environment, perhaps it would be good to train frequently with an Airsoft that I can use in the backyard/garage and setup any number of training scenarios?

I'm not a pistol expert, and I hope that someone has a better answer and some input, but based on the above, I tend to think that a "Graduated System of Training" is going to be the best. I try to divide my training $$$ into three every month. One third will go toward a new box of top-notch +P JHP ammo, the second third toward a decent FMJ training rounds, and the last third to putting together an Airsoft training environment.

Hopefully, this will allow me to practice shooting my 'carry ammo' occasionally, my training ammo regularly, and Tactics and Techniques frequently.

[Thekatar]

Based on the idea that Practice makes Permanent, I would think that it is better to shoot 20 rounds a month of the actual carry ammo than to shoot hundreds of rounds of different ammo.

20 rounds a week sounds better.

I recently shot Remington UMC 115 gr. in a class because it was a good price. But I KNOW that my pistol likes my chosen carry ammo.

Like Tony said, the real difference is negligible as far as putting holes in paper.

[LittleRedToyota]

LRT, looks like you've come down with a case of PII.

i'm sure i've prolly got it, but...

...what the heck is PII?

(ETA: after re-reading my original post, i'm thinking PII is a mental disorder that causes the afflicted person to repeatedly call 124gr bullets 127gr. but, really, i was just trying to make sure to confuse everyone so that no one would know whether i was talking about 124gr or 147gr. all that counterintelligence training kicking in, i guess. )

thanks for the input everyone.

[CoyoteJack]

Define practice.

I used to spend several hours a week with nothing but snap caps in the pistols that I'm willing to use for carry. Loading, drawing from the different concealment options I use depending on weather and clothing options. I use the snap cap training options when going through clearing drills in my home with a tactical light at night (insomnia has its perks at times). I'll count rounds fired and time myself on reloading whether a revolver or a pistol. Each time I move I resume training with these dry fire drills several times a week until I can move fluidly thru the house in near total darkness using the tactical light only to confirm point of aim. Once I've learned the house I tend to only practice maybe twice a month.

Live fire is different though. I'd love to be able to afford to shoot box after box of the Federal Premium Hydra-Shoks which I prefer but I can't. Instead I do my best to match grain weights and shoot the much cheaper UMC or other bulk ammos. Even what I can get on sale. I do try a make it a point to shoot one box of my carry ammo at the end of a live fire session though. But while I may shoot 200 rounds of bulk at a time those cost me a .25 or a piece. The carry ammo is more like a $1 a shot. Heck with my .357 revolver I'll practice with .38 specials. Their even cheaper and easier on the recoil. At the end I'll run a few cylinders of mags thru it to remind myself what I'm carrying normally.

I try and take one of the current 3 handguns I use for protection out each month and use it at the range. I rotate my selection as I can and sometimes it depends on which one I have the most ammo for