P30 Ammo

[hoghunter]

Team,
Hope ya'll don't mind a few newbie comments/questions to clog your board. I took the advice here and purchased a M&P9 which has worked marvelous for me. But HK keeps calling. I have a wandering eye when it comes to guns and I have been seriously considering the P30. Was going to get the USP9 but the P30 continues to redirect my attention. I have been reading several comments on other boards regarding P30 ammo sensitivity. I shoot primarily 115gr Speer Lawman and the M&P loves it. I get the whole lock the slide back or rack it a couple hundred times to break in the spring. I been there done that with my Kahr, so much ammo cash down the tubes on that one. When you hear the terms, "break the gun in with hot ammo", what specifically and how many rounds are we talking? If someone can point me to the best break in ammo out there (specifically) and how many round to buy for the break in of a P30 I would appreciate it. Ultimately, this baby will get fed 115gr Lawman as I have way too much of it. Thanks

[F-Trooper05]

None of my P30's required any break in. If you need something hot though, 124gr NATO ball should do the trick.

With that said; have you mastered your M&P yet?

[BaiHu]

I needed about 300 rounds of 124 in my P30L. After that, that puppy will eat anything except for some steel casing stuff TGS loaned me when I was running low one day.

Sent using Tapatalk.

[hoghunter]

None of my P30's required any break in. If you need something hot though, 124gr NATO ball should do the trick.

With that said; have you mastered your M&P yet?

Nowhere near mastered it. Considering selling the M&P locally to get the P30. No real reason just cause I can't get the P30 out of my head. Not saying the HK is any better than the M&P9 but that P30 is so doggone sweet it's like I must have it. I am not a collector of firearms, more a temporary lien holder until I find something else I just gotta have- LOL. When folks say 125gr NATO ball what specific brand or exact ammo are they referring to? I'm talking down to product UPC number. Thanks

[jmjames]

I've put around 1,000 rounds of cheap, low powered stuff (Magtech 115, S&B 115, Federal 115, Remington UMC 115, etc. etc. etc.) through my P30 without a single malfunction of any kind. It inspires confidence overall. Next chance I get I'm putting some HST 124 +P through to verify proper feeding/cycling but I have no doubts that it will be fine.

If you look at the P30 and manually cycle it, what you'll see is that the round starts the process very high and that the feed ramp angle is relatively mild. There is little of the up-down movement that you see in other designs (like the 1911) that lead to bindings. I've cycled the same round in and out dozens of time (with a slingshot technique) with zero setback on the rounds, because there is so little contact with the round hitting the ramp head-on. This goes a long, long way to minimizing feed failures.

J.Ja

[Wolvee]

I don't know why so many people online say they have issues with lower grain bulk ammo. I didn't have any issues with either of my H&K's. (P30L & P2000SK) I didn't even clean them or add lube. ..Although I do have a habit of leaving the slide racked over night the day before I go and shoot a new gun. (Time permitting) I don't know if this helps at all but it's just something I do. I've never had to deal with any strange break in periods but I've always done it so I don't have anything to compare it with.

[DanH]

As far as 9mm NATO, Winchester sells it (not sure if anyone else does) it looks like standard Winchester White Box mostly, but it says 9MM NATO in big letters on the end of the box. I believe it is just regular 124gr FMJ loaded to +p pressures, which is NATO spec for 9mm ammo.
Midway USA had some listed on their website the last week or so, but I haven't checked the last few days.

Of course, I could be wrong

[JMS]

When you hear the terms, "break the gun in with hot ammo"...

....I stop listening to whichever idiot is talking, immediately following the word "...in...," because it's probably some Fudd; it's like saying your iPhone needs to be "broken in." Preposterous. The gun's either gonna work, or it's not, and you're testing THAT out, not "breaking it in."

There's no rubbing and polishing of mating surfaces. Modern duty-grade pistols don't require a "break-in period," nor do duty-grade ARs. They're not 1911s, nor accurized benchrest rifles with SS barrels that require a lot of genuflecting, and chanting, and burning of incense, and divining of auguries to shoot to their best possible potential accuracy. One pulls their modern duty-grade handgun out of the box, and one starts burning down ranges with it. Simple.

This Winchester Q4318 stuff, and similar...I've no doubt that it's loaded to some NATO/STANAG spec (there's more than just ONE for 9mm, folks...), but it's really pretty tame; standard +P level stuff. The US NATO 9mm is M882 147gr ball, which IS pretty hot stuff, though; something close to or passing 1300fps at the muzzle. Fun stuff with which to test your recoil management, if you can get it, but hot ammo is not going to imbue your pistol with some extra level of endurance if you use it to "break in the gun," or get it over with faster, or do something special to the springs, or any other gun-counter myth.

Just shoot the damned thing! Don't fret over how hot the ammo is, beyond whether or not it provides for reliable function of the firearm. YOU define your test period, though 1000-2000 malfunction-free rounds is the common range of recommended round-count you'll find aboard this forum and others. What ammo you use is the ammo that you can source for yourself at a reasonable cost. If 115gr Lawman is what you have tons of, you basically answered your own question.

[JodyH]

I've chrono'd the Winchester 124gr. NATO and it's no hotter than Federal AE or RWS 124gr. ball.
All were between 1150 and 1200fps from my P30.

[JV_]

I've chrono'd the Winchester 124gr. NATO and it's no hotter than Federal AE or RWS 124gr. ball.
All were between 1150 and 1200fps from my P30.

What makes it "HOT"? Pressure or Velocity?

Cartridge : 9 mm Luger (Para)						
Bullet : .355, 124, Hornady FMJ/RN ENC 35577						
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.150 inch or 29.21 mm						
Barrel Length : 5.0 inch or 127.0 mm						
						
Powder	type	Filling/Loading	Charge	Vel.	Prop.Burnt	P.max
						
Alliant	POWER Pistol	103.8	5.9	1237	86.6		34000
Vihtavuori	3N37	103.8	5.9	1204	94.5		34000
Accurate	No.5	85.5	6.3	1194	83.6		34000
Accurate	No.7	93.7	7.1	1177	75		34000
Vihtavuori	N330	97.7	4.6	1171	100		34000
Hodgdon	Universal	97	4.5	1169	100		34000
Winchester	231	80.8	4.4	1134	100		34000
Accurate	No.2	87.7	4.4	1129	97.2		34000
Hodgdon		HP38	81.6	4.4	1127	100		34000
Vihtavuori	N320	93.7	4	1117	100		34000