Is NATO ammo safe?

Smoky14

July 07, 2003 08:51

I was going through the safe on my way to the range this morning and ran across some 9MM ammo marked "9mm NATO 124gr FMJ. Caution loaded 10% higher than industry standard.
Is it safe to run in my Ruger P89?
Was it origionally designed for machine guns?

Thanks for the help
Smoky the curious


People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.

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  rldowns3

  July 07, 2003 09:07

  If you can use +P ammo in your gun this stuff is probably safe to use but I'd still consult the owners manual if you have one on your peticular firearm. A lot of pistols will handle the hotter loads but there are some that are not reccomended to run +P ammo through.
  
  ______________________
  
  Your life is not my fault.

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  Horse Plains Drifter

  July 07, 2003 19:15

  I purchased some Austrian 9mm sub-gun ammo. It is supposed to be +p+. The seller warned buyers to contact their gun manufactuer to find out if it is safe to shoot. I called Ruger and the person I talked to said it would be fine to shoot it in my P85. She said that if I fed the gun a steady diet of this stuff I should change the recoil spring "once in a while".
  
  I advise you,however to not take my word for it. You should contact Ruger at the phone number listed here.http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Corporate/Contact-FPS.html
  
  81st FA BN WWII...Thanks Dad
  U!S!A! ALL THE WAY!!

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  madmarc0

  July 07, 2003 19:26

  I had the same ammo, yes it is ok to use. We used it for our MP 5's but also in the Beretta M9 and it was fine.
  
  Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun has!

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  allechalley

  July 07, 2003 19:36

  In my opinion, if any 9mm pistol will handle it well, it probably is the P89. Typical Ruger, built tough and overengineered. I would say, however, that expect your point of aim to be changed dramatically and like others said, expect accelerated wear on some moving parts. Again, probably sage advice to call Ruger.

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  bobski

  July 25, 2003 15:35

  NATO 9mm and 45 rounds are all loaded hot to be able to operate in ALL NATO COUNTRIES GUNS. some countries guns have soft recoil. some guns are stiff and require hot rounds to operate the bolts. on joint ops, you cant be having weak rounds mixed in with hot ones. most milspec rounds of this nature are made in israel under the name of TZZ. so, wherever you go to do dirty deeds, the ammo will work.
  
  former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.

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  Delta514

  July 26, 2003 10:27

  I do believe that you are safe firing the NATO Rounds. But like most all Semi-Auto Pistols (.22 to .45) when extreme changes in ammo are made, the Recoil Spring should be changed to match the load. A Buffer on the guide rod would help to some degree but not over an extended period of +P+. [;)]
  
  Ronnie G. Perkins

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  Cawdor

  July 26, 2003 13:12

  Here are some links that you may find helpful.
  
  Specs for Winchester 9mm Nato (from dealer's web site)
  
  Specs for IMI 9mm 115 grain NATO Qualified
  
  Speer Ammunition Specifications
  
  Draw your own conclusion. Mine is that 9mm NATO is +P or a little higher, but below +P+.

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  brecht

  July 31, 2003 10:29

  generally it is safe to use +P ammunition in all steel guns.
  I have heard from problems arising in the P226 which hasan alinum lower. That is why the new target version of the P226 is all stainless steel.

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  prism133

  July 31, 2003 13:35

  you can use +p ammo in any gun
  for one reason the case thickness is also increased
  and you can check that with the bullet manufacturer
  its safe

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  v35

  August 02, 2003 12:30

  SAAMI standard maximum individual pressure for 9mm,124gr is 43,300psi.
  NATO M882 pressure is 42,000psi, velocity 1225fps.

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