+P ammunition offers the advantage of higher velocity and generally more tissue destruction at the sacrifice of more recoil and penetration. Most might think bullets going faster would penetrate deeper, but all things being equal, the faster a bullet is traveling the more it expands. And, the more it expands the more resistance it has. Therefore, penetration is usually less with +P loads. That was the case with the 124-grain +P Gold Dot from Speer. It expanded 26 percent more than the standard-velocity load and penetrated about 20 percent less. The wound cavity created by the +P version was much more pronounced in the gelatin. If you can handle the recoil—there was not much difference—the +P version is a better option in the 124-grain weight class.
Shooting Results| Load | IV (fps) | PEN (inches) | ED (inch) | RW (grains) |
| 9 mm +P Speer 124-grain Gold Dot HP | 1,182 | 13.25 | .71 | 124 |
