There are few subjects as prone to create an argument as personal defense handguns and calibers. Some have a “devil may care” attitude and deploy anything, stating most are the same, while others go into great, even minute detail, in their testing and choices. I think that everyone should master the personal defense handgun of their choice.
Given a reliable handgun of good quality and at least 9mm caliber, you will be well armed. The choice must be backed by training. In today’s busy world, few of us have the time we would like to master the handgun thoroughly. This means compromise. What should never be compromised is ammunition quality.
The ammunition must be resistant to oil, solvent, and water. The primer seal and case mouth seal should be good. This doesn’t necessarily mean chemically sealed but a good tight seal. The ammunition should not be prone to the bullet being seated back in the cartridge case as it is worked through the action. Accuracy is relevant and the load should be accurate enough for personal defense. For me this means a four inch group at 25 yards in a service grade pistol. More accuracy is better if I can get it.
I have used Hornady ammunition for many years. Hornady was pushed to the top of the list when it introduced the XTP (Extreme Terminal Performance) bullet. There just wasn’t anything like it before and there is little competition today.
Today, we also have the Critical Defense and Critical Duty loads. They are not really variants of the XTP but fresh designs for a specific purpose. They have Hornady quality in common, however. These loads make the most of a handgun caliber.
Handguns, in general, are not very powerful compared to rifles and shotguns. The weak 9mm and strong .45 are more alike than they differ when compared to a .223 rifle or 12 gauge shotgun. I appreciate my Colt .45 1911 very much and often carry a single-action .45 loaded with the 250-grain XTP in the outdoors. Neither is as powerful as my Springfield M1A1 .308 or Browning Auto 5 riot gun—not even close. But the improved handgun loads from Hornady make the most of a handgun cartridge.
A man is about the size and tenacity to life of a large deer. The primary difference is animals do not know they have been shot and are less susceptible to shock. With a handgun, multiple shots may be the rule to stop a motivated felon.
Those motivated by profit seldom have to be shot, they will retreat at the sight of a handgun. The psychopath exists and so do those motivated by a desire to murder or cause human suffering. They may take a lot of shooting to stop.
Handgun bullets don’t damage a lot of tissue compared to 12 gauge buckshot or a .30 rifle bullet at 2,700 fps. Hydrostatic shock and energy dump are simply junk science when it comes to handgun wound ballistics. They are creative literature. What stops an assailant is a wound that produces blood loss.
The body’s pressurized system must be compromised and blood loss created to stop the system from operating. Even with a severe wound, the felon may return fire. As long time cop and writer Tom Ferguson stated, ‘Everyone has a 50-50 chance of dying in a gunfight.’
Penetration is the primary concern. If the bullet doesn’t penetrate to the vitals it is worthless. Velocity is important, as it enables this penetration. Velocity also instigates expansion, which increases the frontal diameter of the bullet and makes the bullet less likely to simply push flesh aside, but more likely to cut flesh and create a larger wound.
A large caliber bullet that expands creates the most damage. It isn’t easy to create enough energy to cause the bullet to both penetrate and expand ideally. One of the finest loads available for service use is the Hornady Critical Duty. This load penetrates auto glass, building material, and sheet metal and exits to penetrate at least 13 inches in ballistic gelatin. The bullet expands reliably, although expansion isn’t the same after hitting sheet metal, as an example, as when entering bare gelatin.
Expansion is 1.2 to 1.6 times the original diameter in institutional and industry testing. Hornady uses the FlexLock bullet in these loads. The original XTP has a thick jacket at the bullets base and a thinner jacket at the nose. This results in the bullet expanding, but not fragmenting, as expansion stopped at the shank.
The XTP usually retains 100 percent of its weight in testing. The XTP expands when the nose fills with fluid. Hornady developed the FlexTip or FTX bullet to offer a different type of expansion mechanism. There is a polymer tip inside the nose or sump of the Critical Defense bullet. The nose doesn’t clog with the FlexTip bullet.
Expansion isn’t as dependent on velocity. The FTX bullet may be loaded to lower velocity but retain good expansion, making for a controllable defense load. This technology allowed the development of a very good .22 Magnum loading using a 45-grain bullet and also good defense loads in .44 Special and .45 Colt. It led to the FlexLock.
The FlexLock is based on the same engineering principles, but with a solid locking section in the jacket that locks the jacket to the lead core. This bullet will not separate in tough material. While the XTP is a tough bullet, I have managed to separate the XTP when driving a 90-grain XTP to 1,600 fps in the .38 Super and in similar experiments—the bullet was designed for .380 ACP velocity, about 900 fps.
The FlexLock is a superior design for service use. Is it truly superior to the XTP bullet? The answer depends on your worst case scenario. It is the question of expansion versus penetration, and the FlexLock appears to have both. Hornady did a tremendous amount of research and development. The bullet weights are non traditional, with the first issue 9mm, a 135-grain bullet, and the .40 a 175-grain bullet.
Nickel-plated cases aid in smooth feed reliability. If you consult the Hornady website and its published data for FBI testing, you will find that the FlexLock penetrates about 25 percent more than the Critical Defense load during the FBI protocol testing. Some FlexLock loads actually penetrate less and expand more than the Critical Defense in bare gelatin. When it comes to barrier penetration, the FlexLock has every advantage. As a bonus, during the recent FBI contract testing, the FBI reported that the Hornady 135-grain 9mm adopted by the agency was the most accurate 9mm loading ever tested.
For most of us, the Critical Defense loading is a preferred home defense and personal defense load. I do not have the resources to duplicate the FBI testing and do not need to, as Hornady and the FBI have tested the load beyond my ability. However, I have fired the loads on the range and checked for recoil, reliability, and accuracy.
I have also fired into my standard water testing and qualified expansion. In short, you have less recoil with good expansion with the Critical Defense FTX bullet, just as designed. With the Critical Duty FlexLock bullet you have excellent penetration if needed.
Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty Gelatin Results
Velocity |
Penetration |
Expansion |
|---|---|---|
9mm Luger |
||
| Critical Defense 9mm 100 grain LITE (A low recoil defense load, tested in a three-inch barrel.) | ||
| 1,125 fps | 9.25 in | .57 |
| Critical Defense 115-grain | ||
| 1,140 fps | 11.25 | .55 |
| .38 Special 90 grain Lite, tested in a 1 7/8-inch barrel revolver | ||
| 1,010 fps | 8.25 | .54 |
| 110-grain | ||
| 1,010 fps | 13.0 | .50 |
| .38 Special 110 gr. +P | ||
| 1,090 fps | 11.25 | .54 |
| .357 Magnum 3-inch barrel L frame SW | ||
| 1,390 fps | 13.0 | .61 |
| .40 Smith and Wesson | ||
| 1,045 fps | 11.5 | .68 |
.45 ACP |
||
| 185-grain FTX | ||
| 1,000 fps | 13.75 | .66 |
| Critical Duty | ||
9mm |
||
| 124-grain +P | ||
| 1,140 fps | 13.0 | .53 |
| 135-grain | ||
| 1,056 fps | 15.25 | .56 |
| 135-grain +P | ||
| 1,162 fps | 14.0 | .60 |
| .357 SIG 135-grain | ||
| 1,221 fps | 14.0 | .58 |
.40 S&W 175-grain |
||
| 1,067 fps | 13.5 | .57 |
10mm 175-grain |
||
| 1,134 fps | 13.25 | .66 |
.45 ACP |
||
| 969 fps | 14.0 | .71 |
I think if feral dogs and the big cats are part of the outdoors picture, the FlexLock would be the better choice. I am particularly pleased with Critical Duty performance in both 10mm and .45 ACP caliber. The Critical Defense seems better suited to short barrel handguns with lower velocity potential. Below are certified test results with both lines of ammunition.
Does Hornady top your list as a favorite home defense or personal defense load? Share your answer in the comment section.
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Hornady makes the best ammo, hands down. I use it for reloading as well. I use Critical Defense in my .357 Sig. Impressive to say the least. The bullet angle profile is the same for all weights of bullets. This allows me to use one custom seating die for all their bullets. A custom seating die is needed for .357 Sig, as the neck is short and the bullet won’t seat right. Thank you Hornady! ?
Critical Defense is my everyday carry choice. Highly recommend!
For 9mm Critical duty .For my 442 in 38 Special I still favor Speer Gold Dot.
I have been in the firearms training business since 1980 as a Law Enforcement Instructor and Armorer. I have had the opportunity to read many articles and conduct my own research. This article has some very valid points. I have Critical Defense in all my handguns due to my own research. The FBI report going back to 1989 came up with the same statement. The ultimate stopping power of a handgun cartridge is deep penetration to vital organs causing the most damage to cause the most blood loss. Now that I am retired I will forward this article off to some of the trainers and get their views. and get back to you. Overall everything in this article concerning the Hornady Critical Defense Ammo makes sense. Thank you.
My favorite youtube site is Paul Harrell who Does unbiased tests of most everything gun related. He shoots realistic meat targets and is not a big fan of hyper ammo but hornady is the exception and never fails to deliver on its promises. It’s what I load in my 380 Lcp and Spectrum.
25 yards is a long shot, but I agree having the ability to do that range is good for any shooter. My local indoor range longest distance is 25 yards and I can shoot a tad better than 4″ groups most days at that distance using target ammo. I’ll have to try some Critical Duty and see how I do.
I had to chuckle about the 25yd being long distance – back in the dark ages (before any of the wonder nines came on the scene) as an Army MP we shot FIFTY yards as part of our qualification course with the venerable M1911A1 – and then as civilian LE we did the same with wheel guns.
In reality though -if a civilian is shooting at 25 yards, they are likely to be hard pressed to justify a viable threat. Still a good skill level to have.
“The weak 9mm and strong .45….”
¿What? Huh? I realize there is more to this sentence, which is designed (poorly, I might add) to compare the two aforementioned calibers to rifle & shotgun cartridges. But com’on, give insight into the thinking involved in those first 6 words and the lame-brained reasoning/sentiment in the comparison contained therein.
What, exactly, is it that renders a 9mm “weak” and a .45 “strong”? Velocity? Nah, 9mm wins that one. Capacity in similarly styled hanguns? Nope, 9mm wins that one too. Bullet mass? Perhaps, but strange criteria to differentiate between “strong” and “weak.” Performance? Really? Say it ain’t so! But I can think of nothing else to consider.
Since the author centered his article on “Hornady” ammunition, I offer the following:
“Comparing quantifiable wound characteristics─cavity diameter, cavity depth and total penetration─for several of the more recent bullet designs, there is virtually no difference in performance of the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. You would have to give a slight edge in total penetration to the 9mm.”
Attribution for the statement above goes to:
Dave Emary
Senior Ballistician
Hornady Manufacturing Inc.,
as printed in Guns and Ammo Magazine, issue, June 2017.
There is MUCH more to what Mr. Emary said concerning this topic, and, in my opinion, it is well worth reading.
“Weak 9mm and strong .45”? Indeed!
I think your reaction to the author statement is overstated. The intent was to show that while we may compare one handgun to the other– the 9 to the 10mm, the .45 to anything else, when compared to shotgun or rifle they are more the same than they differ.
Mr. Emary is among the best of modern engineers, no question.
Like many I have arrived on the scene after people have been shot. I have also shot a good many game animals. I have stopped a bullet myself. I believe that men are about the same size as a deer, although more vulnerable to shock, and it takes about as much to put one down as the other. While I would deploy a rifle if possible in the meantime I will carry and conceal my 10mm, .4o and .45 caliber pistols.
Bullet mass? Perhaps!
I use Critical Defense as my normal load in a G43, hopefully will NEVER have to prove its effectiveness.
Challenge to Hornady (or any other ammo manufacturer) – develop a .380, a .32ACP and a ‘real’ challenge: .327 Federal Magnum – those cartridges are used as either back up guns or for many smaller sized (and older) folks as their only option. I know those calibers are not considered viable self defense loads by the bigger is better crowd but they are the ones available to many.
Mr. GomeznSA, I think if you check you’ll find the 327 Federal is quite HOT! Close to 327 Mag. level and far more powerful than the .380 and .32.
Error: The sentence should read “Close to .357 Mag. level”.
Well, the .327 Fed. Mag is for sure closer to .327 Mag level than it is to .357 Mag level, so don’t worry about it 😂
Gold dot by Speer.
Law Enforcement ammo
124 + P 9 mm
I love Speer Gold Dot, but my first choice is Hornady’s Critical Duty. Whether my EDC is a Sig C-3 or Colt Commander both in .45acp; or a Sig P226 or S&W M&P compact both in .357 Sig to my backup with a S&W model 36, all are loaded with Critical Duty ammo.
Critical Defense in my P365 and Critical Duty in my Glock 19, 26 and Ruger PC Carbine
25 ammo doesn’t have enough powder in it to to push the bullet through the barrel.
Very dangerous because it’s an automatic weapon. Inexperienced person might pull the trigger again because there’s a live round in the chamber right behind the stuck bullet.