The tip of the jacket is skivved (thinned) to make expansion more dramatic and reliable, and testing (and real-world use) has indicated HST does so more dramatically and reliably than Hydra Shok, which was practically the go-to carry ammo for some time.ДЄ 'law enforcement only' line called HST Tactical and the civilian brand are both made by Federal. HST ammunition mechanically locks the lead core to the jacket, so the round acts like a bonded hollow point without actually bonding the two layers. Federal does make a short-barrel load, so you may wish to consider it. It's known to do fairly well in short barreled pistols, so you can carry in a compact such as a Glock 26 or Glock 43. A number of law enforcement agencies and police departments have adopted it, so it's good enough for the professionals. Federal HST succeeded Hydra Shok as the premier handgun ammunition made by Federal with a number of design improvements over its predecessor. Federal HST 9mm AmmoДЄnother popular 9mm ammunition brand is Federal HST.

The slightly shorter case (less than 1mm is taken off) gives some guns indigestion, so make sure to check to see if your gun (or guns) can feed it reliably. Hornady's Critical Duty and Critical Defense bullets - namely the projectiles, not the cartridge - require a little bit be trimmed from the case mouth to fully seat into the case. Ballistic testing by various parties indicates as much. Its counterpart, Critical Duty, was designed for use in duty pistols, so it is better reserved for use in full-size guns.Д¬ritical Duty is a known performer, and Critical Defense is a very popular carry round, so it's an excellent choice. When the bullet enters a soft target, the polymer nub in the bullet puts additional hydraulic pressure on the cavity in the bullet, making expansion more reliable.Д¬ritical Defense was designed for use in short barrels, so it can be carried in either a full-size gun or a compact like an M&P Shield or Springfield XD-S. Both rounds feature a similar design (though not the same) as a jacketed hollow point with a polymer insert. Critical Defense is the civilian carry counterpart to Critical Duty, their duty ammunition line that's found wide adoption in the law enforcement community. One of the most popular 9mm ammo brands for self-defense is Hornady Critical Defense. Now, with that said, let's go over some popular types of 9mm ammo that are very popular for self-defense. If the 9mm ammo in question is a proven performer, if getting it doesn't break the bank and it works well in your gun, you've found a winner. You'll probably find that many brands and specific product lines thereof are okay but a few really stand out. Good ammo you don't have to spend much for? Even better!ДЄnother factor, though, is totally subjective and that is how well it shoots in YOUR gun. 30-06.) That said, it's one thing to spend a lot of money for really good ammo it had better work or else no one will buy it. (If you think a box of HST is expensive, go get a box of Nosler Partition, even in something common like. Granted, 9mm ammo isn't expensive even the good stuff is bargain-basement compared to rifle rounds. After all, what good is any 9mm ammo hollow point if you can't trust every round to ignite?ДЄnother is price. While shooting a bullet into ballistic gel tests isn't perfect by any means - it's a poor substitute and most people don't bother putting things like a ribcage in the gel for realism - it gives you an idea of how well it might work. With others, you must rely on ballistic testing done by various people. Typically, it's carried by police and word gets out that they're happy with it.

If it doesn't work, it's only good for the range.ДЄs far as self-defense ammo goes, there are a few brands with an established track record in real-world use.

Carry ammo has to do the job it's made to do, which is fly straight, penetrate to sufficient depth and - in case of jacketed hollow points - expand sufficiently to open up a larger wound channel, dump the round's energy into the target and come to a stop before exiting.

What makes one brand or particular box really good and what makes another one not so good? Before we get rolling, we should probably define the 'best' 9mm ammunition.

Buy 9mm ammo