{"id":4922,"date":"2023-06-13T15:06:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=4922"},"modified":"2023-06-07T15:32:30","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T15:32:30","slug":"hornady-critical-defense-vs-federal-hst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/hornady-critical-defense-vs-federal-hst\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornady Critical Defense vs Federal HST"},"content":{"rendered":"

As many experienced self-defense and duty carriers will tell you, it\u2019s not the gun that does the essential work, it\u2019s the ammo. (In all reality, it\u2019s both, functioning in tandem, that matters most, but we digress.)<\/p>\n

Your self-defense ammunition choice is one of the most important decisions you\u2019ll make as a gun owner. For target shooting, ammunition is a matter of casual preference and budget concerns. For self-defense, it\u2019s a decision that could save your life and lives of others.<\/p>\n

Two of the most popular self-defense rounds are the HST line from Federal Premium and Hornady\u2019s Critical Defense. Both of these brands, which come from well-established, highly-regarded ammo companies, are trusted by conceal-carry users all across the country. While similar in many ways, they also have clear differences that impact how they perform in a magazine, in the chamber, and when they are fired.<\/p>\n

Testing Hornady Critical Defense vs Federal HST<\/h3>\n

We’ll get into finer details about what makes these ammo choices different but let’s get right to the million dollar question first: What’s better for self-defense?<\/p>\n

We took a Sig P365 pistol that’s a fairly common choice for civilian shooters and tested each round in Clear Ballistics ballistic gelatin. For our testing we used Hornady 115 Grain Critical Duty ammo<\/a> and stacked it up to the best-selling Federal 9mm 124 grain HST<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From a distance of 10 yards, we registered five shots into the gelatin through a 4-layer fabric barrier. This is similar to what the Federal Bureau of Investigation does to evaluate its ammunition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Testing<\/p>\n

Gel Test Results for the Ammo<\/h3>\n

In our testing, both rounds performed pretty well appear to be decent options in 9mm.<\/p>\n

If you use the FBI’s guidelines as your barometer, the Federal HST proved to be a better choice for self-defense with this 3.1″ barrel.<\/p>\n

Average Penetration<\/strong><\/span>
\nHornady Critical Defense: 11.5″
\nFederal HST: 13.4″<\/p>\n

\"Hornady

The Hornady Critical Defense rounds are circled in red, the Federal HST in blue.<\/p><\/div>\n

Expansion for both rounds was somewhat spotty. In the case of the Critical Defense rounds, two of the bullets didn’t offer much expansion in the gel. In the case of the HST, two of those bullets also remained largely unexpanded.<\/p>\n

Average Expansion:<\/strong><\/span>
\nHornady Critical Defense: .49″
\nFederal HST: .6″<\/p>\n

\"Expanded<\/p>\n

So, why did these rounds perform differently? Let’s dive in to see how Hornady and Federal produce each round and how the materials and make-up of the ammo itself vary with these two options.<\/p>\n

Test Summary: Hornady Critical Defense vs Federal HST<\/h3>\n

Both rounds performed adequately well for shooters interested in self-defense. That said, the majority of self-defense trainers and experts would likely prefer the Federal HST based on its larger expansion and deeper penetration through the gelatin. These characteristics are beneficial when trying to neutralize an attacker.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, these tests were conducted with just one pistol and just one barrel. A full-frame pistol with a longer barrel, may give you different results. (As might a shorter pistol.)<\/p>\n

Hornady Critical Defense<\/h3>\n

Hornady Critical Defense is a personal and home-defense line of ammunition that, according to the company\u2019s marketing material \u201cmaximizes the potential of a hollow point bullet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most noticeable feature of the Critical Defense is the Flex Tip bullet. This bullet starts with a lead-core round wrapped in a copper jacket, the standard design for all hollow-point ammunition. What makes it unique is the ballistic tip (colored red for easy identification) that is loaded into the hollow-point cavity at the front of the round. Essentially, it\u2019s a hollow point stuffed with a polymer tip.<\/p>\n

\"Hornady's<\/p>\n

The design of the bullet is intended to cut through barriers like cloth and heavy clothing while maintaining its shape. The thought is that the red tip helps the bullet cut through initial barriers, then allows for expansion once it reaches the body of a target.<\/p>\n

The product line also uses nickel-plated cases, which are believed to cycle with greater reliability. (There is supposedly less friction for nickel than brass.) It\u2019s also loaded with low-flash propellants that will do less to disrupt your vision at night.<\/p>\n

Hornady has made Critical Defense available in a surprising variety of cartridges. The most popular self-defense rounds are present, including 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .40 S&W, but it also includes rare and less-used cartridges.<\/p>\n

Cartridges available for Critical Defense include:<\/strong><\/p>\n