re: Home defense ammo

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Any reviews on it, and what do you guys use if there is something better?

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If you're shooting Critical Duty from a short barrel, you may want to reconsider changing it. But if it's from a 4.5-5" barrel that is optimal. The way hollow points work is a bit counter intuitive - the faster the bullet is flying, the less penetration you get since the bullet expands quicker. There may be some exceptions to this rule, but for the majority of rounds it's true.

Every bullet is designed to expand consistently at a certain velocity. That's why I carry Hornady Critical Defense - it's light, yes, but it delivers consistent performance from a short barrel. My carry guns (M&P9c, Kahr CM9) both have short barrels. I want the best performance out of them.

What is optimal performance? Well the FBI standard of 12-18" of penetration in bare gel is the best medium we have to test rounds. This accounts for both underpenetration and overpenetration. Optimally, I would rather my bullet stay in the intended target and not pass through, so I like it to fall in this range in tests. Does it perfectly simulate a human body? Not really, but it does give us a basis to compare rounds. I am no ballistician but I understand the basic concept.

I have 175gr Hornady Critical Duty in my M&P40 CORE 5". It is designed for longer barrels and will penetrate less than out of a shorter barrel.

The YouTube channel that really opened my eyes was ShootingTheBull410. He is the only guy I've seen that consistently tests hollow points from short barrels since that is what most of us civilians will be doing.

Anyway, rant over. Hope I at least made an ounce of sense.