Hornady Critical Duty 9mm

I have been carrying this for a while in my full-sized 9mm for a while and then saw this video. Great ammunition choice I think. I have been seeing some folks carry this load in their pocket 9s. Not advisable according to Hornady. The round was developed for full-sized weapons to perform as designed. I carry the TAP FPD 147gr in my Beretta Nano. Anyway, enjoy the video.


9mm +P Hornady CRITICAL DUTY Ammo Gel Test - YouTube

Now I want to see some of the gel tests against the barriers this round was designed to penetrate.

I carry this round as well in +P. Wroks real well in my full size XD. Hornady recommends the Critical Defense for shorter barrel hand guns

Yep, that is why I have Critical Defense in my pocket .380.

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Originally Posted by AdamSean

Now I want to see some of the gel tests against the barriers this round was designed to penetrate.

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Here you go, man-

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Product Line :: Critical DUTY®


To see the tests, go to the bottom of the page and hit the SEE DETAILS link below the image of each cartridge.


Looks like they pass the FBI test protocols, too. :image035:

I have seen the pictures before, but its much more fun to see action video. And they are the only modern round that has surpassed all FBI test protocol. Good stuff!

I also carry critical defense in my g19


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Well first of all you don't listen to the ammo manufacturer on what you shoot in your pistol. You use the gun manufacturer's info given the gun manual. +P or even +P ammo isn't made specifically for full sized guns.
Nowadays +P or even +P+ ammo has seen more of a push for use, only in barrels designed for it, in shorter barrel length guns like the pocket 9's. Speer even makes a Gold dot 9mm round that is specifically for shorter barreled guns. It is a higher pressured ammo designed to make up for the velocity lost in the shorter guns.

I use XDm's and in my comact 3.8 I can use +P and +P+ ammo. Although Springfield recommends only for limited use in the +P+.

Be advised though that the performance of certain +P ammo actually hurts the performance of the round. I've seen balistic testing done where the 147 gn Federal HST round was tested in balistic gelatin and exceeded the FBI standards only to have the +P HST round fail to meet the minimum requirements because of over expansion of the bullet caused less penetration. Keep in mind these test were done with a full
size gun and can turn out totally different if shot out of a pistol with a shorter barrel. The loss of velocity of the shorter barrel might not produce the same results and you may actually need the+P ammo to meet the minimum requirements for the FBI standards.

Confusing I know. So you need to find the ammo that is best suited for your gun and is most accurate, and most reliable.

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Originally Posted by countrygunner

Well first of all you don't listen to the ammo manufacturer on what you shoot in your pistol. You use the gun manufacturer's info given the gun manual. +P or even +P ammo isn't made specifically for full sized guns.
Nowadays +P or even +P+ ammo has seen more of a push for use, only in barrels designed for it, in shorter barrel length guns like the pocket 9's. Speer even makes a Gold dot 9mm round that is specifically for shorter barreled guns. It is a higher pressured ammo designed to make up for the velocity lost in the shorter guns.

I use XDm's and in my comact 3.8 I can use +P and +P+ ammo. Although Springfield recommends only for limited use in the +P+.

Be advised though that the performance of certain +P ammo actually hurts the performance of the round. I've seen balistic testing done where the 147 gn Federal HST round was tested in balistic gelatin and exceeded the FBI standards only to have the +P HST round fail to meet the minimum requirements because of over expansion of the bullet caused less penetration. Keep in mind these test were done with a full
size gun and can turn out totally different if shot out of a pistol with a shorter barrel. The loss of velocity of the shorter barrel might not produce the same results and you may actually need the+P ammo to meet the minimum requirements for the FBI standards.

Confusing I know. So you need to find the ammo that is best suited for your gun and is most accurate, and most reliable.

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This is not a pressure issue as in +P or not. The Critical Defense bullet is designed for soft tissue targets and to expand at the lower velocities of a short barreled gun. The Critical Duty bullet is designed to penetrate all hard barriers and still perform on soft tissue while retating bullet weight by way of the Interlocking Band that the Critical Defense does not have. In fact, I am using a non +P round of Critical Duty 9mm. The Critical Duty was designed for LEO use and the demands of that kind of work and the Criticl Defense was designed for Personal Defense at close range. And so it is a good idea to listen to the manufacturer on bullet design. If you read the advise, they will always tell you to refer to your weapon's recommendation for billet weight and pressures.

It is every bit a +P or not issue. Your arguement is hornady says the round might not perform correctly in short barrel pistols. That's because it requires a certain amount of velocity to cause the bullet to perform to it's ability. With shorter barrel pistols you lose velocity and therefore the rounds won't work correctly. Stepping up to the +P velocities will give the shorter barreled pistols the velocity it needs for the bullet to perform to specs. Read some more on this and you'll see what I'm telling you is right. The critical defense bullet doesn't expand to hot. It was a total flop if you ask me. It's pretty much a different bullet than the Critical Duty. I wouldn't waste my money or the Critical Defense bullet with the Federal HST, the Speer Gold Dot, the Critical Duty 135gn, even the Hornady TAP 147 you mentioned.

There is a point at which every bullet has it's limits. Too much expansion cuts down on pentration. Too little expansion gives way to too much penetration. If you don't hit the happy medium of both there is less tissue damage and without hitting major organs it doesn't matter too much either way.

Really I wasn't responding to your initial post of the Critical Duty round but a later post by someone carrying Critical Defense. Critical Duty is a totally different bullet that works a lot better than the Defense. Even still the statement hornady gives about it not performing well I believe is more for the NON +P round not the +P. In the video the guy is really using sort of a shortbarreled gun, a Glock 19 with a 4" barrel. Most pocket 9's have a 3 1/2" barrel, some don't. 1/2" won't make that much difference, an 1" will. That's why I mentioned the speer round it combats this with a higher charged round that will bring the velocity up to specs for the Gold Dot rounds to work correctly. Exactly what Hornady is talking about by saying that it may not work correctly in short barreled guns. Well I've seen tests where the Critical Duty round in +P will work in shorter barreled pistols. I'm sure Hornady put that statement in there to protect their buts in case it fails to work in someones gun. I think the Duty round is definately good enough for short barreled pistols in +P rounds.

I have seen people testing the Critical Duty in short barrel guns, but not with the barriers it is designed for. I choose the Critical Duty in case I need to shoot through my windshield, door, or drywall at home. Of course Hornady is protecting their backsides...lol. I would just hate to see someone try to use the Critical Duty in something the size of a Nano with a 3" barrel and have it lose the ability to penetrate the windshield and end a threat. I go with the bullets designed to work at slower velocities in my snubs. The 147gr TAP works great at slower velocities. Kimd of like a .45 works better at its lower end velocities. I think we should also add that it may not be effective to try to shoot through the windshield with a Nano. A 4"+ barrel would be better suited to perform well enough to stop a threat in this case.

I must retract my earlier statement that they will not perform as designed in short barreled guns. If you read the following link information it states the Critical Duty with perfom in ALL handguns, but is opitmized for full-sized due to the full power recoil. My bad. I think I would still use the standard pressure in my micro 9mm to reduce recoil. There is still the argument that +P loads have a negligible difference in performance since the shorter barrel doesn't allow all the powder to burn in the barrel to push the bullet all that much faster. My hands don't like the added recoil so I use standard pressure in my small guns and +P in the bigger, heavier guns. Anyway, here is the link talking about the Critical Defense vs the Critical Duty.

The difference between Critical DUTY® & Critical DEFENSE® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

Check this out. Here is some new data from a Kahr PM9.

Pocket Guns and Gear: Hornady Critical Duty 9mm 135 Grain Standard and +P Test

I have the Critical Defense rounds in my CW9 on my hip right now. I would feel just fine with a full size 9mm stoked with Critical Duty. I am a fan of the Critical Defense/Duty line of ammo.

I haven't really seen any bullet performance issues with either Critical Duty or Defence, but I know "some" guns don't take to the bullet shape very well, having feeding issues. Testing in your gun is paramount.

I like both rounds actually. It just depends on what I am carrying. In a pocket sized .380, the Critical Defense is my ammunition of choice,