.22 Mag. Hornady Critical Defense 45-grain FTX

Hornady's Critical Defense load for the .22 Mag. was specifically designed for short-barreled handguns. It would appear, however, the company did not intend this stuff to be fired from a handgun with a barrel that is only 1-inch long. Out of the North American Arms Pug, which has a 1-inch barrel, the load did not generate enough velocity to deliver much expansion at all. According to Hornady, from a 2-inch barrel, this load will penetrate about 9 inches and expand more than 1.6 times its original diameter.