9 mm 115-grain Hornady Critical Defense

by
posted on October 26, 2010
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
hornady-9mm-115-354x200.jpg

With its Critical Defense line of ammunition, Hornady's intent was to provide loads that would perform well against intermediate barriers by still expanding and not over-penetrating. I've tested the full line of Critical Defense ammunition, and it appears Hornady succeeded on all accounts. By inserting a polymer ball tip in a bullet similar in design to its XTP line of bullets, the company has created an ammunition line that feeds and expands reliably and generally penetrates to an optimum depth. The 9 mm, 115-grain load is no exception.

Shooting Results
Load IV (fps) PEN (inches) ED (inch) RW (grains)
9 mm 115-grain Hornady Critical Defense 1,119 10.00 .56 115

Latest

Falco Multi-Fit Universal Holsters
Falco Multi-Fit Universal Holsters

First Look: Falco Multi-Fit Universal Holsters

Available in a wide range of materials and models.

First Look: XS Sights R3D 2.0 Night Sights for Springfield Echelon Pistols

The sights have a low profile, snag-free rear sight and a bright green or orange front sight.

Hornady Announces Get Loaded Plus Promotion

This promotion runs from now until the end of 2025. 

Review: Beretta 1301 Tactical C Shotgun

How do you improve on an excellent home-defense shotgun? Increase the capacity.

First Look: Military Arms Corp MAC-5 Binary Trigger Binary Trigger Pistols

Add a little more pewpewpew to your large format pistol.

First Look: Sierra Bullets 6mm 107-grain HPBT MatchKing-X Bullets

The accuracy you expect from a Match King bullet, with improved terminal ballistics.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Illustrated delivered to your inbox.