Designed from the ground up for concealed carry, the new 30 Super Carry cartridge caught a lot of attention after its recent introduction. It seems only fitting that Federal added a load for this cartridge in its highly regarded HST line of defensive ammo.
The HST is carried by many law enforcement agencies and citizens for self-defense. The capabilities of the HST bullet have been proven in other calibers and has been shown to be most reliable and effective bullet designs available today, which makes perfect sense that Federal would add the bullet to the HST line.
Federal is using a 100-grain HST hollow-point bullet in this load. The company states the round should make for 1,250 fps at the muzzle. That works out to be 347 ft.-lbs. of energy, which is respectable for a self-defense load. Of course, the bullet’s performance will vary from gun to gun, but that should be a solid performer regardless of barrel length.
HST bullets are designed to provide optimum penetration in gelatin and expand even after encountering intermediate barriers such as thick clothing. Penetration and expansion are often cited as being more important than energy as factors in stopping a violent attacker. Federal uses nickel-coated cases for improved lubricity and reliability.
If you are not familiar with the 30 Super Carry cartridge, the caliber was introduced earlier this year. Similar in length to the 9mm cartridge, the 30 Super Carry uses a projectile with a narrower diameter: .312-inches instead of 0.355 inches. This allows a firearm manufacturer to stack more cartridges into a magazine than a 9mm could fit into the same space. Ballistic testing suggests that the 30 Super Carry may have an effectiveness approaching the 9mm.
HST is part of the company’s premium personal defense ammunition offerings. As such, they are sold in smaller packages of 20 cartridges. The suggested retail price on a single box is $36.99. You can read additional information about the cartridge at federal premium.com.
