Who Makes Defensive Pistol Ammo?
Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy are going to go over some companies who provide defensive
pistol ammunition. We are going to first define what this type of
ammunition is and why one should employ it before delving into an overview of companies who produce loadings of this type. Without further ado, let’s go over who makes defensive
pistol ammo.
What is Defensive Pistol Ammo?
Like the name suggests, defensive
pistol ammo is
handgun ammunition optimized for self-defense purposes. These loadings will typically feature
jacketed hollow point (JHP) type projectiles or other specialized bullets. Projectiles of this type are designed to expand upon impact, providing better fight stopping capability and terminal ballistics. Upon entering the body, these types of projectiles can create dynamic wound channels and generate considerable tissue damage. Additionally, these types of loadings typically travel at high velocities to ensure proper levels of penetration are achieved. High velocities also aid in consistent expansion and kinetic energy transfer, translating to a better effect on target.
Why Use Defensive Pistol Ammo?
Simply put, shooters employ defensive
pistol ammunition for self-defense as
ammo of this type is best suited for this job. Standard full metal jacket (FMJ) or ball
ammo loadings can certainly dispatch threats if necessary but are ultimately suboptimal choices for defense. Most FMJ or ball loadings are designed for target use rather than defensive use, meaning that they lack specialized features to help dispatch threats. Rather than being designed to stop within a target and expand, some
FMJ loadings can potentially penetrate through the target and cause collateral damage. One is best served by employing optimized defensive loadings rather than suboptimal ball
ammunition. The benefits of defensive
pistol ammo over unoptimized
ammunition are appreciable and can very well preserve one’s life.
Purchase Ammo
Federal
Federal is a well-known American
ammunition manufacturer that produces a wide range of
ammo. Defensive
pistol ammo is no exception as
Federal produces defense-oriented loadings for many popular pistol calibers. These loadings are available in many forms such as the company’s Hydra-Shok line, HST offerings, Personal Defense, and Punch product lines. Additionally,
Federal also offers their versatile Train + Protect line of JHP
ammunition which can be utilized for either honing one’s skills or for self-defense.
Federal supports a wide range of calibers such as
9mm Luger,
.45 ACP,
10mm Auto, and
.380 ACP. Notably, many of
Federal’s product lines, such as the HST and Hydra-Shok offerings, are used by law enforcement personnel, meaning that these offerings are trusted by professional end users.
Barnes
Barnes supports the market by offering both factory
ammunition options and projectile offerings for defensive
handgun ammo. As far as factory
ammunition goes, the company offers their TAC-XPD line of
ammo. These loadings feature copper hollow point projectiles which are adorned with a coating which aids in reliable feeding and cycling. TAC-XPD projectiles feature deep cavities which facilitate rapid and considerable levels of expansion which translate to good effect on target. Additionally, TAC-XPD loadings from
Barnes are designed to feature minimal muzzle flash, allowing for a mostly undisrupted sight picture while firing. Popular calibers such as
9mm Luger,
.357 Magnum, and
.40 Smith & Wesson are represented by this product line and are trusted for both duty and concealed carry use alike.
Speer
Speer is another notable American
ammunition manufacturer that produces a wide range of
ammo. The company is well-known for their Gold Dot line of defense
ammunition. This product line covers many popular calibers employed by handguns often used for defensive purposes. These offerings cover popular calibers such as
.380 ACP,
.45 ACP,
10mm Auto, and even
5.7x28mm NATO. Additionally, the company also covers defensive rimfire loadings in the form of their Gold Dot
.22 Magnum loading. In their Gold Dot and Gold Dot G2 product offerings, the company even makes specific loadings tailored for short or long barreled pistols. The variety of loadings offered by
Speer cater to handguns of all shapes and sizes, whether for duty or concealed carry use cases.
Hornady
Hornady is a well-known American
ammunition manufacturer with diverse product lines spanning hunting, match grade, and subsonic
ammo offerings. Naturally, the company also produces multiple lines of defensive
ammunition.
Hornady notably produces their Critical Defense and Critical Duty lines of defensive
pistol ammunition. Loadings of this type include popular calibers such as
.38 Special,
9mm Luger,
10mm Auto, and
.45 ACP to name a few. The Critical Defense loadings are optimal for concealed carry use, especially when used in compact sized handguns. Like the name suggests, the Critical Duty line of
ammunition is optimized for duty use and is tailored towards service handguns. Both loadings are suitable for self-defense use and will serve professional end users and concealed carriers alike.
Sellier & Bellot
Sellier & Bellot, a notable Czech
ammunition manufacturer, also produces defensive
pistol ammo. The company produces loadings for a many popular pistol calibers such as
.380 ACP,
9mm Luger, and
10mm Auto. Notably, the company produces 50 round boxes of JHP
ammunition for many of the popular handgun calibers on the market. Often times, these loadings are similar to the ball loading equivalents of the same calibers, allowing shooters to train with a loading similar to this defensive
ammo. Additionally, the company also offers some more specialized offerings in the way of defense
ammo such as their
XRG product line. These loadings are optimized to provide more consistent expansion and emphasizes reliable feeding.
Sellier & Bellot defensive
ammo is well-suited for concealed carry.
Underwood Ammo
Underwood Ammo is well-known for their potent loadings for pistols and rifles. The hard-hitting defensive
pistol ammo offerings from
Underwood Ammo helped put them on the map. Currently, the company produces
ammunition for a variety of popular pistol calibers like
9mm Luger,
.357 Magnum,
10mm Auto, and
.44 Magnum. Additionally, the company produces loadings for more exotic, big bore cartridges such as
.50 Action Express and
.460 Rowland.
Underwood Ammo defensive loadings emphasize desirable levels of penetration in addition to extreme levels of expansion. The result is a devastating impact on target with great fight-stopping potential. Concealed carriers and professional end users alike trust
Underwood Ammo for concealed carry and duty use.
Corbon
Corbon is a well-known name in the world of defensive
pistol ammunition. The company put itself on the map with its viable loadings which commonly combined light projectiles with high velocities. These types of loadings allow for desirable levels of penetration and high velocities which impart a high level of energy transfer. These traits when combined with hollow point projectiles makes for a great effect on target.
Corbon currently supports a wide range of popular handgun calibers such as
9mm Luger,
.40 Smith & Wesson,
.357 Sig,
.380 ACP, and
.38 Super. The
Pow’RBall and
DPX product lines are popular defense-oriented handgun loadings offered by the company. Loadings of this type are suitable for self-defense, whether in a duty role or in a concealed carry capacity.
Sig Sauer
Sig Sauer is a notable name in the firearms industry. In addition to producing firearms and suppressors, the company also produces and offers
ammunition, specifically of the defensive type. Defensive
pistol ammo from
Sig Sauer can be found in the form of many specialized product lines. Many of the defensive loadings from
Sig Sauer feature V-Crown projectiles optimized for consistent expansion and weight retention.
Ammo of this type is found in Elite Defense, 365, Elite Performance Ammunition, Legion, and M17 product lines to name a few. These loadings are appropriate for defensive use cases such as duty or concealed carry. Popular calibers such as
9mm Luger,
.380 ACP,
10mm Auto,
.40 Smith & Wesson, and
.357 Magnum are represented by
Sig Sauer’s defensive
ammo offerings.
Purchase Ammo
Not a Comprehensive List
Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of defensive
pistol ammo manufacturers by any means. There are many other viable loadings available from companies such as
PMC,
Sierra,
Nosler, and
Fiocchi. The companies covered on this list just happen to be some of the most common and accessible in the industry. Additionally, these brands have readily available specialty product lines oriented towards self-defense that support a variety of popular handgun calibers.
Is Defensive Pistol Ammo Expensive?
Defensive
ammunition can generally come with a premium price tag when compared to traditional, standard
ammo offerings. This is due to many factors such as premium projectiles, non-standard components, and different manufacturing processes. Generally speaking, defensive
ammunition is also manufactured to higher standards than FMJ and ball
ammunition loadings are. These higher standards and premium materials lead to an increase in price. Simply put, defensive
pistol loadings may hold high prices, but they are ultimately premium
ammunition offerings which are designed to preserve one’s life.
Conclusion
All in all, these are some of the well-known providers of defensive
pistol ammunition. Loadings from these companies and more are viable for self-defense use cases such as concealed carry, home defense, and duty use. We here at True Shot Ammo carry loadings of this type from these companies and more, allowing shooters to browse a variety of defensive
ammunition offerings. Whether you are after individual box quantities or want to
buy bulk ammo offerings, we have got you covered.
Need bulk ammo? At True Shot Ammo, we have a wide variety of handgun ammo and rifle ammo available to purchase. Please visit our website trueshotammo.com, call us at (888) 736-6587, or you can email us at sales@trueshotammo.com for more ammo options.
View more posts about ammunition:
