It’s not like you don’t have plenty of options in the market for defensive ammo. There are tons of good rounds out there - Hornady Critical Defense, Speer Gold Dot, Remington Ultimate Defense, and Federal Hydra-Shok.
From the maker of the latter, you also have Federal HST, one of the most popular (and effective) defensive rounds on the market today.
But what specifically are the selling points of this ammo, particularly with respect to defensive applications? Let’s take a closer look.
It Carries Just the Right Amount of Muzzle Energy
Federal HST is a hot round, regardless of caliber, but to illustrate this, let’s put their 9mm HST under the microscope (check it via the previous link.)
It produces 326 ft-lbs of muzzle energy and 1000 FPS at the muzzle. This is actually an excellent balance for a defensive round since most 9mm Luger rounds produce somewhere around 350 ft-lbs.
But wait, you’re thinking - doesn’t that mean this ammo is light for defensive use? Not exactly. It makes it easier to handle and it doesn’t kick as hard as some other defensive 9mm rounds.
That makes it more manageable for more shooters of varying skill levels, while also delivering on the following performance attributes.
The Jackets Are Deeply Skived
Hollow point bullets don’t do their job if they don’t expand reliably. The industry term for this is disruption.
A hollow point bullet must not only expand rapidly, but it must expand in a controlled fashion, as well as reliably and consistently, even when passing through interposing barriers (see below).
Some hollow points simply have a depression in the nose, and that’s that. They perform, but not nearly as reliably, and not nearly as devastatingly, as hollow points with skived bullets.
A word of clarity is merited here on what skiving is in the first place. Take a look at a picture of Federal HST ammo and pay close attention to the nose of the bullet.
You will see that there are notches in the rim around the nose where the depression of the hollow point starts. These notches attenuate into striations that run down the jacket from the nose of the bullet.
That is what is meant by skiving, and rest assured, it is not built into the bullet manufacturing process for cosmetic reasons. It is entirely about performance.
The skiving on the bullet jacket serves as a weak point, a “tear away” point, if you will, from which the bullet’s expansion begins.
The fact that these bullets are made with templated skiving results in much more reliable disruption that is also faster and broader than some other conventional hollow points.
As a result, they produce wider wound channels and more explosive cavitation, generating greater stopping power when compared to some other hollow point bullets of the same caliber.
They’re Tested Against Plugging
Another great thing about Federal HST is that they’ve been tested for performance and reliability against a phenomenon known as “plugging” which occurs when a hollow point bullet encounters an obstacle between it and its intended target.
Basically, a hollow point bullet “plugs” when it encounters an interposing barrier, typically fabric, and the void in the nose fills up and gets plugged (hence the name) with whatever the material is.
When this happens, the hollow point then performs more akin to a conventional jacketed bullet. The problem here is that plugging limits optimal penetration and expansion characteristics and adversely affects the potential of the bullet.
But Federal’s engineers are farther-seeing and have specifically tested HST against this phenomenon. It has been demonstrated to consistently expand and offer optimal penetration characteristics, even when it encounters several layers of fabric before reaching its intended target.
Federal HST Lacks the Center Post of the Original Hydra-Shok Bullets
If you take an original Hydra-Shok round and look at it side-by-side with a Federal HST round (which stands for “Hydra-Shok Technology,” by the way) you will notice that the former has a little center post in the nose of the bullet, which the latter utterly lacks.
The center post served a purpose in the original ammo. Basically, the idea is that the post forces fluid pressures outward against the insides of the bullet’s hollow when it strikes its intended target. That outward pressure helps force disruption.
In the upgraded Federal HST line, that just wasn’t necessary. A combination of skiving and carefully engineered bullet dimensions eliminated the need for such a consideration - and the performance of this line is as good as if not better than its predecessor.
The Bullets Are Non-Bonded
The question of bonded vs. non-bonded bullets is a hot topic in the world of defensive ammunition, specifically with respect to jacketed hollow point ammo.
The idea between bonded hollow points is this: by bonding the jacket to the bullet’s core, it’s more difficult for the two to separate. When they do, the bullet loses mass (experiences a drop in weight retention), doesn’t penetrate optimally, and might not experience reliable expansion.
On the other side of the fence we have proponents of non-bonded bullets. The idea here is that the jacket and core, not being bonded, allow for greater expansion, simply because the jacket isn’t basically fused to the core.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and strong arguments in both camps. But in the case of Federal HST, the non-bonded design offers optimal expansion which has been corroborated by extensive testing, even through barriers.
The fact that they are not bonded also allows for greater overall disruption, ensuring a wider wound channel and greater cavitation.
Whatever your personal preference is, or what side of the fence you’re on, Federal HST has been tested to perform.
Stock Up on Federal HST
Here for Federal HST? We have it. Take a look through our catalog and make sure you don’t miss our other lines. We carry Fiocchi, Speer, CCI, Winchester, Norma, Remington, and other Federal rounds, among others.
Stock up today and while you’re here make sure you bookmark our other deals and police trade-in specials pages. Stop back every few days - you won’t want to miss a good deal.